title: Isko Moreno

text: In a December 2020 year-end face-to-face survey conducted by research group RP-Mission and Development (RPMD) Foundation Inc., Moreno earned a 77% approval rating from the city's constituents, becoming the third top-performing mayor in the National Capital Region after Joy Belmonte (Quezon City) with 85%, and Vico Sotto (Pasig) with 82%. In another survey conducted by RPMD in September 2021, Moreno was ranked first as the top-performing mayor in the National Capital Region with an 88-percent approval rating. He was followed by Belmonte with 82% and Sotto with 81%.


title: Isko Moreno

text: The City of Manila was included in the top 50 finalists of the Bloomberg Philanthropies 2021 Global Mayors Challenge, a competition that aims to identify and implement the most innovative ideas developed by cities to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Manila and the city of Butuan in Mindanao were the only Southeast Asian cities to make it to the list, selected from a pool of 631 cities that also submitted their applications earlier that year.


title: Isko Moreno

text: On October 29, 2021, the local government unit (LGU) of Manila, under the administration of Moreno, won three awards during the Digital Governance Awards 2021 (LGUs Best Practices in Information and Communication Technology) by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT). The awards include the COVID-19 Testing Center "Web-Lab-IS" – Best in LGU Empowerment Award (city level) at 1st Place, the City of Manila "Connection for Inclusion" Award – Best in Customer Empowerment Award (city level) at 1st Place, and the Business Permit Licensing Service (BPLS) – Best in Business Empowerment Award for its GO Manila App end-to-end solution (city level) at 2nd Place. The GO Manila App, originally launched in 2014, was revamped to provide residents access to an online one-stop-shop giving a variety of LGU system automation and e-Services. The app was envisioned by Moreno to "help make transactions more convenient, transparent, and limit human discretion".


title: Isko Moreno

text: As part of his advocacy in meritocracy, Moreno promoted several long-time well-performing employees of the City Hall and hired new employees based on qualifications regardless of political affiliation.


title: Isko Moreno

text: Moreno has donated about a total of of his personal talent fees from various product endorsements to charities since 2019 which includes the Philippine General Hospital, cancer-stricken children, liver transplant children patients, and to provinces hit by natural calamities like Batangas, North Cotabato, and Cebu City.


title: Isko Moreno

text: In June 2022, the City of Manila was awarded with the "Gawad Edukampyon for Learning Continuity Innovation Award" for the Highly Urbanized City category by the Department of Education (DepEd), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Center for Local Governance and Professional Development Inc., the Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Council, and REX Publication during the first-ever Gawad Edukampyon for Local Governance Awarding Ceremony in recognition of Manila's educational programs amid the COVID-19 pandemic under the administration of Moreno. The award highlighted Manila's Continuity Education Plan, the "Connection for Inclusion 2.0", which focused on integrating information and communications technology (ICT) in schools.


title: Isko Moreno

text: His one and only term as mayor of Manila ended on June 30, 2022, and was succeeded by his vice mayor and partymate Honey Lacuna. Moreno then officially entered retirement from politics amiably afterwards, having served in the government for 24 years.


title: Isko Moreno

text: Moreno signed an ordinance that gives a monthly allowance of to each student of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila and Universidad de Manila, the first in the country. Likewise, all Grade 12 students in all public schools in Manila will get a monthly allowance to be received via "cash cards". To qualify, the student must be a resident and registered voter of the city, and that they do not incur a failing mark or commit misconduct in school. If the student is not yet of legal age to vote, his or her parent or guardian must be a registered voter to claim the monetary benefit.


title: Isko Moreno

text: Senior citizens, persons with disabilities (PWDs), and solo parents who reside in the capital are entitled to a monthly allowance by the city government. The elderly also would receive and a cake as a birthday gift from the city government, on top of their monthly allowance.


title: Isko Moreno

text: Moreno's infrastructure projects and beautification programs include the redevelopment of the historic Jones Bridge, the construction of a 10-storey 384-bed fully air-conditioned building for the "Bagong Ospital ng Maynila" (to replace the old Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center which will be later converted into the College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences Campus of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila), and the redevelopment of Manila Zoo that reopened on December 30, 2021. Also one of Moreno's projects is the Flora V. Valisno de Siojo Dialysis Center at the Gat Andres Bonifacio Memorial Medical Center, dubbed as the country’s largest free dialysis facility named after former mayor Alfredo Lim's grandmother.


title: Isko Moreno

text: Moreno also spearheaded the construction and inauguration of the Manila Islamic Cemetery and Cultural Hall gated within the Manila South Cemetery, the first ever cemetery exclusive for Muslims in Manila. The cemetery is free of charge and also welcomes Muslims coming from outside the city of Manila.


title: Isko Moreno

text: Public housing for the homeless and city employees was one of the campaign promises of Moreno, and his administration oversaw the construction of high-rise in-city vertical housing projects such as the Tondominium 1 and 2, and Binondominium. In July 2021, illegal settlers and tenants from Baseco Compound were awarded with horizontal townhouses in Manila's community housing project called "BaseCommunity". A Phase 2 of BaseCommunity is also in the works.


title: Isko Moreno

text: In 2020, as a prerogative to ease the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic after then-President Rodrigo Duterte declared that the national government was running out of funds to provide aid, a small portion of the land (3,701m²) where the Divisoria Public Market is situated, a patrimonial property which is a part of the old Divisoria Mall, was sold by the city government of Manila headed by Moreno to private company Festina Holdings Inc. The decision was made after the recommendation of the city's Assets Management Committee when it was tasked to look for assets in the city that are "white elephants", idle, underutilized, and not beneficial anymore. The Divisoria Public Market has long not been managed by the city government since 1992 after former mayors Mel Lopez, Alfredo Lim, and Joseph Estrada entered into an agreement with private company Linkworld Corporation, handing over to the firm the management of the land along with the Divisoria Public Market at a cost of ₱20 per square meter which was considered a "bad contract". Aside from the low monthly earnings from the lease, the city government also has been earning less for years as the stall owners were also remiss in paying their daily rent. The city government emphasized that the decision was advantageous for the city since it earned more from the sale of the Divisoria market than the rent it has earned for more than 25 years and that the sale price of was higher than the Commission on Audit's valuation of the property at per square meter. Further, the office of the city administrator justified that the city government will take more funds from the real estate taxes that will be generated from land developers, rather than the tenant fees being collected by the vendors. It was also agreed that Festina Holdings will pay all required taxes after sales, including the capital gains tax. Consultation and notices were given to stallholders. Public documentations were also widely circulated, and city council resolutions and public bidding conferences were held from which Festina won out of three bidders. Vendors were told to return back the accomplished form attached to their letters, which would be treated as their application for a new stall, and would be temporarily transferred to Pritil Market with given ample time. As of 2022, no vendors were evacuated from their stalls as Festina has yet to declare if it wishes to redevelop the property into a 50-story commercial building as stated in the agreement made by the company and the city government. Moreover, the city government ensures to impose conditions on how to protect the vendors, including that they should not be removed and that rent should not increase. Payment obtained from the sale of the "underutilized" and "least beneficial" Divisoria market was used for putting up the Manila COVID-19 Field Hospital and 12 quarantine facilities, housing projects, procurement of antiviral medicines, and food packs for the 700,000 households of the city. During the 2022 election, almost two years after the sale was settled, the subject matter resurfaced after Manila mayoral candidate Alex Lopez, son of Mel Lopez, alleged that its sale lacked transparency and threatened to press charges against Moreno and the city council. Moreno shrugged off Lopez's allegations as misleading and politically motivated. Moreno asserted that no violations were made as everything was done in due process and well-documented. Moreno also claimed that some of the vendors and representatives of the Divisoria Public Market Credit Cooperative may have been used and manipulated by Lopez to spread black propaganda and sensationalize the issue for personal interests. Lopez ultimately lost in his mayoral bid to Moreno's ally and then outgoing vice mayor Honey Lacuna in a landslide victory.


title: Isko Moreno

text: On February 3, 2021, the city government of Manila, headed by Moreno, acquired a 6,003m² private lot worth located at Pasig Line in Santa Ana through Ordinance No. 8115, which was enacted in 2006. The purchased land will be used for the "Land for the Landless" program of the Manila Urban Settlements Office. The land acquisition is perceived to provide housing to more than 600 low-income informal settlers and homeless families.


title: Isko Moreno

text: From 2019 to 2020, government-owned banks Development Bank of the Philippines and the Land Bank of the Philippines granted Moreno's request for financial loans for Manila's various infrastructure projects after the assessment and approval of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). The City of Manila has been denied loans by government-owned banks in the previous city administrations due to a reputation of being "not bankable". Moreno reportedly inherited a zero budget from the past administration when he assumed office in 2019. After presenting his infrastructure plans, the DBM's certification to prove the city's capability to pay, and the Supreme Court's Mandanas ruling which entitles local government units to receive an additional budget allocation from both internal revenue taxes and national taxes starting in 2022, the government-owned banks became interested in the potential revenue of Moreno's infrastructures and the city became "bankable" once again. The loans granted to Manila serve as an advance receipt of Manila's guaranteed Mandanas budget allotment ensuring future full payment to the banks, on top of the revenue that will be generated by the infrastructure assets. Moreno's supposed 10-year infrastructure plan was apparently achieved in three years with the completion of his various housing projects, new school buildings, new hospitals, and Manila's renovation and beautification programs. Contrary to disinformation by online trolls, the city government was able to increase tax revenue collection each year from its infrastructure assets in the years 2019 to 2022 compared to the previous administrations, despite the pandemic, based on the Commission on Audit's annual reports prompting the city government not to impose additional taxes to Manila residents.


title: Isko Moreno

text: In March 2022, Moreno negotiated with Elon Musk's SpaceX into entering a contract for the acquisition of Starlink's low Earth orbit satellite broadband internet system for the City of Manila. Moreno met with Rebecca Hunter, SpaceX senior manager for government affairs, and Raymond Garcia, SpaceX partner-representative for the Philippines and other Asian countries. In May 2022, the National Telecommunications Commission approved Starlink Internet Services Philippines' registration as a value-added service provider making Philippines the first country in the ASEAN region to avail of Starlink's satellite and Manila the first city in Southeast Asia to acquire the service. The system is reportedly designed to bring broadband services to remote areas which will offer low latency internet services and when communications are disrupted during natural disasters. The city government of Manila plans to deploy the satellites to 896 barangays along with several public schools, police stations and hospitals.


