Apps

These apps help in the fight against COVID-19

Making the job of medical frontliners easier

Published

April 9, 2020

Kenrick Buduan

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic shows no sign of slowing down. Most medical facilities are operating beyond their capacity as they try to accommodate and save the lives of those infected. Medical frontliners are leading the fight against the pandemic as they race to save as many lives as possible. As for most citizens, however, they are advised to stay at home to avoid the further spread of the disease.

However, that is not to say that citizens can’t do anything to stop the pandemic. One way for citizens to contribute to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic is to donate to various organizations. There’s also another way: using apps that are crucial to assessing persons at risk and disseminating valuable information.

Here are some of those apps:

1. ENDCov

A team of students from the Asian Institute of Management developed this app to assess whether a person is at risk from the disease. App users have to sign up and answer a survey that assesses them for their likeness to having COVID-19. The survey follows the latest surveillance guidelines set by the Philippines’ Department of Health and the World Health Organization.

The app will then determine a user’s health status and give advice on what steps to take next, including going on a self-quarantine or getting tested for the disease. Users can save the contact details of whom they’ve made contact with, as well as the places they’ve visited. This information is useful for frontliners doing contact tracing on a person under investigation.

Those who are skeptical about using the app due to privacy concerns can set aside their fears since the app conforms to RA 11332 (Mandatory Disclosure of Notifiable Diseases Act) and RA 10173 (Data Privacy Act of 2012).

2. WeTrace

WeTrace has been getting a lot of attention lately as a local alternative to apps that offer contact tracing. The app is the product of an IT expert based in Cebu. It uses geolocation for contact tracing and patient mapping.

To activate, the app needs an Internet connection. Once activated, it assigns a unique code to each device for personalization. It will then trace a user’s timeline and movements and notify other WeTrace users nearby. If a user gets infected, the app will automatically notify the authorities and other people who came into contact. Plus, there’s a reporting function built-in to the app itself.

Also, users can know if there are active cases in their community through its latest news function.

3. COVID Watch PH

This app is created by the Philippine government through the collaboration of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth). Like the other apps on this list, COVID Watch PH is a real-time patient monitoring and contact tracing app.

Aside from locating patients and providing instant updates, the app also provides a triage assessment. COVID-19 patients can also request for financial aid that shall cover any hospitalization bills.

4. RC143

RC143 is the official app of the Philippine Red Cross. The organization modified the app to better respond to the pandemic. The app uses machine learning along with the wireless and sensory data from a smartphone to trace back contacts with other persons and determine exposure to the disease. In case that the app diagnosed a user with a possible infection, a user can connect to Red Cross for medical assistance.

One neat feature of this app is that it can alert users if they have been to areas with a high risk of infection or a high number of active cases.

As general rules, the CDC or The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention listed these to help with preventing the spread of COVID-19:

Stay home when sick
Cover coughs and sneezes
Frequently wash hands with soap and water
Clean frequently touched surfaces

Apps

The No-Nonsense guide to mid-year shopping

Let AI do the heavy lifting for you this Lazada 6.6 Super WOW Sale

Published

June 5, 2026

MJ Jucutan

The mid-year sale season is here, but the days of mindless impulse buying are over.

Shoppers are shifting toward intentional, value-driven decisions, focusing on quality, authenticity, and actual utility over flashy, low-quality gimmicks.

From 8:00 PM on June 5 until 11:59 PM on June 8, 2026, the Lazada 6.6 Super WOW Sale is dropping major discounts. But the real win is using the platform’s tools to maximize your budget.

Lock in the baseline discounts

Before diving into specific items, map out how to stack the core offers.

You can stretch your money by hunting down LazFlash Deals for up to 90% off, collecting up to PhP 3,000 in stackable vouchers, and ensuring every order qualifies for the free shipping offers available throughout the event.

True value comes from combining these three layers of savings on things you already need.

Jisulife: One of the participating, trusted brands you can get from LazMall

Filter for authentic value

Shopping smart means avoiding the trap of “too good to be true” counterfeits that end up in the trash.

Data shows a massive consumer shift toward trusted quality, with LazMall growth vastly outperforming standard listings during major sales.

To ensure your money goes toward genuine products with real warranties, restrict your browsing to official, brand-certified stores.

If you are upgrading your tech, parenting gear, or wardrobe, look to trusted names anchoring the sale like UGREEN, JisuLife, ANTA, Maserati Watches, Momcozy, and O.TWO.O.

UGREEN: One of the participating, trusted brands you can get from LazMall

Outsmart the noise with built-in tech

Don’t waste hours scrolling through endless listings or guessing which product is better.

The smartest way to navigate a massive mid-year event is to let the platform’s built-in features cut through choice paralysis.

Tools like AI Lazzie and AI Picks allow you to instantly compare similar items, analyze prices, and get personalized recommendations based on actual data rather than generic marketing hype.

Smart Shopper Tip: True value is a mix of the right price, verified authenticity, and a seamless return policy. Use this sale period to stock up on everyday essentials and high-quality upgrades rather than panic-buying items you’ll regret later.

Apps

Meta adds subscriptions for Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp

Published

May 28, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Is your wallet buckling from the weight of so many subscription services? Well, Meta has a trio of new subscriptions for you to sink your hard-earned cash towards. If you have a few dollars, here’s Facebook Plus, Instagram Plus, and WhatsApp Plus.

All three subscriptions are designed to add new features which can enhance the experience for those who practically live on these apps. Among the three, Instagram Plus is the meatiest. It offers users the ability to view other people’s Stories without showing up as a viewer, create more tailored audiences outside of Close Friends, and extend the duration of a Story beyond 24 hours, among others.

View this post on Instagram

Since it shares similarities with Instagram, Facebook Plus offers much of the same features. WhatsApp Plus, however, offers more customization options including new themes, ringtones, and stickers.

If that’s not enough, Meta has also released a new subscription system for Meta AI. Though the basic use of the AI is still free, the new Meta One Plus and Meta One Premium plans offer more capacity and performance for power users. The company is also testing new creator-focused plans, Meta One Essential and Meta One Advanced.

Of course, the new AI-based plans are more focused on those who actually use the AI software. Meanwhile, the three app plans are more for regular users. Facebook Plus and Instagram Plus will cost US$ 3.99 per month. Meanwhile, WhatsApp Plus will cost US$ 2.99 per month.

Apps

Meta quietly launches Forum app for Facebook Groups

The app highlights discussions from Facebook Groups.

Published

May 22, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Since the rise of other platforms, Facebook Groups haven’t enjoyed as much popularity anymore. Despite this (or maybe even to help with this), Meta has unleashed an all-new app called Forum.

Designed specifically with Facebook Groups in mind, Forum collates discussions from Groups that the user might be interested in. Much like the websites of the same name from the 2000s, the app wants to feature conversations, rather than canned content that the algorithm shoves towards users on the main Facebook feed.

Users can also ask questions. Forum will sift through real discussions to find an answer. The closest analog today is searching Reddit for troubleshooting questions to get answers based on human experience. The main feed of the new app, however, feels more in tune with Quora’s concept.

That said, it’s a refreshing way to bring social media back to human-made feeds. It’s also a stark admission that the main Facebook feed (and, frankly, Instagram too) is just too inundated with content that users are not interested in.

Lately, Instagram also made the same admission by launching its own “lightweight” app called Instants. Like Forum, Instants was made to recapture the essence of Instagram before the rise of the almighty algorithm.

Forum, however, was launched with much less fanfare than Instants. There was no announcement. Rather, it’s just a casual drop from out of nowhere. The app is available now on the App Store and the Play Store.