Edge Davao Volume 13 Issue 114 | Saturday, August 22, 2020

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A food vendor grills pork skewers at one at one of stalls at Roxas Night Market along Roxas Avenue in Davao City in this undated photo. Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio has bared that there’s already preparations being undertaken for the re-opening of the Roxas Night Market but the re-opening will still depend on the Covid-19 related situation come September 1. Edge Davao

Roxas Night Market opening depends on September status STORY ON PAGE 2

2 NEWS EDGEDAVAO

VOL.13 ISSUE 114 • SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 2020

PRRD urges Pinoys to emulate Ninoy’s ‘courage, patriotism’

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President Rodrigo Duterte encourages Filipinos to emulate the late senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr.’s “courage and patriotism” for the fight against Covid-19 pandemic. Duterte made the statement in time for the commemoration of Aquino’s 37th death anniversary. Presidential Photo

resident Rodrigo Duterte on Friday expressed hope that the late senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr.’s life would inspire Filipinos to live with “courage and patriotism.”

Duterte made the statement as he joined the nation in commemorating Aquino's 37th death anniversary.

In his message, Duterte honored Aquino’s life, work and impact on governance that “have uplifted the lives of many, especially the oppressed and marginalized.

Duterte said Filipinos can also be their own heroes by emulating Aquino’s “acts of discipline, goodwill and social responsibility,” especially now that the country is grappling with the crisis driven by the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.

“As this important occasion is remembered during this time that we are facing

a global public health crisis, may we emulate Ninoy's courage and patriotism so we may all be heroes through acts of discipline, goodwill and social responsibility,” he said.

Duterte also encouraged everyone to help the government be successful in its fight against Covid-19.

“I call on everyone to cooperate and work with the government so that we may keep ourselves, our families and our communities safe. May we also generously share our resources to those who have less in life during these trying times,” he said.

August 21 is declared a special non-working holiday to allow the country to commemorate Aquino’s death.

Aquino, an opposition senator and staunch critic of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos’ martial law

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Roxas Night Market opening depends on September status

By MAYA M. PADILLO efore the Covid-19 pandemic, business was booming for Pia Lourdes Partoza-Montano, general manager of Par Travel and Tours.

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This despite the mayor’s announcement that the layout for the popular night market has already been finalized.

After the lifting of the food and medicine pass (FM Pass) and curfew on August 1, 2020, the city government of Davao

is gearing up for the re-opening of the Roxas Night Market on September 1. However, this is only possible if the city will maintain current manageable number of Covid-19 cases.

“Naa na ang preparation. Nakita na nako ang

plano ug nakita na nako ang designs. Ongoing ang ilahang coordination meeting but mag-depende na siya sa situation nato

by September,” the mayor said.

Mayor Sara clarified that the city does not plan to open Roxas Night Market on September 1 to commemorate the Roxas Night Market bombing.

“Asikasuhon sa nato na and we will talk about the night market,” she said.

The mayor has earlier reminded Dabawenyos to self-regulate as the city plans to re-open the night market next month.

“Kung ma maintain nato kung unsa ang naa karon [nga number of Covid-19 cases], which is a number nga manageable sa atoang Covid-19 system diri sa Davao City, beginning September 1, then we will resume Roxas Night Market,” she said adding that what

Dabawenyos should do is to instill self-discipline and self–regulation, otherwise, Covid-19 cases will increase.

“Ang kinahanglan nato buhaton and i-remind sa tanan nga we need to instill self-discipline and self-regulation.

Otherwise, modaghan ang atong cases, and manirado napud ta balik tanan, which is something nga dili nato gusto tanan. Nobody wants to go back to gener-

al community quarantine (GCQ), modified enhance community quarantine (MECQ), and enhance community quarantine (ECQ),” Mayor Sara said.

The mayor has ordered the temporary closure of the Roxas Night Market last March 11, 2020, due to Covid-19 pandemic. She ordered for the temporary suspension of the night market as part of the precautionary measures of the city against the virus.

es on Thursday night issued the guidelines for COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials in the country.

Through Resolution No. 65, the IATF approved the recommendations of the Sub-Technical Working Group on Vaccine Development in coming up with the said guidelines.

The group is chaired by Science and Technology Undersecretary for Research and Development Rowena Guevara.

The IATF resolution provides that all clinical trials applications must be submitted to the Vac-

nated Ethics Boards and submitted to the Food and Drug Administration for review and approval of the conduct of clinical trials.

The Sub-Technical Working Group on Vaccine Development is mandated to issue zoning guidelines on vaccine clinical trials “to avoid competition for sites.”

The IATF instructed local government units to prioritize World Health Organization-backed solidarity trials over independent vaccine trials.

All ethical guidelines

both for the WHO Solidarity Trial and independent trials, are subject to review by the Philippine Health Research Ethics Board.

Guevara said on Wednesday a COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial is slated to start in the later part of 2020 as the country is in talks with Russia and 16 other vaccine manufacturers.

The DOST official added a COVID-19 vaccine may be available for distribution to Filipinos by second quarter of 2021.

The FDA previous-

ippines if the regulatory and ethics boards haven't thoroughly reviewed the documents from Phases 1 and 2, ensuring that the vaccine will be safe.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization on Tuesday advised countries from idly waiting for a COVID-19 vaccine. WHO Western Pacific Regional Director Dr. Takeshi Kasai said countries should focus on improving their COVID-19 response as there may not be enough supply of the vaccine during the initial production.

he wearing of face shields inside enclosed spaces, including malls, is now mandatory, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said Friday.

“Napagkasunduan po ng National Task Force (NTF) na bukod po roon sa pagsusuot ng face shield sa pampublikong

sasakyan saka sa trabaho, dapat isuot na rin ang face shield sa mga nakasaradong commercial establishment, gaya ng mga malls,” Roque said in an interview.

The NTF, led by Secretary Carlito Galvez, is the implementing arm of government policies on COVID-19 response.

The goverment initiall required the wearing of face shield inside public transportation and work places.

As it is, persons outside their residence are already required to wear face mask or face penalties.

The Department of Health, citing studies, said

wearing face shield and face mask offers 99% protection against COVID-19.

The Philippines has 178,022 confirmed COVID-19 cases so far.

Of this number, 114,114 have recovered and 2,883 died.

The number of active cases, meanwhile, is at 61,025.

No one applied for Covid-19 IATF approves guidelines for Covid-19 vaccine clinical trials he Inter-Agency Task cine Expert Panel. Then, for COVID-19 vaccine clin- ly assured they will not vaccine trials yet: FDA exec Force on Emerging the applications will be ical trials and compensa- allow a Phase 3 clinical Infectious Diseas- reviewed by the desig- tion of trial participants, trial to be held in the Phil-

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he Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday said it has yet to receive any application from COVID-19 vaccine developers to even start a trial in the Philippines.

"Wala pa po kaming na-receive na clinical trial application," Dr. Jesusa Cirunay, director of FDA's Center for Drug Regulation and Research, said in an online forum.

She explained that under a normal course, it would take about 45 to 60 days to approve an application for a clinical trial but it would be facilitated faster for COVID-19 vaccines.

"It will be lesser for COVID, provided that the documents submitted are complete. Kailangan namin ang kumpletong dokumento matanggap because we cannot process it kung kulang-kulang ang dokumento," Cirunay said.

The approval of the Phase 4 trial or the last stage, on the other hand, will generally take about 70 to 90 more working days.

This part can be expedited for the COVID-19 vaccine, she added.

President Rodrigo Duterte, during his fifth State of the Nation Address, claimed that a vaccine against COVID-19 is "just around the corner."

He even expressed willingness to get the first shot of the Russian-developed Sputnik V vaccine.

Sputnik V trial results While many are pinning their hopes on this Russian vaccine, the local experts underscored that the results of its Phases 1 and 2 trials were not even published yet.

"Hindi pa po natin nakikita ang Phase 1 and Phase 2 results of this. It has to be published in the scientific world so that everybody can look into its safety, tolerability as well as the effectiveness," Dr. Josefina Carlos, an infectious disease specialist and a vaccine clinical trialist, said.