title: Isko Moreno

text: On March 10, 2020, Moreno was invited by the United Kingdom government to attend sessions on proper COVID-19 response and met with its coronavirus task force officials in London. Upon coming back to the Philippines, Moreno declared a state of calamity in the city on March 15, 2020, following a directive from the Metro Manila Council, after the second and third COVID-19 cases were confirmed. Moreno also slept in his office for three months starting March 15 to oversee the city government's COVID-19 pandemic response.


title: Isko Moreno

text: On March 16, 2020, the Manila Department of Social Welfare (MDSW) began rescuing street people, pavement dwellers, and other homeless people, as well as people living outside the city who were unable to retreat home following the imposition of the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine. They took refuge at the Delpan Sports Complex in Tondo. The city allocated ($4.45  million) from its budget to assist families affected by the quarantine. On March 18, 2020, Moreno ordered all lodging facilities in Manila to provide free accommodations for front line health workers, such as doctors and nurses, throughout the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine. To financially help the city government employees, Moreno drafted a resolution ordering the release of their mid-year bonuses. Another resolution appropriating funds and giving cash assistance for the city's job order and contractualized workers was also enacted.


title: Isko Moreno

text: On March 19, 2020, the city deployed 189 electric tricycles to exclusively transport front line health workers to the city's public hospitals. Drivers of electric tricycles received salaries from the city government. The city also coordinated with the Department of Social Welfare and Development of the national government in sourcing food supplies for the city's families. On April 5, 2020, Moreno signed an ordinance enacting the City Amelioration Crisis Assistance Fund (CACAF), allocating a total budget of ($12 million) for around 568,000 families, and distributing ($19.73) to each household. A second tranche was given from May 20 to 21, 2020 for more than 680,000 families, some of which do not received from the first CACAF distribution.


title: Isko Moreno

text: On March 23, 2020, Moreno launched an online survey via his Facebook page inquiring Manila residents about their health status in relation to COVID-19 and their recent travel history. PLDT, one of the country's major telecommunications providers, assisted the city government in providing enhanced data connectivity for the online survey service. PLDT also assisted in augmenting the hotline facility at the Manila City Hall.


title: Isko Moreno

text: On April 3, 2020, the Manila City Council approved an ordinance penalizing discriminatory acts directed against coronavirus patients and other patients under evaluation, including discrimination of health workers on the basis of their medical condition. The following day on April 4, 2020, Moreno ordered the temporary closure of the Ospital ng Sampaloc after five hospital staff contracted the virus. On April 6, 2020, Moreno announced that he and several other government officials in the city would donate their salaries to the Philippine General Hospital to increase its financial capability amid the pandemic.


title: Isko Moreno

text: The Manila government partnered with the Department of Agriculture to launch the "Kadiwa Rolling Store" project, a mobile farmers' market that sells fresh products to residents amid the closure of retail establishments due to the enhanced community quarantine. The first unit was deployed to Santa Ana on April 6, 2020.


title: Isko Moreno

text: On April 13, 2020, the City of Manila announced the conducting of localized mass targeted testing for COVID-19. The six city-owned district hospitals and the Delpan Quarantine Facility were able to produce 1,624 swab tests weekly.


title: Isko Moreno

text: On July 15, 2020, Moreno launched the city's drive-thru testing facility, where passengers in vehicles can undergo free COVID-19 testing near the Bonifacio Shrine in Ermita. The drive-thru facility was open to both residents and non-residents of the city, making it the first testing facility of its kind in the country. Three days later, the city government opened a second drive-thru testing facility at the Quirino Grandstand.


title: Isko Moreno

text: The city government also built in 52 days the Manila COVID-19 Field Hospital in Rizal Park, the first of its kind in the country, which began admitting patients on June 25, 2021 to both residents and non-residents of Manila.


title: Isko Moreno

text: Manila residents were also given cash aid from the national government despite Moreno and then-President Rodrigo Duterte's falling-out and brief verbal sparring, with Moreno even thanking Duterte for pushing through the aid.


title: Isko Moreno

text: Manila is the first local government unit in the country to purchase and procure anti-COVID-19 medicines such as Molnupiravir, Remdesivir, Tocilizumab, Baricitinib, and Bexovid for aged 12 and above, all of which prevents mild to moderate cases from progressing into severe diseases. The medicines are given for free to both residents and non-residents as long as they coordinate with the Manila Health Department and provide prescription.


title: Isko Moreno

text: The city government of Manila has been cited and has received an award and recognition by the Department of Health (DOH) for its COVID-19 response and for achieving a 143% vaccination accomplishment rate of the ""Chikiting Bakunation"" (children vaccination) program, surpassing the 80% target set by the DOH, in 2020 and 2022 respectively.


title: Isko Moreno

text: Manila was later included in the list of 53 world's best cities of the "Time Out" Index 2022 on the 34th spot, praising its "aggressive COVID-19 response which helped the city stay afloat". Manila was also voted the third most resilient city in the same survey.


title: Isko Moreno

text: Moreno oversaw the cleaning of congested and besmirched streets of Manila. He ordered the clearing of city streets from ambulant vendors to address the city's congestion problem and waste management, which paved the way for stopping the felonious operations of extortionists from vendors and hawkers and exposed derelict heritage sites within the city, some of which became debauched through human actions.


title: Isko Moreno

text: Illegally built infrastructures, including government edifices which impedes the movement of motorists and pedestrians were ordered to be demolished. His cleanup drive of Manila North Cemetery after All Souls' day garnered attention online and spurred a nationwide implementation of the same approach to city decongestion.


title: Isko Moreno

text: Then-President Rodrigo Duterte also echoed Moreno's initiative, ordering the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to "reclaim all public roads that are being used for private ends". On October 8, 2019, Moreno signed "Executive Order No. 43" mandating all 896 barangays and frontline City Hall offices to conduct a weekly clean-up drive, in support of Duterte's directive to clear all public roads and sidewalks of obstructions.


title: Isko Moreno

text: Moreno also spearheaded the cleaning of Manila's sewers and the removal of dilapidated barges off the Pasig River. He also led the cleanup of waters around Baseco Compound, which took 10 days, including weekends, to collect more than of garbage. Under Moreno's ""May Pera Sa Basura"" program, the city government launched the community-based ""Kolek, Kilo, Kita para Walastik na Maynila"" program in partnership with private firms and the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC). The waste collection program was incentivized, further aiming to encourage residents to cooperate with the government to lessen and abate the trash polluting the Pasig River. For every kilo of plastic wastes collected, Unilever Philippines, shall in return, exchange worth of home care products.


title: Isko Moreno

text: On August 4, 2021, Moreno resigned from the National Unity Party as member and Vice Chairman for Political Affairs of the party to join Aksyon Demokratiko wherein he was subsequently elected as its new party president in August 12. On September 22, 2021, Moreno declared his presidential bid in the 2022 election, with physician and social media personality Willie Ong serving as his vice presidential running mate. Following the announcement, Ong left the Lakas-CMD party to join Moreno's Aksyon Demokratiko.


title: Isko Moreno

text: Identified as a populist, some of Moreno's views on certain issues include fast-tracking the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines nationwide, maintaining the Duterte administration's "Build! Build! Build! Program", allowing the franchise renewal of ABS-CBN, lowering of excise tax on fuel and utility costs, reviving of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSME) badly hit by lockdowns, increasing of labor and employment, additional public housing, boosting of agriculture, tourism and creative industries development, strengthening of policies in healthcare and education, infrastructure development in rural areas, developing of economic hubs outside Metro Manila, digital transformation and industry 4.0, strengthening of national and local peace and order, continuing the Duterte administrations's anti-drug policy in a "more humane approach", good and smart electronic governance, maintaining peaceful relations with other countries and international organizations, and ending divisive politics in favor of an "open governance" rooted in "competence" over "connections".


title: Isko Moreno

text: As early as December 2021, Moreno had expressed intention to retire in politics should he fail to get elected as president and would rather spend quality time with his family.


title: Isko Moreno

text: Moreno lost in his bid to Bongbong Marcos placing fourth out of ten aspirants. He garnered 1,933,909 votes and conceded. External observers attribute the failure of his campaign to his lack of political machinery, alleged infighting within his campaign team, disinformation against him, and minimal media coverage. The April 17 joint press conference, where he criticized presidential candidate Leni Robredo, was also seen to backfire against his campaign. According to his Statement of Contributions and Expenses (SOCE), Moreno had no excess campaign contributions and donations and spent an extra ₱1.1 million from his personal funds for the campaign.


title: Isko Moreno

text: Moreno is also known for his consistent and controversial stand against vandalism and unauthorized tarpaulins.


title: Isko Moreno

text: On November 12, 2019, the left-leaning group Panday Sining, the cultural arm of Anakbayan, defaced the newly-painted and cleaned Lagusnilad Underpass located near the Manila City Hall. Moreno slammed the group publicly and rejected their apology. The mayor also proceeded with their arrest after another act of vandalism in Recto LRT Station was attributed to the group. Panday Sining was officially declared as "persona non grata" in the city of Manila on December 6, 2019. Many left-leaning groups condemned the mayor's actions against them.


title: Isko Moreno

text: In October 2020, Moreno ordered the removal of the tarpaulins declaring the Communist Party of the Philippines, as well as the New People's Army and the National Democratic Front, as persona non grata in the National Capital Region. However this event prompted Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr., spokesperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict to ask if Mayor Isko is welcoming terrorists into Manila. Moreno responded that they have an ordinance against all forms of vandalism. A few days after, Moreno publicly slammed and ordered the removal of graffiti painted by leftist advocates around Welcome Rotonda. On December 7, 2020, in an interview posted on YouTube, Moreno vehemently denied any support for or affiliation with the terrorist groups. Moreno is also against tarpaulins featuring faces of politicians even if they happen to be his partymates and had ordered the removal of tarpaulins that are political in nature since he assumed office.


title: Isko Moreno

text: In October 2020, Moreno signed Ordinance 8695 protecting members of the LGBT community from any and all forms of discrimination and abuse, including the denial of employment and other opportunities on the basis of the person's sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression. As part of its campaign against discrimination, the Manila city government has mandated all establishments to have gender-neutral toilets by year 2023 and would be a requirement for the approval and renewal of business permits.


title: Isko Moreno

text: However, he clarified in an interview that he is not in favor of same-sex marriage. He added that "it is our law and in a civilized world, we are guided by the law". Nonetheless, Moreno supports same-sex civil unions.


