THE Covid-19 positivity rate in the National Capital Region (NCR) or Metro Manila last November 2 was

8.9 percent, the lowest in four months, the independent monitoring firm OCTA Research said.

OCTA fellow Dr. Guido David said the rate was significantly lower than the 10.7 percent on October 26.

David said the rate translates to an average of 210 confirmed cases a day.

"With the numbers going down, we're hoping our holidays will be brighter," he said in Filipino during a
briefing on Monday.

What is even more encouraging is that the decline is not happening in Metro Manila alone "but also in
other provinces. It's dwindling in the whole Philippines."

He noted that the seven-day average in the NCR also went down from 411 to 269.

This is equivalent to an average daily attack rate (ADAR) of 1.87 per 100,000 population.

ADAR shows the average incidence of new cases within a specific period per 100,000 people.

"Hopefully this will continue until the end of November, we're already below 500," David said.

He attributed the decline to the public's increased awareness in protecting themselves against the virus,
particularly continuing to wear masks despite the government's relaxed policy on mask wearing indoors
and outdoors.

"Based on our informal survey, I think 85 percent said they will continue to wear face masks when
indoors. So, I think the relaxed policy will not affect the number of positive cases so much," he said.
The Department of Education is telling its personnel to refrain from having interactions with students
outside of schools in a new order that contains a long list of other things teaching and non-teaching staff
should keep from doing.

Under Department Order No. 49 issued Wednesday, DepEd personnel are told to “avoid relationships,
interaction, communication, including following social media with learners outside of the school setting,
except if they are relatives.”

Vice President Sara Duterte, who is also education secretary, told reporters Friday that this is to
minimize biases on the part of teachers and prevent “criminal” incidents from happening.

“As a teacher, there has to be a line between him or her and the learner. They should not have friendly
relations with their learners outside of the learning institution setting because people develop biases
when they become friends with someone,” Duterte said partly in Filipino.

Duterte also recalled one incident where a teacher was allegedly stabbed by their student during a
drinking spree.

“These instances are preventable if our teaching and non-teaching staff in the Department of Education
recognize that lines should be drawn,” she said.

Other mandates of the order include raising issues and concerns regarding basic education through
“formal and appropriate DepEd channels … without resorting to any political or third-party intervention
or accommodation.”

DepEd staff were also told to “desist from any act that may compromise one’s integrity as a government
employee and that may compromise the honor” of the department.

The new order also laid down guidelines on the use of social media, with one rule stating that personnel
should not post “attacks” against fellow employees and that they should not “disparage DepEd.”

Rep. France Castro (ACT Teachers party-list) slammed the order, saying it “gags” teachers and education
support personnel.
"Why does the Department of Education feel the need to create such an order that gags and threatens
teachers and education support personnel which treats them as mere creatures only of the school and
dehumanizes them preventing them to exercise their right to free speech, expression, to organize and
be able to voice out their grievances?" Castro said.

She continued, “If the education department insists on gagging its employees online and offline and
prevents them from relating to others on things, not about the school, what else is left of them?”
The World Health Organization (WHO) said it is committed to supporting all countries in continuously
learning from the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the 7th World One Health Congress (WOHC) being held at the Sands Expo and Convention Center,
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus encouraged member-countries that included the
Philippines to continue working toward a healthier, safer and fairer world while the battle against the
pandemic is still ongoing.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has taught all of us many painful lessons. There have been many reviews of
the global response to the pandemic with more than 300 recommendations,” Tedros said in his opening
remarks given virtually.

He added, “Drawing on those reviews, the WHO has developed a proposal for an enhanced global health
architecture with stronger governance, stronger systems and tools, stronger financing that strongly
empowered and sustainably financed WHO.”

Tedros said the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, UN Environment Program,
WHO and the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) have launched the “One Health Joint Plan
of Action” to integrate and coordinate their work across humans, animals, agricultural and
environmental sectors.

“If you want to take action, it must be based on a One Health approach that addresses the intimate links
between the health of humans, animals and our environments,” he added.

At the same time, the WHO chief also noted that “about 70 percent of all emerging pathogens have
zoonotic source.”

“Irresponsible land use, deforestation and climate change all increase the risk of pathogens spilling over
from wildlife, domestic animals to humans,” Tedros said.

“We can only truly make the world safer if we address these underlying drivers of epidemics and
pandemics,” he said.