"The results are not published yet in the scien-

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Wearing of face shield inside comm'l establishments now mandatory

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NEWS 3

EDGEDAVAO

Department of Health (DOH)-Davao bares that residents in congested areas of Davao City hardly followed basic health requirements to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (Covid-19), resulting in more local transmissions. Edge Davao

Senate ratifies Bayanihan 2 bill

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he Senate on Thursday ratified the Bayanihan to Recover as One (Bayanihan 2) bill, a measure that seeks to allow President Rodrigo Duterte to realign funds for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) crisis.

This, after the congressional bicameral conference committee approved the reconciled version of the Bayanihan 2 bill on Thursday after three days of marathon sessions. The House of Representatives is set to ratify the bill on Monday (Aug. 24).

The measure sets aside PHP140 billion for the coronavirus pandemic response with allotments for various government programs to help affected Filipinos and sectors, plus an additional PHP25.5-billion standby appropriations.

In his sponsorship speech, Senator Sonny Angara said the PHP140 billion of regular appropriations included PHP3 billion for the procurement of face masks, personal protective equipment and face shield; PHP4.5 billion for the construction of temporary medical isolation quarantine facilities, field hospitals, dormitories, expansion of government hospital capacity; and another PHP4.5 billion to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) for isolation facilities and other requirements for the rent of various facilities, as well as food and transportation of Covid-19 patients while the government constructs

more permanent facilities.

The measure also allocates PHP13.5 billion for the Department of Health (DOH) to employ emergency human resources for health; PHP820 million as a fund for overseas Filipinos under the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA); PHP13 billion for the government’s cash-for-work program and other support programs for impacted sectors.

Meanwhile, PHP600 million is allocated as subsidies and allowances for students severely impacted by the pandemic; PHP300 million as subsidies and allowance for teaching and non-teaching personnel and part-time faculty in state universities and colleges (SUCs); and PHP180 million as allowance for national athletes and coaches, among others.

Angara said about PHP40 billion will be allocated to government banks as capital infusion to aid businesses and entrepreneurs to weather the storm brought about by Covid-19.

The tourism sector, which is the most impacted sector by the pandemic, will receive PHP10 billion in allocations, to be divided into the following:

PHP6 billion for soft loans for tourism micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) under the Department of Trade’s (DTI) Small Business Corp.; PHP3 billion to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for assistance to displaced tourism workers; and PHP1 billion for tourism infrastructure under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

The agriculture sector will be allotted a PHP24-billion assistance under various programs under the Department of Agriculture (DA); while PHP9.5 million assistance will be given to the transportation industry under the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

For the education sector, PHP3 billion is allocated for the development of smart campuses across the country; PHP1 billion for scholarships under the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA scholarships); and PHP4 billion will be allocated for the implementation of the Department of Education’s (DepEd) digital education adjusting to the new normal.

In the meantime, PHP6 billion will be given to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for assistance to individuals in crisis situations; PHP1.5 billion as assistance to local government units (LGUs); and PHP2 billion as interest subsidy for loans by LGUs

from government financial institutions.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government would be given PHP5 billion to hire more contact tracers; PHP2.5 million for the computer-based licensure exams of the Philippine Red Cross; PHP10 million for the research fund of the Health and Technology Assessment Council (HTAC); and PHP15 million for the UP-Diliman computational research laboratory.

As for the PHP25.5 billion standby fund, Angara said that when the funds are generated, PHP10 billion will go to the DOH for testing and possible procurement of vaccine; and PHP15.5 billion will be allotted as additional infusion to government banks.

On top of these appropriations are measures authorizing the President to exercise powers necessary to implementing a host of Covid-19 response and recovery interventions.

Angara said these includes, but not limited to: expediting the accreditation of virus testing kits that diagnose Covid-19; hiring of skilled medical technologists, molecular biologists, epidemiologists and other skilled laboratory technicians to conduct the Covid-19 testing; the provision of emergency subsidies to affected low-income households under specific quarantine conditions, as well as to households with

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NorCot's hog industry to lose P1.1B if spread of ASF continues

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he hog industry in North Cotabato stands to lose some P1.1 billion if the spread of the African Swine Fever (ASF) was not contained, provincial veterinarian Dr. Rufino Suropia said.

As of Thursday, two weeks after ASF first hit three villages in Magpet town, the industry has lost some P10.2 million, data from the Office of the Provincial Veterinarian showed.

The disease has spread to Kidapawan City and three other towns.

Veterinary workers have so far culled 2,059 pigs from 18 barangays in Kidapawan City, Magpet, Arakan, President Roxas and Makilala towns.

The province has at least 228,000 heads of pigs, many of which belong to backyard hog raisers.

In Magpet, the ASF infection was monitored in barangays Ilian, Tagbac, Poblacion, Bantac, Pangao-an, Mahongkog, Binay, Sallab, Noa, Doles and Magkaalam.

It has spread to barangays Tomanding and Lanao Kuran in Arakan town, Malungon in Makilala, Poblacion and Datu Inda in President Roxas, and Linangkob and Mua-an in Kidapawan City.

In a meeting Tuesday, the Provincial Development Council agreed to distribute P2,000 cash assistance to all hog raisers affected by ASF infection,

apart from the P5,000 the Department of Agriculture in Region 12 plans to distribute as payment for each culled pig.

Suropia clarified that some hog pens or farms were exempted from the culling.

He mentioned the farm owned by former Cotabato 2nd district provincial board member Dina Espina-Chua, in Purok Mangosteen in Barangay Linangkob, Kidapawan.

Based on the results of the blood samples submitted to a testing facility in General Santos City, pigs at Espina’s farm tested negative of ASF, he said.

The official said Espina’s farm was strictly implementing bio-security measures, which includes decontamination of all of their workers and other individuals who would enter there.

It has its own water system, unlike the other backyard raisers that use water coming from the Marbol River, he added.

The Office of the Provincial Veterinarian said it detected ASF virus in Marbol River, which could explain the spread of the disease in areas close to Mount Apo. The river’s tributaries include Kabacan River in Magpet and President Roxas, and Linangkob streams in Kidapawan City. (Malu Cadeliña-Manar/MindaNews)

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A girl sits beside her younger brother who is atop a pavement. The World Bank has said Covid-19 pandemic may have driven as many as 100 million people back into extreme poverty. Edge Davao

Biz group wants inclusion of private sector in IATF P

BSP holds key rates steady on benign inflation, weak growth

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he Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) has appealed to government to include the private sector in the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF).

The PCCI Board of Directors passed a resolution asking the government to engage the private sector in consultations before coming up with new policies amid the country’s fight against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

“We are appealing for the inclusion of the private sector in the IATF. The IATF will be able to use the on-the-ground experience of the business sector to come up with a holistic approach that will make it easier for businesses to resume operation and for workers

to return to work,” PCCI president Benjamin Yujuico said in a statement Thursday.

Based on the discussions with PCCI’s local chambers, Yujuico said businesses cited top challenges they are facing, such as requiring “impractical standards” in workplaces and inconsistent policies and regulations imposed by the local government on top of those implemented by the IATF. “For instance, mandating the use of face shields for workers, the observance of two-meter

physical distancing and the designation of an isolation area of one room for every 200 employees, is simply not realistic in a production-line setting,” he added.

The business group said the limited public transportation also burdens the workers.

“We acknowledge the hard work the Inter-Agency Task Force is doing to prevent the spread of Covid-19. We understand the precarious situation of our medical workers and front-liners. But we also need to stress that the longer our economy stays in its current state where businesses cannot function 100 percent, nor even up to 75 percent, the more protracted the recession that will follow and the more people will be permanently out of jobs,” the PCCI chief said.

In the Sulong Pilipinas North Luzon Area Business Conference Thursday, Yujuico said the business group is asking the Congress “to act with urgency” on the passage of the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Act (CREATE) bill, or the recalibrated Corporate Income Tax and Incentives Rationalization Act (CITIRA).

“During these difficult times, financial support for the affected firms to prevent job losses can help ensure that recent shocks do not cause permanent damage to our country’s productive capacity. We hope with the passage of Bayanihan 2 and also the CREATE, as well as full resumption of economic activities, we can get back on track to rapid growth,” Yujuico said. (PNA)

“With NESCAFÉ as the biggest domestically produced coffee brand in the Philippines, we are buying as much coffee as we can locally, and are increasing our direct purchasing from farmers and cooperatives,” Nestlé Philippines chairman and CEO Kais Marzouki said.

Nestlé Philippines said it has implemented a new

criteria for local procurement making it easier for farmers to sell their produce.