title: Isko Moreno

text: In November 2020, Moreno signed into law Ordinance 8681 known as the "Gender and Development Code of the City of Manila" or the "GAD Code" which prohibits and classifies cursing, ridiculing, catcalling, and wolf-whistling on women as forms of sexual harassment, along with acts like repeatedly asking for dates despite verbal rejections, making offensive hand gestures or persistently telling "green jokes" to someone who finds it offensive or humiliating. It also mandates the city government to provide comprehensive support to survivors of violence, which includes immediate conduct of investigations, free counseling and medical services, and creation of community-based psychological programs and support groups. Women Crisis Centers in key districts of Manila shall also be established. Additionally, the ordinance increased maternity leave benefits from 65 days under Republic Act 11210 to 105 days and paternity leave benefits for fathers' participation in the aid of their newborn child for 14 days from the seven days mandated by law under Republic Act 8187. It further provides for a yearly 12-day menstrual/menopausal leave for women employees in private offices and commercial/industrial establishments located in the city, who have rendered at least one year continuous service. The ordinance also mandates the barangay GAD committee to organize elderly women within the barangay to advance their practical and strategic interests and needs. Beauty contests which tend to commodify, abuse, humiliate and treat other persons especially women and homosexual as sex objects shall strictly be prohibited in schools, communities, barangays and the city government in its special celebrations. The city and the barangay council are also mandated to ensure that at least one-third of its members is composed of women.


title: Isko Moreno

text: Moreno has praised the country's female medical and health workers as well as the other women frontliners in various fields, acknowledging their roles as "critical and crucial as much as their male counterparts" in the country's response against COVID-19. He also lauded the mothers who need to leave their families in order to fulfill their duties as frontliners. Moreno also recognized the efforts of his then-vice mayor Honey Lacuna, the first ever elected female vice mayor in the history of Manila, calling her an "effective leader who has taken solid steps in gender equality and women empowerment" and described her as like an older sister to him. He gave Lacuna executive functions on a par with his mayoral duties. During Moreno's term as mayor, almost 50 percent of the City Hall's employees are women.


title: Isko Moreno

text: Moreno expressed strong opinions on a foreign policy aligned with what he calls a "Filipino-first" policy, envisioning that the Philippines will forge contracts, organizations, and even trade agreements, for that matter, if it is only beneficial to Filipinos.


title: Isko Moreno

text: Moreno agrees that the Philippines is not "militarily prepared" for an encounter with China, and that order must be upheld such as the Law of the Sea. He believes that the country's defense secretary should come from the navy, since the Philippines is an archipelagic country. On the issue of the country's claim to the South China Sea islands, he believes that the Philippines' approach should be "fearless" in asserting the claim and should be responsive to the plight of Filipino fishermen, while at the same time should be "fair" and "sensible" in dealing with other countries also occupying some maritime features in the sea, especially in trade. Moreno has criticized the United Nations (UN), questioning what they are doing in light of China's disregard of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA). Moreno asserted that China needs to accept a 2016 arbitration award of the Hague ruling that made clear the Philippines' entitlements, including where it can fish and exploit offshore oil and gas, also citing the Velarde map as reference. However, he also expressed opinion in forming partnerships with other countries as well as to prepare in terms of joint trade with China.


title: Isko Moreno

text: Moreno expressed support of the Philippines returning to the International Criminal Court (ICC) if the move would "give a good impression to the world".


title: Isko Moreno

text: Moreno has been described as a populist, with his rags to riches story from living as a scavenger in the slums as a child, to rising to stardom as a celebrity and later entering politics. Moreno is also known for his streetwise image through his frequent use of Manila street slang, even in media interviews, to engage the masses especially the younger generation, thus, earning the alias "Yorme" when he assumed office as city mayor in 2019. His use of colorful language is collectively dubbed by his supporters as ""ISKOnaryo"" (portmanteau of Isko and "Diksiyonaryo", Filipino for dictionary). He is also known for his signature dance steps of the song "(Dying Inside) To Hold You" by Timmy Thomas, a dance he frequently performed during his early showbiz career. His popularity in social media has been attributed to his celebrity status, charisma, and commoner humor. Although his social media presence is well-received as evidenced by its massive statistical growth in interactions, a number of critics, however, describe such endeavor as "pa-epal" (attention-seeker) and "too showbiz". Moreno nonetheless defended his constant social media updates as part of his "engagement" as mayor. He also believes that "taking selfies" with supporters and granting photo ops are part of public service too. Moreover, Moreno was voted as one of the top performing mayors in the country's National Capital Region in opinion polls during his tenure as Manila city mayor.


title: Isko Moreno

text: His remarks against the country's elite positioned him as a "man of the people". Moreno developed a reputation of being an "underdog" politician who never backs down to political giants, "elitists" and "moralists". Moreno has been often criticized by what his critics describe as his "brash" style of talking, but he dismisses it as rather his "real talk style" of addressing his constituents which the elite could not relate to. Moreno also positioned himself as a "politician of the ordinary people", however, some critics lambast him for overusing his rags-to-riches narrative, to the point that it has become clichéd. He has also been widely compared to former President Rodrigo Duterte with critics labeling him as "Duterte Lite" (lighter version of Duterte) or "Duterte 2.0" and accused him of fence-sitting on certain issues pertaining to Duterte.


title: Isko Moreno

text: Moreno's inner circle has described his work ethic as "proactive" and "workaholic", and his leadership style as "obsessive". On the other hand, his colleagues, supporters, and external observers describe him as a "visionary", "transformative", and "brilliant".


title: Isko Moreno

text: Moreno has been married to Diana Lynn "Dynee" Ditan (born 1975), a businesswoman and a former taekwondo athlete of the Philippine national team, since 2000. They have five children, including Vincent Patrick (born 1998), Ditan's son from a previous relationship whom Moreno adopted, and Joaquin Andre ("JD") (born 2001), also an actor himself. Other children include Frances Diane (born 2000), Franco Dylan (born 2006), and Drake Marcus (born 2012). In 2022, Moreno became a grandfather at age 47 when his son Joaquin fathered a son named Scott Angelo with Raffa Castro, daughter of actor-turned-broadcast journalist Diego Castro. The child was named after a combination of Moreno's childhood nickname and Raffa Castro's grandfather Angelo Castro Jr.


title: Isko Moreno

text: During his early days as councilor of Manila, Moreno admitted that he was once a chaperone to Japanese VIPs in casinos for public relations purposes. He added that although he used to play in casinos whenever he accompanies the Japanese, he vehemently denied that he was gambling whenever he is there nor has a gambling problem. Additionally, Moreno said that he no longer went to casinos anymore when Memorandum Circular No. 6, series of 2016 of the Presidential Decree No. 1869 was issued wherein government officials and employees are not allowed to play and gamble in casinos, especially when he started serving as mayor.


title: Isko Moreno

text: On August 15, 2021, Moreno tested positive for COVID-19. On August 25, 2021, he recovered from COVID-19. Moreno rarely drinks and had quit smoking since 2021. Moreno is an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Rho and a member of the Davao Durian Eagles Club of the Fraternal Order of Eagles – Philippine Eagles. Moreno supports legitimate multi-level network marketing. Aside from his native Tagalog, Moreno can speak English in a professional working proficiency level. Moreno is a practicing Catholic.


title: Isko Moreno

text: Moreno cites Lee Kuan Yew, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., and Ferdinand Marcos (approach on infrastructure projects) as his inspirations in the field of governance.


title: Isko Moreno

text: Moreno's life and works were also featured in written literary works. The book entitled "God First' Why Isko Moreno: I'M Doing It (Isko Moreno)" written by Rick A. Conchada was published on November 28, 2019 and highlights Moreno's work as Manila mayor. A children's book entitled "Yorme! The Life Story of Isko Moreno" written by Yvette Fernandez and illustrated by Ray Sunga in 2021 became one of the top-selling books at National Book Store.


title: Isko Moreno

text: Moreno was listed in the "Top 10 Men Who Matter in 2011" by PeopleAsia Magazine. He also received the "2012 Most Outstanding Filipino in the Field of Public Service Award" by Gawad Amerika Foundation.


title: Isko Moreno

text: Moreno was chosen as "Man of the Year in Public Service" of the Asia Leaders Awards 2019 and 2020. In November 2019, Moreno earned the 2019 Gusi Peace Prize as a recognition for his work in "consistently creating positive changes" from the time he was vice mayor and councilor. Also in November 2019, Moreno was bestowed with the "Breakthrough Award" for his "distinguished track records in public service, leadership, and governance" by Esquire Philippines during their Man At His Best 2019 Honors night given to outstanding men and women in the fields of art, film, fashion, sports, business, and public service. Moreno was also chosen as "The Management Man of the Year" awardee for 2019–2020 by the Philippine Council of Management (Philcoman), one of the country's oldest non-profit, non-political organizations in the country


title: Isko Moreno

text: In November 2019, the Harvard Business School Owner/President Management (HBS OPM) Club of the Philippines, a club composed of Harvard graduates in the Philippines, honored Moreno as its first-ever awardee for being a "Gamechanger in Politics" and recognized his "outstanding leadership" and "dedicated public service". He was also conferred with honorary membership in the said club.


title: Isko Moreno

text: Moreno was once again listed as one of the "Men Who Matter" in 2019 by PeopleAsia Magazine. Additionally, Moreno was awarded as one of PeopleAsia Magazine's "People of the Year" 2020 and 2022.


title: Isko Moreno

text: In March 2021, Moreno was adopted as a member of Sanlingan Class 2005 of the Philippine Military Academy.


title: Isko Moreno

text: Also in 2021, Moreno received a "Hero of the Year" recognition from Gawad Filipino Heroes Award for his efforts during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreno was also awarded by the Philippine Movie Press Club (PMPC) with the "Inspirational and Outstanding Leader Award" as a recognition for his "exceptional city governance and excellent response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic" in the same year.


title: Isko Moreno

text: Moreno received the "Golden Peacock Award of Excellence" in 2021 from the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce Inc. (FICCI) Philippines in recognition of the city government's service to its residents and those who do business in the country's capital.


title: Isko Moreno

text: In April 2022, Moreno was awarded as one of the "Philippines' Most Exceptional Men of 2022" by the Mrs. Universe Philippines Foundation.


