11 South Koreans in Boracay under monitoring

The Provincial Health Office (PHO) has asked the local government of Malay, Aklan to monitor at least 11 South Koreans who came from the novel coronavirus-hit city of Daegu.

Dr. Cornelio Cuachon of the PHO said the South Koreans admitted that they recently traveled to Daegu, South Korea, which has an alarming number of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases.

The Associated Press reported Thursday, February 27, that South Korea now has a total of 1,766 confirmed Covid-19 cases. Of the total, 505 cases were reported just Thursday. Most of the new cases were in Daegu, where the outbreak has hit hardest.

"The 11 South Koreans arrived here February 25 since there is not yet restrictions on their coming. They go directly to Boracay for their vacation. If any of them manifests signs of cough nor fever, they will be admitted to our quarantine facility at the Aklan Training Center in Kalibo for two weeks," Cuachon said.

He added that some of the 11 Koreans were scheduled to depart Boracay on February 28, while others will leave on February 29.

The Kalibo International Airport has direct flights to at least three cities in South Korea.

Taal ashfall eyed as soap ingredient

The Boracay Women Producers Cooperative (BWPC) plans to ask the Department of Science and Technology in helping them gather the ashfall produced by the Taal Volcano last month.

A cooperative in the world-famous Island, BWPC claimed that that the ash fall could serve as an ingredient to the soap they are projecting to produce.

The Taal volcano recently produced tons of ashfalls in the provinces of Cavite, Batangas and in Mindoro.

“Right now, we are using the powdered drift wood as main ingredients for our soap. We sell the soap to several resorts here,"according to Maria Ninfa Desiree Segovia, chairman of the BWPC.

So far, the cooperative uses debris from fallen trees and branches brought by Typhoon Ursula in December last year as ingredients. Rain water is also utilized as part of the process.

According to the website volcanicearth.com, ashfall benefits the skin. Among those cited were blood disenfection; bile secretion; aid oxidation reactions in the body; protection of protoplasm cells and synthesis of collagen (one of the main proteins needed for the structural integrity of the skin)./

Loveanog: The love potion of Boracay

The Boracay Women Producers Cooperative (BIPC) has produced a love potion a person can use "to make someone fall in love" with him or her.

Desiree Segovia, BIPC president, said they call the product Loveanog, a fermented wine made from coconut and juice of tropical flowers such as hibiscus and blue ternate.

The BIPC has hundreds of female members who are mostly residents of Boracay.

"The Loveanog has been fermented and made through the help of a chemist coming from the University of the Philippines," Segovia said.

It is considered a love potion because whenever someone drinks it, he or she would have an appetite to eat. A person will not also feel a hangover after drinking it.

"At first, we try to make it for tuba, however, after our exploration of the product, we decided to use lambanog," Segovia said.

The ingredients used in the production of Loveanog came from the cooperative's organic farm.

The BWPC started to produce the Loveanog as their means of livelihood when Boracay was closed for six months for rehabilitation in 2018.

A bottle of Loveanog, which is 350 ml, costs P150. It has three flavors, namely: Blue Ternate Infuse, Gumamela Infuse, and Blue Ternate.

Last year, the BIPC received support from the Department of Science and Technology, Department of Labor and Employment, and Philippine Gaming Corporations, among others.