Viva Vigan Binatbatan Festival

     The Philippines is known to have a wide range variety of festivals often called as a "Fiesta," is an important component of Filipino culture. A fiesta is held in each city or province. Because Mexico is such a religiously based country, fiestas are frequently held to honor the patron saint of a city or province, or to commemorate the harvest. Events are one of the reasons why local tourism is expanding; visitors who have attended these festivals keep returning for more. Millions of people go to popular festivals, which have become a major source of revenue in some places.

         Viva Vigan Binatbatan Festival of the Arts is celebrated yearly from the last week of April to the first week of May. Binatbatan dancing is linked to the abel Iloco craft of Vigan. The dance represents the process of beating cotton pods with bamboo sticks to remove the cotton fluff known as batbat from its seed. The festival began in 2002 to highlight this ancient weaving technique that predates the arrival of the Spaniards. The Biguenos or locals have been particularly active in commemorating festivals in recent years because there are numerous events to enjoy.

        However, as the COVID-19 virus spreads, it has restricted people's movement in all countries. Fortunately, the world is gradually healing, and many, if not all, people have already adjusted to the new normal. Still, some people continue to expect and hope that things will return to normal. References: 

https://tinyurl.com/23n79fcb 

https://tinyurl.com/2p87acyj

https://tinyurl.com/mrxs8c8u

https://www.vigattintourism.com/tourism/articles/Viva-Vigan-Binatbatan-Festival-of-the-Arts-2012

https://myteachersquest2.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/download-11.jpg

Women in Time of Crisis

    As the COVID-19 pandemic enters its third year, the world continues to face unprecedented challenges and deep uncertainty. While we've all been dealing with unpredictability, the most vulnerable, particularly women, have been hit the hardest. With an estimated 97 million more people living in extreme poverty, the pandemic reversed decades of progress in international development. Women, in particular, have borne a disproportionate burden as a result of lockdowns, facing the loss of personal and household income, increased unpaid care work, and decreased mobility. 

    Given its long history, International Women's Day is a fitting way to commemorate women's long-standing struggle for equality. It is also a call for institutions and other stakeholders to recognize their sacrifices and create a safer environment for the next generation of women. The 2022 National Women's Month is more than just a celebration; it is a way to honor the women of the past who paved the way for the present. But, more importantly, it is an opportunity to recognize today's working women and the legacy they will leave for future generations.

   Despite these challenges, women living in extreme poverty who participate in social and economic inclusion programs have faced the health and economic crisis with resilience and hope. They've successfully pivoted, diversified, and strengthened their micro-enterprises, armed with skills and knowledge and fueled by their creativity. They've been supporting one another in savings groups through COVID-19 and other shocks. And they've kept saving for the future — for themselves, their families, and their communities.

          On International Women's Day, participants advocated for the pandemic to be used to address long-standing inequalities in our society's health-care systems that disproportionately affect women, such as cancer prevention and care, as well as the reproductive rights of cancer patients. There is a need for increased diversity and participation of women in the public and private sectors, as well as a focus on new social and community-based enterprises with equal opportunity goals.

Women are disproportionately affected in all crises, including COVID-19, despite the fact that they are the backbone of society and should be protected and empowered.

References: 

https://gdc.unicef.org/resource/building-womens-resilience-face-covid-19 

https://www.camella.com.ph/national-womens-month-2022/

https://en.unesco.org/news/covid-19-women-era-pandemic

https://www.embl.org/news/events/indirect-impacts-of-a-pandemic-on-women-in-science/

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02006-z

https://reliefweb.int/report/world/africa-track-control-covid-19-pandemic-2022

Vaccination of Teens and Children in the Philippines

        The National Government commenced its pilot implementation of COVID-19 vaccination for children aged 5 to 11 years old through the “Resbakuna Kids” campaign. The ceremony was attended by Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco T. Duque III and National Task Force (NTF) Chief Implementer and Vaccine Czar Carlito Galvez, Jr. at Philippine Children's Medical Center (PCMC) and National Children's Hospital (NCH), respectively.To maximize accessibility to the general public, the government stated that the rollout of "Resbakuna Kids" will take a phased approach, utilizing both hospital-based and local government unit (LGU)-based vaccination sites. There are currently 38 vaccination sites around the National Capital Region (NCR), with five in Region III, three in Region IV-A, and one in BARMM with Region XII. The government added that more vaccination sites will be available in the coming days as the rollout progresses.

          The ceremony was attended by Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco T. Duque III and National Task Force (NTF) Chief Implementer and Vaccine Czar Carlito Galvez, Jr. at Philippine Children's Medical Center (PCMC) and National Children's Hospital (NCH), respectively.

 

       To maximize accessibility to the general public, the government stated that the rollout of "Resbakuna Kids" will take a phased approach, utilizing both hospital-based and local government unit (LGU)-based vaccination sites. There are currently 38 vaccination sites around the National Capital Region (NCR), with five in Region III, three in Region IV-A, and one in BARMM with Region XII. The government added that more vaccination sites will be available in the coming days as the rollout progresses. 

              As the Philippines entered its third year of fighting the coronavirus pandemic, the government began vaccinating children aged 5 to 11 against the deadly virus in February 2022, and 12-17 years old in October 2021.

        According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the Pfizer vaccine was found to be safe and effective, preventing 90.9 percent of symptomatic COVID-19. They stated that "no serious adverse events or deaths were discovered as a result of the vaccination." The vaccination of children is welcome news because the Department of Education (DepEd) intends to transition to limited face-to-face classes by the school year 2022-2023. Since the pandemic began in 2020, the country has used a distance learning system.

Ref: https://www.rappler.com/nation/philippines-begins-covid-19-vaccination-children-5-to-11-february-7-2022/

https://doh.gov.ph/press-release/DOH-NVOC-NTF-LAUNCH-RESBAKUNA-KIDS-CAMPAIGN-FOR-5-TO-11-YEAR-OLDS

https://www.davaocity.gov.ph/covid-19/630-dabawenyo-kids-inoculated-after-2-days-of-5-11-y-o-vaccination-no-major-adverse-event-recorded/  

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1168017 

https://files01.pna.gov.ph/ograph/2022/02/09/bulacan-resbakuna-kids-.jpg

Next quarter pls!!

     Each day feels so different to me, sometimes I understand myself, and most of the time I dont. As I lie on my bed every midnight I get these realizations about the things I could have done differently within the day, I'd be overthinking so much to the point where I can't sleep and I slowly see the sunrise thru my window. 

     The whole 3rd quarter for me was so overwhelming, I felt so much so much emotions and made so many decisions that I wouldn't think that it would make much of a difference in my life. I was at my lowest these past few months, with no one to reach out and open up to but I'm glad that it somehow got a little better. Got into things that I'm not supposed to and met people who I wouldn't think will make me feel these emotions, good and bad. Discovered new hobbies that would make me distracted and take out the stress that I feel. 

     I think I changed, not sure if for the better or worse I just know I changed. I hope this upcoming quarter and months get better for me and for you who are reading this and I just wanna say that you should try to stay strong for yourself and find a healthy coping mechanism.