title: Isko Moreno

text: In October 2022, Moreno received a "Gawad Sulo for Public Service Award" by the Philippine Normal University at their 2022 Gawad Sulo for Public Service and Salute to Excellence.


title: Susan Olsen

text: Susan Marie Olsen (born August 14, 1961) is an American actress and former radio host. Olsen is known for her role as Cindy Brady, the youngest Brady child in the sitcom "The Brady Bunch" for the full run of the show, from 1969 to 1974.


title: Susan Olsen

text: Olsen was born in Santa Monica, California, to Lawrence and DeLoice Olsen, the youngest of four children. Her siblings are: Larry (23 years older), Christopher (15 years older), and Diane (5 years older). Christopher was also a child actor whose most prominent role may be in the 1956 feature film "The Man Who Knew Too Much" (1956).


title: Susan Olsen

text: Susan Olsen really did have a lisp. That feature was real, and Olsen worked hard to overcome the speech impediment throughout her life. Olsen's role as the youngest Brady followed her after she left the series, and she was often teased for portraying the sometimes-annoying character. She graduated from William H. Taft High School in Woodland Hills, California in 1979.


title: Susan Olsen

text: Olsen landed a number of supporting roles in television, most notably in "Ironside", "Gunsmoke", and "Julia", and appeared in the Elvis Presley movie "The Trouble With Girls" (1968) as a squeaky-clean singer in a singing contest.


title: Susan Olsen

text: At just under age eight, Olsen was cast as Cindy Brady on "The Brady Bunch". As an adult, Olsen has said that portraying Cindy made friendships difficult for her as a child. She most disliked the season two "tattletale" episode, in which Cindy incessantly tattles on her siblings. Because of the episode, she was shunned by real-life peers, who did not understand the difference between actors and their characters. Olsen has appeared in all "Brady Bunch" reunion movies with the exception of "A Very Brady Christmas" (1988), which was filmed when she and her first husband Steve Ventimiglia were on their honeymoon. In that movie, Cindy Brady was played by actress Jennifer Runyon. Olsen reprised her role as Cindy Brady in the short-lived CBS spin-off series "The Bradys".


title: Susan Olsen

text: In 2005, VH1 ranked her No. 34 in "The 100 Greatest Kid Stars" of television and film. In 2007, Olsen and her fellow cast members were honored with the TV Pop Culture Award on the TV Land Awards, one of the few awards "The Brady Bunch" has ever won.


title: Susan Olsen

text: As a teen, Olsen was the spokesgirl for Sindy doll, made by Marx Toys from the mid-1970s. As an adult, Olsen moved into the graphic design business and in 1998 briefly marketed a brand of glow-in-the-dark shoes for Converse. She also worked as a talk show host at the Los Angeles radio station KLSX from 1995 to 1996 with Ken Ober, and co-hosted and co-wrote another radio show with comedian Allan Havey at Comedy World in 2000.


title: Susan Olsen

text: She appeared in episode 26 of Cartoon Network's talk show "Space Ghost Coast to Coast", "Switcheroo", with Cassandra Peterson as "Elvira, Mistress of the Dark". Olsen has also been an advocate for migraine sufferers since 1998. She described her headaches on "Larry King Live".


title: Susan Olsen

text: An urban legend claimed that Olsen had become an adult film star. In a late 1990s television interview, Olsen stated that her "porn" connection was that she created space ship sound effects for a porn film called "Love Probe from a Warm Planet".


title: Susan Olsen

text: In the fall of 2008, Olsen appeared on Fox Reality's "Gimme My Reality Show", in which celebrities compete to win their own reality show. She used this vehicle to make a statement about animal rescue, a cause with which she is thoroughly involved. On June 6, 2009, Olsen thanked retired game show host and animal rights activist Bob Barker when The Bradys accepted an honor at the GSN Awards. An animal welfare advocate, she has served on the board of directors of the nonprofit organization Precious Paws, a rescue group.


title: Susan Olsen

text: On September 1, 2009, Olsen released the coffee table book "Love to Love You Bradys: The Bizarre Story of The Brady Bunch Variety Hour" that celebrates the 1976–77 television variety show "The Brady Bunch Hour".


title: Susan Olsen

text: In September 2010, Olsen made a guest appearance on "The Young and the Restless" playing Mrs. Liza Morton, the owner of a preschool. In 2011, she appeared in season 3, episode 43 of The Biography Channel's reality show "Celebrity Ghost Stories".


title: Susan Olsen

text: In July 2012, Olsen was one of a limited number of artists and celebrities invited to show their work in "Art with an Agenda: An Exhibit Inspired by Kelly Thomas" at the PAS Gallery in Fullerton, California. inspired by the life and circumstances surrounding the death of Kelly Thomas, a homeless, schizophrenic, 37-year-old man who was beaten by members of the Fullerton Police Department on July 5, 2011. Olsen's piece, "Still Life," showed a half-eaten donut in a puddle of blood beside a lit flashlight.


title: Susan Olsen

text: In December 2016, Olsen was fired from her radio show, "Two Chicks Talkin' Politics" on LA Talk Radio, after engaging in a feud with openly gay actor Leon Acord-Whiting. Responding to comments Acord-Whiting had made about her on another station, Olsen unleashed a profane rant against him, accusing him of cowardice. Acord-Whiting accused Olsen of homophobia for the remarks (which included repeated use of the word "faggot") and successfully lobbied to have Olsen fired.


title: Susan Olsen

text: Olsen joined with the other surviving main cast members of "The Brady Bunch" in the 2019 television series "A Very Brady Renovation" on HGTV. In 2021, she starred in the Lifetime Christmas movie, "Blending Christmas", alongside her "Brady Bunch" co-stars Christopher Knight, Mike Lookinland, Barry Williams, and Robbie Rist.


title: Jason O'Mara

text: Jason O'Mara (born 6 August 1972) is an Irish actor. He has starred in the American television network dramas "In Justice", "Life on Mars", "Terra Nova", "Vegas", and "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.". O'Mara won an Irish Film and Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in "The Siege of Jadotville".


title: Jason O'Mara

text: He served as the voice actor for DC Comics' superhero Batman in the DC Animated Movie Universe, a shared film universe which ran from 2013 to 2020.


title: Jason O'Mara

text: O'Mara performed with The Royal Shakespeare Company. His theatre work in London and Dublin included "The Jew of Malta" and "Popcorn", and he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in 2002 at the Irish Theatre Awards for his portrayal of John in Neil LaBute's "Bash".


title: Jason O'Mara

text: He appeared in Harold Pinter's "The Homecoming" in London and Dublin as well as Lincoln Center in New York. He had lead roles in other series, including "The Agency", "Band of Brothers", "Monarch of the Glen", "High Stakes", "Playing the Field", "The Bill", "Berkeley Square", and "Reach for the Moon".


title: Jason O'Mara

text: He has starred as lead character Sam Tyler in the U.S. remake of the British series "Life on Mars". He also played Jim Shannon, the lead role in the 2011 Fox TV series "Terra Nova". He played Philip Marlowe in a 2007 pilot entitled "Marlowe".


title: Jason O'Mara

text: O’Mara also played the role of George Washington in the History Channel mini-series ‘Sons Of Liberty’ (2015).


title: Jason O'Mara

text: In both 2005 and 2008, O'Mara guest-starred on TNT's "The Closer", playing the memorable role of Bill Croelick ("just plain Brenda!"), a charming and psychotic man with a fixation on fire.


title: Jason O'Mara

text: O'Mara also guest-starred in the "Criminal Minds" season two episode "The Last Word" as a serial killer. O'Mara appeared in "One for the Money" as Joe Morelli. He also appeared on "Vegas" as Jack Lamb.


title: Jason O'Mara

text: O'Mara was cast as Bruce Wayne / Batman for the DC Universe Animated Original Movies shared universe of animated DC films based on The New 52. He has played the role in "" and "Son of Batman" and has reprised his role for several more films in the line, including "", "" and "".


title: Jason O'Mara

text: O'Mara joined the cast of "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.", where he portrayed Jeffrey Mace, the new director of S.H.I.E.L.D.


title: Jason O'Mara

text: In October 2018 O'Mara joined the cast of "The Man in the High Castle", where he portrays series regular Wyatt Price, a black market supplier of information to Juliana Crain about the comings and goings of alternate realities and their films.


title: Jason O'Mara

text: In 2019, it was announced O'Mara would be starring in Netflix's Greek myth-influenced series "Gods & Heroes", in which he would voice the god Zeus.


title: Jason O'Mara

text: He married American actress Paige Turco in a Roman Catholic ceremony in Old Saybrook, Connecticut in September 2003. They have one child. In 2009, O'Mara became an American citizen. The couple separated in May 2017 and Paige filed for divorce in June 2017. She also sought joint legal custody of their son David and spousal support.


title: Megabat

text: Megabats constitute the family Pteropodidae of the order Chiroptera (bats). They are also called fruit bats, Old World fruit bats, or—especially the genera "Acerodon" and "Pteropus"—flying foxes. They are the only member of the superfamily Pteropodoidea, which is one of two superfamilies in the suborder Yinpterochiroptera. Internal divisions of Pteropodidae have varied since subfamilies were first proposed in 1917. From three subfamilies in the 1917 classification, six are now recognized, along with various tribes. As of 2018, 197 species of megabat had been described.


title: Megabat

text: The leading theory of the evolution of megabats has been determined primarily by genetic data, as the fossil record for this family is the most fragmented of all bats. They likely evolved in Australasia, with the common ancestor of all living pteropodids existing approximately 31 million years ago. Many of their lineages probably originated in Melanesia, then dispersed over time to mainland Asia, the Mediterranean, and Africa. Today, they are found in tropical and subtropical areas of Eurasia, Africa, and Oceania.


title: Megabat

text: The megabat family contains the largest bat species, with individuals of some species weighing up to and having wingspans up to . Not all megabats are large-bodied; nearly a third of all species weigh less than . They can be differentiated from other bats due to their dog-like faces, clawed second digits, and reduced uropatagium. Only members of one genus, "Notopteris", have tails. Megabats have several adaptations for flight, including rapid oxygen consumption, the ability to sustain heart rates of more than 700 beats per minute, and large lung volumes.


title: Megabat

text: Most megabats are nocturnal or crepuscular, although a few species are active during the daytime. During the period of inactivity, they roost in trees or caves. Members of some species roost alone, while others form colonies of up to a million individuals. During the period of activity, they use flight to travel to food resources. With few exceptions, they are unable to echolocate, relying instead on keen senses of sight and smell to navigate and locate food. Most species are primarily frugivorous and several are nectarivorous. Other less common food resources include leaves, pollen, twigs, and bark.


