Edge Davao Volume 13 Issue 236 | Thursday, January 21, 2021

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Gov’t doctor assures Covid-19 vaccine is safe, urges public to get vaccinated STORY ON PAGE 2

A young child throws tantrums to express the discomfort he is feeling while staying inside a tent at Lapu-Lapu Village Gym in Maya-Maya Street, Brgy. Lapu-Lapu, Davao City, which became his family’s temporary shelter after their house was gutted by fire last week.

Edge Davao

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VOL.13 ISSUE 236 • THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2021

NEWS

Local government workers check the pile of donated clothes for fire victims inside Lapu-Lapu Village Gym in Brgy. Lapu-Lapu, Agdao, Davao City on Wednesday. Edge Davao

VAX IS SAFE Gov’t doctor assures Covid-19 vaccine is safe, urges public to get vaccinated

By MAYA M. PADILLO

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government doctor assured the safety of the Covid-19 vaccines as he made the call for the public to get vaccinated.

“Whatever vaccine that we choose or the government chooses for the national vaccine government program, I am sure napag-aralan po eto ng maigi,” Davao Regional Medical Center (DRMC) Chief Dr. Bryan Dalid said during the One Davao Presser on Monday.

Dalid also assured that the government has the people’s best interest.

“Hindi po eto ibibigay sa atin kung ito'y hindi makakatulong na mabawasan ang burden natin sa COVID19.

Kaya wag ho kayong mag alinlangan,” Dalid said.

Getting the vaccine, according to him, is the only way to solve the problem.

“If we will not have this vaccination, isang taon pa po eto. Hindi na kakayanin ng ating mga healthcare workers ang another year

na ganito po kase talagang mag be-breakdown na po,” he said.

Aside from Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC), DRMC in Davao del Norte is one of the main government medical facility in the Davao Region that caters to Covid-19 patients from Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental, Davao de Oro, and nearby provinces in the Caraga Region.Dalid said currently DRMC has reached over 100 percent occupancy rate of severe and critical Covid-19 patients for Intensive Care Unit (ICU) despite the initial

expansion of ICU beds.

In May 2020, DRMC was accredited as licensed Covid-19 testing laboratory to speed up the testing of samples of suspected individuals who may be infected with Covid-19 in Davao Region. This also aims to relieve the difficulty in sending swabs and samples for Covid-19 testing in Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Manila and SPMC. It uses the Rapid Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) (Xpert Xpress SARSCoV-2) testing following the World Health Organization (WHO) standards.

Businesses urged to help employees get vaccinated

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ith Covid-19 vaccines expected to be available in the next few months, the business sector in Davao Region has been asked to do its part in helping out the process of vaccination.

Antonio Peralta, chairman of the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP)-Southern Mindanao Business Council (SMBC), said business establishments must help their employees with the need to get vaccinated.

“But only if the employers will agree to help defray the cost of the vaccines,” he said.

Peralta said not only that this will prevent work place infections but will also help bolster confidence that something is being done to address the uncertainties brought about by the pandemic.

“There is a need to be careful even if vaccination is done owing to the presence of other vari-

ants. So wearing of masks and social distancing will need to continue," he said.

According to Peralta, there is a need for business establishments to secure a vaccine as employees are not among the national government’s priority groups for the country’s vaccination program.

“Businesses in Manila are talking to pharmaceutical companies to supply their companies with vaccine. That is also why I’m planning to have Astra Zeneca speak here in a forum to explain their vaccine efficacy,” he said.

ECCP Davao is targeting to hold the said forum within the first quarter of this year.

Under the national vaccination program, priority groups for the initial roll-out include health care workers, vulnerable persons, senior citizens, indigents, and poor communities. Maya Padillo

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NEWS 3

EDGEDAVAO

DPWH terminates controversial P1-billion infrastructure project

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Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)-Davao spokesperson Dean Ortiz discloses that the agency has already notified Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio that it has terminated the controversial P1-billion road infrastructure project comprising a road widening along MacArthur Highway and construction of Ma-a Flyover. Edge Davao

he Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)-Davao Region has terminated the controversial P1-billion road infrastructure project comprising a road widening along MacArthur Highway and construction of Ma-a Flyover after encountering strong resistance from the business sector and environmental groups.

DPWH-Davao spokesperson Dean Ortiz told reporters in a teleconference on Tuesday that the agency has already notified Mayor Sara Duterte that the project, which was believed to provide a solution to worsening traffic congestion along MacArthur Highway, will no longer be pursued.

Ortiz said that pursuing the major road project will entail massive work, par-

ticularly in the transfer of power lines of Davao Light and Power Company, telecommunication lines, and water pipes of Davao City Water District.

He said several interruptions in basic utilities will paralyze the city.

Citing Guidelines on Termination of Contracts of Republic Act 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act, Ortiz said, “the Procuring Entity may terminate the Contract, in whole or in part, at any time for its convenience.”

He added that the “Head of the Procuring Entity may terminate a contract for the convenience of the Government if he has determined the existence of conditions that make Project Implementation economically,

he House of Representatives on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved on third and final reading a bill that seeks to provide more benefits and privileges to solo parents and their children.

With 208 affirmative votes, zero negative votes, and no abstention, the chamber passed House Bill 8097, which seeks to amend Republic Act 8972 or the “Solo Parents Welfare Act of 2000” to uplift the lives and status of the solo parents and their children.

The bill provides that qualified solo parents may avail of the additional benefit of a 10-percent discount from purchases of basic necessities of a child or children under the sole responsibility of the said qualified solo parent.

It enhances the edu-

cational benefits provided under the current law by guaranteeing full scholarship for a child of the solo parent and prioritizing the other children, if any, in the educational programs of the government.

It promotes childminding centers, breastfeeding in the workplace, and social safety assistance to all kinds of solo parents and their children.

It provides for employment programs of solo parents by prioritizing them in the livelihood, training, and poverty alleviation programs of the government.

Medical and health welfare would be provided for solo parents by prioritizing them in the provision of services in government hospitals and medical facilities.

(PNA)

City urged to continue T reopening economy T

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House pushes for more benefits to solo parents

By MAYA M. PADILLO he business sector wants the city government of Davao to continue reopening economy in order to help enterprises that are hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to Arturo Milan, regional governor of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), said Davao City being the center of trade and business in the Davao Region could help revitalize the economy of its neighboring provinces in the region.

In November last year, after seeing high recoveries in Covid-19 cases, the city started lifting restrictions to rev up the local economy.

It is the direction of the city now to manage Covid-19 with economy open as well as offices, businesses, and

establishments.

Based on his assessment Milan said the business situation in Davao City is now in order.

“No more citywide lockdown, curfew is 9 p.m., daghan na mga negosyo nag-open even restaurants, retail and wholesale businesses, construction activities and other businesses are back except the tourism related businesses. Businesses are slowly but surely opening up,” Milan said.

The Tourism sector including travel and tours, hotels, resorts, and MICE are

still on standstill as people stayed away from travelling due to fears of being infected.

Apart from the city government of Davao, dialogue with the local government units (LGUs) on the continued reopening of the economy is among the focus of PCCI-Davao Region in 2021to build confidence among people.

Milan said this is through giving inputs through position papers.

“As of now the city government of Davao lang but if there is a need for other LGUs upon the request of their local chambers then we will, depending on how we assess the business situation. We are giving inputs through position papers but no face to face meeting be-

cause of the pandemic,” he said.

Part of reviving the economy is for LGUs to explore programs to revive the tourism sector; close monitoring of the Build Build Build Projects in the region; and promote digital transformation among SMEs. He also cited that building confidence among the people to go out and learn to live with Covid-19 around as the biggest challenge in reopening the economy.

“Hopefully, things will change once we start the vaccination program,” he said.

It is also the focus of PCCI-Davao Region to promote investments in healthcare facilities, IT infrastructure, agriculture, and manufacturing this year.

the fault at Sitio Taytay, Ditucalan, Iligan City. The vegetation overgrowth was caused by the landowner’s refusal to allow NGCP to conduct line clearing activities.

NGCP invoked RA 11361 or the Anti-Obstruction of Power Lines Act to enter the land and trim the illegally-planted vegetation under the transmission line's right-of-way (ROW) corridor.

On January 18, the Baloi-Aurora 138kV line tripped due to the toppling of Tower 60 by the intentional pilferage of tower

parts. Overgrown vegetation also aggravated the situation as the landowner refused entry to NGCP personnel while demanding an exorbitant amount in payment for the intentionally planted vegetation.

