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THE USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) and USS Nimitz (CVN 68) Carrier Strike Groups steam in formation, in the South China Sea, July 6, 2020. China accused the US of flexing its military muscles in the South China Sea by conducting joint exercises with two US aircraft carrier groups in the strategic waterway. MASS COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST 3RD CLASS JASON TARLETON/US NAVY VIA AP
TESTING THE WATERS Amid US and Asean’s affirmation of support for the UN arbitral tribunal ruling on disputed maritime territories, Duterte government prodded to seize the initiative. By Rene Acosta
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ITH the United States and Asean’s affirmation of support for the four-year-old ruling of the United Nations (UN) arbitral tribunal, the Philippines should seize the initiative in “implementing” the decision, at the very least, by encouraging Filipinos to fish in Scarborough Shoal, and possibly drive away Chinese vessels that are loitering in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), especially in the waters within and surrounding the Pagasa Island. That’s the fearless advice of the former mayor of Palawan’s Kalayaan Island Group (KIG), the municipality where Pagasa belongs.
The Scarborough Shoal near Zambales and other islands covered by China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea (SCS) are currently under a three-month fishing ban that had been unilaterally imposed by Beijing beginning May this year, while Chinese maritime militia vessels masquerading as fishing vessels are prowling the waters of the KIG.
Challenge the fishing ban
FORMER Kalayaan Mayor Eugenio Bito-onon Jr. said the country should begin testing the waters with China, initially by challenging Beijing’s fishing ban over Scar-
borough—listed by the tribunal as a long-time fishing ground for Southeast Asian fishermen, and therefore not subject to any single nation’s ban—and other maritime waters for which the UN has declared for the Philippines’ exclusive use, especially now that the US and Southeast Asian states have spoken strongly in support of the ruling. Bito-onon wants the government to take initiatives in implementing the decision and to put some “teeth” behind the US’ and the Asean’s strong declaration against China’s expansive claims— an assertion anchored solely on so-
called “historical claims” as manifested in its Nine-Dash Line, which overlaps even into the waters off Ilocos Norte in the north.
Pompeo’s strong message
ON Tuesday (July 14), US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that China has no legal grounds to unilaterally impose its “will” on Southeast Asia as the Nine-Dash Line had been rejected by the Arbitral Tribunal on July 12, 2016, effectively favoring the Philippines, which filed the case following China’s aggressive activities and even bullying in the WPS. Continued on A2
Pandemic threatens to burst Philippines’ online gaming bubble Closing down
By Siegfrid Alegado & Andreo Calonzo
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Bloomberg
ITH the twin global gaming centers of Macau and Las Vegas bleeding millions of dollars daily as casinos stand empty, the much smaller online gaming industry in the Philippines was supposed to benefit as gamblers logged into live-streamed bets to scratch the itch. Instead, the $8-billion gaming industry is also fighting for survival, with stark consequences for the country’s property and retail sectors. After being shuttered for months as they were considered “unessential” during the long lockdown to contain the virus, Manila’s online casinos can still only partially operate. The restrictions have been weighing on their operations, said Ben Lee, a Macau-based man-
aging partner at Asian gaming consultancy IGamiX. This could be the tipping point for the country’s gaming industry, which has faced waves of pressure including the threat of higher taxes, lawmakers’ calls for an outright gaming ban and divisions over ugly accusations its largely migrant workforce brought crime to the country, and also worsened the virus outbreak.
PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 49.5440
IN this April 28, 2020, file photo, a POGO (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator) office in Tambo, Parañaque City, is closed temporarily during the coronavirus lockdown. NONIE REYES
ALREADY, two of the nation’s 60 licensed operators in what had been a robust industry have shuttered their doors since the pandemic began. “There are more to come. We’re just convincing them to stay,” said Jose Tria, who works for the nation’s gambling regulator as assistant vice president for offshore gaming. Only 14 of the operators have resumed operations; the rest are in wait-and-see mode. If the industry collapses, it could leave empty as much as 3.4 million square meters of combined office and residential space as the industry’s migrant workers head home, according to Leechiu Property Consultants Inc. That’s more than 600 football fields. “They will just leave if nobody wants them,” said David Leechiu, chief executive officer at the property services company, which has one of the biggest shares of online gambling clients among brokers in the Philippines. Since the lockContinued on A2
n JAPAN 0.4619 n UK 62.2223 n HK 6.3900 n CHINA 7.0888 n SINGAPORE 35.5971 n AUSTRALIA 34.5173 n EU 56.3959 n SAUDI ARABIA 13.2107
Source: BSP (July 17, 2020)
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A2 Sunday, July 19, 2020
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TESTING THE WATERS
IN this April 21, 2017, file photo, soldiers raise the Philippine flag on Pagasa Island, also known as Thitu, off the disputed Spratlys chain of islands in the West Philippine Sea. AP/BULLIT MARQUEZ Continued from A1
“The PRC [People’s Republic of China] cannot lawfully assert a maritime claim—including any exclusive economic zone [EEZ] claims derived from Scarborough Reef and the Spratly Islands—vis-a-vis the Philippines in areas that the Tribunal found to be in the Philippines’ EEZ or on its continental shelf,” Pompeo declared. “In line with the Tribunal’s legally binding decision, the PRC has no lawful territorial, or maritime claim, to Mischief Reef or Second Thomas Shoal, both of which fall fully under the Philippines’ sovereign rights and jurisdiction, nor does Beijing have any territorial, or maritime claims generated from these features,” he added. Last month, Southeast Asian leaders, who were meeting under the Asean, also came out with
the position that the SCS dispute should be resolved on the basis of international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas (Unclos), on which the Philippines based its maritime case against China before the UN. Bito-onon said that with the US and the international community behind its back, the Duterte government should start taking actual moves to challenge China’s presence and its activities within the country’s waters. And this could begin by sending Filipino fishermen to Scarborough, their traditional fishing ground. It could also start booting out Chinese fishing vessels and maritime militia ships in waters within and surrounding Pagasa Island and those covered by the UN ruling— Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas Shoal) and Mischief Reef. “It may be hard to do but the
government must try, given the ruling and the US position,” Bitoonon said, even as he noted that the presence of a large number of Chinese fishing vessels in Pagasa alone poses a big problem for agencies like the Philippine Navy and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. “It may even be harder, or impossible, for Mischief Reef,” Bitoonon said, noting that the reef had been occupied and turned into a massive military fortress by China’s People’s Liberation Army. Still, the former mayor said that if the government has to take steps to implement the intent and spirit of the ruling, which, in the first place, was borne by its own action, then now is the best time to do it. The Duterte administration maintains it could not challenge China militarily, which is a fact,
but critics say its defeatist position has also emboldened Beijing to encroach and maintain a permanent presence in the WPS where it harasses and intimidates Filipino fishermen and disrupts the rotational and resupply missions of the Philippine military. The military mismatch is compounded by President Duterte’s friendly stance with China.
Iron-clad commitment
BEIJING’S aggressive behavior in the WPS prompted Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana to move early last year for a review of the Philippines-US Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) for its alleged “vagueness” as it is silent on whether the US would come to the aid of the Philippines if it is attacked in the disputed region. The move was prodded by the position of the US during the term of
former President Barack Obama that it could not take sides on territorial issues in the South China Sea, while assuring its “iron clad” commitment to the country under the treaty. However, in March, also last year, Pompeo declared that the treaty covers the WPS. “Any armed attack on Philippine forces, aircraft or public vessels in the South China Sea will trigger mutual defense obligations,” he said during his meeting with Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. On July 12, as the Philippines marked the fourth anniversary of the ruling by the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration, Locsin said in a statement that the arbitral award is “non-negotiable.” He again chided China for its insistence on “historical claims” and expressed hope the Asian giant would sincerely work with Southeast Asian nations
for a long-awaited code of conduct in the disputed waters. Two days later, the country’s top diplomat had to face—virtually, via Zoom—his counterpart, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and both affirmed the importance of maintaining decades of wideranging relations between Beijing and Manila. They agreed, for the nth time, that the SCS is “not the sum total of our relationship.” Laymen trust the diplomats for their coded words and actions, because they know many things we don’t; that is their expertise. But down on the ground—or on the water, in this case—other means for signalling a determination to assert one’s rights may sometimes be necessary. And in the view of someone like Mayor Bito-onon who has survived Chinese bullying countless times, the time for sending those signals is now.
Pandemic threatens to burst Philippines’ online gaming bubble
Continued from A1
down, operators have canceled expansion plans, he said. After President Duterte began giving out casino licenses in 2016, more than 300,000 foreign workers—many of them Chinese nationals—have come to the metropolitan Manila area to work. The industry is propped up by demand from mostly Chinese punters placing bets from thousands of miles away, as gambling is banned in mainland China. The migrants have a range of jobs including marketing, answering customer queries and processing payments for clients who place online bets on livestreamed games of baccarat,
Dragon Tiger and Fantan. Workers in the industry account for as much as 1 percent of the nation’s consumption spending, which has helped drive sales of retailers such as Hermes-seller SSI Group Inc., said Nicky Franco, vice president for research at Abacus Securities Corp. in Manila. Yet some lawmakers are determined to shut down the industry amid accusations of money laundering. In May, a bill was filed in the legislature seeking to ban online gambling operations because they are “making a mockery of our laws, peace and order.” A group of licensed online gambling operators didn’t reply to requests for comment on the legislation. Philippine property stocks fell
3.5 percent, the most since June 24, outpacing the main stock index’s 1-percent drop on Friday.
Boom, bust
IF the industry in the Philippines doesn’t survive, possible beneficiaries include gaming companies in Vietnam, where coronavirus cases have been largely contained, and Myanmar, said IGamiX’s Lee. The two countries “are catching up very quickly” in terms of Internet links to China and power supply—two necessary criteria for online gaming to flourish. Meanwhile, Sihanoukville in Cambodia serves as a cautionary tale of the boom-and-bust cycle in online gaming. Once a backpacker’s stop, the coastal town became
THE sun sets along the Las Vegas Strip devoid of the usual crowds and traffic after casinos and other business continue to be shuttered due to the coronavirus, April 28, 2020, in Las Vegas. AP/JOHN LOCHER
an online-casino hub. But lockdowns and a ban on the industry that came into effect on January 1 left it filled with unfinished condominiums and shuttered businesses. In San Antonio Village, Makati City in the Philippine
capital, passenger vans ferrying online casino workers that used to choke the roads have become a rarity. Most of the industry’s staff are cooped up in high-rise apartments and are closely watching to see what happens to the indus-
try—and their jobs. Property broker Leechiu is watching along with them. “To recover from the economic damage of Covid-19, we need as much economic activity as we can get,” he said.
The World BusinessMirror
Editor: Angel R. Calso
Texas readies morgue trucks in preparation for virus surge
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long the Texas coast outside Corpus Christi, Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales surveyed the sandy Gulf of Mexico beaches packed with swimmers and sunbathers, just the way they are every summer. Then she went back to her office to order another morgue truck. Officials across Texas are rushing to mobilize overflow mortuary space as communities brace for a surge in coronavirus deaths following Fourth of July festivities. Already, July has had a succession of record-setting days in terms of new cases, deaths and the number of people hospitalized with Covid-19 as the pandemic takes hold in the state. “Why won’t people see what’s happening?” Canales said of vacationers thronging the beaches. “It’s nothing but summer fun. They can’t see the stress and strain that our community is under. The danger isn’t real to them.” July’s heat and sun aren’t providing the respite many had hoped for when the pandemic arrived in the US in the cooler, cloudier days of early spring. Then, it created pile-ups of bodies in New York City that required ranks of mortuary trailers. Now, while Northeastern states that were hit hard early are curbing the virus, the South and Southwest are contending with explosive outbreaks after relaxing controls. Renewed efforts such as mask mandates haven’t yet made a dent. On Wednesday, Texas continued to set records, with almost 11,000 new cases and 110 deaths. Fatalities so far total 3,432, contributing to a national tally of almost 137,000. For months, a bad day in the state was anything over 30 deaths. But in the past week, they jumped and Governor Greg Abbott—who prevented cities and counties from moving aggressively to counter the disease—is warning the worst is yet to come. US Army medics are being deployed to two counties along the Texas-Mexico border to assist hospitals overrun with new virus cases. And hospitals and local governments are requesting refrigerated trucks and trailers outfitted with racks designed for storing the dead. Some are turning to private companies. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has dispatched 22 morgue trucks to Texas, said Deputy Press Secretary Janet Montesi. None have been requested by Florida or Arizona, where similar outbreaks are under way.