The WOHC, which aims to advance the One Health agenda, commenced yesterday with more than 1,400
in-person and 1,000 virtual attendees from academic institutions, civil society, government bodies and
the private sector.
Singapore President Halimah Yacob graced the opening ceremony as guest of honor.

“We have journeyed long and hard, learning many lessons from COVID-19 together. Perhaps the
greatest lesson on our interconnectivity is that we must leverage it well and early, to the best of our
advantage,” Yacob said in her opening remarks as she highlighted collaboration as a key facet of the One
Health approach, and an important factor in global health preparedness efforts.

“We must work together not only when a crisis unfolds, but strive to be ahead of the curve through
strong collaborations and preparations even during peace time,” she said.

The five-day Congress hosted by Singapore’s SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute under the
auspices of the SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Center is themed “Integrating Science, Policy
and Clinical Practice: A One Health Imperative Post-COVID-19.”

It seeks to advance the global One Health movement to improve health and well-being by preventing
and mitigating crises that originate at the animal-human-environment interface.

It was earlier reported that WHO member-states including the Philippines are crafting a “pandemic
treaty” that will be used to guide and unite countries in times of health crisis.

Department of Health officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said, “Because of the current pandemic,
all of the countries agreed that this treaty should be there. We all need to be prepared. We need to help
each other when we find ourselves in this kind of situation.”

The pandemic treaty was among the issues discussed in the 73rd session of the WHO Regional
Committee for the Western Pacific that was recently held in the pilippines.
President Marcos is expected to meet with at least six fellow leaders on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) meet, where he will also push for measures on food and energy security
and climate change adaptation.

Leaders from 21 member-economies will tackle sustainable trade and investment, efforts to reconnect
the region, post-pandemic recovery and inclusive and sustainable growth during this year’s APEC
summit from Nov. 16 to 19 in Thailand.

It will be the first in-person APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting since 2018 and the first for the Marcos
administration.

“The President is having bilateral meetings with six counterparts. The arrangements are still being
finalized so I am not at liberty to disclose yet at this time which economies and leaders they are,”
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Assistant Secretary Eric Gerardo Tamayo said at a press briefing
yesterday.

Asked if Marcos would meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and US Vice President Kamala Harris,
Tamayo replied: “Right now, I can’t say that among the roster of bilateral meetings of the President that
these meetings have yet to be explored for the time being.”

DFA spokesperson Teresita Daza noted that the US government has announced Harris’ planned three-
day visit to the Philippines after the APEC summit. She said the visit would provide another opportunity
to further strengthen the Philippines’ engagement with the US.

Tamayo, who handles multilateral affairs and international economic relations, said Marcos would push
for the revitalization of APEC’s role as a driver of global economic growth.

“The President will be calling attention to the need to ensure food security, energy security and also the
robust response of APEC economies to the challenge of climate change adaptation and mitigation,” the
foreign affairs official said.

According to Tamayo, APEC is the “most important, non-binding multilateral and regional engagement
of the Philippines.”
“If you see the economic prognosis coming from our experts, the global economic situation is indeed
quite disrupting many lives and many livelihoods. And it is important for us to be able to highlight the
fact that economies need to address and need the future proof of the region in responding to these
disruptions, be it coming from the pandemic and other disruptions around the globe,” Tamayo said.

“The challenge before us is to facilitate the rapid recovery of economies arising out of the pandemic,
and also to undertake the necessary measures to counter disruptive forces that affect the current
economic situation around the globe,” he added.

Press Undersecretary Cheloy Garafil said this year’s summit would be an opportunity to push the
administration’s economic agenda and priorities, including the empowerment of micro, small and
medium enterprises and their inclusion in global value chains, recognition of the essential role of
maritime crews and seafarers in ensuring stable and resilient supply chains, food and energy security
and climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Marcos will also join the APEC CEO Summit, which will gather top business leaders in the region. He is
scheduled to meet with top executives of Thai companies to discuss business opportunities, investments
and expansion plans and the Filipino community.

“He will also have the opportunity to meet with leaders of economies to discuss our bilateral relations
and seek (a) path towards mutual economic benefits,” Garafil said.

The Philippines is a founding member of APEC, which was formed in 1989 to support sustainable
economic growth and prosperity in the Asia Pacific.

The member-economies of the multilateral bloc are responsible for about 85 percent of the Philippines’
trade abroad and account for 82 percent of tourism flows into the country.

More than half or 60 percent of Filipinos abroad are based in APEC economies and are responsible for
68 percent of remittance sent to the Philippines.

The Philippines hosted APEC meetings in 1996 and 2015.