As of 19 January, NGCP, in coordination with local authorities, was granted access by the landowner of the area where Tower 60 of the Baloi-Aurora 138kV line is located. Repair work in order to restore the said line will commence on Wednesday, 20 January. Permanent restoration of the toppled tower will be determined

upon completion of damage assessment. Manual load droppings continue to be experienced by customers in the Northwestern Mindanao area while the line remains unrestored.

Under RA 11361, it is illegal to construct hazardous improvements, plant vegetation, or perform any activity under the power corridor of transmission lines which may cause power interruptions. It is also illegal under the law to refuse entry to authorized transmission line personnel to conduct clearing and restoration ac-

NGCP appeals for public support, pushes for RA 11361 enforcement

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GCP continues its appeal to the public, local and national government, and local community leaders to enforce the Anti-Obstruction of Power Lines or RA 11361 as customers in Northwestern Mindanao continue to suffer prolonged power interruptions due to line trippings brought about by uncooperative landowners.

At 1:11PM of January 19, NGCP re-energized its Agus 5-Aurora 138KV line, which tripped at 8:30AM on the same day, after the trimming of maliciously planted vegetation which caused

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PH risks losing COVID-19 shots if prices revealed: vaccine czar

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he Philippines risks losing COVID-19 vaccines from various brands if authorities disclose their prices to the public, an official leading the inoculation drive said, after lawmakers sought to know how much the country would pay for each jab.

Authorities signed a confidentiality agreement that covers the prices of COVID-19 vaccines with all pharmaceutical groups that the government is negotiating with, said vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. "Maaari pong mawala sa atin ang 148 million doses ng nine-negotiate po natin sa vaccine companies kapag lumabag po tayo sa ating kasunduan," he told reporters in an online briefing.

(We can lose the 148 million doses that we are negotiating with vaccine companies if we violate the agreement.)

The government "will always try to negotiate for

vaccines that are safe, effective and cost-efficient," said Galvez, who is also the Chief Implementer of the National Task Force Against COVID-19.

"Wala pong korapsyon," said the former military general.

(There is no corruption.)

"Hindi po tayo papasok, ang pamahalaan, sa kahit anong negosasyon o pipirma sa isang kontrata kung tayo ay madedehado," he added.

(We, the government, will not enter any negotiation or sign a contract if we will be at a disadvantage.)

The government aims to begin immunization next month, hoping to inoculate 70 million people, or twothirds of the population, this year.

The Philippines has firmed up supply deals with China's Sinovac, US-based Pfizer, Novavax, Moderna,

FPH, P10

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Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Animal Industry (DA-BAI) says the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) declared the country is now free of the last remaining A(H5N6) strain of the Avian Influenza. Edge Davao

Cautious optimism for PH growth in ‘21: biz strategist

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he Bureau of Customs (BOC) seized in 2020 an estimated P9.746 billionworth of smuggled goods, of which over half were illicit tobacco products.

The country is expected to regain its growth momentum by the second half of 2021 as challenging economic recovery remains on the horizon, the chief strategist of an equity brokerage house said on Tuesday.

In a webinar of the German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GPCCI), Regis Partners Inc. chief strategist and co-head research Rafael Garchitorena said they are more cautious on the country’s economic growth this year but a better economy is expect-

ed by 2022.

“We are confident and we can get the momentum going in the right direction by the second half of the year. It might be a little bit late than everybody else but there’s a lot of reason to be optimistic for economic recovery,” he said.

Garchitorena said enacting the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) bill into law is a “big hope” for businesses as this would provide them a tax break which is retroactive from

July 1, 2020.

However, this legislation would directly impact enterprises and a lot of trickling down is required for the poor to feel effects of the CREATE. “But Covid (coronavirus) is hurting the poor.

What will a corporate tax break would really mean for jeepney drivers? Nothing really. What will it do for the informal economy where there is no really income tax rate?” he asked.

Garchitorena added one of the key risks in the economic growth this year is the rising inflation.

In December 2020, the inflation rate settled at 3.5 percent.

“It’s bad for consump-

he Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said it is running after vendors who violate suggested retail prices (SRP) for food products.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said in a press briefing hosted by the Department of Agriculture (DA) on Tuesday that the DTI and DA are running after vendors who violate SRPs, causing "unjustified hikes" in food prices.

"In our latest report, we issued around 1,070 letters of inquiry to violators of the SRP of the DA and DTI, asking them to justify how and

why did they end up with those prices," Lopez said.

"For our show cause orders, we have 31 issued, and we have issued 274 notices of violation," he added.

Prices of pork soared to as high as P380 to P400 a kilo in Metro Manila public markets, beyond the P225 SRP. Likewise, chicken now costs P200 per kilo, which is P70 more than the SRP. Farm gate prices of agricultural products rose the past few months due to lower supply amid the African swine flu and the impact of typhoons.

Lopez said investigations are ongoing to track excessive price hikes either from distributors, retailers, or other middlemen during trading.

"We are doing inspections to warehouses within the areas where there is artificial shortage. We involve agencies with intelligence funds to investigate warehouses if they are hoarding," he said.

Importation of pork starting Feb. 1 Agriculture Assistant Secretary Noel Reyes said in the same briefing that starting February 1, the Philip-

tion especially with high unemployment and rising input costs,” he said.

Garchitorena said increasing oil prices, which is now close to pre-pandemic level, has pushed higher power rates and transportation costs. These are expected to impact the cost of goods and services.

“I hope inflation numbers would come later,” he said.

Garcitorena also said since the fiscal stimulus of the government is weaker compared to neighboring countries, it should push for reopening of economic activities and relaxing mobility restrictions.

He added the govern-

pines will import 54,000 metric tons of pork from the US and European countries to address the lack of supply of pork.

He noted that over 4 million supply of hogs were lost due to the African swine flu -- 400,000 died of the flu, while the rest resulted from hog raisers opting not to raise hogs amid the flu.

Lopez said they have temporarily allowed the increase in importation to ensure that there is no shortage of food products.

"We are supporting the DA...If local producers can't

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DTI to run after SRP violators T

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UnionBank targets 1M MSMEs with new app An official of Union Bank of the Philippines (Unionbank) is optimistic of hitting the bank’s goal to have one million small and medium enterprises (SMEs) clients in the near term, citing the rise of people’s entrepreneurial skills during the pandemic.

In a virtual briefing for the launch of the Unionbank SME banking app Tuesday, UnionBank executive vice president and chief digital channel officer Ana Maria Delgado said more people started small businesses during the pandemic because they saw opportunities amid the difficult situation.

“Last year, it’s hard to predict on how many will be onboard this year but actually, we’re quite confident that we’re going to move very quickly into that goal based on the trajectories we saw last year. And the continuing trends of SMEs wanting to digitize as we continue to see as the new year opens,” she said.

In 2018, the bank targeted to increase to one million the number of its SME clients in the next five years. To date, it has around 175,000 SME clients.

Delgado said people have found new ways to purchase things and entrepreneurs have also tapped innovative ways to conduct business –both of which was due to digitalization processes.

“I think that this is going to continue to become a trend because also, (the) government and companies

are making it easier to set up businesses,” she added.

During the same briefing, Unionbank president and chief executive officer Edwin Bautista said transactions done through the bank’s mobile app and online platform surged since the start of the lockdown period last year, or around March and April.

From about 40,000 transactions in January 2020, he said transactions rose to nearly one million

by December last year.

“At the rate at which it is growing, I wouldn’t be surprised if it gets to hit 2 million transactions pretty soon,” he added.

Before the pandemic, Bautista said their SME clients use the bank’s online and mobile portal for their businesses.

“This worked for some but we recognized, after talking to SMEs, that perhaps their banking needs are a little more unique and that letting them use either the system for individuals or for corporates is sub-optimal,” he said.

Thus, the development of the bank’s SME banking app, which he said, is the first in the country and only among the few SME-focused apps in the region.

The app has been available from the Google Play and App Store since Jan. 18 and is part of the bank’s “Tech Up, Pilipinas” project.

Through the app, SMEs can do banking transactions, open their online stores, and track inventories.

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ECONOMY 5

DA, LGUs to strengthen govt’s ‘P3’ campaign

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epartment of Agriculture (DA) Secretary William Dar plans to sign an agreement with local government units (LGUs) to guarantee the materialization of the "Plant, Plant, Plant" campaign of the government.

