Expecting widespread rain showers and scattered thunderstorms, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) declared last June 12 the start of the rainy season in the country. With the Philippines’ health sector already struggling to cope with the overwhelming number of COVID-19 cases, the onset of the rainy season may also bring with…
Tag: Nota Bene
Like in many other countries, coffee is one of the most popular drinks among Filipinos, creating and sustaining the country’s coffee plantation industry. Before plummeting to 110th, the Philippines was once the world’s fourth largest coffee bean exporter. Various local efforts have been enacted to revive the industry plagued by coffee rust—caused by a fast-spreading…
Besides baring the capacities of leaders and healthcare systems around the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly reflected each country’s level of preparedness, their citizens’ trust, and overall unity. The actions of governments and citizens have put their respective countries on different roads, navigating how best to respond to the public health crisis and its…
Despite their immense capacity to generate knowledge, the Sciences tend to be devalued or misunderstood; the vast array of complex concepts and unfamiliar terminologies have made these subject matters appear inaccessible to those outside the scientific community. With the overwhelming amount of information available, it is easy to be misled by hearsays, exaggerations, and even…
When COVID-19 cases nearly doubled on March 14—skyrocketing from 64 a day before to 111—President Rodrigo Duterte responded by placing Luzon on Enhanced Community Quarantine, restricting land, air, and sea travel; suspending mass transport facilities; and prohibiting mass gatherings, among other enforced guidelines. Responding to the severity of the pandemic, the Department of Health (DOH)…
One in every five Filipino adults use Facebook to access and consume news, a Social Weather Stations survey conducted in 2019 revealed. While television remains the chief source of news for about 60 percent of Filipinos, Facebook places second, surpassing radio stations and newspapers. By racking up likes and shares, news on Facebook and other…
Last March 20, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) officially declared the start of the country’s dry season—not summer, the weather bureau clarified—which marked the end of the northeast monsoon or Amihan. Along with the temperatures peaking this dry season, the sun is also at its maximum elevation, reaching its peak at…
Fatigue, tiredness, colds, and any other incurable illness despite medication—these are just some examples of symptoms that many people go to the doctor’s office for. It is possible, however, that there are underlying issues that standard medical tests may not accurately detect. To address this, Filipino physician Dr. Theodore Achacoso pioneered the establishment of a…
Flipping through the pages of history, drinking alcohol has always been a practice of human society. Present in ancient societies all around the world, the oldest alcoholic drink comes from a Chinese village in the Henan province in 7,000 to 6,500 BC. From wine in ancient Rome to the Pulque in Pre-Columbian America, societies have…
Last December 10, the Philippines became the first country in Asia to achieve government approval for Golden Rice. This came after two years of rigorous research and vetting by the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) of the Department of Agriculture, as initiated by an application jointly submitted by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and…