Manila Standard - 2020 July 15 - Wednesday

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Duterte claims oligarchy falls without martial law declaration

By Vito Barcelo and Macon Ramos-Araneta

RALLY THE TROOPS.

President Rodrigo Duterte talks to the troops during his visit to the Kuta Heneral Teodulfo Bautista Headquarters in Jolo, Sulu on July 13. The President sought to boost their morale after the shooting death of four Army intelligence officers at the hands of local policemen last week. Presidential photo VOL. XXXIV • NO. 141• 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 2020 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

PRESIDEnt Rodrigo Duterte says he is “very happy” he has “dismantled the oligarchy” in the Philippines without declaring martial law.

“Without declaring martial law, I was able to dismantle the oligarchy that controlled our economy,” Duterte said in a speech in a military camp in Jolo.

“That’s how they played my country.

So if I die, if the plane crashes, I will be very happy,” Duterte said.

“You know why? Because without declaring martial law I dismantled the oligarchy that controlled the economy and the Filipino people.”

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque denied that Duterte was referring to the Lopez family, which controls ABS-CBN Corp., when he bragged he had successfully “dismantled the oligarchy.”

He said Duterte had been referring to Lucio Tan, Manny Pangilinan and the Ayala clan.

Senator Francis Pangilinan accused

Door-to-door hunt for cases set

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Police, LGU personnel to lead search for unauthorized home quarantine COVID-19 PH

P

OLICEMEN will join local government workers in going house to house to search for COVID-19 cases who should not be on home quarantine, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said Tuesday.

AT A GLANCE

(AS OF 4 PM JULY 14)

Año also said local government units must establish contact tracing teams in every barangay as part of response efforts to the coronavirus disease pandemic.

According to the government, mild or asymptomatic COVID-19 patients should not be on home quarantine if they don't meet the three requirements: own room, own bathroom, and absence of vulnerable person in the house.

Meanwhile, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) has yet to make “final” recommendations on the fate of the nationwide community quarantine after July 15, Malacañang said on Tuesday.

In a virtual press briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said members of the IATF-EID would meet on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the possible retention of or changes in the quarantine status in the country.

This developed as Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Tuesday said he would undergo self-quarantine after one of his staff members tested positive for the coronavirus.

Lorenzana said his staff, Col. Rolly Nerona, tested positive for the disease based on the results of the swab test administered on July 10.

Nerona was with him in Jolo and that COVID POWWOW. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III (left) listens to Metro Manila Development Authority chairman Danilo the latter learned that he was COVID-19 Lim in front of National Task Force against COVID chief implementer Carlito Galvez during the launch of Taguig City's Drive-Thru Smart Next page

Testing Center at Bonifacio Global City on Tuesday. Norman Cruz

More Pinoys US reaffirms support to allies over disputed sea say truth on virus hidden

By Vito Barcelo THREE out of every five Filipinos surveyed by Social Weather Stations from July 3 to 6 believe China is hiding the truth behind the spread of COVID-19, which has infected 12.7-million people across the globe.

The survey showed 61 percent of the respondents accepted the allegations by other countries that China did not disclose full information on the pandemic, including the severity of the disease it causes and the number of people it had killed in that country.

Out of the 1,555 respondents in the survey, 61 percent agreed that China concealed information on the respiratory disease, while 23 percent disagreed and 15 percent were undecided, SWS said.

The polling body said the net belief score was "very strong" at +38.

It also noted that the belief score was highest in the Visayas (+43) followed

by Metro Manila (+41), Mindanao (+38) and Balance Luzon (+35).

Of those who said they believed the accusation against China, 77 percent agreed that “China should be held

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US SECRETARY of State Mike Pompeo said Monday the United States would treat Beijing's pursuit of resources in the dispute-rife South China Sea as illegal, ramping up support for Southeast Asian nations and triggering a furious response from Beijing.

“In the South China Sea, we seek to preserve peace and stability, uphold freedom of the seas in a manner consistent with international law,

maintain the unimpeded flow of commerce, and oppose any attempt to use coercion or force to settle disputes.

We share these deep and abiding interests with our many allies and partners who have long endorsed a rulesbased international order,” Pompeo said in his statement.