“Our PHP83 billion budget this year is focused on the LGUs and other departments that will lead our banner programs. LGUs are our main partners kaya magpipirmahan kami ng Memorandum of Agreement [MOA] para mayroong equity (we will sign MOAs so there is equity).” Dar mentioned in a Laging Handa virtual press briefing on Monday.

Projects that will be funded under the "Plant,

Plant, Plant Program" are: additional palay procurement fund of the National Food Authority (NFA); expanded SURE Aid (Survival and Recovery Assistance Program Rice Farmers) and recovery project; expanded agriculture insurance project; social amelioration for farmers and farm workers.

It also aims to upscale the KADIWA ni Ani at Kita direct marketing program; integrated livestock and corn resiliency project; expanded small ruminants and poultry project; coconut-based diversification project; fisheries resiliency project; revitalized urban agriculture and "gulayan" project; corn for food proj-

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Global oil supply to go up by 1M barrels per day in 2021

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lobal supply on the oil market is expected to go up by 1 million barrels per day in 2021 after a decrease by 6.6 million barrels per day in 2020 mainly due to OPEC+ nations, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in a report obtained by TASS. Meanwhile, the agency considers an additional increase in global supply possible amid recovery of oil demand in the second half of 2021.

OPEC+ countries will continue gradually easing crude production cuts to 5.8 million barrels per day in the second quarter of 2021 and hold them by the end of the agreement’s term, meaning April 2022, according to the report.

"For OPEC+, we have assumed a gradual easing of cuts during 2Q21 to a reduction of 5.8 mb/d versus the October 2018 reference, which it holds through 1Q22 (first quarter 2022),"

the report said.

The International Energy Agency also said OPEC+ countries will be able to reclaim their market share lost since 2016 if shale production in the United States does not grow.

American companies are now more concerned about debt recovery than new investments in production growth.

Higher crude prices could also provide an incentive to increase production by the US shale industry, which saw the biggest fall in output last year, the agency noted.

"For now though, companies seem committed to pledges made to keep production flat and instead use any price gain to pay down debt or to boost investor returns. If they stick to those plans, OPEC+ may start to reclaim the market share it has steadily lost to the US and others since 2016.

(TASS)

DA-BAI declares PH bird flu-free

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he Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Animal Industry (DABAI) said on Tuesday the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) declared the Philippines is now free of the last remaining A(H5N6) strain of the Avian Influenza as of January 8.

“I congratulate the DABAI and the local governments of Pampanga and Rizal, whose swift action resulted in limiting the further spread of the A(H5N6) strain to other areas,” Agriculture Secretary William Dar said in a statement.

Dar took this as good news as the country grappled with the low supply of pork and pork products due to the threat of African swine fever (ASF).

The DA said the government efforts resolved the outbreaks of A(H5N6) in a commercial layer poultry farm in Pampanga, and

backyard poultry farms in a village in Rizal, in less than a year after the poultry virus re-emerged in the country.

The OIE’s declaration came from the DA-BAI’s report that showed the affected farms no longer have evidence of the presence of the AI virus during the monitoring and surveillance.

“We had not detected any case of A(H5N6) among the poultry and other bird population in the last 90 days after the completion of cleaning and disinfection in the affected farms, surveillance, and monitoring, and completion of the 35-day restocking period with sentinel animals in Pampanga and Rizal,” BAI director Ronnie Domingo said.

On July 10, 2020, the DABAI Animal Disease Diagnosis and Reference Laboratory confirmed the recurrence of A(H5N6) after the owner

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Agriculture Secretary William Dar plans to sign an agreement with local government units (LGUs) to guarantee the materialization of the “Plant, Plant, Plant”campaign of the government. Edge Davao

Gov’t addressing high food prices

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he government has readied immediate and medium-term solutions to help tame the increase in prices of food items, Malacañang said on Tuesday.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque gave the assurance, as prices of agricultural products and other food items remain high despite the implementation of a price freeze on basic necessities amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

He also issued the statement after Agriculture Secretary William Dar warned unscrupulous traders who are jacking up prices of agricultural commodities and other basic goods in public

markets at the start of the year.

To prevent higher market prices, Roque said the DA would allow more pork imports to raise supply, Roque said.

“Sa lalong mabilis na panahon, nag-aangkat po ang ating Department of Agriculture ng baboy galing po saVisayas at Mindanao at iba pang mga ASF (African swine fever)-free areas ng Luzon (In soonest time possible, the Department of Agriculture is importing hogs

from Visayas and Mindanao, and other ASF-free areas in Luzon),” he said.

Roque said the government would also prevent and control the spread of ASF in the country through the “Bantay ASF sa Barangay” program or BaBaY. He added that there would also be massive repopulation of hogs in ASFfree areas in the country.

Roque said the government would also ramp up the implementation of SRPs (suggested retail prices) on fruits and vegetables.

He said vegetable and food production would also be intensified.

The government, Roque

said, would also expand the “Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita,” a government project that aims to establish a direct link between consumers and the farmers and fisherfolk.

billion kung saan 89,947 members ang nakinabang.

At dahil gusto naming guminhawa ang buhay ng mas marami pa naming miyembro, itututuloy namin ang GFAL hanggang sa katapusan ng 2021,” GSIS president and general manager Rolando Macasaet said in a statement.

Under GFAL, members can transfer and consolidate their loans from other lenders to benefit from reduced monthly amortization, lower interest rate of 6% per annum and longer payment term of six years.

Members will also enjoy

higher take-home pay and their retirement benefits will be protected from loan deductions while helping GSIS improve its loan collection efficiency.

Aside from paying out the debts of members with other lending institutions, the GSIS said GFAL has the “Top-Up Loan” feature that allows members to borrow the remaining loan amount for their personal needs.

If a member's GFAL loan, for instance, is P300,000, he or she may borrow the remaining P200,000 under the Top-Up Loan.

To qualify, borrowers

must be permanent government employees with a minimum of three years of paid premiums, or appointed, elected, or nonpermanent government employees with at least 15 years of paid premiums; have outstanding loans from lending institutions; and have no due and demandable GSIS loan.

In addition, they should not be on leave without pay; have no pending administrative or criminal case except if the case is due to loan nonpayment due to the prioritization of GSIS payments; and have a net

“Tapos magpapadala pa po ang mga rehiyon nang mas maraming gulay at prutas sa Metro Manila, sa NCR. I-expand po natin ang urban agriculture, ‘yung Gulayan sa Paaralan at Barangay.

Nagdi-distribute na rin po nang mas maraming mga seeds at planting materials ‘no (Other regions would also bring more vegetables and fruits to Metro Manila.

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GSIS extends financial assistance loan program until Dec. 29, 2021

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tate workers’ pension fund Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) on Tuesday announced it is extending until December 29, 2021 the GSIS Financial Assistance Loan (GFAL) program.

Since the program's launch in March 2018, the GSIS said it has disbursed P110 billion under the GFAL which benefitted more than 271,000 government employees.

“Nitong nakaraang 2020, kahit may pandemic at suspended nang anim na buwan ang GFAL, nakapag-release ang GSIS ng P37

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6 VANTAGE EDGEDAVAO

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.13 ISSUE 236 • THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2021

On the assurance of safety of the Covid-19 vaccine and the call for everyone to get vaccinated: Whatever vaccine that we choose or the government chooses for the national vaccine government program, I am sure napag-aralan po eto ng ma-igi ... Hindi po eto ibibigay sa atin kung ito’y hindi makakatulong na mabawasan ang burden natin sa COVID19. Kaya wag ho kayong mag alinlangan.”

Davao Regional Medical Center (DRMC) Chief

Dr. Bryan Dalid

EDITORIAL

Inoculation, not mercy killing

Pfizer, the American pharma whose claim to fame among aging lotharios is related to Viagra, the booster it discovered by accident, has invented Pfizer and BioNTech’S Covid-19 vaccine.

Unfortunately, the vaccine which Filipinos are considering to buy, is suspected to be behind the death of 23 senior citizens aged 80 and above after receiving vaccine jabs in Norway days ago.

It is said that some 400 senior citizens die in Norway’s nursing homes every week as if suggesting that the death of 23 inoculated elderlies should not surprise anyone anymore.

Still, the Norwegian government has stopped the use of the vaccine on the terminally-ill. But of course, we are talking about vaccinating the citizens to protect them from Covid-19, not euthanasia or

EDGEDAVAO

Providing solutions to a seamless global village.

mercy-killing which is allowed in some Scandinavian countries like Norway, Sweden and Denmark.