False comfort
The first eight units arrived in Texas in April. Nobody needed them then, so they stayed parked, one at the Nueces County fairgrounds. Canales, the top elected executive official, briefly considered charging the state rent for storing it. For three months, only three people in the county of about 365,000 died of Covid-19. “Then, last week, an onslaught,” she said. As of Tuesday, 58 people had died. Adding to the strain: Nueces’s morgue facilities are used by 17 other counties. By the time deaths jumped in Nueces County, its FEMA morgue truck had been sent to another community along the border that needed it more. Hilary Watt, executive director of the Coastal Bend Regional Advisory Council, has been responsible for dispatching the trucks along Texas’s southern coast and border with Mexico. She’s sending one back to Nueces County, and is stationing three more in the Rio Grande Valley. “We’re trying to get them staged now for what we think is coming,” Watt said. Hospitals and funeral homes along the border are already overwhelmed with cases and deaths. Gulf Coast communities “are only a week or two behind,” she said. Travis County, home to the state capital, Austin, recently requested an additional refrigeration truck, but is trying to buy one on its own rather than go through FEMA, said Hector Nieto, a spokesman. Cameron County, which encompasses the south Texas cities of Brownsville and Harlingen, acquired a mobile morgue about two weeks ago—though it hasn’t been needed yet, said Melissa Elizardi, the county’s public information officer. “As you can imagine, because we’ve seen the spike in hospitalizations, we’re anticipating that there will be a spike in deaths in the next week to two weeks,” Harlingen Mayor Chris Boswell said. The Veteran Affairs’ Texas Valley Coastal Bend Health Care System, which serves a large stretch of south Texas, has also procured a mobile morgue that can hold 20 bodies, said Hugo Martinez, a spokesman. “God willing, we won’t have to put it to use,” he said.
Body bags
HCA Healthcare Inc. has deployed mobile refrigeration units across its community hospital system, according to Sean Burnett, a spokesman for the Gulf Coast division. So far, it’s had to use a unit only briefly in northwest Houston. “Community hospitals are not designed for mass casualty or large volumes,” Burnett said. “Houston and the Gulf Coast are facing a severe surge right now. Based on patient volume and the expectation of volume, we want to make sure everyone is prepared.” After seeing images of bodies packed into trailers—some not refrigerated—in New York City during the height of its outbreak, mortuary supply company Mopec Inc. designed a rack system that can retrofit trailers to store remains. It stepped up production of body bags and cooling pads, a device born of the opioid epidemic to provide short-term storage in unrefrigerated areas. “We quickly found as we got into the height of Covid that everyone needed everything now,” said Jeff Pemberton, a spokesman.
On spec
Acela Truck Co., which builds a wide array of trucks for industry, was tapped by the US government to create a line of mobile morgues—a contract they just fulfilled, said Sales Director Louise Rainone. Now the company is considering building a fleet so that they’re ready for immediate delivery when needed. In larger urban areas like Houston, refrigerated trailers are a common contingency in catastrophes, said Vanessa Astros, a spokeswoman for St. Luke’s Health. Its hospital in Houston has had such a truck since March as a precaution.
Bloomberg News
Sunday, July 19, 2020
A3
Covid-19 spreading in unexplained ways, dimming containment hope
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s countries across Asia-Pacific struggle with resurgences of the coronavirus, one data point is steering government responses: the share of cases with no clear indication of how infection occurred. These patients cannot be linked to other confirmed infections or existing outbreaks by virus responders, indicating hidden chains of transmission. A growing proportion of such cases in a city’s resurgence pushes governments, like in Australia and Hong Kong, to take broad and blunt action, returning entire cities to lockdown-like conditions. “You can hardly contain the outbreak because you have no idea where they will come out next,” said Yang Gonghuan, former deputy director general of China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention. “When there’s more cases where the origins are unknown, it adds to the difficulty for containment.” In contrast, a low share of cases of unknown origins means that authorities can stay relatively
relaxed—like in South Korea and Japan—even if total daily new infections reach the hundreds. These countries can take a targeted and nimble approach, shutting down schools or workplaces where clusters are found, but allowing the rest of the population to live normally. This data point is a telltale sign of whether resurgences across the world will flare up into bigger waves, and if residents need
to gird themselves for a return to lockdown. Here’s a breakdown of how the places fighting flareups are using the number to guide their responses:
Hong Kong: Strictest-ever restrictions
The Asian financial hub enjoyed three months of normal life before a surprise resurgence this month that looks set to be its worst wave ever. Infections of “unknown origins” have surged to half of all new local cases, indicating that they’re emerging from all corners. The former British colony has reacted swiftly, levying its strictest-ever restrictions on the city of 7.5 million. Schools started summer break early while bars, gyms and beaches have been shut. Public gatherings are limited to four people and those refusing to wear masks on public transport will be fined HK$5,000 ($645).
Melbourne, Australia: Return to lockdown
The 5 million residents of Melbourne are in the midst of a government-mandated six-week lockdown thanks to a new wave of coronavirus infections in Victoria state, 51 percent of which are of unknown origins or still under investigation. The outbreak is spilling over to Sydney, raising fears that Australia’s largest city will be a fresh hot spot. The lockdown, which included
the barring of 3,000 residents in public-housing tower blocks from leaving their apartments for several days until they were all tested, is reminiscent of the stringent controls imposed in Wuhan, the Chinese city where the virus first emerged. The measure made Australia one of the only western democracies to mandate that people cannot step outside their homes.
Tokyo, Japan: Worrying uptick
Termed “infections with unknown routes” by Japanese officials, the share of such cases when the new outbreak started about a month ago was initially low at about one fifth. This was cited by the government for taking relatively little action and continuing to open up the economy and society. But the share of unknown origin cases has now risen to about 45 percent, raising alarm. While the Japanese government has no legal power to force businesses to shut down, the situation has prompted the country’s Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura to strike a harsher tone on nightclubs, warning that some may be asked to close if they don’t comply with guidelines. On Wednesday, Tokyo raised its alert level to the highest on a four-point scale and asked people to modify their behavior to prevent further spread. “We need to ensure that this wave does not get any bigger and trigger a state of emergency,”
Nishimura said on Tuesday. “I feel we are approaching the stage.”
South Korea: Relaxed reaction
The country lauded for its success in taming the virus through rapid testing and aggressive contact tracing without lockdowns continues to maintain relative composure in facing resurgences. This is likely due to the fact that only a tenth of new cases in South Korea in the first two weeks of July came from unknown routes of transmission. While authorities have introduced electronic exit and entry systems into high-risk areas like gyms and nightclubs, they’ve not had to impose broad measures restricting people’s movement even as daily new cases hover from 30 to 60 plus—sometimes more than Hong Kong’s. The emergence of this category of cases and their influence on containment policy is due to the insidious infectiousness of the coronavirus, a quality that has allowed it to spread so widely in a short time. There is much that scientists still do not understand about how the virus behaves, including whether it lingers in the air and for how long, and how it was traced to the packaging of imported shrimp in China. “Such unexplained hot spots are still relatively few in this region,” Yang said. “But when they show up, people have more worries about the future.” Bloomberg News
Global vaccine plan may allow wealthy countries to buy more By Maria Cheng
Ap Medical Writer
L
ONDON—Politicians and public health leaders have publicly committed to equitably sharing any coronavirus vaccine that works, but the top global initiative to make that happen may allow rich countries to reinforce their own stockpiles while making fewer doses available for poor ones. Activists warn that without stronger attempts to hold political, pharmaceutical and health leaders accountable, vaccines will be hoarded by rich countries in an unseemly race to inoculate their populations first. After the recent uproar over the United States purchasing a large amount of a new Covid-19 drug, some predict an even more disturbing scenario if a successful vaccine is developed. Dozens of vaccines are being researched, and some countries—including Britain, France, Germany and the US—already have ordered hundreds of millions of doses before the vaccines are even proven to work. While no country can afford to buy doses of every potential vaccine candidate, many poor ones can’t afford to place such speculative bets at all. The key initiative to help them is led by Gavi, a public-private partnership started by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that buys vaccines for about 60 percent of the world’s children. In a document sent to potential donors last month, Gavi said those giving money to its new “Covax Facility” would have “the opportunity to benefit from a larger portfolio of Covid-19 vaccines.” Gavi told donor governments that when an effective vaccine is found within its pool of experimental
In this June 24 file photo, a volunteer receives a Covid-19 test vaccine injection developed at the University of Oxford in Britain, at the Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital in Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa. Politicians and public health leaders have publicly committed to equitably sharing any coronavirus vaccine that works, but the top global initiative to make it happen may allow rich countries to reinforce their own stockpiles while making fewer doses available for poor ones. AP/Siphiwe Sibeko
shots, those countries would receive doses for 20 percent of their population. Those shots could be used as each nation wished. T hat means rich countries can sign deals on their own with drug makers and then also get nostrings-attached allocations from Gavi. Poorer countries that sign up to the initiative would theoretically get vaccines at the same time to cover 20 percent of their populations, but they would be obligated to immunize people according to an ethical distribution framework set by the United Nations. The donor countries are “encouraged [but not required] to donate vaccines if they have more than they need,” the document says. “By giving rich countries this backup plan, they’re getting their cake and eating it too,” said Anna Marriott of Oxfam International. “They may end up buying up all the supply in advance, which then limits what Gavi can distribute to the rest of the world.” Dr. Seth Berkley, Gavi’s CEO, said such criticisms were unhelpful. Right now there’s no vaccine for anyone, he said, and “we’re trying
to solve that problem.” Berkley said Gavi needed to make investing in a global vaccine initiative attractive for rich countries. Gavi would try to persuade those countries that if they ordered vaccines already, they should not attempt to obtain more, he said. But he acknowledged there was no enforcement mechanism. “If, at the end of the day, those legal agreements are broken or countries seize assets or don’t allow the provision of vaccines [to developing countries], that’s a problem,” Berkley said. Dr. Richard Hatchett, CEO of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, which is working with Gavi and others, said they would be talking in the coming weeks with countries who had signed deals with drug companies to secure their own supplies. One possibility: They might ask countries to contribute their private vaccine stockpile to the global pool in exchange for access to whichever experimental candidate proves effective. “We’ll have to find a solution
because some of these arrangements have been made and I think we have to be pragmatic about it,” he said. After a vaccine meeting last month, the African Union said governments should “remove all obstacles” to equal distribution of any successful vaccine. Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention chief John Nkengasong said Gavi should be “pushing hard” on convincing companies to suspend their intellectual-property rights. “We don’t want to find ourselves in the HIV drugs situation,” he said, noting that the life-saving drugs were available in developed countries years before they made it to Africa. Shabhir Mahdi, principal investigator of the Oxford vaccine trial in South Africa, said it was up to African governments to push for more vaccine-sharing initiatives, rather than depending on pharmaceutical companies to make their products more accessible. “If you expect it to be the responsibility of industry, you would never get a vaccine onto the African continent,” Mahdi said. Last month, Gavi and CEPI signed a $750-million deal with AstraZeneca to give developing countries 300 million doses of a shot being developed by Oxford University. But that deal happened after the drug company had already signed contracts with Britain and the US, who are first in line to get vaccine deliveries in the fall. “We are working tirelessly to honor our commitment to ensure broad and equitable access to Oxford’s vaccine across the globe and at no profit,” said AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot. He said its contract with Gavi and CEPI marked “an important step in helping us
supply hundreds of millions of people around the world, including to those in countries with the lowest means.” Chinese President Xi Jinping has also vowed to share any Covid-19 vaccine it develops with African countries—but only once immunization has been completed in China. The World Health Organization has previously said it hopes to secure 2 billion doses for people in lower-income countries by the end of 2021, including through initiatives like Gavi’s. About 85 percent of the world’s 7.8 billion people live in developing countries. Kate Elder, senior vaccines policy adviser at Doctors Without Borders, said Gavi should try to extract more concessions from pharmaceutical companies, including compelling them to suspend patents on the vaccines. “Gavi is in a very delicate position because they’re completely reliant on the goodwill” of drug companies, said Elder. She said the system of how vaccines are provided to developing countries needed to be overhauled so that it wasn’t based on charity, but on public health need. “We’re just having our governments write these blank checks to industry with no conditions attached right now,” she said. “Isn’t now the time to actually hold them to account and demand we as the public, get more for it?” Yannis Natsis, a policy official at the European Public Health Alliance, said the last thing on the minds of officials in rich countries is sharing with poor ones. “Politicians are scared if they don’t throw money at companies, the citizens in the next country over will get the vaccines first and they will look very bad,” Natsis said.
Journey
»life on the go
A4
Sunday, July 19, 2020
BusinessMirror
Editor: Tet Andolong
Find yourself in the Cordilleras Story & photos by Bernard L. Supetran
T
HE Cordillera Administrative Region, which recently marked its 33rd founding anniversary, has the unique distinction of being one of the youngest clusters, yet one of the most ancient civilizations in the country.
Chico River in Tabuk, Kalinga
Nagacadan Rice Terraces in Kiangan, Ifugao
which are off the beaten path and may even rival the all-too familiar Banaue’s rice terraces.
With the theme, “One Resilient Cordillera,” the observance highlighted the ageold character of the highland people which was once again put to the test during the Covid-19 pandemic. Straddling the Gran Cordillera mountain ranges across six provinces and two cities, this region is the ancestral domain of indigenous peoples with rich cultures dating back to 2,000 years ago. With most parts classified under the modified general community quarantine because of its very low cases of Covid-19, authorities in the region are laying the groundwork for its gradual reopening so visitors can “find themselves in the Cordilleras,” as the Department of Tourism puts it.
