Roque's meltdown towards doctors was uncalled for

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

"Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque blew his top during the online IATF meeting last Tuesday after a group of doctors opposed the government’s decision to relax the quarantine protocols in NCR despite the soaring COVID-19 cases."

Roque angrily reacted to the comments and pleas of Dr. Maricar Limpin, president of the Philippine College of Physicians, during the IATF meeting.

In the video, Roque was furious over the disagreement of a group of doctors on the easing of quarantine restrictions in Metro Manila amid the rising COVID-19 cases.

“Do not sit there as if you’re the only ones right… How dare you think that we are not considering steps to prevent the loss of lives?” 

“This group, they have never said anything good about government response!” said Roque in a raging tone.

Asan na yung "kalma lang, ako lang ito"? Kayo nga hindi makakalma. #kalmaAkoLangTo just like this circus government is nothing but a joke.

On what capacity is he speaking? Personally or as presidential spokesperson? Bumalik kasi sila sa Earth para alam nila ang totoong nangyayari. Napasarap na yata sa sarili nilang mundong di makatotohanan.

The doctors he just lashed out on, knows more about what's happening on-ground more than he does. Inggrato siya. Paupo-upo nga lang diyan tapos siya pa may ganang manigaw? If maayos ang government response they why is the burden all on HCWs?

Gusto nila ng experts sa meetings pero pagpipilitan pa rin yung mga gusto nila kahit na sila na nagsabi na hindi makakatulong? Sasabihan pa niya na wala silang ginawa kundi mag criticize eh yun pala hindi pala sila pinapakinggan kahit na sila ang experts?? Kapal ng mukha!

Also, once they accepted a post to be a public servant, be ready for criticism kasi expected na maglingkod sila.

Pinupuri nila sarili nila, kaya taumbayan na lang ang pupuna. Kung sana tanggap nila ang totoong sitwasyon, hindi na kailangang mag-ingay ng mga ordinaryong Pinoy.

Fascinating how this government is digging their graves. Nagtitimpi lang mga tao and they still keep poking us. If HCWs abandon the frontlines, that’s when government will succumb to the power of the people.

Roque owes doctors an apology over his "rude behavior" toward them.

Filipinos deserve much more than an apology from Harry Roque. 

WE DESERVE A GOVERNMENT WITHOUT HIM. 

We deserve competent and compassionate officials who recognize that their job is to serve the people, not lord over them.

This government has forgotten that they are meant to serve US and not the other way around. Who after all, is paying for their salaries?

Roque should listen to health workers, not insult them.

“Hindi magandang ehemplo si spox Roque kasi kung ikaw ay nasa ganyang posisyon, dapat pinapakinggan at iniintindi mo kung saan nanggagaling ang sentimyento ng HCWs.” 

"Kung ikaw (Roque) ay nanggagatong lang at baseless kung magsalita, hindi ko sigurado kung karapat-dapat ka ring iboto kahit sa Senado sa darating na eleksyon. Alam kong tatakbo ka ng senador. Hindi maganda na ang isang mambabatas ay may ganyang attitude."

Hindi sya karapat-dapat kahit anong posisyon. Period.

Roque’s behavior is uncalled for. The presidential spokesperson should look after his mental state. 

Roque, from a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the highest, how effective is the white-sand to your mental health now? 

Dalhin asap si Harry Roque sa dolomite beach to cure his meltdown.

Roque better step down. He’s not even a huge help. He doesn’t give hope to any people at all. He is disrespectful and unprofessional.

Roque is actually guilt-tripping our health workers and the whole nation, making the government look good amidst its failure. 

Classic state rhetoric. Walang sorry sorry, sa atin pa sinisi. 

Sa totoo lang, ang kapal ni Roque to shout at concerned doctors when he can easily use whatever connection he has to get a hospital bed ahead of other more critical patients whenever he needs to.

Dalawang beses na nagka-COVID si Roque. Kung di dahil sa mga HCW, ewan ko kung ano nangyari sa kanya. 

Who knows? 

Maybe third time’s the charm.

Next time, send him to the VET.

ASAL HAYOP naman eh.

Norwegian Cruise Line premieres the next episode of EMBARK – the Series

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), the innovator in global cruise travel with a 54-year history of breaking boundaries, today premieres the next episode of EMBARK – the Series, "Welcome Aboard," which will be live at 8am HKT at www.ncl.com/embark and Facebook.

The Company's five-part docuseries chronicling its return to cruising journey continues with a behind-the-scenes look at its Great Cruise Comeback when Norwegian Jade becomes the first ship in the fleet to welcome guests back on board after 500 days.

In this fourth episode, viewers will witness the emotional moments when crew reunite for the first time after many months, as well as their excitement to do what they do best – deliver memorable cruise experiences. The episode will showcase the final preparations to ready the ship before the first guests embark and Norwegian Jade makes history as the first ship in the NCL fleet to homeport in Athens.

"We have been building up to this moment, when we finally set sail after a long 500-day journey back to cruising," said Harry Sommer, president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line. "From the beginning we set out to bring travellers along as we innovated and prepared for our Great Cruise Comeback. Now, in this fourth episode we bring viewers along to see and feel the emotions and excitement of safely reuniting with our guests, crew and the destinations we've missed for over the last year."