title: Megabat

text: They reach sexual maturity slowly and have a low reproductive output. Most species have one offspring at a time after a pregnancy of four to six months. This low reproductive output means that after a population loss their numbers are slow to rebound. A quarter of all species are listed as threatened, mainly due to habitat destruction and overhunting. Megabats are a popular food source in some areas, leading to population declines and extinction. They are also of interest to those involved in public health as they are natural reservoirs of several viruses that can affect humans.


title: Megabat

text: The family Pteropodidae was first described in 1821 by British zoologist John Edward Gray. He named the family "Pteropidae" (after the genus "Pteropus") and placed it within the now-defunct order Fructivorae. Fructivorae contained one other family, the now-defunct Cephalotidae, containing one genus, "Cephalotes" (now recognized as a synonym of "Dobsonia"). Gray's spelling was possibly based on a misunderstanding of the suffix of ""Pteropus"". ""Pteropus"" comes from Ancient Greek ""pterón"" meaning "wing" and ""poús"" meaning "foot". The Greek word "pous" of "Pteropus" is from the stem word "pod-"; therefore, Latinizing "Pteropus" correctly results in the prefix ""Pteropod-"". French biologist Charles Lucien Bonaparte was the first to use the corrected spelling Pteropodidae in 1838.


title: Megabat

text: In 1875, the zoologist George Edward Dobson was the first to split the order Chiroptera (bats) into two suborders: Megachiroptera (sometimes listed as Macrochiroptera) and Microchiroptera, which are commonly abbreviated to megabats and microbats. Dobson selected these names to allude to the body size differences of the two groups, with many fruit-eating bats being larger than insect-eating bats. Pteropodidae was the only family he included within Megachiroptera.


title: Megabat

text: A 2001 study found that the dichotomy of megabats and microbats did not accurately reflect their evolutionary relationships. Instead of Megachiroptera and Microchiroptera, the study's authors proposed the new suborders Yinpterochiroptera and Yangochiroptera. This classification scheme has been verified several times subsequently and remains widely supported as of 2019. Since 2005, this suborder has alternatively been called "Pteropodiformes". Yinpterochiroptera contained species formerly included in Megachiroptera (all of Pteropodidae), as well as several families formerly included in Microchiroptera: Megadermatidae, Rhinolophidae, Nycteridae, Craseonycteridae, and Rhinopomatidae. Two superfamilies comprise Yinpterochiroptera: Rhinolophoidea—containing the above families formerly in Microchiroptera—and Pteropodoidea, which only contains Pteropodidae.


title: Megabat

text: In 1917, Danish mammalogist Knud Andersen divided Pteropodidae into three subfamilies: Macroglossinae, Pteropinae (corrected to Pteropodinae), and Harpyionycterinae. A 1995 study found that Macroglossinae as previously defined, containing the genera "Eonycteris", "Notopteris", "Macroglossus", "Syconycteris", "Melonycteris", and "Megaloglossus", was paraphyletic, meaning that the subfamily did not group all the descendants of a common ancestor. Subsequent publications consider Macroglossini as a tribe within Pteropodinae that contains only "Macroglossus" and "Syconycteris". "Eonycteris" and "Melonycteris" are within other tribes in Pteropodinae, "Megaloglossus" was placed in the tribe Myonycterini of the subfamily Rousettinae, and "Notopteris" is of uncertain placement.


title: Megabat

text: Other subfamilies and tribes within Pteropodidae have also undergone changes since Andersen's 1917 publication. In 1997, the pteropodids were classified into six subfamilies and nine tribes based on their morphology, or physical characteristics. A 2011 genetic study concluded that some of these subfamilies were paraphyletic and therefore they did not accurately depict the relationships among megabat species. Three of the subfamilies proposed in 1997 based on morphology received support: Cynopterinae, Harpyionycterinae, and Nyctimeninae. The other three clades recovered in this study consisted of Macroglossini, Epomophorinae + Rousettini, and Pteropodini + "Melonycteris". A 2016 genetic study focused only on African pteropodids (Harpyionycterinae, Rousettinae, and Epomophorinae) also challenged the 1997 classification. All species formerly included in Epomophorinae were moved to Rousettinae, which was subdivided into additional tribes. The genus "Eidolon", formerly in the tribe Rousettini of Rousettinae, was moved to its own subfamily, Eidolinae.


title: Megabat

text: In 1984, an additional pteropodid subfamily, Propottininae, was proposed, representing one extinct species described from a fossil discovered in Africa, "Propotto leakeyi". In 2018 the fossils were reexamined and determined to represent a lemur. As of 2018, there were 197 described species of megabat, around a third of which are flying foxes of the genus "Pteropus".


title: Megabat

text: The fossil record for pteropodid bats is the most incomplete of any bat family. Although the poor skeletal record of Chiroptera is probably from how fragile bat skeletons are, Pteropodidae still have the most incomplete despite generally having the biggest and most sturdy skeletons. It is also surprising that Pteropodidae are the least represented because they were the first major group to diverge. Several factors could explain why so few pteropodid fossils have been discovered: tropical regions where their fossils might be found are under-sampled relative to Europe and North America; conditions for fossilization are poor in the tropics, which could lead to fewer fossils overall; and even when fossils are formed, they may be destroyed by subsequent geological activity. It is estimated that more than 98% of pteropodid fossil history is missing. Even without fossils, the age and divergence times of the family can still be estimated by using computational phylogenetics. Pteropodidae split from the superfamily Rhinolophoidea (which contains all the other families of the suborder Yinpterochiroptera) approximately 58 Mya (million years ago). The ancestor of the crown group of Pteropodidae, or all living species, lived approximately 31 Mya.


title: Megabat

text: The family Pteropodidae likely originated in Australasia based on biogeographic reconstructions. Other biogeographic analyses have suggested that the Melanesian Islands, including New Guinea, are a plausible candidate for the origin of most megabat subfamilies, with the exception of Cynopterinae; the cynopterines likely originated on the Sunda Shelf based on results of a Weighted Ancestral Area Analysis of six nuclear and mitochondrial genes. From these regions, pteropodids colonized other areas, including continental Asia and Africa. Megabats reached Africa in at least four distinct events. The four proposed events are represented by (1) "Scotonycteris", (2) "Rousettus", (3) Scotonycterini, and (4) the "endemic Africa clade", which includes Stenonycterini, Plerotini, Myonycterini, and Epomophorini, according to a 2016 study. It is unknown when megabats reached Africa, but several tribes (Scotonycterini, Stenonycterini, Plerotini, Myonycterini, and Epomophorini) were present by the Late Miocene. How megabats reached Africa is also unknown. It has been proposed that they could have arrived via the Middle East before it became more arid at the end of the Miocene. Conversely, they could have reached the continent via the Gomphotherium land bridge, which connected Africa and the Arabian Peninsula to Eurasia. The genus "Pteropus" (flying foxes), which is not found on mainland Africa, is proposed to have dispersed from Melanesia via island hopping across the Indian Ocean; this is less likely for other megabat genera, which have smaller body sizes and thus have more limited flight capabilities.


title: Megabat

text: Megabats are the only family of bats incapable of laryngeal echolocation. It is unclear whether the common ancestor of all bats was capable of echolocation, and thus echolocation was lost in the megabat lineage, or multiple bat lineages independently evolved the ability to echolocate (the superfamily Rhinolophoidea and the suborder Yangochiroptera). This unknown element of bat evolution has been called a "grand challenge in biology". A 2017 study of bat ontogeny (embryonic development) found evidence that megabat embryos at first have large, developed cochlea similar to echolocating microbats, though at birth they have small cochlea similar to non-echolocating mammals. This evidence supports that laryngeal echolocation evolved once among bats, and was lost in pteropodids, rather than evolving twice independently. Megabats in the genus "Rousettus" are capable of primitive echolocation through clicking their tongues. Some species—the cave nectar bat ("Eonycteris spelaea"), lesser short-nosed fruit bat ("Cynopterus brachyotis"), and the long-tongued fruit bat ("Macroglossus sobrinus")— have been shown to create clicks similar to those of echolocating bats using their wings.


title: Megabat

text: Both echolocation and flight are energetically expensive processes. Echolocating bats couple sound production with the mechanisms engaged for flight, allowing them to reduce the additional energy burden of echolocation. Instead of pressurizing a bolus of air for the production of sound, laryngeally echolocating bats likely use the force of the downbeat of their wings to pressurize the air, cutting energetic costs by synchronizing wingbeats and echolocation. The loss of echolocation (or conversely, the lack of its evolution) may be due to the uncoupling of flight and echolocation in megabats. The larger average body size of megabats compared to echolocating bats suggests a larger body size disrupts the flight-echolocation coupling and made echolocation too energetically expensive to be conserved in megabats.


title: Megabat

text: Megabats are so called for their larger weight and size; the largest, the great flying fox ("Pteropus neohibernicus") weighs up to ; some members of "Acerodon" and "Pteropus" have wingspans reaching up to . Despite the fact that body size was a defining characteristic that Dobson used to separate microbats and megabats, not all species of megabat are larger than microbats; the spotted-winged fruit bat ("Balionycteris maculata"), a megabat, weighs only . The flying foxes of "Pteropus" and "Acerodon" are often taken as exemplars of the whole family in terms of body size. In reality, these genera are outliers, creating a misconception of the true size of most megabat species. A 2004 review stated that 28% of megabat species weigh less than .


title: Megabat

text: Megabats can be distinguished from microbats in appearance by their dog-like faces, by the presence of claws on the second digit (see Megabat#Postcrania), and by their simple ears. The simple appearance of the ear is due in part to the lack of tragi (cartilage flaps projecting in front of the ear canal), which are found in many microbat species. Megabats of the genus "Nyctimene" appear less dog-like, with shorter faces and tubular nostrils. A 2011 study of 167 megabat species found that while the majority (63%) have fur that is a uniform color, other patterns are seen in this family. These include countershading in four percent of species, a neck band or mantle in five percent of species, stripes in ten percent of species, and spots in nineteen percent of species.


title: Megabat

text: Unlike microbats, megabats have a greatly reduced uropatagium, which is an expanse of flight membrane that runs between the hind limbs. Additionally, the tail is absent or greatly reduced, with the exception of "Notopteris" species, which have a long tail. Most megabat wings insert laterally (attach to the body directly at the sides). In "Dobsonia" species, the wings attach nearer the spine, giving them the common name of "bare-backed" or "naked-backed" fruit bats.