Baguio. The country’s Summer Capital, this all-time favorite wants to be known for its creative soul and the artistic people which have made the City of Pines an art haven. It was inducted into the Creative Cities Network by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in 2018. The group is a prestigious club of 63 cities from all over the world which promotes creative industries and integrate culture into sustainable urban policies. Guests can also indulge in forest bathing, a Japanese practice of venturing to the forest to improve one’s health and well-being by lowering blood pressure, improving mood and recuperation from surgery or illness, and increasing energy level. The country’s first Forest Bathing Trail was opened a few years back at Camp John Hay, 4-km span which cuts through a forest floor of thick and soft pine needles, canopies and foliage, with stations for meditation, each with bamboo wind chime for calming sounds.
Kalinga. The cradle of a fierce tribe, this province is dissected by the mighty 175-km Chico River, the country’s first whitewater rafting site. Lose yourself in its exotic culture at the Awichon Village, Mabilong Weavers Village and Aguinaldo Park in Lubuagan or find yourself basking in the waters of PalangAh Falls in Tinglayan, banga banga Falls in Tabuk or Padcharao Lakes in Pasil. Better yet, get the coveted tattoo from Apo Whang Od, the last artist of the ancient batok tattoo tradition. Forest Bathing Trail DOT
Kaparkan Falls in Abra DOT
Yoga practitioners will find the trail a conducive natural setting for meditation, as people are encouraged to touch and hug a tree, feel the Earth beneath their bare feet, and inhale the pine scent.
Benguet. Baguio’s next-door neighbor,
this province is the archipelago’s “Salad Bowl” because of the volume and variety of vegetables and fruits it produces. The province has been positioning itself as CAR’s center of farm tourism where visitors can immerse in agriculture-based activities as an alternative recreation. Among these farm tourism sites are Cosmic Farm, Mount Costa The Green Living Room, and the popular Strawberry Farms in La Trinidad, Shayanlene’s Fruits and Vegetable Trading in Tublay, Northern Blossom Flower Farm in Atok. Adventure lovers would love explor-
ing the outdoors and conquer the majestic mountains of Ugu, Ulap, and Pulag, the country’s second-tallest peak.
Mountain Province. Deep into the Cordillera’s heartland, this is known for the highland resort town of Sagada which many consider as the more rustic version of Baguio. Famed for the Sumaguing Cave, Bomod-ok Falls, Echo Valley, Kiltepan Rice Terraces, as well as its handweaving and pottery craft, it has figured in scores of movies, TV shows and tourism posters. Early this month, the town was recently declared a heritage site by its municipal council to preserve its built environment that are significant in the “history, life, works and culture of the community.” The provincial capital of Bontoc is a pleasant surprise with its share of smaller but postcard-pretty rice terraces of Malig-
cong, Kadchog and Bayyo. The town is also a vital public transport hub which connects to most highland towns through the scenic Halsema Highway. Layog Country Farm in Tadian offers an interesting sidetrip where guests can discover their green thumbs.
Ifugao. Home to most parts of the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras, a Unesco World Heritage Site, this province gives you an overload of this 2,000-year-old primitive but amazing architectural wonder which has earned the moniker “Eighth Wonder of the World.” Kiangan offers an in-depth tour through the Nagacadan Open-Air Museum where visitors get up close with the rice terraces and enter tribal hut museums along the way. The town is also the site of Japanese general Tomoyuki Yamashita’s surrender in 1945, thus marking the end of World War II in the archipelago. Ex plore Mayoyao and Hungduan,
Apayao. Dubbed “Cordillera’s Last Frontier for Nature Richness,” there is a certain excitement in exploring this hideaway with underground rivers, majestic waterfalls, magnificent rock formations, and exotic wildlife. Among the must-sees are the iconic Dupag Rock Formation, Marag Valley and the three-chambered Lussok Crystal Cave, Anag-Sicapo Wildlife Sanctuary, and Agamata Wild Sanctuary. Abra. The “Natural Dye Capital of the Philippines,” takes pride in the legendary freedom fighter couple of Diego and Gabriela Silang during the Spanish era. This rugged province is also a cowboy country ideal for horseback riding. With good roads, Libtec Underground River, Kimkimay Lake, Boliney Hot Spring, Malamsit Calm Spring and the Instagrammable Kaparkan Falls can easily be reached. With its nature, culture and adventure, and everything in between, it’s just a matter of time before you find yourself in the Cordilleras.
Kruhay under the sun at Seco Island in Antique I
Story & photos by Marky Ramone Go
could not come up with a better way of celebrating last year’s Independence Day than journeying to this isolated island 27 nautical miles west of Panay. Highlighted by a curving stretch of sandbar encircling an area dotted with pockets of small trees and scattered shrubbery, it was named Seco Island because of its close similarity to the shape of a human elbow; siko in Tagalog.
Worth the long boat ride
Getting here is anything but laidback. We started our sea journey under darkness aboard a cramped up passenger boat with enough space for us to huddle at the roof of the captain’s hull. Seating over protruding edges of wood, I labored for the duration of our three-hour sail over calm waters. Under the mercy of the monotonous sound of the boat engine, I tried to doze off amid my numbing butt and cramping legs, only to be awaken by the gleaming redness of the skies on the horizon a couple of hours later. While I was stretching my hands and yawning myself to full awareness, it was then that I caught the first sight of the island from afar. As it revealed its comely image covered by the gleam of the early rising sun, the inconvenience of the long arduous sea journey was instantly replaced by an elated feeling. Slowly, as we docked at the shallow waters, the live corals became visible and as one of the boatman dove to plant the anchor, I quickly recognized the exceptional
The tip of Seco Island’s Sandbar
scene precluding to a wonderful trip in the making. Smaller boats which accompanied our party consisted of fishermen, residents and LGU members of the town of Tibiao. Months before, they have circled the date of June 12 as a perfect day to visit the island of Seco and raise the Philippine flag on the island—not only to celebrate our more than hundred years of freedom, but also to commemorate the inclusion of Seco Island in the province of Antique’s tourism and nature preservation program.
Indie day on Seco Island
As the twin drone camera flew over and small fishing boats ran loops around the island, a short program was held where the participating stakeholders’ promised to promote the island while implementing a set of mea-
Coral reef
sures to safeguard its natural beauty. A flag-raising capped off the morning festivity which was followed by a human chain forming the letters of S-E-C-O as the drone camera captured it from above. Along with Kara, Aleah, Marcos and Dave—fellow travel bloggers who have been to the best islands in the country, we all agreed at the singularity of Seco Island’s appearance. A naked island in its truest sense, we all agreed that any plans to put up infrastructures in the island should be outright rejected—so as to avoid the mistakes committed in other places in the Philippines where too much development robbed the destination its character.
Bounteous nature surround
A local fisherman told us that the waters surrounding
Seco Island abounds with marine resources making it a favorite spot of fishermen sailing from different parts of Antique. Coral reefs can be seen as close as 4 to 5 feet deep and the wind that spheres the island are known to generate a favorable condition for windsurfing and kiting. “Every year, for 3 to 5 days—windsurfers come to this island to just ride all day” our host Flord Nicson Calawag of Katahum Tours told us.
Marine protected area
Being the site of bounteous marine resources, Seco Island is considered as a marine protected area (MPA) as accorded by a local government ordinance. All activities related to the use of its waters such as fishing and even camping and visiting the island are regulated. Visitors are required to coordinate first at the local
tourism office in Tibiao, Antique before traveling to Seco Island. Half a day on the island wasn’t enough for myself. Unmindful of the scorching sun, I spent the whole time walking around barefoot and feeling the fine sands under my feet. Afterward I rested by laying down on my back under the shade of a small tree and just marveled at the visual banquet laid out in front of me. We bade the island farewell after lunchtime and as our boat sailed away, I saw the beautiful sandbar of Seco Island slowly sink down from the horizon, as the blue waters gradually concealed it from my sight. I looked back at the morning’s happenings and savored the good experience in my mind. It was indeed, a wonderful time reveling at the idea of Kruhay (long living) under the sun.
Science
www.businessmirror.com.ph • Editor: Lyn Resurreccion
BusinessMirror
Sunday
Sunday, July 19, 2020 A5
Putting ethics before profits on Covid-19 cure
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s Covid-19 surges in the United States and worldwide, even the richest and best insured Americans understand, possibly for the first time, what it’s like not to have the medicines they need to survive if they get sick.
There is no coronavirus vaccine, and the best known treatment, remdesivir, only reduces hospital recovery time by 30 percent and only for patients with certain forms of the disease. Poorer people have always had trouble accessing essential medicines, however—even when good drugs exist to prevent and treat their conditions. In the US, where there is no legal right to health, insurance is usually necessary for medical treatment. Remedesivir costs about $3,200 for a typical treatment course of six vials, though critics argue its manufacturer, Gilead, could make a profit off much less. Inter nationa l ly, high dr ug prices mean that critical medicines are often available only to the richest patients. Access to medicines, in other words, is usually an ethical problem—not a scientific one. And that’s going to complicate the global coronavirus fight. Experts worry that any Covid-19 vaccine is likely to have a high price tag and, as a result, be
unequally distributed according to countries’ purchasing power, not need. With a little imagination, this challenge can be overcome. My new book “Global Health Impact: Extending Access to Essential Medicines” documents how in past epidemics, from polio and Ebola to HIV, the international community managed to get lifesaving drugs to patients—no matter where they lived or how much they earned.
Past wins
It took years for scientists to identify an effective treatment for HIV. But by 1997, most people diagnosed with HIV in Europe and the US were living long and productive lives thanks to antiretroviral drugs. Meanwhile, the disease was still killing 2.2 million people each year in sub-Saharan Africa because pharmaceutical companies claimed it was impossible to lower the $10,000 to $15,000 annual cost per patient for antiretrovirals. In response, human-rights activists galvanized a global AIDS
campaign, educating African patients about antiretrovirals, giving them the tools they required to demand treatment and even suing drug companies. Event u a l ly, m a ss protests erupted in South Africa and elsewhere, shifting public opinion on access to medicines. By 2000, competition from generic drug manufacturers brought the price of antiretrovirals down to around $350 per patient per year, allowing millions more worldwide to take them. Around the same time, a similar story was playing out with tuberculosis, which had greatly diminished in the US and Europe but remained deadly in many other places. T he r ise of dr ug-resistant strains—especially in the former Soviet Union and parts of Africa and Asia—posed a particularly terrible challenge. Conventional wisdom held that people with drug-resistant TB couldn’t be saved. The drugs were too expensive, treatment courses too long and disease management too complicated. The organization Partners in Health disproved that excuse by successfully treating 50 tuberculosis patients in Peru, then one of the world’s poorest countries. That project helped convince the World Health Organization to endorse multi-drug-resistant TB treatment. Global funding for T B t re at me nt i nc re a s e d greatly and generic medicines were produced. Today more than 70 percent of
Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Hamed, chairman of Department of Health, Abu Dhabi, is being administered the world’s first clinical Phase III trial of inactivated vaccine to combat Covid-19. AETOSWire via AP
people diagnosed with drug-resistant TB receive treatment
Ending Covid-19 ethically
These health campaigns both demonstrate the virtue I call creative resolve, which is a fundamental commitment to overcoming apparent tragedy. Other examples include the adoption of “ring vaccinations” in the 1960s—a contact tracingbased immunization strategy pioneered in the 1960s after mass vaccinations failed to stop smallpox—and a 2010 campaign to give children in Afghanistan their polio vaccinations at the circus. Ending the global coronavirus pandemic will require similar creative resolve. Recently, the US agreed to pay $1.2 billion for early access to a
DOST-PCAARRD partners provide Covid-19 relief veGgies
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he Lingkod Alalay sa Pamayanan (Lingap) has been actively providing relief operations in various localities around the country for those affected by Covid-19. The program is a component of “Galing- PCAARRD Kontra Covid-19” program of the Department of Science and Technology Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD) in pursuant to Republic Act 11469, or the “Bayanihan to Heal as One Act.” Projects under the DOST-PCAARRD Intellectual Property and Technology Business Management (IP-TBM) and the Science for the Convergence of Agriculture and Tourism (SciCAT) programs of the council are also currently responding to the call for relief assistance for Covid-19 affected people. Here are some of the recent relief operations.