It was the latest forceful statement by President Donald Trump's administration to challenge China, which he has increas-

ingly cast as an enemy ahead of November elections.

"We are making clear: Beijing's claims to offshore resources across most of the South China Sea are completely unlawful, as is its campaign of bullying to control them," Pompeo said in a statement.

"The world will not allow Beijing to treat the South China Sea as its maritime empire."

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57,545

35,483

TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES

1,603

ACTIVE

634

NEW CASES

6

DEATHS

NEW

20,459

88

RECOVERIES

NEW

Palace assures hospitals still up to task handling COVID patients

By Willie Casas and Vito Barcelo MALACAÑANG on Wednesday assured the public that the country’s hospitals have the capability to handle COVID-19 patients amid the recent spike in infections.

The World Health Organization's (WHO’s) representative in the Philippines, meanwhile, said the increase in COVID-19 cases in the country is "worrying but also expected.”

Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe, WHO representative to the Philippines, also called for expanded testing and improved contact tracing.

“We are aware of increasing transmission in the National Capital Region and Next page

PH to focus on its ’own interest,’ ’agree to disagree’ on SCS issue

By Vito Barcelo and Macon Ramos-Araneta THE Philippines will focus on its own interests in the South China Sea (SCS) after China rejected a Philippine government appeal that it comply with an arbitral ruling that invalidated its claim to nearly all of the disputed waterway, a Palace official said Tuesday.

In a televised press briefing, Palace spokesperson Harry Roque said the Philippines will “agree to disagree” with China’s position on the 2016 arbitral ruling in favor of Manila.

“We will set aside other things that

we do not agree on, which includes this territorial dispute,” he said, adding, “we will focus for our own interest.”

“First of all, we really do not agree with China about this arbitral award.

But let’s say we will agree to disagree,” Roque said.

The Chinese Embassy in Manila said Tuesday the 2016 arbitral award by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in favor of the Philippines over the disputed areas in the West Philippine Sea was "illegal and invalid."

"China's position is consistent, clear and firm. The South China Sea arbitra- TENSE SEA. This map shows disputed claims in the South China Sea, where tensions tion and its so-called award are illegal ramped up Tuesday after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday the United States

Next page would treat Beijing's pursuit of resources in the dispute-rife South China Sea as “illegal.” China fired back, saying the US accusation of unlawfulness was "completely unjustified." AFP

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 2020

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Rody: Shooting truth out soon P “As your Commander-in-Chief and as President of the Republic of the Philippines, I assure you that I will see to it that the truth will come out, be it in favor of the police or the military. I am asking for the truth,” Duterte said in a speech before soldiers in Camp General Teodulfo Bautista in Jolo.

He said the killing of the soldiers by

policemen, which he described as an isolated incident, should not drive a wedge between the military and the police.

“There are things that happen that we do not want to happen. We do not have answers to that. We know there is hatred and anger there, if not misunderstanding, that led to the shooting,” Duterte said.

He made his statement even as Jus-

tice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said the National Bureau of Investigation was expected to file a criminal a complaint before his department against the police officers involved in the shooting incident.

“Unless the NBI intends to submit a supplemental report, I expect that a criminal complaint will be filed very son with [us],” Guevarra said in a text message to reporters.

Duterte said the deaths of the four soldiers on June 29 was something that nobody wanted to happen.

He was referring to the deaths of Major Marvin Indammog, Captain Irwin Managuelod, Sergeant Jaime Velasco and Corporal Abdal Asula who were gunned down in Sitio Marina in Barangay Walled in Jolo.

Door-to-door...

persons were confirmed to be positive of COVID-19 and contact tracing is now ongoing.

PSALM president Irene Garcia said all personnel will follow a work-from-home arrangement during the closure. The PSALM office will reopen on July 20.

“We do not want the positive (patients) to be on home quarantine if their homes don't have the capacity to isolate them,” Año said at a press briefing in Taguig City.

“So what we'll do, with the help of our LGUs and the PNP (Philippine National Police), we will go house-to-house and

bring the positive cases to our COVID isolation facilities," he added.

Año urged the public to report to authorities if they know someone who is infected with COVID-19 to avoid further transmission of the virus.

“Do not put the lives of our countrymen in danger. We urge everyone that they will heal quicker with 14 days in quarantine, and you'll even get free food," he said.

