It’s the tenth month of 2021 and a lot of us still could not believe it.
Most of us still can’t help but wonder where the time has gone. But more than anything, we have to congratulate ourselves for getting this far, despite the challenges brought about by the pandemic.
We may have started the year constantly worrying about what tomorrow may bring but as we’ve breezed through the past months, we were actually surprised with how things have changed and developed.
As we go towards the end of the year, we want to look back at some of the most remarkable things that happened this year.
Here is a list of some of the most important events and trending topics that have transpired this year. Let’s do a flashback of what 2021 has brought us so far.
COVID-19 Vaccination Rollout
A lot of Filipinos were quite hesitant with the COVID-19 vaccine the first time it was announced. As the national government aims to vaccinate up to 70 million Filipinos by the end of the year, there have been respective vaccination drives all over the country to protect the population against the rising coronavirus cases.
According to reports, the first batch of 600,000 Sinovac doses donated by China arrived in the country in February. The vaccination drives for medical frontliners started in March followed by the arrival of other vaccines. Meanwhile, senior citizens and people with comorbidities in Metro Manila had their vaccination towards the end of March.
Seven manufacturers have received regulatory approval for the emergency use of their vaccine in the country such as Sinovac, AstraZeneca, Gamaleya, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, and Bharat Biotech. But the government has only approved the supply agreements with Sinovac, AstraZeneca, Gamaleya, Moderna, Pfizer, and Novavax.
The Covid-19 Variants
We are close to our second year with COVID and the population has been through a lot. There are even new virus variants that were first reported in other countries such as the United Kingdom, South Africa, Brazil, and the US.
We have been familiar with virus variants such as Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Gamma during the first half of the year. These variants were first discovered in the UK, South Africa, India, and Brazil and were considered highly contagious by health experts.
This prompted the national government to implement a series of lockdowns, mass testing, and contact tracing especially in areas with high cases of COVID.
Just recently, the country has detected the first case of the Lambda variant which is more contagious than the Delta variant.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the lambda variant is a variant of interest. The lambda variant has spread to about 30 other countries in the world, including the United Kingdom and is seen as resistant to vaccines. This is why people are still being asked to practice social distancing and proper handwashing and to get their vaccine as soon as they can.
NCR Plus Bubble
There have been stricter restrictions set in the Greater Manila area which includes Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the country.
These areas were put in an NCR Plus bubble to be able to address the surge in COVID-19 cases. With the NCR Plus bubble, a curfew from 6pm to 5am was followed except for those authorized persons outside of residence, cargo vehicles, and public transportation. As usual, persons below 18 and above 60 years old, pregnant women, those with immunodeficiencies, comorbidities, and other health risks were asked to stay at home.
Establishments that provide essential goods and services, and workers accredited by the DOTr were allowed to work at 50% operational capacity while those from the industries such as dental and veterinary clinics, banks, telcos, security, water and power supply companies, among others, were only allowed to have a skeletal workforce.
Rise of Community Pantries
The first community pantry that was put up in Maginhawa Street, Quezon City last April 14 trended on social media and positively encouraged people to share food and other necessities with anyone who needs them.
It was seen on news and all over the internet that the community first started with a cart that has a handwritten signage in Tagalog: “Magbigay ayon sa kakayahan, kumuha batay sa pangangailangan,” or “Give according to one’s ability, get according to one’s need”.
And the idea of putting up community pantries was adopted by different groups and organizations in different areas of the country to extend their help to those who are in need.
The Trending Home Buddies
With a lot of people staying at home, decluttering has been one of the go-to activities that kept a lot of us busy during the pandemic.
The growing interest in home makeovers inspired Frances Lim Cabatuando to form a group where people could easily share and solicit home makeover ideas, thus, the creation of Home Buddies.
Home Buddies is a Facebook Group where people join to share their insights, ideas, photos, and DIY projects on home makeovers. It has become one of the most followed communities on Facebook for inspiration and entertainment, which made staying at home more productive and comfortable.
Switch off: Earth Day
Earth Day was celebrated in April with a call to combat climate change and environmental issues.
The theme this year was “Doing our Fair Share to Restore the Earth”, which stressed the need to play an active role in making a sustainable impact in addressing climate change.
Some of the activities that we can do to help lessen the impact include stopping environmentally harmful activities, doing water and energy conservation, proper waste segregation, and living an eco-friendly lifestyle.
The celebration was also seen as an opportunity to encourage Filipinos to practice environmental actions like composting food waste, buying local and sustainable products, and planting trees.
Additionally, a lot of organizations gave tips on how to make Earth Day activities at home. It is true that saving Mother Earth doesn't always have to be big and grand. Even in your own condo, you can make a huge difference by simply practicing recycling, switching off for an hour, and using local eco-friendly products.
Miss Universe 2020
Who says pageants can’t be creative? A lot of Filipinos witnessed the Miss Universe pageant digitally last May.