University provides aid to 6 Laguna towns
The Laguna State Polytechnic University (LSPU) recently held relief operations in six towns of Laguna affected by the coronavirus pandemic. This was accomplished through the Agri-Aqua Technology Business Incubation (ATBI) program of the DOST-PCAARRD. Led by LSPU-ATBI project leader Engr. Isabelita T. Domingo, the team provided 50 bags of relief goods to families, frontliners, and a student in lockdown in the towns of Mabitac, Siniloan, Pangil, Sta. Cruz, Lumban and Los Baňos. The team also supported the farmer-incubatees in the six towns, by providing them with a total of 2,120 mushroom fruiting bags. According to the LSPU-ATBI’s report, the fruiting
bags for the six farmer beneficiaries serve as assistance in starting their mushroom business. It will also serve as an ongoing relief effort of the ATBI to help Covid19-affected communities. Based on the partnership guidelines, half of the harvest of the incubatees in the mushroom project will be donated to their identified barangays. This would mean distribution of fresh oyster mushrooms as relief until July 2020. The LSPU-ATBI team was suppor ted by LSPU’s Vice President for Research Development and Extension, Dr. Corazon N. San Agustin, the AATBI Project Staff, the LSPU relief task force, representatives from two farm partners, and some members of the local government units (LGUs) in the six towns. The LSPU-ATBI is one of the groups that have been organizing its relief assistance activities to alleviate the situation in nearby communities amidst the Covid-19 crisis. The ATBIs of the Benguet State University, Central Luzon State University, Sultan Kudarat State University, Capiz State University, and the Central Mindanao University have also organized their relief operations in their own provinces and other localities.
Organic vegetables for Bukidnon frontliners
Organic vegetables produced by the farmers of the Mt. Kitanglad Agri Tourism Farm (MKATF) in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon, were distributed recently by the DOST-Region 10 (DOST-10) to about 530 families in Bukidnon. MKATF is one of the sites of the SciCAT program being funded by the DOST-PCAARRD.
SciCAT is the result of technological convergence to improve the productivity and capacity for sustainable practices of farms while showcasing their beauty and attraction. The farm is being supported through the DOST-10 project led by Virgilio M. Fuertes. According to DOST-10, vegetables worth P100,000 composed of squash, chayote, sweet pepper, cabbage and potatoes were turned over to the Malaybalay City office and immediately brought to the Malaybalay City Agriculture Office for packing and distribution to frontliners, waste management workers, and other vulnerable communities in the province. “We should add vegetables to provide healthier food options to the people,” Engr. Naomie de los Reyes of the Malaybalay City Agriculture Office said. Magsasaka Siyentista and MKATF owner, Benjamin Maputi Sr. said he is positive that there will be sufficient food for Bukidnon if farmers will continue working. He added that this is also an opportune time for people to learn backyard gardening for food security. The 22-hectare MKATF in Sitio Sinaburan, Imbayao, Malaybalay City, Bukidnon produces abaca, coffee, citronella, fruit trees, chayote, squash, sweet bell pepper, white potato, turmeric, chemical-free cabbage and other vegetables. MKATF is currently being transformed into a SciCAT farm enterprise that focuses on integrating comprehensive S&T interventions, such as package of technologies, value-adding, consultancy services, and access to market.
Pampanga State U distributes ‘healthier’ food bags
The Pampanga State Agricultural University
(PSAU) recently conducted its relief operations in Pampanga. Led by Walter L. Pacunana, the PSAU IP-TBM team opted for healthier food options using the food-based technologies generated by the university. At least 100 food bags were repacked and distributed. The food bags were repacked from 500 kg of rice, 125 kg of dried red tilapia and 50 trays of chicken eggs. They initially provided relief assistance to 45 students of the university who were stranded in their dormitories and apartments due to the enhanced community quarantine. Help was also extended to the members of nearby communities in Magalang, Pampanga, as well as the PSAU security guards and agricultural workers who stand as the university frontliners since the Covid-19 crisis began. The relief assistance was also supported by the office of the university president, with the distribution led by PSAU President Dr. Honorio M. Soriano Jr., and the Office of Business Affairs Director Elena Pineda. According to Pacunana, the team is planning to conduct more relief efforts in the coming weeks to provide more food to families in the province during the Covid-19 crisis. The IP-TBM program aims to establish and/or enhance the technology transfer and commercialization offices of selected agencies. At present, there are 51 IP-TBM offices all over the country assisting the researchers and innovators in filing intellectual property protection of their technologies/innovations and facilitating the commercialization of the protected technologies.
S&T Media Services
Asean research center unveils new strategy to push agri innovation
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n Asean center on agricultural research kicked off recently the implementation of its 11th Five-Year Plan. The new strategic plan sets out the principles and objectives that will guide the center as it moves toward Accelerating Transformation Though Agricultural Innovation (Attain). “Our new development strategy was shaped by Searca’s desire to contribute to the transformation of farmers who are stuck in the belief that farming is limited to production, into new farmers operating in a modern agriculture ecology, that is Agriculture 4.0,” said Director Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio of Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (Searca). For the next five years, Searca commits to accelerate transformation that elevates the quality of life of agricultural families through sustainable livelihoods and access to modern networks and
innovative markets. “Transformation efforts will focus on policy, institutional, social and technological innovations,” Gregorio explained. He said the new Searca strategy focuses on the following priority areas: agri-business models for increased productivity and income, sustainable farming systems and natural resource management, food and nutrition security, transformational leadership for Agricultural and Rural Development, gender and youth engagement in ARD, enhanced ARD toward climate resilience, and eco-health/ one-health applications to ARD. The new plan will be articulated through Searca’s core programs on Education and Collective Learning (ECL), Research and Thought Leadership (RTL) and Emerging Innovation for Growth (EIG). ECL comprises graduate scholarship and
institutional development and training for development. RTL leads research for development, policy and program advisory, and the agriculture, forestry, and natural resources knowledge platforms. EIG will provide farmers and farming families wider access to innovative products and services as well as business models for increased productivity and income through open innovation and agriincubation; knowledge and technology transfer; and project development, monitoring and evaluation. Searca’s development agenda aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals that address global challenges to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. Gregorio said the regional center will contribute and allocate resources toward the achievement of SDG 2: Zero Hunger; SDG 4: Quality Education; SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure; SDG 13:
Climate Action; and SDG 17: Partnerships. He explained that these SDGs directly align with Searca’s mandate and focus with greater emphasis on partnerships. He added that as the center tries to achieve these five SDGs, it also touches SDG 1: No Poverty; SDG 2: Gender Equality; and SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production. The new Searca development strategy was shaped following comprehensive consultations with the Center’s partners, alumni, staff and external stakeholders. Gregorio said: “Searca’s governance shall bring about greater participation among the member countries and will pursue gender balance and inclusion of the younger generations in order to draw from a more diverse pool of culture and ideas toward meaningful teamwork in pursuit of its mission.”
promising Covid-19 vaccine in the United Kingdom and secured first access to another by the French pharmaceutical company Sanofi, enraging citizens of those countries. Such arrangements also harm manufacturing countries like Brazil, Egypt and India, whose people have little access to the medicines their factories pump out. Unequal access to Covid-19 medicines isn’t just a moral problem. In a global pandemic, an outbreak anywhere threatens people everywhere. There is some creative resolve on display in the Covid-19 fight, though. For example, the Medicines Patent Pool—a United Nationsbacked organization that encourages companies to share their
patents in order to speed up innovation—is pushing this method for advancing the research and development of Covid-19 drugs. Other health experts are proposing new medicine distribution mechanisms that would send drugs and vaccines where they’re most needed based on the net health benefits a population would receive. That plan and others require smart data use. The Global Health Impact Project, a research collaboration that I direct, measures the effectiveness and availability of lifesaving medicines. The idea is that if we know which drugs are actually addressing pressing health needs and where, policymakers and health organizations can craft more targeted treatment access plans. Such information could be also used creatively to reward drug companies for their global health impact. Governments could create an international prize, say, that awards funds to companies based on the lives saved by their Covid-19 drugs and other essential medicines. T hat cou ld offset profit as the primary motivation for drug research, development and sales. And if pharmaceutical companies don’t voluntarily help people in poor countries, those governments can do what they’ve done in past health crises: let other companies produce generic versions of patented medicines, to protect the common good. Nicole Hassoun/The Conversation
La Niña may occur before 2020 ends By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes
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here is around 40 percent to 50 percent probability for the country to experience La Niña before the end of 2020, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa). In an e-mail interview with the Businessmirror, Analiza Solis, chief of Climate Monitoring and Prediction Section of Pagasa, said the country might experience La Niña from September to November. “Once the probability increases to more than 60 percent, Pagasa shall issue a La Niña Watch, where most of the concerned national government agencies shall undertake their preparedness plans,“ Solis pointed out. However, having a La Niña Watch issued is not a guarantee that La Niña will develop, she said. During La Niña, Solis said more rains, floods and landslides might occur during the last quarter this year and first quarter of next year. She added that this would be coincided with more tropical cyclone occurrences and other rain-bearing weather systems. She also warned of the impact of La Niña on several sectors of the country. In agriculture, Solis said lowlying agricultural lands would be affected by floods that cold cause extensive damage to growing crops, and increase in pests and diseases. “There will also be river
flooding and dam spillage in our water resources,” she said. Solis said the health sector will face challenges in the form of the prevalence of waterborne diseases, such as cholera, leptospirosis and schistosomiasis in flooded areas. La Niña could also result in landslides, coastal erosion caused by big strong waves (storm swells) and seaside flooding (storm surge). In the urban areas, Solis said there could be damage to infrastructure, economic losses from traffic and school suspension due to floods. La Niña, like El Niño, is a weather pattern that occurs in the Pacific Ocean. In this pattern, strong winds blow warm water at the ocean's surface from South America to Indonesia. Moreover, La Niña and El Niño can occur in the Pacific Ocean every few years. To prevent themselves from being affected by weather disturbances, Solis said people may follow these steps recommended by Pagasa: n Check flood warning advisories from Pagsa, local risk reduction and disaster management office and local news bulletins; n Maximize rainwater harvesting and storage; n Remove anything that obstructs the free flow of water in your area; n Cooperate on local measures to help manage the impacts of La Niña; n Prepare for post-harvest facilities for drying and storage for.agricultural produce, and n Always have an emergency kit ready.
Faith A6 Sunday, July 19, 2020
Sunday
Editor: Lyn Resurreccion •www.businessmirror.com.ph
Filipinos: Faith ‘very important’ in fighting Covid-19
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ajority of Filipinos believe in the importance of faith in fighting the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). Based on the results of the nationwide Veritas Truth Survey released this past week, 89 percent of those who participated in the text and online survey conducted from June 20 to July 10 believe that faith is “very important” in battling the health crisis. “Overall, 89 percent of the respondents [roughly nine out of 10 Filipinos] believe that faith is ‘very important’ in our fight against Covid-19; while 9 percent said that it is ‘important’ and 2 percent said that it is ‘somewhat important,’” an article posted on the Church-run Radio Veritas web site said. In terms of area, “very important” was chosen by 93 percent of respondents from Mindanao, 87 percent of respondents from Luzon, and 66 percent of respondents from the Visayas.
The survey, initiated by Radio Veritas, involved 1,200 respondents nationwide with a +/- 3 percent margin of error (gathered through a text- and online-based data gathering process). It aimed to obtain information on the respondents’ perception of the significance of one’s faith against Covid-19. “Most of the respondents believe that God is much bigger than this Covid-19 health crisis. They believe that God can surmount all. He is intimately involved in every part of our lives and is concerned with our afflictions. He will never forsake or overlook us,” said Fr. Anton Pascual, Radio Veritas president. On the other hand, respondents from the Visayas who said faith is “important” was at 32 percent, followed by those in Luzon at 10
Patron Saint Against Plagues, and ask through his intercession the healing of those afflicted by Covid-19 and our continued protection against this plague and other communicable diseases,” it said. Radio Veritas also urged the faithful to offer prayers on San Roque’s Feast Day on August 16 for the country’s deliverance from the Covid-19 health crisis.