title: Megabat

text: Megabats have large orbits, which are bordered by well-developed postorbital processes posteriorly. The postorbital processes sometimes join to form the postorbital bar. The snout is simple in appearance and not highly modified, as is seen in other bat families. The length of the snout varies among genera. The premaxilla is well-developed and usually free, meaning that it is not fused with the maxilla; instead, it articulates with the maxilla via ligaments, making it freely movable. The premaxilla always lack a palatal branch. In species with a longer snout, the skull is usually arched. In genera with shorter faces ("Penthetor", "Nyctimene", "Dobsonia", and "Myonycteris"), the skull has little to no bending.


title: Megabat

text: The number of teeth varies among megabat species; totals for various species range from 24 to 34. All megabats have two or four each of upper and lower incisors, with the exception Bulmer's fruit bat ("Aproteles bulmerae"), which completely lacks incisors, and the São Tomé collared fruit bat ("Myonycteris brachycephala"), which has two upper and three lower incisors. This makes it the only mammal species with an asymmetrical dental formula.


title: Megabat

text: All species have two upper and lower canine teeth. The number of premolars is variable, with four or six each of upper and lower premolars.


title: Megabat

text: The first upper and lower molars are always present, meaning that all megabats have at least four molars. The remaining molars may be present, present but reduced, or absent. Megabat molars and premolars are simplified, with a reduction in the cusps and ridges resulting in a more flattened crown.


title: Megabat

text: Like most mammals, megabats are diphyodont, meaning that the young have a set of deciduous teeth (milk teeth) that falls out and is replaced by permanent teeth. For most species, there are 20 deciduous teeth. As is typical for mammals, the deciduous set does not include molars.


title: Megabat

text: The scapulae (shoulder blades) of megabats have been described as the most primitive of any chiropteran family. The shoulder is overall of simple construction, but has some specialized features. The primitive insertion of the omohyoid muscle from the clavicle (collarbone) to the scapula is laterally displaced (more towards the side of the body)—a feature also seen in the Phyllostomidae. The shoulder also has a well-developed system of muscular slips (narrow bands of muscle that augment larger muscles) that anchor the tendon of the occipitopollicalis muscle (muscle in bats that runs from base of neck to the base of the thumb) to the skin.


title: Megabat

text: While microbats only have claws on the thumbs of their forelimbs, most megabats have a clawed second digit as well; only "Eonycteris", "Dobsonia", "Notopteris", and "Neopteryx" lack the second claw. The first digit is the shortest, while the third digit is the longest. The second digit is incapable of flexion. Megabats' thumbs are longer relative to their forelimbs than those of microbats.


title: Megabat

text: Megabats' hindlimbs have the same skeletal components as humans. Most megabat species have an additional structure called the calcar, a cartilage spur arising from the calcaneus. Some authors alternately refer to this structure as the uropatagial spur to differentiate it from microbats' calcars, which are structured differently. The structure exists to stabilize the uropatagium, allowing bats to adjust the camber of the membrane during flight. Megabats lacking the calcar or spur include "Notopteris", "Syconycteris", and "Harpyionycteris". The entire leg is rotated at the hip compared to normal mammal orientation, meaning that the knees face posteriorly. All five digits of the foot flex in the direction of the sagittal plane, with no digit capable of flexing in the opposite direction, as in the feet of perching birds.


title: Megabat

text: Flight is very energetically expensive, requiring several adaptations to the cardiovascular system. During flight, bats can raise their oxygen consumption by twenty times or more for sustained periods; human athletes can achieve an increase of a factor of twenty for a few minutes at most. A 1994 study of the straw-coloured fruit bat ("Eidolon helvum") and hammer-headed bat ("Hypsignathus monstrosus") found a mean respiratory exchange ratio (carbon dioxide produced:oxygen used) of approximately 0.78. Among these two species, the gray-headed flying fox ("Pteropus poliocephalus") and the Egyptian fruit bat ("Rousettus aegyptiacus"), maximum heart rates in flight varied between 476 beats per minute (gray-headed flying fox) and 728 beats per minute (Egyptian fruit bat). The maximum number of breaths per minute ranged from 163 (gray-headed flying fox) to 316 (straw-colored fruit bat). Additionally, megabats have exceptionally large lung volumes relative to their sizes. While terrestrial mammals such as shrews have a lung volume of 0.03 cm per gram of body weight (0.05 in per ounce of body weight), species such as the Wahlberg's epauletted fruit bat ("Epomophorus wahlbergi") have lung volumes 4.3 times greater at 0.13 cm per gram (0.22 in per ounce).


title: Megabat

text: Megabats have rapid digestive systems, with a gut transit time of half an hour or less. The digestive system is structured to a herbivorous diet sometimes restricted to soft fruit or nectar. The length of the digestive system is short for a herbivore (as well as shorter than those of insectivorous microchiropterans), as the fibrous content is mostly separated by the action of the palate, tongue, and teeth, and then discarded. Many megabats have U-shaped stomachs. There is no distinct difference between the small and large intestine, nor a distinct beginning of the rectum. They have very high densities of intestinal microvilli, which creates a large surface area for the absorption of nutrients.


title: Megabat

text: Like all bats, megabats have much smaller genomes than other mammals. A 2009 study of 43 megabat species found that their genomes ranged from 1.86 picograms (pg, 978 Mbp per pg) in the straw-colored fruit bat to 2.51 pg in Lyle's flying fox ("Pteropus lylei"). All values were much lower than the mammalian average of 3.5 pg. Megabats have even smaller genomes than microbats, with a mean weight of 2.20 pg compared to 2.58 pg. It was speculated that this difference could be related to the fact that the megabat lineage has experienced an extinction of the LINE1—a type of long interspersed nuclear element. LINE1 constitutes 15–20% of the human genome and is considered the most prevalent long interspersed nuclear element among mammals.


title: Megabat

text: With very few exceptions, megabats do not echolocate, and therefore rely on sight and smell to navigate. They have large eyes positioned at the front of their heads. These are larger than those of the common ancestor of all bats, with one study suggesting a trend of increasing eye size among pteropodids. A study that examined the eyes of 18 megabat species determined that the common blossom bat ("Syconycteris australis") had the smallest eyes at a diameter of , while the largest eyes were those of large flying fox ("Pteropus vampyrus") at in diameter. Megabat irises are usually brown, but they can be red or orange, as in "Desmalopex", "Mirimiri", "Pteralopex", and some "Pteropus".


title: Megabat

text: At high brightness levels, megabat visual acuity is poorer than that of humans; at low brightness it is superior. One study that examined the eyes of some "Rousettus", "Epomophorus", "Eidolon", and "Pteropus" species determined that the first three genera possess a "tapetum lucidum", a reflective structure in the eyes that improves vision at low light levels, while the "Pteropus" species do not. All species examined had retinae with both rod cells and cone cells, but only the "Pteropus" species had S-cones, which detect the shortest wavelengths of light; because the spectral tuning of the opsins was not discernible, it is unclear whether the S-cones of "Pteropus" species detect blue or ultraviolet light. "Pteropus" bats are dichromatic, possessing two kinds of cone cells. The other three genera, with their lack of S-cones, are monochromatic, unable to see color. All genera had very high densities of rod cells, resulting in high sensitivity to light, which corresponds with their nocturnal activity patterns. In "Pteropus" and "Rousettus", measured rod cell densities were 350,000–800,000 per square millimeter, equal to or exceeding other nocturnal or crepuscular animals such as the house mouse, domestic cat, and domestic rabbit.


title: Megabat

text: Megabats use smell to find food sources like fruit and nectar. They have keen senses of smell that rival that of the domestic dog. Tube-nosed fruit bats such as the eastern tube-nosed bat ("Nyctimene robinsoni") have stereo olfaction, meaning they are able to map and follow odor plumes three-dimensionally.


title: Megabat

text: Along with most (or perhaps all) other bat species, megabats mothers and offspring also use scent to recognize each other, as well as for recognition of individuals. In flying foxes, males have enlarged androgen-sensitive sebaceous glands on their shoulders they use for scent-marking their territories, particularly during the mating season. The secretions of these glands vary by species—of the 65 chemical compounds isolated from the glands of four species, no compound was found in all species. Males also engage in urine washing, or coating themselves in their own urine.


title: Megabat

text: Megabats possess the "TAS1R2" gene, meaning they have the ability to detect sweetness in foods. This gene is present among all bats except vampire bats. Like all other bats, megabats cannot taste "umami", due to the absence of the "TAS1R1" gene. Among other mammals, only giant pandas have been shown to lack this gene. Megabats also have multiple "TAS2R" genes, indicating that they can taste bitterness.


title: Megabat

text: Megabats, like all bats, are long-lived relative to their size for mammals. Some captive megabats have had lifespans exceeding thirty years. Relative to their sizes, megabats have low reproductive outputs and delayed sexual maturity, with females of most species not giving birth until the age of one or two. Some megabats appear to be able to breed throughout the year, but the majority of species are likely seasonal breeders. Mating occurs at the roost. Gestation length is variable, but is four to six months in most species. Different species of megabats have reproductive adaptations that lengthen the period between copulation and giving birth. Some species such as the straw-colored fruit bat have the reproductive adaptation of delayed implantation, meaning that copulation occurs in June or July, but the zygote does not implant into the uterine wall until months later in November. The Fischer's pygmy fruit bat ("Haplonycteris fischeri"), with the adaptation of post-implantation delay, has the longest gestation length of any bat species, at up to 11.5 months. The post-implantation delay means that development of the embryo is suspended for up to eight months after implantation in the uterine wall, which is responsible for its very long pregnancies. Shorter gestation lengths are found in the greater short-nosed fruit bat ("Cynopterus sphinx") with a period of three months.


title: Megabat

text: The litter size of all megabats is usually one. There are scarce records of twins in the following species: Madagascan flying fox ("Pteropus rufus"), Dobson's epauletted fruit bat ("Epomops dobsoni"), the gray-headed flying fox, the black flying fox ("Pteropus alecto"), the spectacled flying fox ("Pteropus conspicillatus"), the greater short-nosed fruit bat, Peters's epauletted fruit bat ("Epomophorus crypturus"), the hammer-headed bat, the straw-colored fruit bat, the little collared fruit bat ("Myonycteris torquata"), the Egyptian fruit bat, and Leschenault's rousette ("Rousettus leschenaultii"). In the cases of twins, it is rare that both offspring survive. Because megabats, like all bats, have low reproductive rates, their populations are slow to recover from declines.