Processing time was also reduced, increasing frequency of delivery and reducing workload of farmers from harvesting, drying and sorting, the company said.

Nestlé produces the “NESCAFÉ” brand at its

Cagayan de Oro factory.

“We look forward to continuing our partnership with them to uplift lives while improving coffee production in the country, in close cooperation with other stakeholders in the public and private sectors,” Marzouki added.

The company said it has been supporting local coffee farmers since 2008.

Nestlé PH says ramping up buying of local coffee beans

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estlé Philippines said its local buying of Robusta coffee beans for the year 2019 to 2020 was higher than estimates as it reaffirmed its commitment to uplift local farmers.

Coffee buying for the crop year 2019 - 2020 increased by 27 percent compared to last year, Nestlé Philippines said in a statement.

hilippine monetary officials on Thursday paused the cuts in the central bank’s key rates after noting that inflation is expected to remain within target and domestic and global growth remains weak because of the pandemic.

Thus, the overnight reverse repurchase (RRP) rate is still at 2.25 percent, the overnight lending rate is at 2.75 percent, and the overnight deposit rate is at 1.75 percent.

In a briefing held over the central bank’s Facebook page, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Benjamin Diokno said while average inflation forecasts have been hiked, the figures remain within the government’s 2 to 4-percent inflation target band until 2022.

He said the balance of risks on the inflation outlook leans on the downside given the economic impact of the pandemic on both the global and domestic activity, partly due to resurgence of infections in several countries.

He said BSP’s policy making-Monetary Board (MB) has noted early signs of economic recovery in the country after movement restrictions have been eased and liquidity conditions remain ample.

He said the Board considers the current policy stance to be appropriate and decided to pause, after cutting the key rates by 175 basis points since the start of the year, to assess the impact of its earlier decisions and to allow the policy measures to work its way into

the economy.

“Going forward, the BSP remains committed to deploying its full range of instruments as needed in fulfilment of its mandate to promote non-inflationary and sustainable growth over the medium term,” he added.

During the same briefing, BSP Deputy Governor Francisco Dakila Jr. said the inflation forecast for this year has been increased from 2.3 percent during the MB meeting last July 25 to 2.6 percent.

For next year, the figure was raised from 2.6 percent to 3.0 percent while the 2022 figure was adjusted from 3.0 percent to 3.1 percent.

Dakila traced these changes to upticks in the June and July inflation rate to 2.5 percent and 2.7 percent from 2.1 percent in May. “These factors were partly offset by the sharper contraction of GDP (gross domestic product) in the second quarter and also the continued appreciation of the peso,” he said.

GDP in the first three months this year was revised from -0.2 percent to -0.7 percent, and the second-quarter figure registered a deeper contraction of 16.5 percent.

Meanwhile, Dakila said the MB discounted another cut in banks’ reserve requirement ratio (RRR), after reducing universal and commercial banks (U/KBs) RRR by 200 basis points last April.

“Liquidity conditions

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Companies asked to put up isolation rooms separate from office clinics

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Joggers enjoy the sunrise and fresh air at the coastal road in Aplaya, Matina, Davao City on Thursday, 20 August 2020. The road is still being constructed.

MindaNews photo by GG BUENO

ompanies employing hundreds of workers need to have an isolation room separate from the office clinic, Malacañang said Thursday.

One isolation areamanned by health workers with enough personal protective equipment - is required for every 200 workers, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said.

"Hiwalay po ito sa company clinic. Ang designated isolation area ay kailangang may sapat na ventilation at mayroong available PPEs para sa mga health personnel at face shields na medical-grade para naman po sa symptomatic na mga pasyente," Roque said during a Palace press briefing.

(This should be different from the company clinic. The designated isolation area needs to have enough ventilation, available PPEs for health personnel, and medical-grade face shields for

PHAP urges stop to hoarding of vitamins amid ‘artificial shortage’

Covid-19 pandemic could drive T 100M to extreme poverty: WB

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he coronavirus pandemic may have driven as many as 100 million people back into extreme poverty, World Bank President David Malpass warned Thursday.

The Washington-based development lender previously estimated that 60 million people would fall into extreme poverty due to COVID-19, but the new estimate puts the deterioration at 70 to 100 million, and he said "that number could go higher" if the pandemic worsens or drags on.

The situation makes it "imperative" that creditors reduce the amount of debt held by poor countries at risk, going beyond the commitment to suspend debt payments, Malpass said in an interview.

Even so, more countries will be obliged to restructure their debt.

"The debt vulnerabilities are high, and the imperative of getting light at the end of the tunnel so that new investors can come in is substantial," Malpass said.

Advanced economies in the Group of 20 already have committed to suspending debt payments from the poorest nations through the end of the year, and there is growing support for extending that moratorium into next year.

But Malpass said that will not be enough, since the economic downturn means those countries, which already are struggling to provide a safety net for their citizens, will not be in a better position to deal with the payments.

The amount of debt reduction needed will depend on the situation in each country, he said, but the policy "makes a lot of sense."

"So I think the awareness of this will be gradually, more and more apparent" especially "for the countries with the highest vulnerability to the debt situation."

The World Bank has committed to deploying $160 billion in funding to 100 countries through June 2021 in an effort to addresses the immediate emergency, but even so, extreme

poverty, defined as earning less than $1.90 a day, continues to rise.

Malpass said the deterioration is due to a combination of the destruction of jobs during the pandemic as well as supply issues that make access to food more difficult.

"All of this contributes to pushing people back into extreme poverty the longer the economic crisis persists."

Newly-installed World Bank Chief Economist Carmen Reinhart called the economic crisis a "pandemic depression," but Malpass was less concerned with terminology.

"We can start calling it a depression. Our focus is on how do we help countries be resilient in working out on the other side."

munity quarantine (ECQ) in Luzon, which accounts for about 70 percent of the country’s annual output, from the middle of March to the end of April. The ECQ was extended until the end of May for the National Capital Region (NCR).

Quarantine levels in the NCR have been eased to general community quarantine (GCQ) but the area was placed back under a 15-day modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) from August 4 to 18 to address the request of the medical community to arrest the rise of infections.

The ECQ hampered people’s movement and only selected industries like those in the medical field and the delivery of basic goods were allowed to go out.

Subsidies have been extended to affected sectors like the poorest of the poor and workers in the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), which account for about 60 percent of employment.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) earlier said it has released about PHP375 billion for the government’s Covid-19 response.

Dominguez said the Philippines’ stimulus package accounts for about 4.2 to 6.4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), lower than Malaysia’s 18.2 percent of GDP, United Kingdom’s 23.4 percent of GDP, and Sweden’s 10.8-16.6 percent of GDP. He, however, said that economic contraction in the Philippines in the second quarter this year is lower at 16.5 percent compared to Malaysia’s 17.1 percent and UK’s 21.7 percent. Sweden’s economy contracted by 8.2 percent during the same period.

“It appears that no matter how much money countries pump into their economies, their GDP would have shrunk massively, anyway. It is not the sheer size of the stimulus package that matters now but also whether

it is actually saving the productive parts of the economy,” he said, adding “this is because the problem is not a systemic contraction or a cyclical bust.”

Dominguez said “simply, necessary mobility restrictions hamper aggregate demand” and the economic contraction in the second quarter was due to the ECQ. He thus reiterated government efforts are not solely towards addressing the health issue, but ensuring that people would be saved from hunger and other diseases and the economy would be rebuilt since unemployment and reduced income have public health consequences.

“We cannot fight a pandemic with a weak economy; nor can we restore economic vigor without solving the public health crisis. We need a healthy people and a strong economy,” he added.

Dominguez said that since the fight against Covid-19 will still drag on

Fiscal strength a plus for PH’s fight vs. pandemic: DOF chief

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iscal strength provides the Philippine government leeway to address the economic and health impact of the pandemic even as the size of its stimulus program is lower compared to other countries.

Department of Finance (DOF) Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, in his videotaped speech during the 29th North Luzon Area Business Conference, done through Zoom by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) Thursday, said the movement restrictions implemented by the government to address the rise of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) infections “was costly for our economy.”

“But despite not having the biggest stimulus package and even with the strictest lockdown, the Philippines performed better than some economies, owing to its fiscal strengths,” he said.

The government implemented an enhanced com-

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symptomatic patients.)

The isolation area should also have its own toilet, and should be routinely disinfected at least every two hours or after use, he added.