Filipinos, whose lawmakers are hotly debating over what vaccine brands to buy, ought to pay attention carefully to the Norway experience.

The lawmakers / investigators should focus on all three important aspects -- efficacy, price and safety of the vaccines being offered in the market.

Meanwhile, it will not be surprising if Filipino senior citizens, a number of them are politicians and government functionaries will hesitate to be vaccinated.

PHILIPPINE PRESS INSTITUTE

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236 • TUESDAY, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2021 VOL.13 ISSUE 234 JANUARY 19, 2021

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VOL.13 ISSUE 236 • THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2021

VANTAGE POINTS

EDGEDAVAO

LIFESTYLE

SAHARA CASTEEL SHARES HER ADVOCACY AND HOW IT ALL ‘VEGAN’ HENRYLITO D. TACIO THINK ON THESE!

THE MUTATION OF COVID-19 VIRUS

In an article which appeared in National Geographic, Katherine J. Wu wrote this startling information: “There are more viruses than stars in the universe.

Why do only some infect us?

More than a quadrillion quadrillion individual viruses exist on Earth, but most are not poised to hop into humans.”

A virus is defined as “a submicroscopic agent that replicates only inside the living cells of an organism.” Viruses infect all types of life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea.

There is an interesting NEW YEAR, new goals.story on how virus was As youthe embark ondiscovered. a fresh “Louis wasconsidunable to start, havePasteur you also find aeating causative agent fornot rabies ered healthier and speculated aboutgood, a pathogen just for your own but too small detected by microalso for to thebeenvironment? scope,” Wikipedia Sustainability is achronicles. hot topic “In 1884, the theglobe French across andmicrobiologist there is no betCharles Chamberland inventter time than now to take it more ed the Chamberland filter seriously—especially after serieswith of pores small to remove disasters andenough devastations causedall bacteria solution passed by climatefrom crisisaand unsustainable through it. A number of studies food system. the diets, Russian bishow“In that1892, plant-based including veganism and vegetarianism, can help reverse the effects of climate change, aside from being a practical solution to multiple heath, wellness and ethical issues.

While there is, undeniably, more heart and compassion in this kind of wellness journey and lifestyle change, crossing to the opposite end of the spectrum might seem daunting or close to unimaginable at first. Most of us have been used to eating meat, fish, dairy products, and poultry sincelama childhood.

One The Dalai said: “Somecould not help but wonder what times one creates a dynamic we imcould possibly eat that’s devoid of pression by saying something, and any animal product. sometimes one creates as signifiFret Vegan entrepreneur, cant annot. impression by remaining Sahara silent.” Lara Casteel, assures us that there’s a multitude nourishing Now, now hereofwe go. and delectable options and plantThe House of Representatives based to ouroffavorite underalternatives the leadership Speaker dishes.

Aside from Lord Allan Velascosharing is now her (boldly) advocacy, she also gives us affecting a 101 on tackling pertinent issues how to transition Charter Change. to a plant-based or vegan Likediet. a knee-jerk reaction, opponents of constitutional reforms GREEN are againAWAKENING raising a howl, citing so Sahara is the woman behind many excuses that have been ofCroft Bulk Foods, The Vegan fered in the years past that have Dinosaur, Kindred Café—concept been rendered lame so that Filipistore and restaurants Davao City nos are now braver toinface political which offer wholesome options on and social realities. the table.

She is also the founder of The Senate – through its Senthe Vegans of Davao community ate President Vicente Sotto III - in group on Facebook, which nowa has the meantime chose to file bill over 3,500 members. that seeks to grant ABS CBN a franThisrenewal. graduate of Business Manchise agement and Marketing was born If you weigh in these two sepin Digos and attended college in arate and independent actions, Australia. tohave setting up her which bill Prior should priority? first venture, she worked at Iku bill Of course, it is the Cha-Cha Wholefoods, a vegan macrobiotic because the proposed constitufast food chain inwill Sydney. tional changes directly affect Her veganism journey a the lives and well-being started of the enlittle over 10 years ago.

“I was an tire Philippine population. avid reader growing up and I found

ologist Dmitri Ivanovsky used virus spreads, the more opporthis filter to study what is now tunities it has to change,” warns known as the tobacco mosaic vi- the Geneva-based World Health rus: crushed leaf extracts from Organization (WHO). “High levinfected tobacco plants remained els of transmission mean that we infectious even after filtration should expect more variants to to remove bacteria. Ivanovsky emerge.” suggested the infection might be Previous reports of the caused by a toxin produced by D614G mutation and the recent bacteria, but he did not pursue reports of virus variants from the idea.

Denmark, the United Kingdom In 1898, the Dutch microbi- of Great Britain and Northern ologist Martinus Beijerinck re- Ireland, and South Africa have peated the experiments and be- raised interest and concern in the came convinced that the filtered impact of viral changes. solution contained a new form “Of the significant variants of infectious agent. “He observed reported so far, some are associthat the agent multiplied only in ated with increases in transmiscells that were dividing, but as his sibility but not disease severity,” experiments did not show that it the United Nations health agenwas made of particles, he called cy states. “Research is ongoing it a ‘soluble living germ’ and rein- to address whether the changes troduced the word virus.” impact public health tools and Recent studies have shown measures.” that it is normal for viruses to Genomic sequencing has mutate. And that’s what happens been critical in identifying and rewith the SARS-CoV-2, the corona- sponding to new variants, accordvirus causes coronavirus myselfthat researching and gaining dis- ing to the WHO. ease 2019in (COVID-19). an interest environmentalism.

“So far an astounding “The more the SARS-CoV-2 350,000 sequences have been As I followed the Greenpeace movement, I was introduced to vegetarianism. I discovered that, as an environmentalist, it was quite hypocritical to still consume and use animal products while they are one of the largest contributors to climate change. This led me to shift to veganism.”

SPECKS OF LIFE “Veganism is a lifestyle. It is an ethical and conscious decision to help reduce (or stop) animal cruelty discover there were only few vegan food options in Davao City. “Comby abstaining from meat, fish, dairy, eggs, honey, gelatin, cleaning ing from Sydney—one of the vegan capitals etc. of thetoworld and where products and other items which The Sotto bill will only benefit merce, get their heads toveganism is so easy to even an contain animal products or derivathe Lopez family whose broadcast gether and cooperatefollow in finding in social settings—I didn’t think tives.” outfit was found during the inten- economic solution. options would be rarehas herelong Sahara points out probe the keyto dif-have veganThe sive congressional suggestion that in Davao.

So, I decided to create ference between a vegan diet and a violated some pertinent laws of been offered was for the governmy own The Vegan plant-based diet. failure to pay the ment the land including toeatery relax called the 60-40 constituDinosaur.

It started out as a small, “In principle, a plant-based diet correct taxes. tional restriction for foreign busitwo-table to restaurant, as I was more refersFilipinos to a diet that consists solely must understand nessmen comply with. in offering takeout.

Our or primarily of foodbesetting derived from that the problems the na- focused Many economists, legislators menu only had one burger, one plant sources.

On the other hand, a tion can no longer be swept under and businessmen I talked to were pasta, one salad, tworesponse. desserts, and vegan dietasishas a main starting the rug been done point during pragmatic in their a few juices.

In the beginning, I ran in adopting veganism as a lifestyle. the previous administrations, noMuch as we need foreign inthe operations by myself.

I manVegans also eat plant-based food. tably during both the Cory and vestments to shore up our collapsaged economy the groceries, the Furthermore, some other people Noynoy incumbencies. ing dueprepared to lockdowns food, handled customer service start The out eating a plant-based diet government needs to gen- brought by the Wuhan virus,and no everything in between.” and eventually decide to become erate job opportunities to accom- foreign entity will establish and The Vegan Dinosaur a vegan by changing of their modate hundredstheofrestthousands conduct business in became a country game changer in the local dining lifestyle and eliminating animal OFWs who have lost their jobs where their investments are not scene.protected.

Its customer base grew in products non-food areas.” and werein sent home because of well numbers and Sahara “Once I understood all the pros CoVid19. Including idle new gradMany in this factprompted have moved out to move the restaurant to a bigger and health benefits that come with uates and those under-employed. of the country to nearby Singapore, space. Sheand alsoThailand expandedbecause her menu, veganism, never looked– back.