title: Megabat

text: At birth, megabat offspring are, on average, 17.5% of their mother's post-partum weight. This is the smallest offspring-to-mother ratio for any bat family; across all bats, newborns are 22.3% of their mother's post-partum weight. Megabat offspring are not easily categorized into the traditional categories of altricial (helpless at birth) or precocial (capable at birth). Species such as the greater short-nosed fruit bat are born with their eyes open (a sign of precocial offspring), whereas the Egyptian fruit bat offspring's eyes do not open until nine days after birth (a sign of altricial offspring).


title: Megabat

text: The young stay with their mothers until they are weaned; how long weaning takes varies throughout the family. Megabats, like all bats, have relatively long nursing periods: offspring will nurse until they are approximately 71% of adult body mass, compared to 40% of adult body mass in non-bat mammals. Species in the genus "Micropteropus" wean their young by seven to eight weeks of age, whereas the Indian flying fox ("Pteropus medius") does not wean its young until five months of age. Very unusually, male individuals of two megabat species, the Bismarck masked flying fox ("Pteropus capistratus") and the Dayak fruit bat ("Dyacopterus spadiceus"), have been observed producing milk, but there has never been an observation of a male nursing young. It is unclear if the lactation is functional and males actually nurse pups or if it is a result of stress or malnutrition.


title: Megabat

text: Many megabat species are highly gregarious or social. Megabats will vocalize to communicate with each other, creating noises described as "trill-like bursts of sound", honking, or loud, bleat-like calls in various genera. At least one species, the Egyptian fruit bat, is capable of a kind of vocal learning called vocal production learning, defined as "the ability to modify vocalizations in response to interactions with conspecifics". Young Egyptian fruit bats are capable of acquiring a dialect by listening to their mothers, as well as other individuals in their colonies. It has been postulated that these dialect differences may result in individuals of different colonies communicating at different frequencies, for instance.


title: Megabat

text: Megabat social behavior includes using sexual behaviors for more than just reproduction. Evidence suggests that female Egyptian fruit bats take food from males in exchange for sex. Paternity tests confirmed that the males from which each female scrounged food had a greater likelihood of fathering the scrounging female's offspring.


title: Megabat

text: Homosexual fellatio has been observed in at least one species, the Bonin flying fox ("Pteropus pselaphon"). This same-sex fellatio is hypothesized to encourage colony formation of otherwise-antagonistic males in colder climates.


title: Megabat

text: Megabats are mostly nocturnal and crepuscular, though some have been observed flying during the day. A few island species and subspecies are diurnal, hypothesized as a response to a lack of predators.


title: Megabat

text: Diurnal taxa include a subspecies of the black-eared flying fox ("Pteropus melanotus natalis"), the Mauritian flying fox ("Pteropus niger"), the Caroline flying fox ("Pteropus molossinus"), a subspecies of "Pteropus pelagicus" ("P. p. insularis"), and the Seychelles fruit bat ("Pteropus seychellensis").


title: Megabat

text: A 1992 summary of forty-one megabat genera noted that twenty-nine are tree-roosting genera. A further eleven genera roost in caves, and the remaining six genera roost in other kinds of sites (human structures, mines, and crevices, for example). Tree-roosting species can be solitary or highly colonial, forming aggregations of up to one million individuals. Cave-roosting species form aggregations ranging from ten individuals up to several thousand. Highly colonial species often exhibit roost fidelity, meaning that their trees or caves may be used as roosts for many years. Solitary species or those that aggregate in smaller numbers have less fidelity to their roosts.


title: Megabat

text: Most megabats are primarily frugivorous. Throughout the family, a diverse array of fruit is consumed from nearly 188 plant genera. Some species are also nectarivorous, meaning that they also drink nectar from flowers. In Australia, "Eucalyptus" flowers are an especially important food source. Other food resources include leaves, shoots, buds, pollen, seed pods, sap, cones, bark, and twigs. They are prodigious eaters and can consume up to 2.5 times their own body weight in fruit per night.


title: Megabat

text: Megabats fly to roosting and foraging resources. They typically fly straight and relatively fast for bats; some species are slower with greater maneuverability. Species can commute in a night. Migratory species of the genera "Eidolon", "Pteropus", "Epomophorus", "Rousettus", "Myonycteris", and "Nanonycteris" can migrate distances up to . Most megabats have below-average aspect ratios, which is measurement relating wingspan and wing area. Wing loading, which measures weight relative to wing area, is average or higher than average in megabats.


title: Megabat

text: Megabats play an important role in seed dispersal. As a result of their long evolutionary history, some plants have evolved characteristics compatible with bat senses, including fruits that are strongly scented, brightly colored, and prominently exposed away from foliage. The bright colors and positioning of the fruit may reflect megabats' reliance on visual cues and inability to navigate through clutter. In a study that examined the fruits of more than forty fig species, only one fig species was consumed by both birds and megabats; most species are consumed by one or the other. Bird-consumed figs are frequently red or orange, while megabat-consumed figs are often yellow or green. Most seeds are excreted shortly after consumption due to a rapid gut transit time, but some seeds can remain in the gut for more than twelve hours. This heightens megabats' capacity to disperse seeds far from parent trees. As highly mobile frugivores, megabats have the capacity to restore forest between isolated forest fragments by dispersing tree seeds to deforested landscapes. This dispersal ability is limited to plants with small seeds that are less than in length, as seeds larger than this are not ingested.


title: Megabat

text: Megabats, especially those living on islands, have few native predators: species like the small flying fox ("Pteropus hypomelanus") have no known natural predators. Non-native predators of flying foxes include domestic cats and rats. The mangrove monitor, which is a native predator for some megabat species but an introduced predator for others, opportunistically preys on megabats, as it is a capable tree climber. Another species, the brown tree snake, can seriously impact megabat populations; as a non-native predator in Guam, the snake consumes so many offspring that it reduced the recruitment of the population of the Mariana fruit bat ("Pteropus mariannus") to essentially zero. The island is now considered a sink for the Mariana fruit bat, as its population there relies on bats immigrating from the nearby island of Rota to bolster it rather than successful reproduction. Predators that are naturally sympatric with megabats include reptiles such as crocodilians, snakes, and large lizards, as well as birds like falcons, hawks, and owls. The saltwater crocodile is a known predator of megabats, based on analysis of crocodile stomach contents in northern Australia. During extreme heat events, megabats like the little red flying fox ("Pteropus scapulatus") must cool off and rehydrate by drinking from waterways, making them susceptible to opportunistic depredation by freshwater crocodiles.


title: Megabat

text: Megabats are the hosts of several parasite taxa. Known parasites include Nycteribiidae and Streblidae species ("bat flies"), as well as mites of the genus "Demodex". Blood parasites of the family Haemoproteidae and intestinal nematodes of Toxocaridae also affect megabat species.


title: Megabat

text: Megabats are widely distributed in the tropics of the Old World, occurring throughout Africa, Asia, Australia, and throughout the islands of the Indian Ocean and Oceania. As of 2013, fourteen genera of megabat are present in Africa, representing twenty-eight species. Of those twenty-eight species, twenty-four are only found in tropical or subtropical climates. The remaining four species are mostly found in the tropics, but their ranges also encompass temperate climates. In respect to habitat types, eight are exclusively or mostly found in forested habitat; nine are found in both forests and savannas; nine are found exclusively or mostly in savannas; and two are found on islands. Only one African species, the long-haired rousette ("Rousettus lanosus"), is found mostly in montane ecosystems, but an additional thirteen species' ranges extend into montane habitat.


title: Megabat

text: Outside of Southeast Asia, megabats have relatively low species richness in Asia. The Egyptian fruit bat is the only megabat whose range is mostly in the Palearctic realm; it and the straw-colored fruit bat are the only species found in the Middle East. The northernmost extent of the Egyptian fruit bat's range is the northeastern Mediterranean. In East Asia, megabats are found only in China and Japan. In China, only six species of megabat are considered resident, while another seven are present marginally (at the edge of their ranges), questionably (due to possible misidentification), or as accidental migrants. Four megabat species, all "Pteropus", are found on Japan, but none on its five main islands. In South Asia, megabat species richness ranges from two species in the Maldives to thirteen species in India. Megabat species richness in Southeast Asia is as few as five species in the small country of Singapore and seventy-six species in Indonesia. Of the ninety-eight species of megabat found in Asia, forest is a habitat for ninety-five of them. Other habitat types include human-modified land (66 species), caves (23 species), savanna (7 species), shrubland (4 species), rocky areas (3 species), grassland (2 species), and desert (1 species).


title: Megabat

text: In Australia, five genera and eight species of megabat are present. These genera are "Pteropus", "Syconycteris", "Dobsonia", "Nyctimene", and "Macroglossus". "Pteropus" species of Australia are found in a variety of habitats, including mangrove-dominated forests, rainforests, and the wet sclerophyll forests of the Australian bush. Australian "Pteropus" are often found in association with humans, as they situate their large colonies in urban areas, particularly in May and June when the greatest proportions of "Pteropus" species populations are found in these urban colonies.


title: Megabat

text: In Oceania, the countries of Palau and Tonga have the fewest megabat species, with one each. Papua New Guinea has the greatest number of species with thirty-six. Of the sixty-five species of Oceania, forest is a habitat for fifty-eight. Other habitat types include human-modified land (42 species), caves (9 species), savanna (5 species), shrubland (3 species), and rocky areas (3 species). An estimated nineteen percent of all megabat species are endemic to a single island; of all bat families, only Myzopodidae—containing two species, both single-island endemics—has a higher rate of single-island endemism.


title: Megabat

text: Megabats are killed and eaten as bushmeat throughout their range. Bats are consumed extensively throughout Asia, as well as in islands of the West Indian Ocean and the Pacific, where "Pteropus" species are heavily hunted. In continental Africa where no "Pteropus" species live, the straw-colored fruit bat, the region's largest megabat, is a preferred hunting target.


title: Megabat

text: In Guam, consumption of the Mariana fruit bat exposes locals to the neurotoxin beta-Methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) which may later lead to neurodegenerative diseases. BMAA may become particularly biomagnified in humans who consume flying foxes; flying foxes are exposed to BMAA by eating cycad fruits.


