Category Archives: Health & Medicine

Government, Health & Medicine, Social Media

Rappler’s JC Punongbayan Declared ‘Persona Non Grata’

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MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – Jan Carlo “JC” Punongbayan, staffer at Rapppler and an assistant professor at the University of the Philippines School of Economics (UPSE) has been declared ‘persona non grata’ by the Philippine government.

This after he described the specialty hospitals like the Heart Center, Lung Center and Kidney Institute as “bopis centers.” Bopis is a popular dish that uses a pig’s lungs and heart as its main ingredients.

The medical directors of the said centers condemned Punongbayan’s tweet, saying that it is not only an insult to the good work of the specialty hospitals but also to the thousands of Filipino patients diagnosed with heart, lung and kidney disease.

The directors also blacklisted Punongbayan. If, God forbid, would ever need treatment at these hospitals, he will be outrightly rejected and refused admission.

Health & Medicine

Baguio City Mayor Benjie Magalong The Next Health Secretary?

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BAGUIO CITY, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Baguio Bureau) – It’s been over a year since Bongbong Marcos was elected the 17th president of the Philippines. His election came on the heels of the Covid-19, with his campaign promise of leading his country to full recovery from the negative socio-economic effects of the pandemic.

Today, a Health Secretary is still missing from his Cabinet.

If Marcos is looking for a forward-looking, risk-taking Health Secretary with lots of political will, he may have finally found it in Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, once the country’s Covid contact-tracing Czar under President Rodrigo Duterte.

Now, just as the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared that Covid-19 is no longer a global emergency, and countries significantly easing their Covid restrictions, the Philippines is reporting a rise in Covid-19 cases.

But leave it to Magalong to step up and take up the cudgels for the country’s continued vigilance against the return of Covid. He has issued an Executive Order reinstating the mandatory wearing of face masks in his city, particularly in establishments and crowded venues. He is leaving no stone unturned.

And President Marcos is impressed. Our fly-in-the-wall contact at the presidential palace tells us that Magalong is now the frontrunner to be the new Health Secretary.

This is a developing story.

Health & Medicine, Media

Philippine Radio Anchors Keep Their Face Masks On To Protect Themselves From Their Listeners!

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MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – The Philippines is probably one among the few countries whose citizens still wear face masks. Never mind that the government has made it optional, except in high-risk environments. Never mind that the World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that the coronavirus is no longer a global health emergency.

Case in point: the anchors of one of the most-listened to radio stations wear their face mask when on the air. Never mind that they’re in isolation inside the broadcast studio.

Is this a case of overreaction, unfounded fear, or do they get stipends from the Health Department for being poster children of health safety?

Or are they afraid that their listeners might catch what they have, or vice versa? After all, no study has yet been conducted to determine if viruses are transmitted through the air waves.