Companies that cannot put up their own isolation areas should coordinate with the barangay for the referral of employees that need to be isolated, Roque said.

More industries reopened on Wednesday as Metro Manila and nearby urban hubs transitioned to a more relaxed general community quarantine.

To prevent the spread of the virus, the government has required the public to wear face shields on top of face masks in commercial areas, indoor workspaces, and public transport.

As of Wednesday, the Philippines has confirmed 173,774 COVID-19 cases, of which 57,498 are active cases.

he Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP) has asked the public not to hoard vitamins because hoarding has seriously affected the local supply.

“The high demand for vitamins has also resulted in an artificial medicine shortage,” PHAP said in a statement.

“We encourage patients not to overstock so that vulnerable patients and at-risk groups are not left without their vitamins,” the group said.

Nevertheless, the pharmaceutical makers’ group said it is now accelerating production and working hard to manage a good level of inventory as much as possible.

“We also encourage patients to only buy and use medicines that are prescribed by their doctors,” PHAP said.

The group said it is committed to partner with the government in ensuring that all Filipino patients have continued access to pharmaceutical and medical device in the time of COVID-19 pandemic.

“PHAP stands with the government, and will exert all efforts and facilitate all available resources to make medicines available in the country,” it said.

“We are also committed to working with the government so that when new treatments and vaccines are approved, they will be available for patients,” it added.

Like other industries, PHAP said pharmaceutical manufacturers are also impacted by the pandemic.

“There have been manufacturing delays due to strict health protocols that must be in place and implemented,” the group said.

Pharmaceutical makers, its said, are exerting all efforts to increase manufacturing capacity, keeping plants and warehouses open to maintain steady supply of medicines.

“They are also managing their inventories, especially the supplies that come in. Despite the risks and lockdowns, limitations on transportation, and additional costs, PHAP Members continue to work in the background to ensure that medicines reach the Filipino patients,” it said.

PH, UK vow to boost trade, investments amid pandemic

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he Philippines and the United Kingdom have renewed their commitments to boost trade and investments amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic following the second Economic Dialogue held between the two governments Wednesday.

In a joint statement, both states commit “to support the global health response and efforts towards an inclusive, green and sustainable economic recovery”.

“The Philippines is a key economic partner and ally of (the) UK in Asean. Engaging (the) UK bilaterally is strategically important at this crucial time as they implement their independent trade regime and as we ramp up international cooperation towards recovery from the effects of the pandemic,” Department of

Trade and Industry (DTI) Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo said.

The economic dialogue with the UK is the country’s first bilateral meet outside Asean since the onset of the coronavirus.

The economic dialogue also marks the 75 years of bilateral relations between the Philippines and UK in 2021.

“We move a step closer to 75 years of Philippine-UK friendship, and we look forward to an even stronger collaboration between our nations working together to shape the UK‘s dynamic partnership with Asean and the wider region,” British Ambassador to the Philippines Daniel Pruce said.

Pruce added that despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the two countries will continue to pursue closer ties for an “inclusive, green,

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6 VANTAGE EDGEDAVAO

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On the possibility of re-opening Roxas Night Market by September 1, 2020: Kung ma maintain nato kung unsa ang naa karon [nga number of Covid-19 cases], which is a number nga manageable sa atoang Covid-19 system diri sa Davao City, beginning September 1, then we will resume Roxas Night Market ...

Ang kinahanglan nato buhaton and i-remind sa tanan nga we need to instill self-discipline and self-regulation. Otherwise, modaghan ang atong cases, and manirado napud ta balik tanan, which is something nga dili nato gusto tanan. Nobody wants to go back to general community quarantine (GCQ), modified enhance community quarantine (MECQ), and enhance community quarantine (ECQ).”

MAYOR SARA DUTERTE-CARPIO City Mayor

EDGEDAVAO

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EDGEDAVAO

VOL.13 ISSUE 113 • FRIDAY, AUGUST 21, 2020

7 EDGEDAVAO

VOL.13 ISSUE 114 • SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 2020

VANTAGE POINTS

FOOD

ANTONIO V. FIGUEROA

FROZEN-PAR BAKED ‘QUARANTINE DISHES’ FAST BACKWARD

FERNANDEZ PIANO SCHOOL

Established in 1950, Fernandez Piano School, a pioneering institution, was the brainchild of Encarnita Fernandez.

She was chief instructress of the iconic school and was tutor to dozens of pianists who later graced the music scene, mainly daughters of high-up families in Davao City.

Born in 1923 in Cebu, Encarnita was the biological daughter of Engr. Gandiongco and her wife, Encarnacion. For undisclosed reason, she was adopted by judge Enrique Fernandez, later appeals justice and acting justice secretary, who AS Amarried RESTAURATEUR, was to her aunt, AnselVincent Rodriguez’s priority is ma Gandiangco. obviously safety of his team Undertheher legal parents, she was afforded the chance to and guests. explore her ensuring talents. aWhile But after safe the judge was assigned in Zamboanenvironment, thein owner Tiny ga, she enrolled pianoofunder Kitchen and DulceaVida needs Pilar Blanco-Sala, famous piato getand proactive and creative nist, later pursued tertiary education at during St. Scholastica to stay afloat the slowCollege of Music in Manila.

The war, dine-in business in this time of though, cut short her studies.

Covid-19 pandemic.

Unable to return to Cebu, she

“The pandemic has affected our resto from downsizing one fourth of our staff (Skeletons staff) and operating through curbside or take- out orders.

Majority are through pre-orders online and through telephone calls,” said Rodriguez admitting that the tough times squeezed the creativity in him.

No one knows how long this pandemic will last, but Rodriguez knows he has to respond.

So he introduced pre-cooked dishes for take-out at Tiny Kitchen in F.raining Torres Street.

It was outside the house and I hadcreated nothing These dishes in to thisdo.

So, I decided to file all the time of quarantine are frozenold issues of scattered Reader’s par-baked ready to eat or heatDigest in a cabinet. But I couldn’t and packs.

These are pasta helpserve getting a few copies and sauces, filled bread, fish,in scannedpastas, the pages.

Now, chicken and beef mealsvacu- to the reading mood, I started glance at some the articles. um-packed andof frozen.

One January “These versatile2001 packs feature are

caught my attention: “Faith is Powerful Medicine.” Is the author – Phyllis McIntosh – writing about faith healing? No, she was talking about religious faith – that heals.

Dr. Dale Matthews, associate professor of medicine at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, was quoted as saying: “We cannot prove scientifically that God heals, but I believe we can prove that belief in God has a beneficial effect.”

The author said that more than 30 studies have found a connection between spiritual or religious commitment and longer life. Among the most compelling findings: ·A survey of 5,286 Californians found that churchgoers have lower death rates than non-churchgoers – regardless of risk factors such as smoking, drinking, obesity and inactivity. ·Those with a religious commitment had fewer symptoms or had better health outcomes in seven out of eight cancer studies, four out of five blood-pressure studies and four out of five general-health stud-

decided to stay with the nuns of Pila, Laguna until it was safe to find a passage back home.

After the conflict, she continued her studies. At the time, judge Fernandez had already moved to Davao as judge-atlarge of Davao and Cotabato.

He later became district judge of Davao (1947-58) and Court of First Instance judge, appointed justice undersecretary and concurrently acting Director of Prisons in the Garcia administration, and acting justice secretary in 1959. A year thereafter, he was appointed justice of the Court of Appeals.

After graduating from St. Scholastica’s College of Music, Encarnita joined her parents and sister Ana Maria in Davao and opened the piano school in 1954. Later, she pursued Professional Studies in Chamber Music at the Mannes College, known also as The New York School of Music, in New York, USA. To her credit, Encarnita personally performed One of her compositions, Moonbeams,

during the annual St. Cecilia’s Concert at St. Scholastica’s College on November 18, 2001, which was a tribute to National Artist for Music Lucio San Pedro. She later became a recipient of the 2007 Music Centennial Awards from her Alma Mater. She is also a member of the Piano Teachers’ Guild of the Philippines Foundation, Inc. The conservatory, meanwhile, was housed along Cortez Street (now Bonifacio) in a two-story structure painted to mahogany and white, with sliding windows adorned with kapis shells. It did not take long for her school to see daughters from known Davao families enrolling.