More than 70 of the world’s most beautiful women competed against each other during the 69th Miss Universe Pageant which was held in Hollywood.
Our candidate, Rabiya Mateo made it to the Top 21 but was out of the competition after she failed to enter the Top 10. But despite not winning the Miss Universe crown, Filipinos were still proud of her.
Mexico's Andrea Meza was the winner of this year’s pageant, with the first and second runner-ups being Miss Brazil Julia Gama and Miss Peru Janick Maceta Del Castillo.
Award-Winning Filipino Series Trese
The award-winning Filipino fantasy crime-horror series, Trese shocked many with its creative advertisements and out-of-home promotions.
It premiered last June 11, and just three days later, it has already been one of the top 10 watched TV shows on Netflix in 19 countries.
Trese made it on Netflix’s top 10 TV shows list in 11 countries just a day after its release. It also ranked in several countries which included Austria, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Canada, Estonia, Germany, Jamaica, Kuwait, Lithuania, New Zealand, Nigeria, Oman, Philippines, Qatar, Serbia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, U.A.E., and the U.S.A.
BTS Fever & BTS Meal
With McDonald’s announcement of a special menu in collaboration with the popular K-Pop group BTS, fans waited with excitement and joy as BTS Meal was released in the country in June.
BTS Meal included 10 pcs. chicken nuggets, medium fries and drink, and special sweet chili and cajun sauces, were introduced to the world.
It was very successful as McDonald’s announced that it sold almost 3.5 million chicken nuggets on the launch day alone of the famous BTS Meal.
BTS fans also took to social media their support to the group by sharing their photos and videos enjoying the popular meal. Some even posted photos on how they kept the BTS Meal paper bag as memorabilia.
PNoy’s Funeral
On June 26, former President Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” C. Aquino III was laid to rest. It was said that he died in his sleep on June 24. His family later announced that the cause of his death was renal disease secondary to diabetes.
The urn that contains the cremated remains of Aquino was interred beside his parents at the Manila Memorial Park.
2022 Elections
The Philippine Presidential election is scheduled on May 9, 2022. With just a few months towards the elections, Filipinos are being encouraged to register to vote. The COMELEC has recently extended the voting registration until the end of October 2021.
In case you have not registered yet, we have enlisted here some ways to ensure a smooth registration and visit to your local Commission on Elections (COMELEC) office
- Ensure that you meet the eligibility requirements - Filipino citizen, At least 18 years old and above on or before Election Day (May 9, 2022), and a resident of the Philippines for at least one year and a resident of the place where you intend to vote for at least 6 months.
- Find your COMELEC office and book an appointment - You can check their official website or Facebook page for more information on their booking system for appointments.
- Fill out the COMELEC forms
- Photocopy your valid ID
- Secure registration appointment - make sure to bring the copy of the accomplished forms, valid ID and photocopy of the ID, your own pen, face mask and face shield, alcohol or sanitizer, and water to keep yourself hydrated.
Some procedures may vary between municipalities but generally, here are some of the things you can expect on your COMELEC office visit:
- Contact tracing
- Application review and signature
- Logging application into the system
- Biometrics capturing
- Stub collection
Meanwhile, those who are planning to run for the national elections have a little over two weeks left before the filing of certificate of candidacy begins. There were already several names on the list while some have not yet officially announced their plans.
With all the things that have happened this year, we should all be ready for whatever may come our way. We should also be able to secure our future as much as we can. And one way to do this is to invest in real estate that would allow you to earn passive income.
One of the most stable investments that you can have is real estate. Investing in a strategically located condo brings conveniences and comfort that you can enjoy if you are planning to use it or earn passive income if you decide to lease it out.
If you are planning to diversify your investment portfolio or plan on your retirement, you may want to invest in Vista Residences.
Vista Residences is the condominium arm of the country’s largest homebuilder, Vista Land & Lifescapes, Inc. that offers ready for occupancy and pre-selling condominium projects in Manila, Makati, Mandaluyong, Quezon City, Ortigas, Baguio, Cebu, and CDO that are strategically located within major cities, in close proximity to premium universities, transit oriented locations and developed business districts.
Living in Vista Residences enables you to enjoy convenience, where everything is pretty much within walking distance or a few minutes away from the property; comfort because the project features and amenities are designed to deliver comfort at all times, which makes condo living a worthy investment; security that is 24/7 and CCTV monitoring, which makes the residents safe and secure within the property.
In line with Vista Residences’ thrust to offer convenience among its residents, it also features an AllDay Convenience Store and Coffee Project in all its projects.
Vista Residences is part of Vista Land’s roster of vertical housing brands that cater to millennials and young professionals. The other vertical brands include Camella Manors, COHO, and Crown Asia.
For more information on Vista Residences, email [email protected], follow @VistaResidencesOfficial on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, or call the Marketing Office at 0999 886 4262 / 0917 582 5167.