The government has discouraged home quarantine for mild and asymptomatic COVID-19 cases, saying it is prone

to abuse.

For this, the IATF and the National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 started Oplan Kalinga, which aims to escort COVID-19 patients from their houses to government isolation facilities.

At the same press briefing in Taguig City, Vince Dizon, COVID “chief testing czar,” said Oplan Kalinga started on Sunday and Monday in Navotas and Malabon.

He said authorities had escorted around 50 COVID-19 patients from their houses to government facilities. Vito Barcelo with PNA

Roque said.

He said the most effective way to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is to observe safe distancing, wear a face mask, staying home and proper hygiene.

The number of COVID-19 cases surged to 57,545 on Tuesday after the Department of Health (DOH) announced 634 more infections—302 “fresh” or newly validated and 332 reported late.

Total recoveries also rose to 20,459 after 88 more patients recovered from the respiratory illness, while the death toll climbed to 1,603 with six new fatalities.

Of the six deaths, four (67 percent) were in July and two (33 percent) were in June.

Deaths were from the National Capital Region or NCR (three or 50 percent), Region 7 (two or 33 percent), and Region 5 (one or 17 percent).

Ninety-five duplicates were removed from total case count.

There are 35,483 active cases undergoing treatment or quarantine, 91.4 percent of which are mild, 7.7 percent asymptomatic, 0.4 percent severe, and 0.5 percent in critical condition.

The DOH said figures were based on the total tests done by 65 out of 82 operational labs.

The Philippines has been averaging 766 to 1,571 new cases of COVID-19 in July, the DOH said Monday.

During a press briefing, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said 766 is the average number of new cases per day by date of onset of illness while 1,571 is the average number of new cases per day by date of reporting.

Despite the assurances from the Palace, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said hospital confinement will be limited to severe and critical COVID-19 cases to avoid hospital congestion.

Duque’s announcement was made as COVID-19 cases in the country surged to 57,006 as of July 13.

Duque said the utilization of the coun-

try’s 8,287 community isolation centers with 70,000 beds for suspect and probable COVID-19 cases is just at 25 percent to 30 percent.

Earlier in the day, the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines Inc. (PHAPI) said private hospitals are nearing their full capacity for COVID-19 cases amid the increase in the number of infected patients.

The Medical City (TMC) in Pasig City announced Tuesday that it has already reached full capacity for COVID-19 patients.

“Please be advised that despite efforts to reorganize and augment our facilities and manpower, The Medical City has reached full capacity of COVID-19 patient allocated beds as of today, 14 July 2020," TMC chief medical officer Rafael Claudio said in a statement.

"We are fully aware that this is a looming problem, but we could not go beyond our capacity to take care of COVID-19 patients without posing serious risks to everyone-both the patients (COVID and non-COVID) and our hospital staff," Claudio also said.

Hospital beds at the ICU for COVID-19 patients at the St. Luke's Medical Center in both Quezon City and Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Taguig are full, an official said on Tuesday as cases of the respiratory disease continued to increase.

At the hospital's branch in BGC, all 18 ICU beds for patients with COVID-19 are occupied, said St. Luke's chief medical officer Dr. Benjamin Campomanes, in an interview in ABS-CBN. A total of 11 ICU beds for coronavirus patients are also full at its Quezon City branch.

Campomanes said some suspected COVID infected patients stay at emergency rooms that were converted into "transitory ICUs.” On the other hand, the utilization rate for Mega Ligtas quarantine facilities for mild and asymptomatic COVID-19 patients is at 40 percent to 50 percent.

“We should fill this up so that they don’t all end up in the hospital,” Duque said in Filipino. “Our problem is there is congestion at the hospital because everyone wants to go there.”

“We want to change the health seeking behavior of people. We will have a redistribution system to determine who should go to a hospital and who should go to treatment facilities.”

For the last week, the DOH reported additional COVID-19 cases in the range of 1,000 to more than 2,000 a day. This follows the easing of quarantine measures in June as the country slowly opens up its economy.

But Abeyasinghe said that with the increased testing capacity of the Philippines, “if the virus is out there, you expect that to be detected. So detecting large numbers of positives is actually a good thing.”