21-day prayer for natl healing
Antipolo Church Joey Razon/PNA
percent, and by those in Mindanao at 5 percent. Only 2 percent to 3 percent of the respondents among all geographical boundaries said faith is “somewhat important,” while no respondent answered that faith is “not important” in the fight against Covid-19. “The survey is indicative of the respondents’ desire to conquer fear with faith. To fight an ‘invisible enemy’ brings a lot of anxiety and fear. Leaving the safety
of our homes will definitely take a lot of courage for most of us. In so doing, we will muster all the strength needed through the gift of faith,” said Bro. Clifford Sorita, Veritas Truth Survey head. Meanwhile, Radio Veritas is launching its 4 o’Clock Deliverance Prayer Against Covid-19. “As our Philippine Covid-19 data is released daily every 4 p.m., let us likewise collectively offer during this time a nationwide prayer to San Roque, our
Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
‘The brown scapular is not an amulet’ By Lyn Resurreccion
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he brown scapular is not a magic charm to protect us. It is not an automatic guarantee of salvation. It is not an excuse for not living up to the demands of a Christian life,” said Fr. Reynaldo Sotelo Jr., OCD, on the misconception on the wearing of the scapular during his homily at the Mass during the celebration of the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on July 16. “The Church teaches that Jesus Christ is the only one who liberates us from our sin.... All grace is won for us by the passion, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Simply wearing the brown scapular does not confer that same result,” Sotelo pointed out during the Mass at the Saint John of the Cross Monastery OCD House of Studies in Quezon City. The Mass was beamed online through Facebook. Sotelo is the Provincial Superior of the Order of Discalced Carmelites, Philippine Province of St. Teresa of Jesus. The devotion to the Virgin Mary, under the title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, started in the 14th century and came to be observed throughout the West during the 18th century. It commemorates the Virgin Mary as associated with the beauty of Mount Carmel in Israel, where the prophet Elijah defended the faith of Israel in the living God, and of the 12th-century eremitical forerunners of the Carmelites, said the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mount Carmel in Quezon City in its Facebook page. The feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was
instituted between 1376 and 1386 to celebrate the victory of the Carmelite Order over its enemies in obtaining the official seal of approval of its name and constitution from Pope Honorious III on January 30, 1226. However, the feast day was assigned to July 16, 1251, the date when, according to Carmelite traditions, Mary gave the brown scapular to Saint Simon Stock. The apparition was approved by Pope Sixtus V in 1587. Since then the significant Carmelite devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel is through the brown scapular, “one of the most popular sacramentals in Catholic devotional life for over 700 years.“ Sotelo explained that while there was a zeal to encourage the Catholics wear the brown scapular, sufficient catechism was not exercised. “Well-meaning people have often spread the devotion to the scapular with extravagant claims that have no historical background and are sometimes difficult to reconcile with sound Christian doctrine,” he said. He explained that simply wearing the brown scapular without accepting the responsibilities attached to it “would be to reduce this precious sacramental to the status of a charm or good luck piece, parang anting-anting [amulet].” Wearing it must be a “sign of a relationship with Christ along with Mary, one of dependence and love,” he said He added that those who wear the brown scapular are engaged in the works of evangelization. “They identify themselves with the mission of
Carmel to be a prophetic sign of union with God, to work for the coming of the kingdom of God through the visible signs of sharing, reconciliation, justice, looking after the sick and listening to the cries of the poor,” he explained. Catholics should not be encouraged to wear the brown scapular and be contented with it, he said. “We can publish books and [other] writings, air programs on radio and television, flood the Internet with thoughts on the brown scapular. But they will remain useless if we cannot concretely reach out to our brothers and sisters who are in dire need of our help, care and compassion, especially at this time of the pandemic,” Sotelo added. Those who experience the mercy of God, are summoned to be its witness for other people. “Whats the use of wearing of the brown scapular when there is no mercy in our hearts?” he asked. For Carmelites, the wearing of the brown scapular “stands for a commitment to follow Jesus, like Mary, the perfect model of all the disciples of Christ,” the commitment that originated in baptism “by which we become the children of God.” He said the Blessed Virgin teaches Catholics four things: First, to be open to God and to His will as shown in the events of our lives; Second, to listen to the word of God in the Bible and in life; to believe in it and to put into practice its demands; Third, to pray at all times as a way of discovering the presence of God in all that is happening around us; and, Fourth, to be involved with people, by being attentive to their needs, especially the poor by carrying
the works of mercy. “The brown scapular that we wear symbolizes that we belong to Mary, and that we strive to be clothed with her virtues so as to mirror in the world the beauty of her holiness. Like Mary, we ponder on God’s word in faith, and spend ourselves in a manifold service of love. Then, our life will truly resemble hers, and under Mary’s guidance, we shall be made to share more fully in the mystery of Christ and His Church,” Sotelo said.
Pope OK’s canonical coronation of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Meanwhile, Pope Francis has approved the canonical coronation of the image of Our Lady of Mount Carmel enshrined at the basilica in Quezon City. Although the Vatican approved the petition last May 13, the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima, it was only announced on July 9 by the Diocese of Cubao. According to Catholic News Agency, “a canonical coronation is a pious institutional act, wherein the pope, through a bull, designates a crown or stellar halo to be added to a Marian image under a specific devotional title in a particular area or diocese.” The diocese said the coronation is the pope’s way to affirm the devotion of the faithful to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, as her feast was celebrated on July 16. The crowning of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was the third such coronation that will take place in the diocese. The two other images that have received pontifical coronations were the Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary de Manila and the Our Lady of Lourdes, both enshrined in two national shrines. With CBCP News
Protestantism’s troubling history with white supremacy in the US
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n the long-overdue discussions taking place over the legacy of slavery and racism in the United States, few appear to be addressing the relationship between religion and racism. This comes despite notions of white supremacy being entwined with the history of religion in the United States. As a scholar specializing in issues of religion and identity, I argue for a deeper introspection around how white supremacy permeates all parts of American society, including its religious institutions.
Race and religion
In 1835, French philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville described the character of the US as the result of “the spirit of religion and the spirit of liberty,” which he argued, “elsewhere have often been at war but in America have somehow been incorporated into one another and marvelously combined.” However, there’s a perpetual tension between the narrative of the US as a nation built on diversity and religious freedom and the experiences of many who live in the US—especially racial, ethnic and religious minorities, who have faced discrimination and marginalization. It is true that Americans have a mandate for the free exercise of religion and the freedom from religion enshrined in the First Amendment of the US Constitution. But those promises of religious freedom and tolerance have historically been more readily extended to varieties of Protestantism than other religions. As the former British ambassador to the
US Viscount Bryce noted in 1888, Christianity is given “a species of recognition” at a federal and state level that is inconsistent with the view that the country is “neutral in religious matters.” As the dominant religion in the US, Protestant Christianity’s dominance has long been enmeshed with the racial dominance of whiteness—white supremacy.
‘Anglo-Saxon heritage’
From the Puritans to Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, the early leaders of the United States were steeped in a racial ideology of a divinely ordained Anglo-Saxon heritage, a romanticized account of the ancestral and cultural roots of inhabitants of England. They believed they were building a new nation with a divine purpose, a “new Israel” with a twofold mission: racial and religious. This ideology is symbolized in the seal Jefferson proposed for the new nation, which President John Adams described as depicting “the Children of Israel in the Wilderness, led by a Cloud by day, and a Pillar of Fire by night, and on the other Side Hengist and Horsa, the Saxon Chiefs, from whom We claim the Honour of being descended and whose Political Principles and Form of Government We have assumed.” This is part of an old, defining narrative of America as chosen by God, rooted in a white Anglo-Saxon heritage and exceptional in its devotion to values of liberty and individual rights—a narrative of American exceptionalism. This narrative has also supported the notion that the ideal or “true” American citizen is essentially
white and Protestant—a view that historians of Protestantism have noted was reflected in the pulpits of pre-Civil War America. Notions linking “whiteness” to Protestantism were further entrenched in the second half of the 19th century, when immigrants from Ireland, Germany and Italy came to the US bringing Catholicism with them. These non-Protestant, non-Anglo immigrants were seen as “less white” than more established Anglo communities and were subject to significant discrimination. Only after assimilation into Anglo cultural norms, especially speaking English, were they granted the social and economic privileges that came with “whiteness.” Yet many continued to experience antiCatholic discrimination. And the US continued to see other immigrant groups—Latino, Jewish, Asian and Middle Eastern— racialized, discriminated against and set as perpetual “foreigners” in contrast to the norm of the white Christian American. The supposed superiority of white Protestantism, supported by interpretations of biblical texts, was for centuries used to justify the institution of slavery. Biblical texts were also used to justify segregation and Jim Crow. Even the Ku Klux Klan rooted their ideology of white supremacy in Protestant theology and the Bible. In the reasoning of many white Protestants, white dominance was not the consequence of a political and economic arrangement, but the will of God—the way things are supposed to be. As Kelly Baker, author of The Gospel According
to the Klan, states: “Even liberal Protestant churches supported white supremacy. That seemed the natural order of things. Just as people used biblical texts to support slavery.” Such notions of race and religious superiority also combined in the forcing of Native American children into Christian boarding schools from the mid-19th century. The children were robbed of their families, cultures and religion under the rationale that they would benefit from the “civilizing influences” of Anglo Christian culture.
The ‘other’
Today, rising rates of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia remind America that religious minorities continue to face a social and political climate of bias and discrimination that marginalizes them as foreign or “other.” The old narrative of Anglo-Saxon America continues to feed notions that a “real” American citizen is essentially white and Protestant. Sikhs are attacked and told “go back to your country.” Buddhist temples are vandalized and mosques are denied building permits. Muslim community leaders are reportedly asked to sign “loyalty pledges” to verify their “American-ness.” Understanding religious difference in America requires a view of how the country has been shaped by racism. And interrogating racism in the US requires a view of how it pervades social institutions, including religion. Tiffany Puett/The Conversation
M e a n w hil e , A r c h b i s h o p Socrates Villegas of LingayenDagupan declared a 21-day prayer for “national healing” amid the challenges besetting the country. In a letter to the archdiocese’s parish priests, he lamented the “clouds of helplessness and discouragement hovering over us and our brothers and sisters.” T he coronav ir us pandemic and the sociopolitical “turmoil,” he said, “render us not knowing what to do, how to serve as spiritual leaders and how to be disciples with the disciples of the Lord in crisis.” “We turn to prayer. We turn to the Mother of God. We are never helpless if we cling to the Virgin
Mother,” Villegas said. He declared July 16, Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, to August 5, Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, as days of consecration to the Virgin Mary. During this period, he said that the Act of Consecration and Prayer for National Healing must be prayed in all Masses. He also urged parishes to encourage families to pray the Act of Consecration at home after the family rosary and even repeatedly during the day. According to him, the number 21 is significant in reference to the 21 rebellious acts of the Israelites after the liberation from Egypt. “We are in a state of rebellion against God and we are seeing the consequences of our sin. We must repent. We must be consecrated again if we wish to be healed,” Villegas added. “Let us not give in to discouragement and depression. Let us go to our Lady. Let us take comfort in the message of Our Lady to San Juan Diego: Trust in me. I am your Mother,” he also said. PNA and CBCP News
Why Buddhist monks collect alms, visit households amid social distancing
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onks socially distancing as they go about their daily alms rounds while dressed in face masks as well as robes have become a common sight during the coronavirus pandemic in Thailand. Pictures in Thai media show the efforts monks and their lay supporters are making in maintaining social distance, as they carry on with the practice nonetheless. I lived in Bangkok for the first six months of 2014 conducting research on the response of Thai Buddhist monks to political issues. I saw that even on days when political protests would close major intersections, making notoriously bad traffic even worse, monks would rise before dawn and silently walk barefoot around the city to collect alms. The donations from lay Buddhists provide the primary source of daily food for the thousands of monks who live in Bangkok. While political upheaval did not disrupt or change this practice in a meaningful way, Covid-19 has affected these interactions, limiting and putting constraints on them.
Daily rounds of monks
This daily alms round is a central practice for Theravada Buddhist monks and novices in much of Southeast Asia. It comes from the disciplinary rules for monks that instruct monks not to engage in agricultural labor, keep only a few possessions and eat only what is offered in their bowls each morning on the alms rounds. There are exceptions to this, such as monks who are too old or ill to go on daily rounds. Yet a significant portion of Thailand’s almost 300,000 monks receive their food from their morning rounds. Following the emergence of the coronavirus in Thailand, in mid-March 2020, senior abbots in Bangkok released guidance that temples be closed and that festivals as well as rituals be postponed. However, monks were allowed to leave the temple to go on alms rounds.
Belief behind the practice
There are many reasons why this practice was allowed despite the risks brought about through close contact between the monk and his lay donor. In religious terms, monks provide laypeople with an opportunity to make merit. Buddhist teachings generally highlight that an individual’s social situation is the result of karma, the effect of actions performed earlier in this life or in a previous incarnation. Many Thai Buddhists believe that making merit— good karma—through giving can help mitigate the effects of wicked acts. These are acts motivated by greed, hatred or delusion. Giving food to monks is not the only way that Thais make merit, but it is a common one, tied to daily life throughout the country. Merit-making can also have political consequences. In 2007 monks in Myanmar took part in protests against the government that started with complaints against a spike in oil prices but quickly took on more overtly political overtones. This “Saffron Revolution,” so-called because of the role played by the saffron-colored robes of the monks, was triggered when monks, on their morning alms rounds, turned over their bowls.
This act, while not common, has a long history in Theravada Buddhism. The early 20th-century supreme patriarch of Thailand, Prince Wachirayan, wrote that this was a way that Theravada monks can rebuke laypeople for improper actions that threaten either the teachings of the Buddha or the monastic community. In effect, it meant that the military rulers and their families could not make merit. Economically, the daily alms round is important, providing an important regular source of food for many monks in Thailand. In normal conditions, temple economies in Thailand are based on annual festivals as well as individual donations tied to family events. Approximately 10 percent of monks receive financial support from the government, but this mainly pays utility bills. Individual monks also often receive money for conducting funerals, as well as other rites, such as blessing new homes or businesses, but these have been curtailed by social distancing rules in the pandemic. As a result of the restrictions, food shortages have emerged for monks, particularly in rural areas of Thailand, and other parts of Southeast Asia. Concerns that monks will not receive enough support during the pandemic caused the government to float a plan to provide relief for monks. But the plans have yet to result in actual support. In other words, Thai monks still depend on morning alms rounds.