A disciplinarian by orientation, Ms. Fernandez inculcated in her students the emotion involved as the pieces were played out and in the way the compositions were put into motion on the keyboards and the pedals.

As a mentor, she was tireless, firm, consistent, and wanted integrity in the rendition of the

pre-cooked so all one has to do is re-heat in microwave, hot water bath or pan heat. Heating instructions are on the label and are very kitchen friendly.

Meals that can be enjoyed in Starting from shuttling them the confines of your home. ang doing thermal check with THINK ON Meals for the quarantined face THESE! shields and mask as issued. diners as we call it,” Rodriguez Changing of clothes and disinsaid. fecting upon arrival with spacThese dishes are for those ing and distancing as required,” people who are looking for difRodriguez said. ferent meal options and satisfy Since his restaurant is opertheir ating without air conditionies. ‘outside’ food cravings. sense, taken any together, make rea·People with strong Tiny Kitchen is now also reli- er,sonable no dineservice, in and awhich leewayends on by gious commitment seem to giving us the light of life.” practicing new normal in its rental from the landlord of his be less prone to depression, building, Just Rodriguez what is faith, operation. said anyway? he is suicide, alcoholism and other “Faith is not trying to believe “The new normal in our trying to make both ends addictions, according to one re- something regardless meet. of evirestaurant starts from our “The support of our local Eddy. search analysis. dence,” says Sherwood teamsAcoordinated from to community in trusting us that person doesefforts not need “Faith is daring to do something know how orand whyexcercisfaith works. their regardless of of the consequencimplementing orders are quality is Butprotocols faith does work!

Sir Wil- helping es.” Elton ing by the number. us,”Trueblood he said. points out:

pieces.

Among her distinguished students were Dr. Evelyn Abellera-Magno, president of Rizal Memorial Colleges; Ana Marie Pamintuan; Perla Palma Gil; Melinda Garcia-Alonzo; Aurora Quimpo-Paez; Mila Cabaguio-Jocson; Elenita Roque-Aquino; and Fortune Ranada-Castillo, wife of the late city councilor Antonio Suazo Castillo. There were also male students who elicited good impressions.

Norma Iñigo-Monfort, daughter of Davao sportsman Carlos V. Iñigo, was one of her exceptional students; she won gold as a student of the piano school. After completing high school at Philippine Women’s College, she proceeded to Manila where she earned her Bachelor of Music degree, major in Piano.

Another student, Daphne Cabaguio Jocson, was in Ms. Fernandez’ musical care for over a dozen years. On the other hand, Mila Cabaguio Jocson, another protege, completed her

music degree at the Fernandez Piano School; consequently, she taught music in schools like Stella Maris Ateneo de Davao University, Philippine Women’s University.

When her parents passed away and she was left alone to tend the school, Encarnita decided to close the institute in 1994 and relocated to Kuala Lumpur two years later to join her adopted daughter. In the next couple of decades, she took on the life of a semi-retired musician in Malaysia. However, in 2015, at age 92, she returned to Manila to spend her last years in the city that has given her honors and the school she founded.

The best tribute that can be accorded to Ms. Fernandez is the widely known fact that most of the leading instructors of piano schools in Davao today are former students of Fernandez Piano School or are second-generation musicians taught by pioneering students of the piano institute.

HENRYLITO D. TACIO

THE POWER OF FAITH

fred Grenfell has this to say: “Why is it that the very term ‘religious life’ has come to voice the popular idea that religion is altogether divorced from ordinary life? That conception is the exact opposite of Christ’s teachings. Faith, ‘reason grown courageous,’ as someone has called it, has become assurance to me now, not because the fight is easy and we are never worsted but because it has made life infinitely worthwhile, so that I want to get all I can out of it, every hour.

“God help us not to neglect the use of a thing – like faith – because we do not know how it works! It would be a criminal offense if a doctor would not to use the X-ray even if he does not know how barium chloride makes Gamma rays visible. We must know that our opinions are not a matter of very great moments, except in so as in what they lead us to do. I see no reason whatever to suppose that the Creator lays any stress on them either. Experience answers out problems – experience of faith and common sense. For faith and common

“Faith not belief without proof, but trust without reservations.”

Allow me to give you an illustration. In his book, The Edge of Adventure, author Bruce Larson tells a story about a letter found in a baking powder tin which is wired to the handle of a pump. It offered the only hope of drinking water on the seldom-used trail across a desert. The letter in the tin read as follows: “This pump is all right as of June 1932. I put a new leather sucker washed into it, and it ought to last several years. But this leather washer dries out and the pump has to get to be primed. Under the white rock, I buried a bottle of water. There’s enough water in it to prime the pump. But not if you drink some first. Pour in about one-quarter, and let her soak to wet the leather. Then pour in the rest medium fast and pump like crazy. You’ll get water. The well has never run dry. Have faith.

“When you get watered up, fill the bottle and put it back like you found it for the next feller.”

There was postscript. It said: “Don’t go drinking up the

water first. Prime the pump with it first, and you’ll get all you can hold.”

That’s what faith is all about. Believing that there will be water even if you have not seen it yet. The Holy Bible assigns high importance to faith: “If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed… nothing shall be impossible unto you.”

Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, one of the world’s most-widely read American authors, explains: “The implication is that while you may not have perfect faith, or considerable faith, or even faith as small as a tiny mustard seed, yet, if what you do have is real faith, then life will be predicated, not on an impossibility concept, but rather upon the fact of great possibilities.

Faith strongly held can move you from the area of the impossible into a way of life that is full of exciting possibilities.”

A famous heiress keeps her priceless collection of jewels in the vault of a large bank. One of her prize possessions is a very valuable string of pearls. It is a scientific fact that pearls lose their original luster if not worn once in a while in contact with the human body. So, once a week, a bank secretary, guarded by two plainclothesmen, wears these priceless pearls to lunch.

This brief contact with the human body keeps them beautiful and in good condition.

Our faith is a lot like a pearl.

It must be used in order to be

useful. It must be worn out among the masses of mankind where faith and hope are needed.

“We live by faith or we do not live at all,” wrote Harold Walker. “Either we venture – or we vegetate. If we venture, we do so by faith simply because we cannot know the end of anything at its beginning. We risk marriage on faith or we stay single. We prepare for a profession by faith or we give up before we start. By faith, we move mountains of opposition or we are stopped by molehills.”

This brings us to the subject of belief. Someone once asked Jay Kesler, former president of Youth to Christ International, if he believed that God could make a fish big enough to swallow a man. As a college president and above average in intelligence, in a world in which we have learned to split the atom and go to the moon, did Kesler really think that God can make a fish big enough to swallow a man?

Dr. Kesler’s reply is one of simple trust in a great God. “Let me tell you,” he said, “I not only believe that he can make such a fish, but the God who made the sun and the moon and the stars, if he wanted to, could air-condition and carpet the fish!”

Here’s a final word: “Faith draws the poison from every grief, takes the sting from every loss, and quenches the fire of every pain; and only faith can do it.” That’s what J.G. Holland said.

8

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.13 ISSUE 114 • SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 2020

PLDT, SMART RAMP UP NETWORK UPGRADES IN DAVAO REGION PLDT and its wireless subsidiary Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) are increasing the capacity and reach of their fixed and wireless networks in Davao Region to meet their customers’ ever-increasing demand for data services.

As of June, Smart has ramped-up the installation of LTE base stations across its existing sites in Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Compostela Valley, Davao Oriental and Davao Occidental.

Smart’s mobile network is supported by PLDT’s extensive fiber infrastructure, which provides high-capacity links to LTE base stations and is now nearly 360,000 kilometers nationwide.

“As the country’s only fully integrated telecoms and digital services provider, we at PLDT and Smart are committed to continue improving customer experience on our network, especially in the new normal, where customers need connectivity to communicate with their families, study remotely and work and earn their livelihoods from the safety of their homes,” said PLDTSmart Senior Vice President for Network Planning and Engineering Mario G. Tamayo.

Tamayo added that in most provinces, Smart has already upgraded its existing sites to LTE

and is continuously adding LTE bands and rolling out additional physical sites in Mindanao and the rest of the country.

To date, Smart LTE is available in 91% of the country’s municipalities and serves 94% of the population.

Among the provinces with Smart LTE sites include Mindanao provinces like Misamis

Northern Samar, and is ramping up its rollout in Cagayan and Isabela.