title: Megabat

text: Megabats are the reservoirs of several viruses that can affect humans and cause disease. They can carry filoviruses, including the Ebola virus (EBOV) and "Marburgvirus". The presence of "Marburgvirus", which causes Marburg virus disease, has been confirmed in one species, the Egyptian fruit bat. The disease is rare, but the fatality rate of an outbreak can reach up to 88%. The virus was first recognized after simultaneous outbreaks in the German cities of Marburg and Frankfurt as well as Belgrade, Serbia in 1967 where 31 people became ill and seven died. The outbreak was traced to laboratory work with vervet monkeys from Uganda. The virus can pass from a bat host to a human (who has usually spent a prolonged period in a mine or cave where Egyptian fruit bats live); from there, it can spread person-to-person through contact with infected bodily fluids, including blood and semen. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists a total of 601 confirmed cases of Marburg virus disease from 1967 to 2014, of which 373 people died (62% overall mortality).


title: Megabat

text: Species that have tested positive for the presence of EBOV include Franquet's epauletted fruit bat ("Epomops franqueti"), the hammer-headed fruit bat, and the little collared fruit bat. Additionally, antibodies against EBOV have been found in the straw-colored fruit bat, Gambian epauletted fruit bat ("Epomophorus gambianus"), Peters's dwarf epauletted fruit bat ("Micropteropus pusillus"), Veldkamp's dwarf epauletted fruit bat ("Nanonycteris veldkampii"), Leschenault's rousette, and the Egyptian fruit bat. Much of how humans contract the Ebola virus is unknown. Scientists hypothesize that humans initially become infected through contact with an infected animal such as a megabat or non-human primate. Megabats are presumed to be a natural reservoir of the Ebola virus, but this has not been firmly established. Microbats are also being investigated as the reservoir of the virus, with the greater long-fingered bat ("Miniopterus inflatus") once found to harbor a fifth of the virus's genome (though not testing positive for the actual virus) in 2019. Due to the likely association between Ebola infection and "hunting, butchering and processing meat from infected animals", several West African countries banned bushmeat (including megabats) or issued warnings about it during the 2013–2016 epidemic; many bans have since been lifted.


title: Megabat

text: Other megabats implicated as disease reservoirs are primarily "Pteropus" species. Notably, flying foxes can transmit Australian bat lyssavirus, which, along with the rabies virus, causes rabies. Australian bat lyssavirus was first identified in 1996; it is very rarely transmitted to humans. Transmission occurs from the bite or scratch of an infected animal but can also occur from getting the infected animal's saliva in a mucous membrane or an open wound. Exposure to flying fox blood, urine, or feces cannot cause infections of Australian bat lyssavirus. Since 1994, there have been three records of people becoming infected with it in Queensland—each case was fatal.


title: Megabat

text: Flying foxes are also reservoirs of henipaviruses such as Hendra virus and Nipah virus. Hendra virus was first identified in 1994; it rarely occurs in humans. From 1994 to 2013, there have been seven reported cases of Hendra virus affecting people, four of which were fatal. The hypothesized primary route of human infection is via contact with horses that have come into contact with flying fox urine. There are no documented instances of direct transmission between flying foxes and humans. As of 2012, there is a vaccine available for horses to decrease the likelihood of infection and transmission.


title: Megabat

text: Nipah virus was first identified in 1998 in Malaysia. Since 1998, there have been several Nipah outbreaks in Malaysia, Singapore, India, and Bangladesh, resulting in over 100 casualties. A 2018 outbreak in Kerala, India resulted in 19 humans becoming infected—17 died. The overall fatality rate is 40–75%. Humans can contract Nipah virus from direct contact with flying foxes or their fluids, through exposure to an intermediate host such as domestic pigs, or from contact with an infected person. A 2014 study of the Indian flying fox and Nipah virus found that while Nipah virus outbreaks are more likely in areas preferred by flying foxes, "the presence of bats in and of itself is not considered a risk factor for Nipah virus infection." Rather, the consumption of date palm sap is a significant route of transmission. The practice of date palm sap collection involves placing collecting pots at date palm trees. Indian flying foxes have been observed licking the sap as it flows into the pots, as well as defecating and urinating in proximity to the pots. In this way, humans who drink palm wine can be exposed to henipaviruses. The use of bamboo skirts on collecting pots lowers the risk of contamination from bat urine.


title: Megabat

text: Flying foxes can transmit several non-lethal diseases as well, such as Menangle virus and Nelson Bay virus. These viruses rarely affect humans, and few cases have been reported. Megabats are not suspected to be vectors of coronaviruses.


title: Megabat

text: Megabats, particularly flying foxes, are featured in indigenous cultures and traditions. Folk stories from Australia and Papua New Guinea feature them.


title: Megabat

text: Indigenous societies in Oceania used parts of flying foxes for functional and ceremonial weapons. In the Solomon Islands, people created barbs out of their bones for use in spears. In New Caledonia, ceremonial axes made of jade were decorated with braids of flying fox fur. Flying fox wings were depicted on the war shields of the Asmat people of Indonesia; they believed that the wings offered protection to their warriors.


title: Megabat

text: There are modern and historical references to flying fox byproducts used as currency. In New Caledonia, braided flying fox fur was once used as currency.


title: Megabat

text: On the island of Makira, which is part of the Solomon Islands, indigenous peoples still hunt flying foxes for their teeth as well as for bushmeat.


title: Megabat

text: The canine teeth are strung together on necklaces that are used as currency. Teeth of the insular flying fox ("Pteropus tonganus") are particularly prized, as they are usually large enough to drill holes in. The Makira flying fox ("Pteropus cognatus") is also hunted, despite its smaller teeth. Deterring people from using flying fox teeth as currency may be detrimental to the species, with Lavery and Fasi noting, "Species that provide an important cultural resource can be highly treasured." Emphasizing sustainable hunting of flying foxes to preserve cultural currency may be more effective than encouraging the abandonment of cultural currency. Even if flying foxes were no longer hunted for their teeth, they would still be killed for bushmeat; therefore, retaining their cultural value may encourage sustainable hunting practices. Lavery stated, "It's a positive, not a negative, that their teeth are so culturally valuable. The practice of hunting bats shouldn't necessarily be stopped, it needs to be managed sustainably."


title: Megabat

text: As of 2014, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) evaluated a quarter of all megabat species as threatened, which includes species listed as critically endangered, endangered, and vulnerable. Megabats are substantially threatened by humans, as they are hunted for food and medicinal uses.


title: Megabat

text: Additionally, they are culled for actual or perceived damage to agriculture, especially to fruit production. As of 2019, the IUCN had evaluations for 187 megabat species. The status breakdown is as follows:


title: Megabat

text: Megabats are threatened by habitat destruction by humans. Deforestation of their habitats has resulted in the loss of critical roosting habitat. Deforestation also results in the loss of food resource, as native fruit-bearing trees are felled. Habitat loss and resulting urbanization leads to construction of new roadways, making megabat colonies easier to access for overharvesting. Additionally, habitat loss via deforestation compounds natural threats, as fragmented forests are more susceptible to damage from typhoon-force winds. Cave-roosting megabats are threatened by human disturbance at their roost sites. Guano mining is a livelihood in some countries within their range, bringing people to caves. Caves are also disturbed by mineral mining and cave tourism.


title: Megabat

text: Megabats are also killed by humans, intentionally and unintentionally. Half of all megabat species are hunted for food, in comparison to only eight percent of insectivorous species, while human persecution stemming from perceived damage to crops is also a large source of mortality. Some megabats have been documented to have a preference for native fruit trees over fruit crops, but deforestation can reduce their food supply, causing them to rely on fruit crops. They are shot, beaten to death, or poisoned to reduce their populations. Mortality also occurs via accidental entanglement in netting used to prevent the bats from eating fruit. Culling campaigns can dramatically reduce megabat populations. In Mauritius, over 40,000 Mauritian flying foxes were culled between 2014 and 2016, reducing the species' population by an estimated 45%. Megabats are also killed by electrocution. In one Australian orchard, it is estimated that over 21,000 bats were electrocuted to death in an eight-week period. Farmers construct electrified grids over their fruit trees to kill megabats before they can consume their crop. The grids are questionably effective at preventing crop loss, with one farmer who operated such a grid estimating they still lost of fruit to flying foxes in a year. Some electrocution deaths are also accidental, such as when bats fly into overhead power lines.


title: Megabat

text: Climate change causes flying fox mortality and is a source of concern for species persistence. Extreme heat waves in Australia have been responsible for the deaths of more than 30,000 flying foxes from 1994 to 2008. Females and young bats are most susceptible to extreme heat, which affects a population's ability to recover. Megabats are threatened by sea level rise associated with climate change, as several species are endemic to low-lying atolls.


title: Megabat

text: Because many species are endemic to a single island, they are vulnerable to random events such as typhoons. A 1979 typhoon halved the remaining population of the Rodrigues flying fox ("Pteropus rodricensis"). Typhoons result in indirect mortality as well: because typhoons defoliate the trees, they make megabats more visible and thus more easily hunted by humans. Food resources for the bats become scarce after major storms, and megabats resort to riskier foraging strategies such as consuming fallen fruit off the ground. There, they are more vulnerable to depredation by domestic cats, dogs, and pigs. As many megabat species are located in the tectonically active Ring of Fire, they are also threatened by volcanic eruptions. Flying foxes, including the endangered Mariana fruit bat, have been nearly exterminated from the island of Anatahan following a series of eruptions beginning in 2003.


title: Kim Jong-kook

text: Kim Jong-kook (; born April 25, 1976) is a South Korean singer, entertainer, and actor. Kim debuted as a member of South Korean duo Turbo in 1995. The duo was considered to be one of the most popular idols in that time and sold out millions of albums in South Korea and Asia. Following the disbanding of the duo in 2000, Kim released his debut solo album, "Renaissance", in December 2001.


title: Kim Jong-kook

text: As a solo artist, Kim has received several awards, including three Golden Disk Awards, two Seoul Music Awards, two KBS Music Awards, two SBS Music Awards, two MBC Music Awards, one MBC Best 10 Music Award, one Mnet Asian Music Award, and one Melon Music Award.


title: Kim Jong-kook

text: Apart from his music career, Kim established himself as an entertainer, notably through his participation in variety shows including "X-man", "Family Outing" and gained worldwide popularity following his participation in "Running Man".