What's going lower could always go lower.

It makes sense if the company believes that it already offers a competitive product. The product lineup is also not as diverse as other industries like food or automobiles.

People had low awareness prior to trash being imported, and thus I don't see a cause and effect relationship there. In addition, the level of waste differs widely by island and village. The variation in regulations and education likely play a large role.

They do import waste. That's true. But a lot of locals have zero environmental awareness and treat the ocean as a garbage can.

Can confirm that the Philippines has nightmarish levels of trash floating along the coast. The worst sighting was in eastern Mindanao where you couldn't see the water due to water bottles on the surface.

Unfortunately, there is a huge dam construction project upstream from Omachi (there already is an old dam, but they're building like an extension.)

The construction leads to unusually high mineral deposits, and this water is far from pure.

I don't think they are currently hiding the number of cases. The outbreak is completely out of control and testing is limited as the article suggests. The authorities simply lost track of the situation.

People are not prepared for the economic disaster starting in 2023.