Fastest networks in the country PLDT and Smart have recently been cited as the country’s fastest fixed and mobile internet networks, outpacing the competition yet again during the first half of 2020, according to Ookla,

Speed Score of 18.33, with average download speeds of 15.94 Mbps and average upload speeds of 7.57 Mbps, based on 2,810,963 user-initiated tests taken with Speedtest® in the Philippines for the period Q1-Q2 2020. Speed Score is a measure that takes into account both upload and download speeds.

Drilling down, initial data

Occidental, Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur, Northern and Central Luzon provinces like Quirino and Aurora, Southern Luzon provinces like Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, Albay and Sorsogon, and Visayas provinces like Capiz, Guimaras and Siquijor, and to name a few.

This year, Smart has also deployed 4G/LTE in remote areas of Sulu, Ifugao, Mindoro, and

the global leader in internet testing and analysis.

Ookla reported that PLDT achieved a Speed ScoreTM of 24.79, with top download speeds of 70.54 Mbps and top upload speeds of 85.38 Mbps. The fixed network award is based on 48,404,707 customer-initiated Speedtest nationwide for Q1-Q2 2020.

Meanwhile, Smart posted a

included in Ookla’s country reports also showed PLDT posting big leads in key areas like Davao City, Cebu City and Quezon City, for example, while Smart is ahead in key areas like Quezon City, Cebu City and Makati City.

Earlier this year, independent mobile analytics firm Opensignal, in its April 2020 Mobile Network Experience Report for the Philippines*, also said

GOLDEN CAÑEDO RELEASES NEW SINGLE ON CHANCE ENCOUNTERS THE CLASH SEASON 1 CHAMPION Golden Cañedo has a musical treat up her sleeve as she releases a new single under GMA Music entitled “Walang Hanggang Sandali.”

She considers it a blessing to have been entrusted with a song composed by esteemed OPM artists Ebe Dancel, Yumi Lacsamana, Herbert Hernandez, and Jim Paredes. The song was likewise a product of the 1st Filscap Master camp, the first major songwriting collaboration in the Philippines.

“I feel blessed and honored na ipinagkatiwala po nila sa akin ang kantang ito. I look up to them dahil sila ‘yung mga pinapakinggan ko noon and hinahangaan ko ‘yung mga kanta nila. And now ako na mismo ang kakanta ng gawa nila. Also, thankful din po ako sa GMA Network, GMA Art-

ist Center, and GMA Music dahil ako ang napili nila na magbigaybuhay sa kantang ito.”

“Walang Hanggang Sandali” is about chance encounters and how destiny works behind-the-scenes in meeting the right person to love. Having been in a relationship herself, Golden shared the feeling of finding her special someone, “Siyempre si Lord talaga ang nakakalaam kung sino ang nakatadhana para sa atin. At kapag dumating na ang perfect time na ‘yun, ‘yun na ang magiging simula ng Walang Hanggang Sandali.

Masarap ma-in love lalo na sa tamang tao.”

Beginning August 25, Golden’s new single will be available for streaming on Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music, and other digital platforms worldwide.

that Smart provides the Best Video Experience, Best 4G/LTE Availability and the Best Upload and Download Speed Experience for mobile users in Davao del Sur.

Kadayawan support With these network improvement efforts, PLDT and Smart are also able to support this year’s digital Kadayawan Festival in Davao City. PLDT and Smart are also sponsoring various events and contests, including the Paglaum Concert, where Smart is providing free GIGA Study to selected scholars in Davao City.

Launched recently, GIGA Study is a prepaid data pack aimed at giving students simpler access to a selection of learning apps and productivity tools, in order to help them adapt to online learning in the new normal.

To encourage more Davaoenos to upgrade to LTE, Smart has also teamed up with local partners in offering exclusive discounts on LTE devices, as well as discounted GIGA load packages such as GIGA Stories, which will enable customers to join Kadayawan festivities on Facebook, and share their stories on Instagram, Twitter and Tiktok.

LANCE BUSA RELEASES DEBUT SINGLE ‘SA AKING MUNDO’ “IDOL PHILIPPINES” finalist Lance Busa draws the line between healthy and harmful relationships in his upcoming single titled “Sa Aking Mundo,” set to drop this Friday.

“Sometimes you don’t need to try so hard to be loved,” said Lance about the message of his debut offering under Star Music.

The neo-soul track “Sa Aking Mundo” is another masterpiece of songwriter-producer Kiko “KIKX” Salazar and part of his “After Dark ‘The Final Hour’” EP in celebration of his 10th year in the music industry.

“This track is a representation of the introvert side of me. I’ve written this originally as a letter to myself, a reminder that people may either inspire you or drain you — so I need to pick wisely and protect myself from them,” KIKX shared.

He also commended Lance for his interpretation of “Sa Aking

Mundo,” who he said was very fitting of the song’s laidback mood.

“The voice of Lance Busa sends the right amount of smoothness and tension. I am very definite that this one fits him well.”

Lance finished in third place in the culmination of “Idol Philippines” in 2019. Prior to this, he won the first edition of Michael Bolton’s reality singing competition “Bolt of Talent” in 2017.

Guard your heart from a toxic love and listen to Lance’s “Sa Aking Mundo,” out on various digital streaming platforms.

9 BIGGER PICTURE EDGEDAVAO

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.13 ISSUE 114 • SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 2020

The essence of mental health in education’s new set-up

DepEd strengthens psychosocial support for the academic community

T

he incoming school year is set to happen in extraordinary times, and will be vastly different from previous school years. With the country’s ongoing battle with COVID-19, schools must approach education in a way that ensures learning continuity without sacrificing health and safety. This calls for an alternative learning model and a shift in the mindsets of education stakeholders.

As the academic community prepares for this necessary change, the Department of Education (DepEd) has put emphasis on the importance of overall wellness and taking care of one’s mental health.

“DepEd fully supports the academic community as they transition into education’s new normal, and one form of support is helping them look after their mental health,” said Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones. “The Department understands that the preparations for the incoming school year can be mentally and emotionally strenuous. This is why we have highlighted programs that will offer psychosocial support for teachers, parents, and other members of the community.”

Earlier in July, DepEd

opened a course on the Provision of Psychosocial Support and Training Wellness. The course aims to help the Department’s teachers and school leaders look after their overall wellness to fulfill their roles as education frontliners.

The first part of the course is Psychosocial Support, which consists of a series of online sessions. These sessions focus on normalizing feelings, identifying stress reactions, identifying one’s needs, and expressing these needs to others.

Participants will also be taught positive coping strategies like setting up work-from-home practices and practicing mindfulness meditation.

Training Wellness, on the other hand, consists of weekly learning ‘playlists’ that include course videos

and discussions on the different aspects of one’s overall wellness -- physical wellness, emotional wellness, and intellectual wellness, among others.

This part of the course started last July 6, and will end on September 11.

Teachers and school leaders who have no access to these online sessions and courses will

be given psychosocial support by the region or division through alternative means, such as phone calls. Self-learning modules for offline use will also be available for the learning playlists.

Because parents will also play a salient role in guiding and helping their children with their education, DepEd also launched

Gabay Bahay, an online series for parents. It is a weekly online learning activity to engage parents and primary caregivers to protect the health, safety and well-being of children and learners.

The series covers topics on good parenting in the context of COVID-19, such as understanding the effects the pandemic may have on children. The first episode of Gabay Bahay was launched last July 15, and episodes will be streamed weekly on the DepEd Philippines Facebook page every Wednesday at 4 PM until August 19.

Perhaps the members of the academic community who need the most support for the incoming school year are the learners, as children may feel a sense of anxiety, fear, or confusion brought by COVID-19 and having to stay indoors. To alleviate this, DepEd set up Online Kwentuhan: DRRMSbooklatan, a weekly online storytelling session that features relatable narratives for elementary learners. The stories cover topics like children’s rights, proper hygiene, and cultural appreciation.

These online sessions started last May, and will be conducted every Tues-

day at 4 PM until August.

To ensure that no learner gets left behind, DepEd will also have online sessions that will facilitate the wellbeing, protection, and learning continuity of children with disabilities. These sessions, which will start in the last week of July, will make use of art-based and home-based activities with the assistance of invited artists, psychologists, occupational therapists, and other field practitioners.

These programs are only a few examples of the Department’s mental health and psychosocial support services (MHPSS) interventions. DepEd is hopeful that through these initiatives, they can help the academic community prepare in all necessary aspects for SY 2020-2021.

