Philippine Harvest trade fair gets online leg amid COVID-19
MANILA, Philippines — The annual Philippine Harvest Trade Fair that promotes and sells local food products shifted to online platform amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The Department of Tourism (DOT) launched the online leg of the Philippine Harvest Trade Fair on Wednesday.
The DOT said the move to hold the trade fair online was to make local food products more accessible to Filipino consumers despite the circumstances brought by the COVID-19 and the enhanced community quarantine.
It added that this is also a way to promote local cuisine and ingredients during the quarantine period.
This year, the Philippine Harvest will feature products from 27 local food producers. The participation of these merchants is free as the government seeks to lessen the economic impact of COVID-19 to local food and farm producers.
The local food products from MSMEs and small farmers are featured on the official Facebook page of Philippine Harvest.
The DOT said that “consumers may order directly from the respective social media accounts of participating merchants, and products will be sent to consumers via available delivery services such as GrabExpress and Lalamove, while practicing social distancing.”
“With our efforts in taking the Philippine Harvest online, we are showing that COVID-19 will not stop our mission of making locally-sourced food sustainable and available to Filipinos,” Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said.
“Not only can Filipinos continue to enjoy the best of local food products, but our hardworking farmers of our farm tourism sites and MSMEs can still receive the support they need,” she added.
The DOT’s Philippine Harvest Trade Fair was established in 2018 in partnership with the leading retail group Stores Specialists Inc. and Central Square Mall in Bonifacio Global Taguig City.
The trade fair aims “to champion the richness of Philippine agriculture, through local, organic, artisanal, and indigenous food products from each of the Philippines’ regions.” It also seeks to give farms new markets by linking them with the private sector. —Rosette Adel
Photo shows members of the Philippine National Police deployed in Manila amid COVID-19 threat. The STAR/Edd Gumban
President Rodrigo Duterte on March 16, 2020 declares an enhanced community quarantine over all of mainland Luzon, an expansion of an earlier general community quarantine over the National Capital Region.
The entire National Capital Region—16 cities and a municipality—is under community quarantine from March 15 to April 14, which means the enforcement of social distancing measures like letting fewer people on public transportation, reduced store hours, and the possibiity of curfews.
According to a memorandum issued by the Palace on Saturday, March 14, the quarantine means that "movement of people shall be limited to accessing basic necessities and work; and uniformed personnel and quarantine officers shall be present at border points."
Travel restrictions in and out of the capital will also be implemented.
A labor group says another lockdown will never resolve rising COVID-19 cases in the Philippines after the government announced that Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Bulacan and Rizal are placed under the enhanced community quarantine starting Monday.
“The Duterte government seems to be deliberate in focusing its efforts in imposing quarantine and lockdown measures instead of addressing the rising cases of COVID-19 and the worsening state of the pandemic through medical solutions and scientific approach,” says Defend Jobs Philippines.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque says the implementation of enhanced community quarantine is meant to slow down the increase of COVID-19 cases, so hospitals and health workers will not be overwhelmed.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque announces that Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Bulacan and Rizal are placed under enhanced community quarantine starting Monday, March 29.
Tuguegarao City will be placed under enhanced community quarantine from January 20 to 29 due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the city.
Cagayan Gov. Manuel Mamba approved the request of Tuguegarao Mayor Jefferson Soriano to place the city under ECQ for 10 days.
According to the Cagayan Provincial Information Office, the city currently has 246 active cases.
BREAKING NEWS | ENERO 19, 2021 RIATF INAPRUBAHAN NA ANG PAGSASAILALIM SA TUGUEGARAO CITY SA 10-ARAW NA...
Posted by Cagayan Provincial Information Office on Tuesday, 19 January 2021
Batangas, one of the provinces hardest hit by the novel coronavirus, has reported no new cases of the disease for two consecutive days.
The provincial DOH Office says the number of COVID-19 cases in the province stood at 91 with no new cases as of Wednesday afternoon.
Lipa City has the most cases with 26, followed by Batangas City (21) and Nasugbu (11).
Tanauan City has the fourth most cases with eight, followed by Bauan (5) and Alitagtag (3). Cuenca and Sto. Tomas City had two cases each, while the municipalities of Calaca, Lemery, Lian, Lobo, Mabini, Mataas na Kahoy, Padre Garcia, San Jose, San Juan, San Pascual and Taal had one case each, respectively. — The Filipino Connection
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