The ritual
This goes beyond the economic, however. Monks do not solicit food on their alms rounds, but people come up to them freely. While temples do not have formal congregations, monks often have disciples who are regular patrons. The ritual of giving food each morning is highly formal, with neither monk nor layperson making eye contact with each other. The monk blesses the food, and the giver receives nothing save a karmic benefit. However, in practice, it can be more than this. While there is no formal assignment of alms routes, monks will often travel through neighborhoods in a regular pattern. Monks get to know the people who regularly provide them with food, and they make it possible for elderly or sick disciples to make merit by going to their homes and waiting for the disciple to step out. As Charles Carstens, a scholar of Buddhism in Myanmar, has shown, religious community is formed in the midst of this highly formalized donation. The coronavirus has brought significant challenges to people all over the world, religious communities included. In the last several months, Jews celebrated Passover Seders and Christians celebrated Easter virtually; Muslims were forced to break their Ramadan fasts at home, rather than in festive gatherings with friends and relatives. Pilgrimages and festivals around the world have been reduced in scale or canceled altogether. Some of these changes are easier than others to incorporate. But in Thailand, the morning alms round is such an integral part of the daily fabric of life, religiously and economically, that it cannot be simply postponed.
Thomas Borchert/The Conversation
Biodiversity Sunday BusinessMirror
Asean Champions of Biodiversity Media Category 2014
Sunday, July 19, 2020
Editor: Lyn Resurreccion
A7
Cow burps, leaky pipelines put earth on high-end warming track
Methane emissions rose by 9% in past decade
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lobal emissions of methane—a greenhouse gas multiple times more potent than carbon dioxide (CO2)—rose by 9 percent in the decade through 2017, putting Earth on a track to warm by more than 3 degrees Celsius (C) by the end of the century, according to an international study released last Wednesday. At mospher ic levels of t he gas—emitted by digesting cows, leaky gas pipelines and natural sources, such as wetlands—have increased two-and-a-half times from preindustrial levels, researcher Marielle Saunois said in a news briefing in Paris. Human activity accounts for about 60 percent of methane emissions, led by growing herds of livestock and emissions linked to oil and gas production. Methane’s warming potential over a century is 28 times that of an equivalent mass of CO2, the researchers said. The current path of methane emissions lies between the two warmest scenarios used in projections by the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change, implying large cuts are needed to meet Paris Agreement targets. Wa r m i n g b y 3 d e g r e e s C would be double the rate scientists have identified as needed to constrain the worst impacts of climate change. “We’re on track for a scenario that is rather hot, and above 3 [degrees] to 4 degrees,” Saunois said in her presentation of the study. “Emissions are rising, particularly in tropical zones.” After stabilizing in the late 1990s and early 2000s, methane emissions have been rising since 2007, accelerating since 2014, according to the study. Average annual emissions of methane rose to an estimated 596 million tons
Is nature conservation a drain or contributor to global economy?
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arving out 30 percent of the Earth’s surface for protection can be the wisest economic decision that the world will ever make as the nature sector drives the global economy, experts said. The High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People (HACNP), with the National Geographic Society’s Campaign for Nature and the Asean Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), recently organized a webinar, titled “Making the case for protecting at least 30 percent of the planet by 2030: the biodiversity, climate, and economics of 30by30,” that was attended by officials and representatives of the Asean member-states. Campaign for Nature Director Brian O’Donnell gave a preview of the groundbreaking global report, which lays out the economic costs and benefits of protecting 30 percent of the planet by 2030. The report on the comprehensive study, led by Anthony Waldron of Oxford University and 100 other experts, was published on July 8. The zero draft of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, which was released in January 2020, calls for the protection of 30 percent of the Earth’s surface in 10 years, touted as “30by30.” “Most people think that protected areas are going to be a drain on the global economy. But this report showed that the nature sector is, in fact, a net contributor, not a drain,” O’Donnell said. The tourism sector, which includes nature-based tourism, is one of the drivers of global economic growth, outweighing the impacts of other sectors, such as agriculture, timber, or fisheries. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, tourism was growing at 4 percent to 6 percent annually, while agriculture and timber industries have been growing by less than 1 percent and the fisheries sector posting negative growth, O’Donnell explained. Besides these economic benefits, “30by30” also provides nonmonetary benefits, such as climate change mitigation, flood protection, clean water, and soil conservation. O’Donnell said according to the report, which ran different scenarios of biodiversity conservation for terrestrial and marine areas, the financial and economic benefits of protecting 30 percent of the planet exceed its costs “by a factor of 5 to 1.” This means that for every dollar cost of nature conservation, the economic benefit is equivalent to $5. To meet the proposed target of protection, $140 billion globally every year should be set aside.
Small fraction of global GDP
Costa Rica Minister of Environment and Energy Carlos Manuel Rodriguez pointed out that while the figures sounded like a huge sum of money, the amount is a mere 0.16 percent of the global GDP, the combined gross national income of all the countries in the world. “There is no excuse for us not to mobilize resources to be able to achieve our goal in the next 10 years,” said Rodriguez, who has been selected as the next CEO and chairman of the Global Environment Facility. The governments of Costa Rica and France are leading the HACNP, a grouping of nations championing for the proposed “30by30” global target. Rodriguez said Costa Rica doubled the size of its
forest cover and at the same time tripled its economic growth in 30 years. “I come from a country that has systematically invested in policy development, institutional solutions that balance nature conservation, human well-being, and economic development,” he said, emphasizing the “short window of opportunity to address the biodiversity collapse.” Rodriguez underlined the correlation between establishing ecotourism protected areas and efforts to restore degraded landscapes, and the growth of the country’s economy and income per capita. In Costa Rica’s case, 2.5 million tourists visit the country every year and spend around $3.5 billion in total, according to Rodriguez.
Effective management
National Geographic Society Explorer in Residence Dr. Enric Sala, meanwhile, pointed the importance of effectively managing protected areas, saying only 5 percent of the world’s terrestrial protected areas and 1 percent of the marine protected areas are considered to be effectively managed. “When protected areas have higher budget and number of personnel, and active and effective management, they not only restore biodiversity effectively, they provide benefits including jobs for local people through tourism, fisheries; they bring in more economic revenues,” Sala said. In her opening remarks, ACB Executive Director Theresa Mundita Lim said the online discussion on the science and the rationale behind the proposed target will help the Asean region determine its own contributions to the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework and define its priority actions to ensure the agreed targets are met. Lim noted that setting aside protected areas still remains as one of the most effective ways to tackle biodiversity decline. “Although we are crafting the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, we are not reinventing the wheel. The Asean member-states, all of which are parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, have shown considerable commitment to achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, particularly Target 11, which calls for the protection of at least 17 percent of terrestrial and 10 percent of marine areas by 2020,” Lim said. Professor Zakri Abdul Hamid, founding chairman of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, on the other hand, noted some of the challenges of biodiversity conservation in the Asean region, such as poaching, lack of conservation staff, the need for coordinated efforts in transboundary protected areas, and funding for conservation program. Zakri is also the cochairman of Secretariat of Malaysia’s Global Science and Innovation Advisory Council. The post-2020 global biodiversity framework will be adopted by the Conference of the Parties to the CBD in its 15th meeting, which was originally scheduled to take place in October in Kunming, China. The meeting is tentatively expected to take place during the second quarter of 2021, according to the announcement of the CBD Secretariat.
Cows stand in a holding area after being sold at auction at the Kentucky-Tennessee Livestock Market in Cross Plains, Tennessee, US, on July 13. The USDA raised beef projections from 260 million pounds on the month to 26.934 billion because of higher slaughter rates and heavier carcass weights, lowering the average steer price outlook by $1.80 to $106.80 per hundredweight, with lower exports and higher imports and domestic consumption, Brownfield Ag News reported. Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg
in the period through 2017, from 546 million tons in the 20002006 period.
23 percent of warming
The study, the work of more than 90 researchers as part of the Global Carbon Project, was published in the journal Earth Systems Science Data. A related paper on methane sources published in Environmental Research Letters found agriculture and fossil fuels were the main drivers behind increased emissions. Methane—chemical formula
CH4—is responsible for about 23 percent of all warming produced by greenhouse gases so far, the researchers said. Its lifetime in the atmosphere of around nine years makes the gas a good target for climate-change mitigation. Stabilizing or reducing emissions would have an impact on global warming within a few decades, they said. Tropical regions were the source of 64 percent of global methane emissions, while northern high latitudes contributed 4 percent.
The study didn’t find a significant effect from melting permafrost, though Saunois said “if the permafrost melts strongly, the emissions will increase.” Agriculture and waste represented 56 percent of anthropogenic methane emissions, mainly linked to growing numbers of ruminant livestock that burp it up as they digest, the study found. Contributions from Asia and Africa increased as livestock herds expanded there, Saunois said. Europe was the only region to lower methane emissions over the
period, helped by a drop in dairy cattle numbers and changes in how farms store and treat manure. Production and use of fossil fuels accounted on average for 35 percent of emissions linked to human activity. Oil and gas accounted for almost two-thirds of the fossil emissions, notably leaks during drilling of wells and from cast-iron natural gas distribution grids in older cities. Coal mining made up most of the remainder, mainly due to methane pumped from mine-ventilation shafts. Bloomberg News
Museums preserve specimens to help scientists predict, analyze pandemics
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n less than 20 years, communities around the globe have been hit by a string of major disease outbreaks: SARS, MERS, Ebola, Zika and now, Covid-19. Nearly all emerging infectious diseases in humans originate from microorganisms that are harbored by wildlife and subsequently “jump,” either directly or indirectly—for example, through mosquitoes or ticks—to humans. One factor driving the increase in zoonotic disease outbreaks is that human activities— including population growth, migration and consumption of wild animals—are leading to increased encounters with wildlife. At the same time, genetic mutations in viruses and other microbes are creating new opportunities for disease emergence. But humans remain largely ignorant of our planet’s biodiversity and its natural ecosystems. Only 2 million species—about 20 percent of all the estimated species on Earth—have even been named. In our view, this fundamental ignorance of nearly all aspects of biodiversity has resulted in an inefficient, poorly coordinated and minimally science-based response to key aspects of the Covid-19 pandemic. We have diverse backgrounds in plant and mammal evolution and emerging infectious diseases. In a newly published commentary that we wrote with colleagues from across the US and in six other countries, we identify a largely untapped resource for predicting future pandemics—natural history collections in museums around the world. These collections preser ve specimens of animals, plants and other organisms that illustrate the diversity of life on Earth. They are reservoirs of information and samples that can help scientists identify likely pathogen sources, hosts and transmission pathways. We believe that leveraging collections in this way will require more resources and more collaboration between biodiversity scientists and
disease outbreak sleuths.
Archives of life on Earth
Research shows that zoonotic diseases have increased due to human intrusion into animal habitats. In particular, destruction of tropical rain forests throughout the world has brought us face to face with microbes that occur naturally in wild animals and can cause disease in our own species. Earth’s biodiversity is connected through a family tree. Viruses, bacteria and other microbes have evolved with their hosts for millions of years. As a result, a virus that resides in a wild animal host—such as a bat without causing disease—can be highly pathogenic when transmitted to humans. This is the case with zoonotic diseases. Unfortunately, national responses to disease outbreaks are often based on very limited knowledge of the basic biology, or even the identity, of the pathogen and its wild host. As scientists, we believe that harnessing centuries of biological knowledge and resources from natural history collections can provide an informed road map to identify the origin and transmission of disease outbreaks. These collections of animals, plants and fungi date back centuries and are the richest sources of information available about life on Earth. They are housed in museums ranging from the Smithsonian Institution to small colleges. Together, the world’s natural history collections are estimated to contain more than 3 billion specimens, including preserved specimens of possible hosts of the coronaviruses that have led to SARS, MERS and Covid-19. They provide a powerful distribution map of our planet’s biodiversity over space and through time.
Preserved pathogens
How can researchers channel these collections toward disease discovery? Each specimen—say, a species of pitcher
plant from Florida or a deer mouse from arid New Mexico—is catalogued with a scientific name, a collection date and the place where it was collected, and often with other relevant information. These records underpin scientists’ understanding of where host species and their associated pathogens are found and when they occurred there. Connecting the site of a disease outbreak to potential pathogen hosts that occur in that area can help to pinpoint likely hosts, sources of pathogens, and pathways of transmission from hosts to humans and from one human to another. These natural history collections are connected worldwide through massive online databases, so a researcher anywhere in the world can find information on potential hosts in far-off regions. But that’s just the beginning. A preserved specimen of a rodent, a bat or any other potential host animal in a collection also carries preserved pathogens, such as coronaviruses. This means that researchers can quickly sur vey microbes using specimens that were collected decades or more before for an entirely different purpose. They can use this information to quickly identify a pathogen, associate it with particular wild hosts, and then reconstruct the past distributions and evolution of disease-causing microbes and hosts across geographic space. Many collections contain frozen samples of animal specimens stored in special lowtemperature freezers. These materials can be quickly surveyed for microbes and possible human pathogens using genetic analysis. Scientists can compare DNA sequences of the pathogens found in animal specimens with the disease-causing agent to identify and track pathways of transmission. For example, museum specimens of deer mice at the University of New Mexico were key to the rapid identification of a newly discovered species of
hantavirus that caused 13 deaths in the southwest United States in 1993. Subsequent studies of preserved specimens have revealed many new species and variants of hantaviruses in other rodents, shrews, moles and, recently, bats worldwide.