“Protecting and promoting the mental health of our education stakeholders, especially in these uncertain times, is among one of the Department’s top priorities,” said Briones. “With the cooperation and help of our partners and various organizations, we will continue working toward providing the psychosocial support that the academic community needs.”

10 EDGEDAVAO PRRD.. FROM2

regime, was shot upon his arrival at the then Manila International Airport on Aug. 21, 1983.

His death sparked indignation against Marcos’ dictatorship that fueled the

Edsa People Power Revolution in February 1986.

The revolt eventually toppled Marcos and catapulted Aquino’s widow, Corazon Aquino, to the presidency. (PNA)

tific world, if I may say," she added.

Dr. Jacinto Mantaring also said the Single Joint Research Ethics Board, which he chairs, has not received any official document yet for Sputnik V's clinical trial in the Philippines.

"Wala pa kaming natatanggap na any form of application for the clinical trial pero ang masasabi ko, kasama kasi sa review ng isang trial ang literature," he said.

"We will not allow any trial if there is no preliminary proof of efficacy and safety... Ang layunin ng Phase 1 and Phase 2 is more of safety. Pag nakitang safe doon pa lang gagawa ng Phase 3," he added.

Sputnik V will likely be available for commercial use in the Philippines

by April 2021, according to Philippine Council for Health Research executive director Dr. Jaime Montoya as Russia's FDA is seen to approve it this coming January.

For now, Russia plans enlisting 10,000 individuals in four countries —UAE, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, and the Philippines—for the Phase 3 of the clinical trials for Sputnik V and around 1,000 Filipinos are expected to join.

Malacañang said President Rodrigo Duterte could be injected with the Russian-made vaccine as early as May 2021.

have become much more ample,” he said, citing that auctions on the various BSP facilities are generally oversubscribed.

Dakila said these factors

indicate there is no need for another RRR cut this time.

“Any further adjustments will be made by the Board as needed,” he added.

(PNA)

pending the availability of vaccines, the government needs to be judicious on the use of its fiscal and financial resources.

“There is no knock-out punch for Covid-19 and its

economic fallout. We are therefore conserving our fiscal stamina for a full, 12-round fight. Our capacity to fight can and will outlast this health challenge,” he added.(PNA)

and sustainable economic recovery”.

The Philippines and UK reaffirm their commitments to boost trade and investments, particularly in sectors of aerospace, electronics, automotive, and pharmaceuticals; pursue innovation and industrial collaboration; foster micro, small and medium enterprise development; enable key reforms and deepen program partnerships, including through the UK Prosperity Fund in areas like health, education, low carbon energy, infrastructure, finance, business envi-

ronment, intellectual property, and digital economy.

In February 2020, UK Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to the Philippines Richard Graham visited Manila to reinforce economic ties between the two countries despite UK’s transition to leave the European Union (EU) by end of the year.

Graham, who is also a British parliament member, has said the UK government will pursue independent trade agreements around the globe and he sees strong potential for Philippines-UK free trade agreement in the future.(PNA)

Orlando had no points in the paint for the entire first quarter and went nearly eight minutes without a basket during a firsthalf stretch.

After Vucevic made a jump shot to cut Milwaukee’s lead to four with 5:34 left in the first quarter, the Magic missed their next 13 field-goal attempts. Orlando wouldn’t make another basket and fell behind by

16 before Ross hit a jumper with 9:48 remaining until halftime.

But the Magic then missed their next six shots as the Bucks stretched their lead to 23.

Milwaukee led 64-43 at the intermission, with Antetotkounmpo capping the first half by dunking off Connaughton’s pass with four-tenths of a second remaining.

win.

Goran Dragic added 20 points, while Butler had 18 for Miami, which shot 18-of-35 3-pointers and spoiled Victor Oladipo's return to form after more than a year rehabilitating

his knee.

Oladipo, whose appearance in the series opener was cut abruptly after an eye injury in-game, played 34 minutes and finished with a team-high 22 points and 6 turnovers.

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VOL.13 ISSUE 114 • SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 2020

A group of maintenance personnel works on the wirings and the electrical materials which will be installed at the junction of R. Magsaysay Avenue and Chavez Street in Davao City. Edge Davao

SENATE.. FROM3

recently-returned overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

It also provides for the liberalization of the grant of incentives in the manufacture or importation of critical equipment or essential goods, including PPEs, health care equipment and supplies; and the acceleration in the deployment of critical ICT infrastructure, particularly additional cell towers, equipment, software and wireless technologies to address the need for digital connectivity, internet speed and stability, among others.

Bayanihan 2 also provides for a 60-day grace period for the payment of all existing current and outstanding loans falling due on or before December 31, 2020. There is also a 30-day grace period on residential and commercial rents as well as the payment of utilities.

“The Covid-19 pandemic may have forced us to go into quarantine, but today we demonstrate how there

is no locking down the Filipino spirit of bayanihan, especially during times of crisis and calamity… in the true spirit of bayanihan, nagkaisa po tayo (we united) to pass this measure in a relatively short amount of time despite the many issues involved,” Angara said.

Angara also thanked all his colleagues for fully supporting the measure.

“With the swift passage of Bayanihan 2, we hope to reinvigorate our people and renew their confidence in the future,” he said.

Duterte wants transparency Meanwhile, Senate President Vicente Sotto III was quick to emphasize the importance of transparency in the implementation of Bayanihan 2, saying Duterte himself specifically instructed him Wednesday night on the need for transparency.

“The President of the Philippines sent a very important message that he wanted all these transac-

tions be transparent and make sure that Congress is given a report on how this is going to be spent,” he told the plenary.

“The President also specified that the Commission on Audit (COA) should also be given a copy on how the Bayanihan 2 funding will be spent. It was a specific order by the President of the Philippines last night,” Sotto said.

Angara said that like the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, Bayanihan also mandates the Executive branch to regularly submit reports to the Oversight Committee of Congress, and, in compliance with Duterte’s directives, also to the Commission on Audit (COA) for added transparency.

Senator Christopher “Bong” Go confirmed Sotto’s pronouncements.

“I would like to confirm, gusto ng Presidente na transparent ang executive and lahat ay accounted saan nagastos ang pera ng gobyerno (the President

wants the Executive to be transparent and everything is accounted where government funds were spent,” he said.

He also thanked all members of the Bicameral Conference Committee for coming together in support of Bayanihan 2.

As chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Go commended the committee for providing benefits for healthcare workers, both public and private, who have contracted mild or severe Covid-19, or died due to Covid-19 while in the line of duty.

He also commended the Committee for heeding the President’s call, by providing additional benefits to public and private health care workers, like special risk allowance, life insurance, accommodation, transportation, and meals.

“This measure shall go a long way as we move forward on our road to our recovery as one,” Go said.

(PNA)

what he envisioned. “Had one good day, the first day (he shot 68), and then after that I didn’t really putt well,” he said.

This week, at a place where Woods has won and played consistently well, the old standby is in play.

And? “I had a good feel today.

I had nice pace and I like the speed of these greens.

They’re fast,” said Woods.

“Even though they’re soft, they’re still quick. I just felt comfortable.”

The numbers supported him, even if they weren’t off the charts.

He needed just 29 putts, and at the completion of his

round his Strokes Gained: Putting (+1.15) was ranked 18th. True, his longest putt was just 16 feet (at the par-3 third) and he made a made a modest 66 feet, 5 inches of putts, but never did he appear stressed out on the putting surfaces.

Like he said, comfortable.

“That’s one of the weird things about golf,” he said.

“It’s just the way it is sometimes.”

Of course, here’s another aspect of golf that is hard to ignore: It’s the tee shot that puts everything in motion and this is where the numbers were not so kind to Woods in Thursday’s

opening round. He did hit five of the first seven fairways, but moving to TPC Boston’s front nine, Woods hit the first fairway, then missed each of the next six.

OK, a disclaimer is needed, however, as the 298yard par-4 fourth is a hole that players try to drive, and Woods was not unhappy with finding the bunker; he made birdie. Coming on top of the 16-footer he had made at the par-3 third, Woods was officially on the move. He continued nicely by converting a 6-footer for birdie at the par-5 seventh, then hit arguably his best iron shot of the day to birdie from 7 feet at the 225-yard,

par-3 eighth.