“What is worrying is the proportion of positive cases is very slowly increasing,” he added.

He pointed out that from a positivity rate of 6.5 percent two weeks ago, the Philippines reported a positivity rate of 7.8 percent for the whole country on Monday.

The positivity rate is the proportion of people testing positive for COVID-19 out of all who are tested.

“This is worrying. This shows that there is continuing transmission.

This is also reflected by the increased number of admissions that are happening in hospitals,” he said.

“What WHO advocates is that we try to maintain positivity rate at 5 percent, which means the country is testing enough people,” he said.

Abeyasinghe explained that to have a positivity rate that is more than 5 percent, “It means that there are some areas [where] we are seeing increasing transmission. And in these places, we are seeing that not enough people are being tested.”

was not referring to any specific case when he made his statement, but was talking about the impact of the administration’s continuing fight against corruption.

Senator Sonny Angara said while Duterte had good intentions in balancing the economy, several observers had found the judgment on ABS-CBN was harsh.

Duterte said only a few rich people were deciding the outcome of the country’s elections.

“Every election in the past, present and future, they will gather in one room and say, ‘Who will be our candidate this time? Okay, you handle this, you handle that. You raise the funds’,” Duterte said.

“Maybe around five people. One family is involved in the discussion.

That’s how they played around with my country.”

Duterte said when he ran for the presidency in 2016, he pledged to combat corruption especially at the higher echelons of society, and that he thought the alleged corruption at the Bureau of Internal Revenue and Bureau of Customs was small compared to the “billions” stolen in the upper echelons.

He said he had been able to control corruption and vowed to continue fighting it.

“It is not that I am inordinately proud of it, but that it was actually a part of my campaign,” he said.

“I challenge anybody to say that I am lying. I said it in my own language.

It was rude but I said these rich people were milking the government and the people dry.”

der international law," Pompeo said.

"We stand with the international community in defense of freedom of the seas and respect for sovereignty and reject any push to impose 'might makes right' in the South China Sea or the wider region."

Beijing claims most of the South China Sea through a so-called nine-dash line, a vague delineation based on maps from the 1940s.

It has spent years building military bases on artificial islands in the contested areas to cement its claims, while dragging out a diplomatic process to resolve the disputes for nearly two decades.

China on Tuesday responded forcefully to Pompeo's comments, saying the accusation of unlawfulness was "com-

pletely unjustified.”

"We advise the US side to earnestly honor its commitment of not taking sides on the issue of territorial sovereignty, respect regional countries' efforts for a peaceful and stable South China Sea and stop its attempts to disrupt and sabotage regional peace and stability," said the US embassy in Washington.

The statement accused the United States of trying to "sow discord" between China and its fellow claimants in the sea.

Pompeo issued his statement to mark the fourth anniversary of a tribunal decision that sided with the Philippines against the nine-dash line.

Pompeo said that China, based on the court decision, cannot make claims based

By Vito Barcelo and Rey E. Requejo

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has assured the families of the four soldiers slain in Jolo that truth and justice will be done, even as he thanked the military for protecting the country against insurgency and terrorism.

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positive upon landing there on Monday, Lorenzana added.

In another development, state-run Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM) closed down its office in Vertis North Corporate Center 1 after two personnel were found positive for COVID-19.

The company closed its office for extensive disinfection until July 17 after two

Palace...

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this is not something unique to the Philippines as countries relax their stringent quarantine measures, people come into contact with each other,” said Abeyasinghe, during a virtual forum organized by the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP).

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said critical care capacity to handle COVID-19 cases in the country’s hospitals, which includes beds, ICU (intensive care unit) beds, mechanical ventilators and isolation beds, is at 70 percent, which he said is manageable.

Earlier reports said COVID-19 cases in the country are straining the capacity of hospitals, forcing some hospitals in Metro Manila to refer patients to other facilities.

Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega on Monday said that critical care capacity to handle COVID-19 patients has reached 70 percent, considered a “danger zone.”

“With the critical care capacity, when we had a meeting, it was at 60 percent; then Undersecretary Vega said it is now at 70 percent. That is manageable,” Roque said.

In a press briefing, Vega, who is also the government's treatment “czar,” said he is coordinating with hospitals to ensure that COVID-19 patients will not be refused if a health facility has reached its full capacity.