Equipping museums and connecting scientists
Natural history collections have the potential to help revolutionize studies of epidemics and pandemics. But to do this, they will need more support. Even though they play a foundational role in biology, collections are generally underfunded and understaffed. Many of them lack recent specimens or associated frozen tissues for genetic analyses. Many regions of our planet have been poorly sampled, especially the most biodiverse countries near the tropics. To leverage biodiversity science for biomedical research and public health, museums will need more field sampling; new facilities to house collections, especially in biodiverse countries; and expanded databases for scientists who collect the samples, analyze DNA sequences and track transmission routes. These investments will require increased funding and innovations in biomedical and biodiversity sciences. Another challenge is that natural history curators and pathobiologists who study the mechanisms of disease work in separate scientific communities and are only vaguely aware of each other’s resources, despite clear benefits for both basic and clinical research. We believe now is the time to reflect on how to leverage diverse resources and build stronger ties between natural history museums, pathobiologists and public health institutions. Collaboration will be key to our ability to predict, and perhaps forestall, future pandemics.
Pamela Soltis/The Conversation
Elephant mystery: Botswana study shows sudden deaths
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he mystery of unexplained death of 356 elephants in northwest Botswana deepened, with a study of the carcasses of hundreds of the animals indicating a rapid demise. Since early May, 356 elephants have been found dead in the Okavango Panhandle, Elephants Without Borders said in a report submitted to the Botswana government. Poaching has been ruled out as their ivory tusks have been left intact. “Many carcasses were near natural waterholes,” according to the nonprofit group, which conducted an aerial survey by helicopter. “Elephant carcasses also occurred along trails and died in a sternal position on their chests, suggesting a fast and sudden death.”
With about 135,000 elephants, Botswana has the world’s biggest population of the animals. Still, they have become a political issue, with President Mokgweetsi Masisi last year lifting a hunting ban and saying more needed to be done to stop the animals from damaging crops and occasionally trampling villagers. That caused a global backlash from conservation organizations, including threats of travel boycotts. Tourism accounts for a fifth of Botswana’s gross domestic product. Elephants Without Borders said its attempts to work with the government have been rebuffed. The organization confirmed the report but officials weren’t immediately available to comment.
“We reiterate our numerous efforts to support the Department of Wildlife and National Parks to address this escalating and concerning mass elephant mortality,” it said in the document. “Swift action and disclosure are needed to avert a potential public relations fiasco.”
Not poisoned
The acting director of the Department of Wildlife and National Parks, Cyril Taolo, and the regional wildlife director in the area, Dimakatso Ntshebe, didn’t answer calls made to their mobile phones. “Three laboratories in Zimbabwe, South Africa and Canada have been identified to process the samples taken from the dead elephants,”
Botswana’s environment ministr y said in a statement. The carcasses didn’t show signs of poisoning as no dead vultures and other scavengers were seen nearby, the group said. The 97-page report contained photos of 187 elephant carcasses. Elephants Without Borders also recorded a number of live elephants that “appeared to be weak, lethargic and emaciated,” it said. “Some elephants appeared disorientated, had difficulty walking, showed signs of partial paralysis or a limp in their legs. One elephant was observed walking in circles, unable to change direction although being encouraged by other herd members.”
Bloomberg News
Sports BusinessMirror
A8 Sunday, July 19, 2020
American sprinter banned 18 months for missed tests
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ENEVA—Olympic finalist sprinter Deajah Stevens was banned for 18 months on Thursday for missing doping tests and will miss the Tokyo Games. The Athletics Integrity Unit, which prosecutes cases in track and field, said Stevens was unavailable for three doping controls in 2019 in Oregon and West Hollywood. Three whereabouts violations within one year can lead to a ban. The third and decisive missed test came when she could not be contacted after changing her telephone number to avoid harassment by an unknown individual, the disciplinary tribunal was told. The 25-year-old American runner’s ban was backdated to start on February 17, 2020. It will expire days after the scheduled closing ceremony of the postponed Tokyo Olympics in August 2021. The ruling came while another Olympic medal prospect from the United States, men’s 100-meter world champion Christian Coleman, is under an AIU investigation for missed tests. Coleman was provisionally suspended one month ago. Stevens is a 200-meter specialist who placed seventh in the final at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, and fifth at the 2017 world championships in London. In the 2019 season of her missed doping controls, she did not make the US team for the world championships in Doha, Qatar. Stevens cited issues with her telephone for sample collections officials being unable to contact her for two of the missed visits, according to the published ruling from her disciplinary hearing. On one occasion her phone ran out of battery power overnight, and another time she changed number six weeks earlier because of being harassed, the ruling stated. “Despite our sympathy for the athlete, we have not been satisfied on a balance of probability that her behavior was not negligent,” the disciplinary panel said, noting the two previous whereabouts failures for Stevens. “She should have been on red alert and conscious that she could not miss the next one,” the ruling said. AP DEAJAH STEVENS’S ban is backdated to start on February 17, 2020, and will expire days after the scheduled closing ceremony of the postponed Tokyo Olympics in August 2021. AP
mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph / Editor: Jun Lomibao
BEIJING 2022 IN PERIL I
NTERNATIONAL Olympic Committee (IOC) doyen Richard Pound suggested the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics would likely suffer the same fate if Tokyo 2020 doesn’t take place next year. Tokyo 2020 was postponed in March due to the coronavirus pandemic with the Games rescheduled for July 23 to August 8 in 2021. The postponement has created a small gap between the next two Olympic Games with Beijing 2022 following from February 4 to 20. IOC President Thomas Bach claimed in May that the gap of less than six months could be beneficial for Beijing 2022 as it “will keep and even raise the awareness of the world for the Olympic Games at a very high level.” Concerns remain over the potential impact of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic with suggestions even next year might not be possible to hold Tokyo 2020. Pound suggested if Tokyo 2020 doesn’t take place, then Beijing 2022 would likely meet the same fate. “Taking the political side out of it for the moment, say there is a Covid problem in July and August next year in Tokyo, it is hard to imagine there is not going to be a knock-on effect in the same area five months later,” Pound said. “China will certainly not be discussed at the next IOC Session we have on Friday. It is mostly reports and concerns about how we are dealing with Tokyo.” “Beijing is really not on the table at the moment and I think it would be an unnecessarily complicated thing to bring that in because we simply do not know about it yet,” he added.
THE Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics would likely suffer the same fate if Tokyo 2020 doesn’t take place next year.
Another concern for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics is the increasing tension between the United States and the host country China. The US sanctioned a number of Chinese officials under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act earlier this week relating to China’s treatment of ethnic minority groups in the Chinese north-west. The abuses reportedly include “mass arbitrary detention and severe physical abuse, among other serious abuses targeting Uyghurs, a Turkic Muslim population indigenous to Xinjiang,
and other ethnic minorities in the region.” China’s alleged abuse of the Uyghur population has led to some American politicians calling for various Beijing 2022 measures, ranging from refusing to send US officials to calls for the IOC to “rebid the 2022 Winter Olympics.” Tension has also risen between the two nations over Hong Kong, following China’s introduction of a new national security law on the Special Administrative Region which officially came into force on June 30.
China has claimed the law will help stability return to Hong Kong after anti-government protests, which initially started in response to a controversial new extradition bill. Opponents have suggested the law prevents freedom of speech and protests. Pound suggested the dispute could prove a challenge in the buildup to Beijing 2022, with US President Donald Trump also pinning the blame on China for the global spread of the pandemic ahead of the US election later this year. Insidethegames
Bach: IOC committed to ‘frugal’ Tokyo Olympics
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NTERNATIONAL Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach reaffirmed that the organization is “fully committed” to the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games taking place next year—also emphasizing a wish for the event to be “frugal.” The IOC is considering “multiple scenarios” to ensure the Games go ahead in the summer of 2021 and is prioritizing the health and wellbeing of athletes, Bach said. Speaking after a meeting of the IOC Executive Board, Bach discussed the different climate he expects the Games to go ahead
in—one “much more health-conscious than before” and more focused on the essentials. “All this will be reflected in the organization of these postponed Olympic Games,” Bach said. “We want these Olympic Games to be frugal Games, concentrating on the essentials and the spirit and the message of these Olympic Games.” “The spirit of the Olympic Games is about the athletes and sports excellence,” he added. “It’s about unity. It’s about bringing the entire world together.” The Games were pushed back to 2021 in light of the coronavirus pandemic, which left
Track champs form athletes’ rights group
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GROUP of track and field champions is spearheading a new organization designed to give athletes a greater voice in their sport. Two-time Olympic triple jump champion Christian Taylor is the president of The Athletics Association, which is seeking more say in key decisions made by the sport’s leaders. Taylor and steeplechaser Emma Coburn, the association vice president, are among those who saw their events cut out of most Diamond League meets this year. “That was just one more example of decisions being made at the highest level that are affecting thousands of athletes, and the
GERAINT THOMAS is only taking in eight days of racing before starting the Tour de France.
global body of athletes weren’t considered,” said Coburn, the 2017 world champion. The association’s top-listed goal is to “offer suggestions and alternatives that would include all stadium disciplines.” It also plans to offer courses on financial literacy and life after sports. Taylor has been setting the framework for the athletes’ group since last November. This year’s postponement of the Tokyo Olympic due to the coronavirus pandemic has put more pressure on athletes to stay focused, while also putting many of their careers in limbo. Meanwhile, calls have grown for collective bargaining between athletes and Olympic sports. A study released in April spelled out the
many athletes unable to train or travel due to restrictions put in place to contain the spread of the deadly virus. An Olympic postponement is unprecedented in peacetime and the Opening Ceremony is now set for July 23 next year. While many countries in Europe and Asia begun to ease restrictions and resume competitive sport, the number of new cases in the Americas is rising sharply. Following the pandemic, Tokyo 2020 can be “a message of solidarity,” added Bach, and more relevant than ever. Insidethegames disparities between what pro sports leagues give back to athlete salaries compared with the Olympics. Coburn recognized that many decision makers have good intentions. “But there are assumptions made about what athletes want and what’s best for them,” she said. “We’re grown-ups and we’re professionals. We’re no longer OK with just accepting those assumptions. We want to gather opinions, distribute those opinions and provide support for other athletes.” Other world and Olympic champions on the association’s board include Allyson Felix, Ashton Eaton, Julius Yego, Katarina JohnsonThompson, Shaunae Miller-Uibo, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Tianna Bartoletta and Tom Walsh. AP
Thomas draws pre-Tour de France plans
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ERAINT THOMAS confirmed his pre-Tour de France race schedule with the Tour de l’Ain and Critérium du Dauphiné on his calendar in the run-up to the race which kicks off in Nice on August 29. Speaking to Welsh broadcaster S4C, Thomas said that he is only taking in eight days of racing before starting the Tour—though there will be time for some course recons after the Dauphiné. Thomas added that a big reason for racing the Tour de l’Ain is the fact that Stage 3 of the race shares many of the same roads as Stage 15 of the Tour de France with the Col de la Biche and a summit finish on the Grand Colombier on the menu for both stages. “The team start racing on August 1, but for me, there’s a three-day stage race [Tour de l’Ain] in France, which one of the stages is the same as the Tour, so I’ll start there,” Thomas said. “Then I’ll have two days off and then we’ll do the Dauphiné, which is the traditional last race before the Tour anyway. That’s shortened, it’s normally eight days but now it’s five. I’ll do a couple of recons after that, and then there will only be a week and then we’ll go to the Tour.”