"Welcome Aboard" will premiere live today, Friday 10 September 2021 at 8am HKT. This next episode and the suite of EMBARK content including The Series, Spotlights and Stories are available at www.ncl.com/embark

Norwegian Cruise Line restarted its cruise operations on 25 July 2021 following a more than 500-day suspension, with Norwegian Jade launching seven-day itineraries to the Greek Isles. Norwegian Encore became the first ship in the NCL fleet to return to cruising from the U.S. on 7 August 2021 and is currently sailing her inaugural season of week-long Alaska voyages from Seattle. On 15 August Norwegian Gem was the first ship in the fleet to resume operations from Miami and set sail from the new Norwegian Cruise Line Terminal at Port Miami with a selection of week-long voyages to the Caribbean and four-day cruises to the Bahamas. Additional ships are scheduled to redeploy in Europe and North America as the Northern hemisphere autumn progresses.

The fleetwide redeployment will continue in partnership with local governments and is guided by the robust protocols of the Company’s Sail SAFE™ health and safety program, which at its cornerstone includes that all crew and guests must be fully vaccinated to embark for voyages through 31 December 2021. Working with the leading experts of the SailSAFE Global Health and Wellness Council, the robust protocols will be regularly evaluated and modified as needed, making science-based decisions to protect guests, crew and the destinations it visits. As protocols evolve and additional information becomes available, updates will be published at www.ncl.com/sail-safe.

For more information about the Company’s award-winning 17-ship fleet and worldwide itineraries, or to book a cruise, please contact a travel professional, call Hong Kong on +852 2165 6000 and Southeast Asia on +65 3165 1680 or visit www.ncl.com.

Helping low-income families become financially resilient through the FREER project

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unimaginable impact on the lives of millions of Filipinos, especially those from marginalized sections of the community.

Over 4.5 million Filipinos have lost their jobs in 2020 and the country’s unemployment rate saw a 15-year high at 10.4 per cent. This translates to income-earners not being able to provide food and necessities for their families, as well as support the educational needs of children.

To help address this challenge, Wells Fargo International Solutions LLC – Philippines (“Wells Fargo Philippines”) partnered with Save the Children Philippines to implement the Financial Resilience for Economic Recovery (FREER) Project, to help alleviate the hardships faced by families living in poverty and whose livelihoods were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and community quarantines.

“We are honored to partner with Save the Children to support the enhancement of financial literacy and employability skills of target beneficaries from low-income families, especially during this pandemic,” said Sandeep Mulajkar, Country Head of Wells Fargo Philippines.

“Through this program, we believe we can empower people to become part of a strong workforce and help the Philippines become a more robust economy.”

The FREER Project aims to enable more than 1,850 people and 370 beneficiaries in Malabon, to build their financial resources in the form of savings, and provide access to sustainable financial services to support their livelihood recovery through provision of capital assistance.

“This issue is definitely something we cannot ignore, as the longer it goes unaddressed, the more irreversible its negative impact could be, not only for today’s children, but even for future generations. We thank Wells Fargo for providing a light of hope for the most impacted children and communities by investing in the FREER Project,” said Liza Soberano, Save the Children Ambassador.

Wells Fargo and Save the Children Philippines held a virtual ceremonial check handover on September 9, 2021, underscoring the two organizations’ commitment and shared efforts to advance the economic recovery of Filipinos during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The event was one of the key highlights of Wells Fargo’s 10th Anniversary celebrations in the Philippines and Save the Children Philippines’ 40th year of lifesaving work for and with children in the country.

Arindam Banerrji, Managing Director and Head, Wells Fargo India & Philippines said, “corporate responsibility is an integral part of our culture at Wells Fargo, and is fundamental to our values and how we operate. While we celebrate an important milestone of our 10th year of operations in the Philippines, we are also entering into a new partnership with Save the Children.”

“Save the Children Philippines closely aligns with our CSR approach, which includes a strong focus on issues related to education and skills development. Through this partnership, we are confident that we can help the youth develop skills to become contributing members of the society.”

“Through the FREER project and with Wells Fargo, we can definitely inspire others – including those in power – to put children and young people at the heart of our actions to reduce poverty; to strengthen the low and insecure incomes that prevent children from surviving, learning, and being protected, and thereby stop the transmission of poverty to future generations,” said Atty. Alberto Muyot, Chief Executive Officer of Save the Children Philippines.

The partnership was sealed with Save the Children Philippines awarding Wells Fargo with a limited-edition token that commemorates the child right’s organizations’ global centenary and was capped with a performance by Save The Children Changemaker Lara Maigue.

“Children cannot wait, every minute counts as they look to us for a better future.  Children, regardless of who or where they are, should have time and opportunities to enjoy their childhood, and be able to look forward to the future with hope and optimism,” said Muyot.

“We can truly say this partnership is one of the most life-changing things that could ever happen this year for children and families in our communities,” said Soberano.

Aside from the FREER Project, Wells Fargo Philippines also organized a series of virtual events beginning August, to engage with its non-government organization partners and employee volunteers to support corporate social responsibility efforts.