ManyI businesses smallI and Malaysia the to cater to different cravings, intenlearned the culinary basics while medium enterprises – have closed governments of these countries tions, and health goals. working Iku Wholefoods, shop as at evidence by thosewhich I have allow foreign businessmen to run “Our Western menu eventually is one of the oldest whole food, seen in several malls. Those who and operate their companies wholincluded a few Asian-inspired dishplant-based establishments in find Syd- it ly were laid off will definitely not in part. es, with more options from burger ney.

During that time, I also started difficult to get new employment.

A Korean businessman friend to pasta, salads, juices, smootha sideWhat business, creating and selling to do? of mine has moved outand of the BEZA ies.Mariveles We put our focushigh on whole raw cakes.”

It is incumbent upon the in citing labor food costs ingredients, which meant minimizDuterte government, Congress and unionism problems. use of refined PLANTING (the HOR andTHE the SEEDS Senate)OF and the ing the Congress must ingredients be resolute in such as oils, sugar, CHANGE federation of Philippine business finishing its work preservatives, to meet its timecolorings, or highly The processed ingreWhen Sahara moved backof tocomthe and the existing chambers line and schedule.

Velasco-led dients.”

Philippines, she was surprised to

publicly shared, but most come from just a handful of countries.

Improving the geographic coverage of sequencing is critical for the world to have eyes and ears on changes to the virus,” said Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO Technical Lead on COVID-19.

As the UN health agency moves to expand its scientific collaboration and monitoring of emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2, global scientists are intensifying research into COVID-19.

Last Monday, January 12, a day-long virtual meeting of scientists from around the globe, brought together more than 1,750 experts from 124 countries to discuss critical knowledge gaps and research priorities for emerging variants of the virus.

“Science and research have played a vital role in responding to the pandemic since day one and will continue to be the heartbeat of everything WHO does,” Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said in his welcome address.

FRED C. LUMBA

The consultation was reportedly structured around six thematic areas covering epidemiology and mathematical modelling, evolutionary biology, animal than ever assays with theand option of imitamodels, diagnostics, tion meats.

You can also use clinical management andtofu, theratempeh, and beans, lentils, or nuts.” peutics vaccines.

SheScientists adds, “Don’t get dissuaded noted the imporby misconceptions. to and tance of researchYou to have detect understand that other people may understand early on the potential have different views about vegan impact of emerging variants on and plant-based diets. Just respect diagnostics, treatments and vachow they feel.” cines.

“Some have raised concerns such There was a consensus on as where we get our protein, thinkthe importance of integrating ing it’s only sourced from meat. the new SARS-CoV-2 variants reProtein is made up of essential and search into amino the global non-essential acids. research There and innovation agenda while enare nine essential amino acids found hancing coordination across disin differing amounts in multiple ciplines. plant sources. The most common collective goalamino is to food “Our which has all essential get of itthe game and have acids,ahead making a complete protein, ais tofu.” global mechanism to quickly identify and isstudy variants “’Veganism expensive’ is an- of concern and misconception understand you their other common implications forthink disease control might hear. Some it is because there are said expensive commercial efforts,” Dr. Ana Maria Henproducts in theHead market that are R&D ao Restrepo, of WHO’s labelled as vegan. But, if you strip Blueprint. the diet side of veganism down to the basics, you have fruit, vegetables, beans, and grains. Here in the Philippines, we have an abundance of those at our disposal, which make the foundation for a healthy diet and eating plant-based incredibly affordable. In addition, whole foods and essential ingredients are easily accessible to us all.”

Three years later, Sahara opened IMPERATIVE NATIONWIDE DISCUSSION Croft Bulk Foods. “It’s a grocery OF THECHA-CHA WAY FORWARD store featuring eco-friendly items that are unpacked and all vegan HOR wants to submit these constiguaranteed.

This is where you can tutional proposals in a referendum find a variety of essential coinciding with the 2022vegan presideningredients.

Customers can buy tial polls. as little or asmeans much asthey theyhave need.more Which We want to encourage people than a full year to conducttoconembrace zero-waste lifestyle and sultations with concerned target conscious consumption.” publics (A, B, C, D & E economic Kindred Café opened shortly classes). after.Political While the menu categories are will is what our legispretty similar to that of The Vegan lators need.

Dinosaur, there are selections which The antis – particularly the are unique to Kindred Café. pro-Cory rah rah boys and“Our gangsignature Beyond mates of specials Noynoyinclude - will use every Burger and other mock-meat style means possible – the cooperative food, which are moremedia) refined and MSM (mainstream to unmade up of proteins and oils.” dermine and destroy the position of my businesses and brands of “All the Cha-Cha proponents. aim to encourage and show These members of people the sothat vegan food doesn’t have able to be to called yellow cult were boring.

There are so many things strike fear in the hearts of our you can do with plant-based ingrecountrymen during the GMA era. dients.”

They continued their tyran-

nical ways from 2010-2016 unSOMETHING TO CHEW ON of der the tolerant supervision Switching to a vegan or planta happy-go-lucky, DOTA-playing based diet whose can be difficult. is,office after president first daysItin all, emotionally and socially chalwere marked by a hostage-taking lenging toatbreak free from the norm. incident the Luneta where nine “The aspect which makes the switch Hong Kong tourists were killed. difficult is replacing the the So, for aremost we now between meaty substance of the meal with a devil and the deep blue sea? plant-based alternative,” Sahara exI hope the political will of the plains. “But, this has become easier

If you firmly believe veganism is for you, Sahara you take President rubs suggests off on Congress. the transition slowly.

If they (these representatives can startwant by looking of “You the people) to do atit,your they plate and fridge.

Identify what’s can will their minds to do the job. not vegan what younoble can doobjecto Afterand all, it is the change it.

Typically, that would be tive that matters. the meat and dairy in your meals.

The economic and social upYouofmay to use and the vegan or lift theopt country the Filipino plant-based alternatives of the people heavily hinge on thesefood conyou love.” changes, the benefits of stitutional “Youwill might encounter challenges. which accrue to future generaBut, always remember your why. tions of Filipinos.

This DEFINITELY, will be your motivation stay WE NEEDtoMORE committed and to succeed.

In my JOBS AND LIVELIHOOD OPPORcase, it was FOR challenging to introduce TUNITIES THE MORE THAN and offer vegan food to a ONE HUNDRED AND populaTEN MILtion and place where the traditional LION POPULATION. food American is far from companies plant-based. moving When Iout started my business, I didn’t of China and elsewhere solely in Eufocus on money as thefind keyittoideal my to rope and Asia may success. There re-settle here. were days with no sales.That If I focused onlythe on the profit, is, under right ecoInomic wouldconditions. have closed the business a long If time ago. But, later, Filipinos are5 years united on Ithis am still passionate about providobjective and purpose, the Presing food that’s compassionate to the ident and Congress can rally the animals and the planet, and people to support and approve the our team has nochanges plans ofthat stopping constitutional will be anytime soon.” proposed in a referendum in 2022.

Follow @thevegandinosaur, @ Or we can bite the bullet. croftbulkfoods and @kindredcafeph (Email your feedback to fredlumon Facebook and Instagram to find ba@yahoo.com.)

GOD BLESS THE vegan options for your diet and PHILIPPINES! lifestyle.

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VOL.13 ISSUE 236 • THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2021

COMPETITIVE EDGE

Inter-continental Conference for Culture of Peace through Education will be held online

A

n inter-continental online peace conference will be held on January 24, 2021, in attendance with about 2,000 participants from 17 countries, including the Philippines, India, Australia, and South Korea.

The host of this conference is a Korea-based international peace NGO, Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL) affiliated with the UN DGC and the UN ECOSOC. This virtual peace conference is organized in commemoration of the 7th Anniversary of the January 24 HWPL Peace Day which was designated by the Province of Maguindanao in the Philippines to celebrate the peace agreement in Mindanao on January 24, 2014.

The agreement was suggested by Chairman Man Hee Lee of HWPL and signed by government, religious and civil society leaders to engage in collaboration of peacebuilding efforts to end the decades-long conflict.

Since then, annual commemorative events such as a grand peace festival, international peace walks, exhibitions of peace in local museums, and inter-faith conferences have taken place to celebrate the peace agreement and raise awareness of peace among citizens in the region.

The event has discussed the history, current issues,

and plans for long-term peace in Mindanao as a set of peacebuilding models based on the cooperation of actors in different fields with events that raised awareness of the need for securing sustainable peace.

With the theme of "The Role of Peace Education in Building a Peaceful World”, this year’s celebration, in line with the International Day of Education, aims to establish a global platform for peace educators to implement peace education in the educational system of each country.