Thomas, who won the Tour in 2018 and finished runner-up behind teammate Egan Bernal last year, said that he missed racing this year while also keeping the Covid-19 pandemic in perspective. The Welshman hasn’t raced since the Volta ao Algarve in February where he finished 21st overall. “Missing the racing part was disappointing but there was a lot bigger things going on, so you can understand why,” he said. “Everyone’s way of life drastically changed, but luckily for us, I went back to Cardiff for 50-odd days in the end,” he said. “I’m getting on a bit now, I’ve got maybe three, four, five years left so I just want to make the most of those years and race my bike and enjoy it,” added the 34-year-old rider. “It was tough going but there’s a lot of people who are in worse off positions than us.” In lieu of real racing, Thomas logged plenty of time on the Zwift virtual platform during lockdown, taking part in April’s Team Ineos eRace up the Alpe du Zwift, June’s Team Ineos eRace Classic and Stage 2 of the Virtual Tour de France earlier this month. Back in April, he rode three consecutive 12hour shifts in his garage to raise £375,528 for NHS charities. Cyclingnews
Wait ’til next year Giving up on 2020, looking toward 2021
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BusinessMirror JULY 19, 2020 | soundstrip.businessmirror@gmail.com
YOUR MUSI
AT HOME WITH PLDT PLDT Home concert featuring OPM icons raises over P1M for students and teachers nationwide
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LDT Home’s live fundraising concert titled “At Home with PLDT: No Learner Left Behind” successfully raised over Php 1 Million worth of funds to help address the challenges of many students, teachers, and schools nationwide as they adapt to the new normal in education and online distance learning. Concert King and Queen Martin Nievera and Pops Fernandez serenaded their fans with their duet performances
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Led by the National Artist for Music Maestro Ryan Cayabyab, the online concert gathered some of the country’s most talented and respected OPM legends Regine Velasquez-Alcasid alongside husband singer-songwriter Ogie, Martin Nievera, and Pops Fernandez. They were joined by musical theater artists 8 Taal Ensemble, Sheila Valderama, Yanah Laurel, Lara Maigue, Gabriela Pangilinan, Gian Magdangal, Arman Ferrer, Flord Tena, and David Ezra who sang songs full of hope and inspiration for the future. As many families face difficult situations due to the pandemic, the benefit concert has become a venue for Filipinos to show support for each other as they rediscover what really matters to them – their loved ones at home. With PLDT Home’s long-time commitment to make education and online learning accessible to more Filipinos, the country’s fastest home broadband continues to deliver the strongest and most reliable connections so that families can enjoy meaningful relationships and create an effective learning environment for children at home.” During the free online concert, viewers enjoyed iconic songs and OPM hits such as Sa Piling Mo and Hanggang Ngayon sang by Ogie and Regine, and Pagdating ng Panahon by Martin and Pops. They also enjoyed covers of We are Family, You’ve Got A Friend, and
Asia’s Songbird Regine Velasquez-Alcasid and Ogie Alcasid brought thrill to the audience with their iconic hits
Lara Maigue and Gian Magdangal performed a soulful rendition of “I’ll be There”
The #AtHomewithPLDT: No Learner Left Behind Benefit Concert is musically directed by National Artist for Music Maestro Ryan Cayabyab
Musical theater leading ladiesSheila Valderama, Yanah Laurel, Lara Maigue, and Gab Pangilinan performed a rendition of “You’ve Got A Friend”
Home - all of which are songs that evoke encouragement and hope to help everyone in these tough times. The concert will be uploaded for replay streaming on the PLDT Home’s official Facebook page and YouTube channel. The movement ‘No Learner Left Behind’ is a joint initiative by PLDT Home and PLDT-Smart Foundation which aims to make education accessible for all as the country promotes distance learning in the new normal. All funds raised from the concert will be donated for the benefit of students and teachers in far-flung communities, enabling them through broadband
connectivity and maximize the use of technology as they continue their school activities from home. A long-time advocate of quality education for Filipino children, PLDT Home has partnered with PLDT-Smart Foundation for the live fundraising concert aimed to enable educators, students, and schools by equipping them with internet and digital tools during the new normal. Interested donors can continue to show support to the cause and donate through the PLDTSmart Foundation, Inc.’s Paymaya and bank accounts, or Text DONATE<Space><Amount> and send to 3456.
IC
soundstrip.businessmirror@gmail.com | JULY 19, 2020
BUSINESS
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SoundSampler by Tony M. Maghirang
FORMALLY EDUCATED Seven trained musicians who produce unique recordings
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unk rewrote the rules on making music. Just three chords and you and your mates can storm any listener with brash, discordant noisefest.
Now I remember a time when musicians formally learned how to make music and their education enabled them to produce distinctive music. Rick Wakeman of Yes, Ritchie Blackmore, Pat Benatar and Ronnie James Dio are among many artists who spent time learning the rope in music academia and they would later find an audience in the wider outside world. I recently listened to a contemporary composer who uses her music education to make oneof-kind modern music and she’s not alone. She comes first in my select list of present-day musicians whose formal training allows them to make music that matters. (Btw, by modern music, I mean pop and rock and not much jazz nor classical in the making.)
Fiona Apple. A one-time Grammy winner and eight-time nominee, Ms. Apple trained on classical piano at a very young age then moved on to learn jazz standards as she grew older. Her claim to major fame comes from the fact she has released a criticallyacclaimed and commercially successful album in each of the past four decades. Her latest album Fetch the Bolt Cutters is right up there jostling with Bob Dylan, Lady Gaga and Perfume Genius for the top critic favorite and best album of 2020. Go, listen to a pop girl wonder at work.
Katie Gately. This L. A.based electronic musician uses her film school training in designing attractively melodic music. She employs densely layered licks, samples and hooks to produce polished music readymade for every kind of audiences. On her 2020 album Loom, she ruminates on the passing of her beloved mother from cancer and it’s no surprise that even working under the dark shroud of a personal loss, Katie retains her musical magic throughout the record.
Lingua Ignota. Her real name is Kristin Hayter, an American classically trained multiinstrumentalist who self-released two albums as Lingua Ignota (which means “unknown language in Latin.) Hayter fuses a cacophonous blend of opera, metal, and noise drawing from her classical training to bend adventurous ears to her cause. Her latest album titled Caligula reflects on her own experience with domestic
violence, which she sharpens into a cathartic sort of feminist resbak.
rap, gospel, disco and even country music.
Joe Satriani. The so-called king of impossible guitar Steve Vai was once quoted as saying “My music theory lessons, and my guitar lessons with Joe Satriani when I was a kid, were like epiphanies. I understood theme and variation and how to apply them to music. And Joe took a lot of the things that I had learned and showed me how to apply them to the guitar. Modes just opened up my world.” From one guitar great to another, Satriani’s new album Shapeshifting is a rock chimera that takes guitar music to unbelievable zone. Enough said!
Alica Keys. At age seven, Keys received classical piano training. At 12 years old, she enrolled at the Professional Performing Arts School, a public school in Hell’s Kitchen. Manhattan, New York, where she majored in choir and took up lessons in music, dance and theatre. At 15, she signed to Columbia Records that kickstarted her professional recording career. Keys has not had a new album in five years but she is still best remembered by such hits as “Fallin.” “Empire State of Mind” and “Girl on Fire.”
Lady Gaga. Gaga was just 11 years old when she got accepted to the Juilliard School in Manhattan but her chose to enroll in a private Catholic school. In her mid-teens, she was admitted to the elite New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts where she worked on her songwriting skills. Those early foundations were further enhanced by engaging in odd jobs that refined her performing skills. Lady Gaga is now a pop superstar and her latest album Chromatica is a tour de force in mining the best out of rock, pop,
Nils Frahm. This German musician and record producer studied classical piano under the guidance of a Tchaikovsky devotee. Rather than perform with an orchestra, Nils settled in Berlin where he mixed in with hardcore avantgarde crowd. He would finally be known for solo and prepared piano compositions and soundtrack works for experimental Erased Tapes music label. His new album, Empty has been described to flow along the fragile aesthetics of beautiful intimacy and delicate texture issued surprisingly via electronic manipulation.
Wait ’til next year Giving up on 2020, looking toward 2021 By Sophia Rosenbaum The Associated Press
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EW YORK— This was supposed to be the year of the comeback for Boysie Dikobe, a South African dancer recovering from his second hip replacement and gearing up to get back on stage when the coronavirus hit.
Dikobe, a 29-year-old dancer who performs with a traveling drag ballet troupe that tours globally, says his first thought was: “2020 is canceled.” It’s barely halfway over, and Dikobe is part of a global choir wishing for 2020 to end. No Olympics, no awards shows, no weddings, no summer camp, no graduations. Nothing to look forward to except a new Netflix show or your newfound love of regrowing scallions or baking bread. Now it’s all about 2021—the year when everything, and maybe nothing, happens. The coronavirus pandemic has brought tectonic change to almost every part of life—how we live, where we live, where we work, what we do for work, what it means to be a kid, what family means, what is important. There was a
In this July 10, 2020, file photo, artist Jimmy Baptiste works on a mural in Ottawa, Canada. 2020 is barely halfway over. That hasn’t stopped many people from declaring the year canceled and wishing it would end. AP months-long moment where the world was on pause, causing many to dig into existential questions: What is my purpose? Where do I belong? That’s what Dikobe found himself doing as he quarantined in his small New York apartment contemplating his future—both personal and professional. Would he ever perform on stage again, or would he have to retire before an opportunity arrived? The more he considered it, the more he found himself thinking: “2020 is not canceled, actually. It’s an awakening.” Leslie Dwight, a 23-year-old writer, wondered the same thing in a poem she wrote that was endlessly shared on social media about a week after the May 25 death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. “2020 isn’t canceled, but rather, the most important year of them all,” she wrote. But why do we even say things like 2020
is canceled and “New year, new me”? Experts who study human behavior say the human desire to pin failures, hopes and dreams on a period of time like a calendar year has primitive roots connected to our attachment to routine. “Because we missed our spring, summer isn’t really summer because it only comes after a complete spring,” says Stuart Patterson, chairman of the Shimer Great Books School at North Central College. “The only opportunity to reset is next spring. Everything else we’re doing this year is going to be drained of significance because they don’t have the proper sequence.” It’s like when Hamlet declares that “time is out of joint,” Patterson says. How do we measure a year—a question about the passage of time that has a whole song devoted to it in the Broadway musical Rent? With seasons, milestones, rituals, events. So when a year is stripped
of all of those moments, people feel lost and put hope in the future to manage expectations, psychologists and social scientists say. Every calendar year brings a cycle of hope. January is when we’ll finally commit to our diet, quit smoking, become the person we always wanted to be. We believe in the power of change and promise ourselves: “This is our year,” as one reveler proclaimed just after the ball dropped in Times Square. Some people admit defeat by January’s end, while other ambitions continue for a few more months. In April, many start focusing on summer. By November, most have thrown in the towel, vowing that the upcoming year is actually their year. But that hope never fully dies out. It just gets recalibrated and refocused on a new target and soars again. “Hope,” the poet Emily Dickinson wrote, “is the thing with feathers.” Deborah Serani, a psychologist in the New York City area, said hope has disappointed many this year but will help us endure the pandemic and thrive. Hope, she says, “requires us to look at the present situation and regard it for what it is, and plan for its betterment.” No one knows what 2021 will bring. Nobody knows what the “new normal” will look like. Will there be wedding ceremonies featuring every person a couple has ever met, packed stadiums, concert venues with thousands of people crooning the same tune? Will the now-2021 Summer Olympics happen? Will awards shows be back? Will we even care? There are no clear answers. But there is hope.
Lonely in lockdown? You’re not alone By Michelle H. Lim Swinburne University of Technology
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umans are innately social. We all need human connection and we’re used to routine. When we are deprived of something, even for a short time, the need sometimes becomes stronger. (And while I’m talking mostly about the need for human connection, many who live alone are less able than usual to get help from family or friends with practical essentials, such as getting food, care or medicines). If you live alone—or with others to whom you are not particularly close—it’s important to find different and creative ways to connect with people while still reducing the immediate Covid-19 risk. And for all of us, it’s time to redouble our efforts to check up on family, friends, neighbors and colleagues.
Lockdown can make us lonely We are partway through a yet-to-be published study aimed at understanding the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on relationships, health and quality of life. We have surveyed 2,666 people at the first wave around the world. The first wave data found that 1 in 2 Australians report feeling more lonely since Covid-19. Living with family during Covid-19 seems to be most beneficial for protecting against feelings of loneliness, depression, social anxiety and stress. Young adults aged 18-25 also reported the highest levels of loneliness compared with other age groups. We know from previous research that young people have high social needs. And it’s not just people living alone. People who live with housemates (or those unrelated to them) may also be at greater risk of loneliness. People also have complex so-
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cial needs. Some have said, “I love my husband and my kids but I’m desperate to see my friends.” These findings are preliminary and work is ongoing. These early results are from when we first went into lockdown— before many people had lost jobs and networks and before the shine had worn off Zoom social catch-ups. Data from the second and third round of surveys will tell us more about how things have changed.
Making your interaction count So, what can we do? There are many ways to have safe social interactions within the recommended guidelines. It might help to remind yourself often that it’s not forever. There will be lots of time we can have together when the immediate threat has passed. And right now, the immediate risk to public health is huge. And it doesn’t have to be just about Zoom catch-ups. Try going for a walk while talking on the phone with a friend, making July 19, 2020
something for a friend, writing a letter to a relative, or exercising with a friend while observing physical distancing. There are very few benefits to this crisis but it may help us rediscover flexible ways to relate to others. Maybe we can think more clearly about cherishing these moments of interaction. It’s not just having a conversation but rather having meaningful interactions. The top priority is managing this public health crisis and stopping the spread of Covid-19. Social health is extremely important but it can be managed even while social restrictions are in place. I think if people are feeling a bit lonely, even if they are bunkering down with a housemate or a partner but missing their friends, it’s important to know it’s OK to feel that way. But humans are astonishingly flexible and resilient through times of crisis. We can find creative ways to connect with people while still reducing the immediate risk. The Conversation