If the closing bogey unsettled him, Woods didn’t let on.

There have been questions about a busy stretch of golf, possibly four starts in five weeks beginning here at THE NORTHERN TRUST. But the 44-year-old Woods, the guy who began his day with hot oil to warm up, just shrugged.

“I’ve got to get to Atlanta (and the TOUR Championship for the top 30 in the FedExCup standings) first,” he said. “I’m not in.”

Not currently, as he sits 49th in the standings. But an opening 68 was surely a step in the right direction.

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11

Tiger in hot start

N Anthony Davis goes strong to the basket. He finished with 31 points and 11 rebounds.

Lakers tie it at 1-1

L

AKE BUENA VISTA, Florida — Anthony Davis had 31 points and 11 rebounds and the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers bounced back from an opening loss to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 111-88 on Thursday night (Friday, Manila time) in Game 2 of the first-round Western Conference playoff series.

LeBron James had 10 points, six rebounds, seven assists and six turnovers. He had 23 points, 17 rebounds and a playoff career-high 16 assists in Game 1.

The Trail Blazers stunned the Lakers 100-93 in Game 1, but things went horribly wrong in Game 2.

A poor performance got worse when All-Star guard Damian Lillard dislocated

the index finger on his left hand in the third quarter.

He left the game for good, and the team said X-rays were negative.

Lillard was held to 18 points after ripping the Lakers for 34 in Game 1.

Davis scored 21 points in the first half to help the Lakers take a 56-39 lead. The Trail Blazers’ high-powered offense shot 35% in the half.

Rockets, Heat take 2-0 leads

J

ames Harden scored 21 points, and a Houston Rockets team that was lackluster from the field for the first 3 quarters went on a 20-2 run to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-98 on Thursday (US time).

Danuel House Jr. added 19 points and 9 rebounds for Houston, which went up 2-0 in their West firstround series.

The Thunder, who were down by as many as 23 points in Game 1 before losing 123-108, hung around until the Rockets exploded.

Trailing 78-74 with 2 minutes left in the third quarter, Houston came back, thanks to back-toback 3-pointers by Jeff Green and Danuel House in the fourth that put the Rockets ahead 83-80.

They weren't done though.

Harden, who scored 11 in the fourth, capped that run with 2 free throws to stretch Houston's lead to 94-80, before he and PJ Tucker drilled a triple each to ensure victory.

The Rockets made 19 3-pointers, but did so on an eye-popping 56 attempts for a 33.9% clip.

Their starting backcourt of Harden and Eric Gordon combined for 2 of 22, with Gordon missing all 10 tries from long distance. But all it took was for Houston to find its range for 6 minutes to win.

Shai Gilgeous Alexander, who scored just 9 points in the opener, finished with a game-high 31 points for Oklahoma City.

Heat 109, Pacers 100 Duncan Robinson scored 24 points and his 7 3-pointers led a downtown party by the Miami Heat en route to a 109-100 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Thursday (US time) to take a 2-0 series in their East first-round series.

Robinson missed just once from the 3-point area, and four other teammates made at least a pair from behind the arc, as hot-shooting Miami kept Indiana at bay after taking control in the second half.

The game was tied at 44-all when Jimmy Butler went on a personal 7-0 run that gave the Heat a 5146 halftime lead, before they grew some distance, went up by as many as 16 points, and preserved the

FROCKETS, P10

Early in the third quarter, Davis aggressively grabbed a defensive rebound, then fired a long pass to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope for a breakaway jam that gave the Lakers a 63-41 lead.

The Lakers continued to pour it on and led 88-58 after three quarters. Los Angeles led by 32 points in the period.

Most of the starters for both teams sat out the fourth quarter.

Lillard dislocates left index finger in Game 2 THE Portland Trail Blazers took two blows on Friday, Manila time.

Damian Lillard dislocated his left index finger late in the third quarter and didn’t return in the Blazers’ 111-88 loss to

L

AKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 28 points and 20 rebounds and the Milwaukee Bucks rode a fast start to beat the Orlando Magic 111-96 on Thursday (Friday, Manila time) and tie the Eastern Conference first-round series at a game apiece.

The Bucks boasted the

the Los Angeles Lakers in Game Two of the NBA Western Conference quarterfinals.

The Blazers superstar put up 18 points, three boards, one assist, and one steal in 30 minutes before heading to the locker room with one minute and 44 seconds remaining in the third period when Portland was trailing by 30 points, 85-55.

X-rays, though, came out negative, reports say.

Portland’s Damian Lillard has suffered a dislocated left index finger.

X-rays negative.

The eighth-seeded Blazers were coming off a 100-93 win in Game One last Wednesday, before the Lakers tied the series two days later.

NBA’s best regular-season record at 56-17, but went 3-5 in the eight seeding games at Disney’s Wide World of Sports and opened the playoffs by losing 122-110 to Orlando.

Milwaukee bounced back Thursday, building a 23-point lead in the first half, though Orlando got the margin down to nine in

ORTON, Mass. – He was hot under the collar, but it had nothing to do with his golf, nor his decision to put his favorite putter back into play.

Nope. The problem early in Tiger Woods’ opening round of THE NORTHERN TRUST was more than the bogey he made on his fourth hole, the par-4 13th.

It was the hot oil he uses to loosen up his cranky back.

“I decided to put some up on my neck,” Woods explained, “and it’s not as tolerant as my lower back so it gets awfully hot.”

That situation remedied with a bottle of ice water, Woods watched the heat transfer to his golf game at TPC Boston. He played a nine-hole stretch – the par5 18th to the par-3 eighth – in 5 under.

Solid stuff that would have ignited roars had there been spectators, this time the hot stuff was halted not by a water bottle, but a wide-right drive at the par4 ninth. Woods made bogey after

he couldn’t muscle the 207yard shot out of the rough and missed the green. Still, for the most part Woods appeared content with his 3-under 68 that left him four off Harris English’s clubhouse lead after the morning wave.

Playing just his ninth competitive round since the PGA TOUR returned in mid-June after a threemonth break, Woods was accompanied by the putter that has been in his hands for nearly everything that made him an icon. He had used the Scott Cameron Newport 2 GSS in 14 of his 15 major championships, so when he put it on the bench for the PGA Championship two weeks ago, it was considered big news.

Woods explained that he liked the longer shaft and heavier feel to the Scotty Cameron Newport 2 Timeless, but he conceded that the results at TPC Harding Park were less

FTIGER, P10

than

Tiger Woods fired a 68 in the first round.

the fourth quarter.

Brook Lopez scored 20 points and Pat Connaughton had 15 on 5-of-8 3-point shooting for Milwaukee. Eric Bledsoe had 13 points and Donte DiVincenzo added 11.

Orlando’s Nikola Vucevic followed up his 35-point effort in the opener by scoring 32 points.

Giannis Antetokounmpo goes for the loose ball against Nikola Vucevic. PHOTO: AP

Evan Fournier and Terrence Ross each had 12, Markelle Fultz had 11 and D.J. Augustin added 10.

The difference between the first and second games of this series was in The Bucks’ defensive intensity was the difference between the two games.

FGIANNIS, P10

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Rupert Zaragosa in file photo.

BUBBLE WRAPPED

‘Bubble’ for PH golf events eyed

G

ames and Amusements Board golf consultant Oliver Gan bared on Thursday that plans for local golf tournaments, particularly those of the Philippine Golf Tour (PGT), will happen via a bubble.

Gan confirmed in the online Usapang Sports Forum of the Tabloid Organization in Philippine Sports that the PGT is eyeing the bubble setup, an isolation zone with strict rules similar to that of the National Basketball Association for its season to push through amid the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

“May proposal ang Philippine Golf Tour na yung mga professional golfers natin ay ilalagay sa isang hotel, and then may proposal din sila na may transportation service na ihahatid sila sa golf course (There is a proposal from the Philippine Golf Tour in which our professional golfers will be stationed in one hotel,

and then they have another proposal for a transportation service that will bring them to the golf course),” Gan said.

He said that GAB is currently taking a closer look at the bubble format since this could prove to be more costly for the golfers.

“Ang magiging gastusin ng ating mga tour professionals ay lalabas na PHP20,000 kada buwan (The projected expenses of our tour professionals are tipped at PHP20,000 per month),” Gan continued.

The PGT is eyeing six events in various locations in Luzon either as soon as October or by early next year.

(PNA)