Although the event is open online this year due to the COVID-19, more than 2,000 participants, including politicians, religious leaders, social figures, and educators are expected to attend.

The inter-continental conference will include the graduation of peace education students, the peace pledge ceremony, and various addresses regarding the value of peace education.

An official of HWPL said, “Through the 7th Anniversary of the January 24 HWPL Peace Day, we aim to raise awareness of the im-

portance of peace education and culture of peace. It will be an opportunity to revitalize people around the world who are currently experi-

encing various violence and conflicts, especially since the onset of COVID 19, with a hope and spirit of peace.”

Anyone interested in

the event can join by signing up at https://tinyurl. com/HWPLPeaceDayZoomReg until the 23rd of January. The event will be live-

streamed through https:// w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / hwplph/ from 3:00 PM (Manila Time) on the day of the event.

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VOL.13 ISSUE 236 • THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2021

AGRITRENDS

By HENRYLITO D. TACIO Photos BIOTECH INFOCENTER

T

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hey are safe to eat – much safer than street foods. They can help arrest world hunger. More importantly, they can help save the environment.

They are called transgenic crops or genetically-modified (GM) as they have been subjected to biotechnology. British press calls them “Frankenstein food,” named after a character created by novelist Mary Shelley.

“It’s now possible to do stuff that only writers could imagine before and build up completely new life forms. The argument that we need genetically-modified food to feed the world is complete bull,” said Greenpeace International, an activist group, said in a statement.

“If the naysayers do manage to stop agricultural biotechnology, they might actually precipitate the famines and the crisis of global biodiversity they have been predicting for nearly 40 years,” deplored Nobel Peace Prize winner Norman Borlaug.

Bio is derived from the

Greek word bios, which means life. Technology is the making, modification, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems, methods of organization, in order to solve a problem, improve a preexisting solution to a problem, achieve a goal, handle an applied input/output relation or perform a specific function.

The methodology for making GM foods sounds indeed like science fiction. Scientists working in laboratories take genes from one organism – a plant, animal, bacterium or virus – and splice them to the genes of another organism (a food crop or animal) to produce genetically altered offspring that will reproduce for agricultural purposes.

Ismail Serageldin, during his time as vice-president of the World Bank, sees biotech-

WILL YOU EAT TRANSGENIC CROPS?

nology playing a crucial part of agriculture in the 21st century.

“All possible tools that can help promote sustainable agriculture for food security must be marshaled,” he said, “and biotechnology, safely developed, could be a tremendous help.”

Food production needs to be raised by 70 to 100 percent in the next 30 years, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). This is as the population is seen to rise to nine billion by 2050 from the present seven billion.

“The percentage of hunger has gone down but total numbers have not,” said Dr. Wayne Parrott of the University of Georgia-Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Genomics. Ten years in the decade, people are eating more than what is produced globally, thus the worldwide crisis in food.

Through biotechnology, more crops can be grown on the planet. “At current rates of population growth, conventional techniques may soon be insufficient if farming is to keep pace with the scale of increases required in the 21st century,” wrote Victor Villalobos in an article which appeared in Ceres, a FAO publication.

“We have the technology to meet the needs of the future.

What we don’t have yet is the will power, the regulatory system to allow use of the technology that we need,” said Dr. Parrott, who once visited the country.

The Philippines is liable to the poor of the world in helping solve hunger and malnutrition problems. For one, it is host to the field trial of the Vitamin A-enhanced golden rice being conducted by the International Rice Research Institute based in Los Baños, Laguna and the state-run Philippine Rice Research Institute.

The country is also host to the field trial of the GM Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) eggplant by the state-run Institute of Plant Breeding of the University of the Philippines Los Baños.

According to Dr. Parrott, the recent destruction of golden rice plants under study attracted global attention. “The global spotlight is now on the Philippines because Golden Rice gets more positive press in the world,” he said.

The National Institutes of Health in Maryland reported that Golden Rice contains up to 35 micrograms of beta-carotene and is “effectively converted to Vitamin A in humans."

A regular intake of 50 grams of golden rice per day is enough to eliminate symptoms of Vitamin A deficiency. Its bioavailability or its conversion into Vitamin A in the human body has been tested favorable on the target Vitamin A-deficient patients.

Planting biotech crops is also good for the environment.

It mitigates the effects of climate change brought about by global warming, curtails use of pesticides, and saves lands for other uses. “The ill effects of global warming can be reversed by increasing the areas planted to genetically modified crops,” said Dr. Parrot.

“Biotech crops are a land-saving technology, capable of higher productivity on the current 1.5 billion hectares of arable land, and thereby can help preclude deforestation and protect biodiversity in forests and in other in-situ biodiversity sanctuaries,” pointed out Dr. Clive James, founder and chairman of International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA).

Biotech crops that are drought-tolerant can also help conserve water in crop produc-

tion. “The link between water and food is strong,” admits Lester Brown, president of the Washington, DC-based Earth Policy Institute. “We drink, in one form or another, nearly 4 liters of water per day. But the food we consume each day requires at least 2,000 liters to produce, 500 times as much.”

Drought-tolerant biotech crops have the capacity to use water efficiently and simultaneously less or no tillage. Dr. James says agriculture consumes seventy percent of water globally, and this practice is seen to be unsustainable in the future with the increasing population.

Every year, three to four

million farmers poison themselves annually and about 300,000 die from pesticide practices. “It’s not only an environmental concern but a public health concern,” Dr. Parrott said.

Using biotech crops may partly help solve the problem.

Bt eggplant, for instance, was developed to solve infestation problems of fruit and shoot borer (FSB) causing harvest losses in eggplant. FSB prompts farmers to spray pesticides on eggplant 25 to 80 times during a 120 to 170-day growing season.

Spraying harms farmers, and eating the eggplant brings bigger harm to consumers.

Farmers reportedly do not always observe international food safety standards that fruits should be harvested 30 days after the last pesticide spray.

In Pangasinan, some farmers were found to even be dipping eggplants in a bucketful of pesticides in order to ensure these are not FSB-infested.

But the big question is: Are biotech crops safe to eat?

Vivencio Mamaril, one of the country's foremost experts on biotechnology, claims GM foods are much safer and more nutritious than street foods. In an article he wrote for BIOLife, he asked: “We may not all be so assiduous in guarding our rights in this situation, but what about the food we eat? Are we always concerned with the safety of the food we consume? Is food quality in terms of safety our parameter in choosing what we

eat? Do we read labels or are we more concerned with the price of the product we buy?”

Mamaril cited the case of street foods sold in front of schools and many other busy places. “Is the selling of street foods regulated to guard the safety of consumers? The answer may be no. And why is this so? It could be because the types of food sold are those known to be commonly consumed. The food quality concern in these kinds of foods could be microbial,” he said.

In contrast, Mamaril stressed that food safety is a real concern for GM products.

“Under our existing rules and regulations on GM crops, food safety is one the major concerns before such crops are given a biosafety permit. Other biosafety concerns are animal feeds and environmental safety,” Mamaril noted.

But all is not rosy, however, when it comes to biotechnology.

“I believe that this kind of genetic modification takes mankind into realms that belong to God, and to God alone,” deplored Prince Charles in 1998.

Dr. Peter Wills, a theoretical biologist at Auckland University, agrees: “By transferring genes across species barriers which have existed for eons, we risk breaching natural thresholds against unexpected biological processes.”

According to the American Academy of Environmental Medicine, “GM foods pose serious health risks in the areas of toxicology, allergy and immune

function, reproductive health, and metabolic, physiologic and genetic health.”

GM foods have been linked with food allergies. Jeffrey M. Smith, founder and executive director of the Institute for Responsible Technology, said that soon after GM soy was introduced in the United Kingdom, reports of allergic reactions to soy products skyrocketed by 50%.

Antibiotic resistance can get worse, Smith claimed. “Antibiotic resistance is already a huge public health problem, and GM foods may well make it worse, since certain genes (such as ones that come from bacteria) used in the process can combine with disease-causing microbes in the environment or in the guts of animals or people who eat them,” he said.

GM foods have also been linked with certain types of cancer. “Cows in the US are routinely injected with genetically engineered bovine growth hormone so that they will produce more milk. Milk from these cows has been found to have higher levels of IGF-1, a hormone linked with breast, prostate, colon, lung and other cancers,” Smith wrote.

If you are given a choice, will you eat GM foods or not?

One sage puts his answer this way: “A man who has enough food has several problems. A man without food has only one problem.” Or as Horace puts it: “Only a stomach that rarely feels hungry scorns common things.”

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tivities. Any person found guilty of committing any of the prohibited acts shall be subject to a penalty of imprisonment of 6 months to 12 years and/or fine ranging from Php50,00000 up to Php200,000.00, at the discretion of the court.

“We implore the cooperation of landowners and the public to respect RA 11361 by not engaging in prohibited activities near or under the transmission line corridor. Hampering the delivery of power transmission services affects

not only their immediate vicinity, but the entire region, including hospitals, schools, businesses, and entire communities which largely depend on electricity to operate especially at a time where we face a global health crisis such as COVID-19,” appealed NGCP. Report any ROW violations or suspicious activities near transmission facilities to NGCP's TIP hotline at TIPNGCP@ngcp.ph or 0917-TIPNGCP (8476427) / 0918-TIPNGCP (8476427).

AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, and Russia's Gamaleya Institute, Galvez earlier said.

The Senate has launched an inquiry into vaccine transactions over questions about pricing transparency

and efficacy.

"I'm telling now General Galvez to proceed with his game plan, with or without the investigation," President Rodrigo Duterte said in a televised speech on Monday.

We will also expand the urban agriculture. We are also distributing more seeds and planting materials),” Roque said.

Roque said medi-

um-term solutions include the expansion of aquaculture and the conduct of joint fishing of commercial and municipal fisherfolk. (PNA)

ment should expand further the transportation sector and also make domestic travels easier.

On the other hand, Garchitorena said implementing the 2021 budget will stimulate economic re-

covery, with infrastructure spending expected to create more jobs for Filipinos.

“But I’m very certain that by this time next year, it’ll be a much rosier picture economically than today,” he added. (PNA)

Bautista said they will also make available in the near term the ability for SMEs to apply for loans through the app.

“So many things that they can do (through the app) so that the SME becomes even more efficient and ever more successful,” he added.

MSMEs account for around 99 percent of businesses in the country but contribute only around 35 percent in the country’s annual output. Thus, the push from the government and the private sector to uplift the sector and provide more opportunities for growth.

(PNA)

(PFA) and the city government of Ormoc in terms of their protocols in place," Velasco said.

The settling of the fencing bubble is expected to be smooth since fencing chief Richard Gomez is also the Ormoc mayor.

As to the other athletes

eyeing Olympic spots, Velasco said, "Kailangang i-settle muna natin (We need to settle it first). Once we get the IATF clearance, then we will work with the other NSA's (national sports associations) on how they can conduct their own training."

(PNA)

take-home pay that is not lower than the P5,000 requirement under the General Appropriations Act. The GSIS noted that applicants must submit a duly accomplished application form; statement of account from the lender; ID of the lending institution’s authorized representative; and loan agreement, voucher, or other certified documents containing the loan details.

They must also submit their previous month's payslip prior to the GFAL application, it said.

The payslip must be certified by the agency authorized officer (AAO).

A clear photo of the borrower holding the accomplished form and unified multi-purpose identification (UMID) card is also required.

In the absence of a UMID card, a photo of their two

valid IDs (front and back) may be submitted.

As a safety protocol, applicants may email the requirements to their designated GSIS branch office or submit the same in drop boxes located in GSIS branch offices.

Their AAO may submit the requirements on their behalf via email. Liaison officers may likewise submit their application through drop boxes.

Attendance to the financial literacy seminar, one of the requirements for GFAL, may now be complied with by watching the video explainer posted on the GSIS website (www.gsis.gov.ph) or by attending a virtual seminar via Zoom or Webex, according to the GSIS. Loan applicants may also participate in the seminar conducted by their respective HR departments, it said.

meet the demand, we allow importation so that the supply can catch up to the

consumers' demand," Lopez said.

“very suitable” to the Philippines, noting that one of the advantages in procuring it is the 2 to 8 degrees Celsius storage requirement. Sinovac’s vaccine could also be stored for up to 6 months. “[This] means you can use existing infrastructure to support delivery and storage and no further investment needed to buy ultra-cold storage facilities,” the envoy said.

“Data also show that even under the extreme environment, the vaccines can be stored at 25 degrees Celsius for at least 42 days, or stored at 37 degrees Celsius for at least 21 days. I think this is very suitable to the Philippines, as it is a tropical and archipelago country,” he said.

The Philippines' Food and Drug Administration is still awaiting additional data from Sinovac before it could proceed with its evaluation of the EUA application for its vaccine.

But the regulatory agency has already approved the application of the company to conduct clinical trial for

its vaccine candidate in the country.

The Philippines' cumulative total of COVID-19 cases climbed to 504,084 on Tuesday after the Department of Health (DOH) reported 1,357 new infections.

The active cases stood at 27,857, the death toll, 9,9798, and total recoveries, 466,249.

The country confirmed its first COVID-19 case on Jan. 30 last year in a Chinese woman who arrived from Wuhan City, China where the disease is believed to have first emerged in late 2019.

Properly handling differences Meanwhile, Huang said that during Wang’s visit, the Philippines and China “agreed to adhere to the important consensus” reached by Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping in “properly handling” differences to resolve maritime disputes “while strengthening cooperation, including jointly promoting offshore oil and gas cooperation.”

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Chinese envoy confirms arrival of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine in Feb.

T

he first batch of 50,000 doses of Sinovac's COVID-19 vaccine will arrive in the Philippines “before the end of February”, Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian said.

In an interview with Philippine government media, Huang vouched for the quality of the vaccine made

by Sinovac as he spoke of its “high safety and strong accessibility.”

Huang said “there [are] no serious adverse reactions after vaccination” as millions in China, Brazil, Turkey, and Indonesia have already been inoculated with the China-made vaccine.

“At present, the Philippine government agency is closely discussing vaccine procurement with Sinovac.

If everything goes smoothly, the first batch of 50,000 doses of vaccines will arrive in the Philippines before the end of February to help the Philippines’ fight against the pandemic,” the ambassador said.

He said Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s participation in their respective countries’ mass inoculation campaign demonstrated their “confidence and trust in Sinovac’s vaccine.”

On Saturday, visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told President Rodrigo Duterte and Philippine Foreign Sec. Teodoro Locsin, Jr. that China was willing to provide the country some 500,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses free of charge “to guide enterprises to promote vaccine procurement cooperation with the Philippines as soon as possible.”

“The vaccine developed

by China Sinovac Biotech is an inactivated one with mature technology, high safety and strong accessibility. As of today, millions of people in China, Brazil, Turkey and Indonesia have been inoculated with the vaccine and there [are] no serious adverse reactions after vaccination,” Huang said.

He said the vaccine is

financially or technically impractical and/or unnecessary, such as, but not limited to, fortuitous event(s) or changes in law and national government policies.”

Last year, Mayor Sara Duterte and other environmental groups opposed the road widening project along MacArthur Highway, which would have cost the government some P400 million, which threatened to cut down 70-year-old trees, mostly Narra (Pterocarpus indicus or Red Sandalwood), outside the Ateneo de Davao University’s Grade School and Junior High School campus to give way to the construction of a lay-by.

The road-widening project, covering Sandawa to Tulip Drive Junction, was supposed to be implemented in preparation for the construction of the P600-million, 1.7-kilometer Ma-a Flyover project this year, Ortiz said.

IDIS and Ecoteneo said that the Narra trees, the country’s national tree, are going extinct and are declared as “endangered” in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Species as of 2018.

In terminating the proj-

ect, Ortiz said the agency also took into consideration the concerns raised by the environmentalists.

Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability, Inc. (IDIS) executive director Mark Peñalver lauded the decision of the DPWH to set aside the project, calling this development as a win “for the trees and the environment.”

He added that it pays to be “vigilant and vocal on issues that would defy sustainable development,” saying that continued cutting of urban trees will affect the air quality of the city.

“Davao City has been boasting not only for its water quality but as well as its air quality… Protecting and conserving urban trees help in maintaining the clean air quality that Davao claims to have,” he said.

Peñalver believed that development is not always about economic benefit, and that it must consider social impact and environmental repercussions.

“While we acknowledge that development is inevitable, we remain firm to our position that there is always a sustainable way in doing things,” he added. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)

ect; and strategic communications project.

Meanwhile, he also underscored the practice of urban agriculture as it addresses the issue of food sufficiency.

“Mayroon namang mga vegetables na pwedeng itanim at anihin in onemonth time. Para sa ganun ay matulungan din natin ang mga magsasaka para mas sapat pa ang ating pagkain.

Dito po sa Metro Manila, tuloy-tuloy pa rin ang Urban Agriculture at lalo po nating papaigtingin ang community farming sa mga bakanteng lugar sa iba't ibang subdivision (There are vegetables that we can cultivate and harvest within a month period. So, apart from the farmers’ produce, we can have enough food. In Metro Manila, we are continually pushing for urban agriculture as well as community

farming in vacant lots in subdivisions),” he added.

The agriculture chief called for a whole-of-nation approach to increase the country’s food sufficiency level.

“It is really needed para magaan naman ang mga challenges natin sa agrikultura (It will really lessen the load of challenges carried by the agriculture sector),” he added.

When the quarantine measures were implemented, the DA’s Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) through the Crop Research and Production Support Division started giving out free vegetable seeds and seedlings.

To avail of free vegetable seeds, the public can ask directly from their Regional Offices or send a request form that can be accessed through this link: https:// tinyurl.com/bpifreeseeds.

(PNA)

of the commercial layer farm notified the Pampanga provincial veterinary office about the sudden drop in egg production, cyanosis (dark bluish or purplish coloration of the skin and mucous membranes in chickens), and mortalities.

Another case was detected in Rizal, as reported by a farmer on Aug. 26, 2020, to the municipal veterinary office of Taytay.

The backyard farm had approximately 500 heads of free-range chicken and 300 head of Muscovy ducks. The clinical signs -- such as wry-

neck or torticollis, cyanosis of extremities -- and death were observed since Aug. 10, 2020.

Domingo noted the swift action of the farmers and local government units as essential in resolving the issue.

The DA-BAI reminds poultry farmers and industry stakeholders to remain vigilant and report any unusual mortalities to their respective farm veterinarians or nearest government veterinary or agriculture office.

(PNA)

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The Philippines’Jamie Lim, in file photo during the 2019 SEA Games, has good chances of landing a spot in the Tokyo Olympics.

PH welcomes AIMAG postponement

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arate Pilipinas Sports Federation Inc. president Richard Lim said on Tuesday he backs the Olympic Council of Asia’s (OCA) decision to postpone the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG) this year.

OCA recently moved the AIMAG season to March 2022 due to the coronavirus

disease 2019 pandemic, which took a major twist over the Christmas season

upon the discovery of a new variant from the United Kingdom.

"I think it is the best decision for the OCA to postpone it and then move it to a later date where the vaccines are already available for everybody," Lim said in the Philippine Sportswriters Association

N

15 points off the Denver bench. Will Barton scored 13 points, Gary Harris and PJ Dozier added 11 apiece and JaMychal Green had 10 points and eight rebounds.

The Nuggets outscored the Thunder 66-43 in the second and third quarters, then rested their starters in

the fourth. Denver has alternated wins and losses over the past five games.

Luguentz Dort led Oklahoma City with 20 points.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 14, Darius Bazley added 12 and Isaiah Roby had 10 points and nine rebounds for the Thunder,

Forum.

Lim was named the chef de mission for the Philippine team in the AIMAG. For his team's part, he said the AIMAG postponement would now prompt the national athletes to just focus on the two other major sporting events for this year.

who lost for the third time in four games.

Denver led by 13 early in the third quarter before pulling away. Millsap sank a 3-pointer, and after the teams exchanged hoops, Harris made a 3-pointer from the wing to put the Nuggets up 75-56. Two turnovers and a trio of buckets by Oklahoma City cut the deficit to 13 again, but Denver started to put the game away.

Morris, Barton and Millsap (twice) made short shots, Morris answered a 3-pointer by Roby with one of his own and Harris' dunk put the Nuggets ahead 88-67. Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic traded two baskets each, Harris hit a long 3-pointer and Morris scored on a layup to help the Nuggets carry a 97-74 lead into the fourth quarter.

Green opened the final quarter with five consecutive Denver points, Dozier hit a 3-pointer and Green's 26-foot jumper put the Nuggets ahead 113-84 with 6:38 left. Denver then coasted from there.

The Nuggets trailed by eight late in the first quarter but scored 15 straight during a 23-7 run to go ahead by 46-38 midway through the second period.

Nuggets overpower Oklahoma City ikola Jokic had 27 points and 12 rebounds, Paul Millsap added 13 points and a season-high 12 rebounds and the host Denver Nuggets beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 119-101 on Tuesday night.

Monte Morris scored

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) knocks the ball away from Oklahoma City Thunder forward Darius Bazley (7) in the third quarter at Ball Arena. Reuters.

"It's also good for us because mas makakapagconcentrate kami doon sa (we can concentrate more in the) Olympic qualifying, and after that we proceed with the SEA (Southeast Asian) Games and then the AIMAG," Lim said.

He believes that playing in the Olympic qualifiers,

possibly the Tokyo Olympics itself, and the SEA Games would make the national athletes more ready for the AIMAG. "It's a good preparation for everybody for the AIMAG because they have to join the SEA Games first. I think it would be advantageous for us," Lim said. (PNA)

Japan says vaccination not required for Olympics

J

apan on Tuesday said vaccination is not a requirement for participating this July-September in the Olympic Games, which were delayed last year due to the pandemic.

“We are considering comprehensive measures to hold safe and secure games, even without making vaccines a condition,” Katsunobu Kato, the chief Cabinet secretary of the Japanese government, told a news conference.

Japan was set to host the Olympics last year but the world’s biggest games were delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The government of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is adamant to go ahead with the Olympics and Paralympics this year to be held from late July through early September.

A survey conducted by Kyodo News found at least 80 percent of respondents seeking rescheduling of the games.

Last week, the head of the Tokyo Olympics organizing committee said it is “absolutely impossible” to postpone this year’s Summer Olympics even amid the novel coronavirus.

“Having even a slight sense of uncertainty im-

pacts everything. All I can say is that we will go ahead with our preparations,” Yoshiro Mori said.

The Tokyo Olympics is estimated to cost USD15.8 billion.

Infections rising In recent months, Japan has witnessed surges in Covid-19 infections, mostly in the capital Tokyo, where the games are scheduled to be held.

Suga's government imposed a state of emergency once again in several provinces to allow central and local authorities to handle the pandemic.

Tokyo reported 1,240 new infections of the coronavirus on Tuesday -- over 1,000 cases for the seventh consecutive day -- while the tally hit 87,914 in the capital.

The government plans to begin vaccinations by late February starting with medical workers and elderly people.

“I will do everything in my power to ensure safe and effective vaccines can be given to as many people as possible, as quickly as possible,” said Taro Kono, who was appointed on Monday to lead Japan’s battle against the coronavirus.

(Anadolu)

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WAITING GAME

Nat’l athletes await IATF nod for SEA Games training

A

waiting game ensues as to when the national athletes can finally begin their training for the 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games set to be held in Hanoi, Vietnam from Nov. 21 to Dec. 2 this year.

But Philippine Sports Institute national training director Marc Velasco said it is being worked upon now.

"The process is that we have to get the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases) clearance for that. I think the POC (Philippine Olympic Committee) and the chef de mission, Sir Mon (Fernandez), are working on the IATF go signal," Velasco said during the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum.

Velasco said a buildup for a certain major event usually takes up to 21 weeks or about five months.

"We have different phases. If you're preparing for a big event, a full phase usually takes 4-6 weeks, and one major event can take up to three cycles.

There's a rest in between," he said as he broke down how the preparation takes place.

However, due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic which postponed or prompted them to beg off from some potential tuneup events overseas, Velasco expects the SEA Games buildup to be longer.

"Wala tayong (We do not have) international exposure," he said.

Velasco also said the SEA Games training is still subject to changes depending on the Covid-19 situation.

"We can sit down with the POC and the chef de mission and really have a consensus and plan out kung ano yung magandang (on what is the optimal) timetable for the SEA Games," he added.

Currently, the IATF has

Dabawenya boxer Nesthy Petecio (left) with fellow national athletes on the way to their bubble training. allowed national athletes from four sports to train inside the Inspire Sports Academy in Calamba for various international competitions.

The men's basketball team is currently building up for the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers February window in Angeles, while the karatedo, taekwondo, and boxing

teams are gearing for their Tokyo Olympic qualifiers.

A training bubble is also being eyed for fencing in Ormoc ahead of the Olympic qualifiers.

"Mag-go-go po yung fencing (Fencing is pushing through), and we are actually working with the [Philippine] Fencing Association

FWAITING, P10

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