“The patients will not be refused due to reason of space. They will be told where they can go. Because overall, we have enough beds including ICU beds,” Roque said.

Roque said tightening the quarantine protocols is “still possible” if the COVID-19 cases continue to increase and if the country’s health facilities are filled up.

“If the situation worsens and we run out of critical care capacity or the case doubling rate becomes fast once again, we have no alternative. That is why we are making an appeal to our countrymen,”

Duterte...

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Duterte of making up the alleged problems on the oligarchs when he said he had dismantled them without declaring martial law after the House of Representatives rejected renewing ABS-CBN’s 25-year franchise.

Senator Joel Villanueva described as inaccurate equating the non-renewal of ABS-CBN’s franchise with the dismantling of the oligarchy.

Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said the big businessmen producing goods and services that benefit consumers, create jobs, pay taxes and had a strong corporate social responsibility should be celebrated and emulated.

Senator Christopher Go said Duterte

West...

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The United States has long rejected Beijing's sweeping claims in the South China Sea, which is both home to valuable oil and gas deposits and a vital waterway for the world's commerce.

Pompeo's statement goes further by explicitly siding with Southeast Asian nations, including the Philippines and Vietnam, after years of the US saying it took no position on individual claims.

"America stands with our Southeast Asian allies and partners in protecting their sovereign rights to offshore resources, consistent with their rights and obligations un-

“It is my hope that this isolated incident would not spark animosity between the Armed Forces and the Philippine National Police,” Duterte said.

He thanked the soldiers for their continued service despite losing their comrades.

“To our brave soldiers who are with us today, I personally came here to thank you on behalf of the Filipino people for your undying service, especially during these trying times,” Duterte said.

“As we fight the COVID-19 pandemic, lawless elements still take advantage of and ravage our land, disrupting public order. It has been a difficult time for our men and women in uniform due to the escalating tensions between the military and the terrorist groups.”

New US stand ’very strong’ signal to China, says Carpio

By Rey E. Requejo RETIRED Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said on Tuesday that the United States’ new position on the disputed South China Sea sends a "very strong" message to China that Washington is supporting Southeast Asian coastal states in their disputes against Beijing’s expansive claims over the South China Sea. "This sends a very strong message to China that the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei have the backing of the US in protecting their exclusive economic zones (EEZ) in the South China Sea," Carpio told reporters in a virtual press conference.

Carpio was referring to the new statement made by US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo that “Beijing’s claims to offshore resources across most of the South China Sea are completely unlawful, as is its campaign of bullying to control them.”

Pompeo added that “the world will not allow Beijing to treat the South China Sea as its maritime empire" and expressed solidarity with its allies in Southeast Asia.

Carpio said the exclusive economic zone is 200 nautical miles beyond a coastal state's territorial sea. The Philippine Constitution says the state shall reserve the use and enjoyment of the EEZ's marine wealth exclusively to Filipino citizens.

Carpio stressed that the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) guarantees that all states have the freedom of navigation and overflight in the EEZs and the high seas of the world, which means they can sail or fly over these areas without getting the consent of any coastal state.

By conducting freedom of navigation and overflight exercises in the EEZs and high seas of the South China Sea, the world's naval powers are enforcing the 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated China's nine-dash line claims over the resource-rich shipping route, he said.

However, China continuously refused to recognize the arbitral award four years after it was handed down.

These "peaceful and lawful" freedom of navigation and overflight operations are the "most robust and most powerful enforcement" of the arbitral ruling, Carpio said.

The former SC magistrate said Southeast Asian coastal states that are asserting their rights to their EEZs have a "natural strategic partnership" with the US and other naval powers outside the region and should therefore welcome their freedom of navigation and overflight operations.

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accountable for not immediately sharing their information on COVID-19 to the world.”

Fifteen percent disagreed and 7 percent were undecided.

The net agreement score was "extremely strong" at +62 and was highest in Balance Luzon followed by the Visayas, Metro Manila and Mindanao.

The survey, conducted among 1,555 Filipinos aged 18 and above nationwide, was sponsored by the Stratbase Albert Del Rosario Institute.

It had sampling error margins of ±2 percent for national percentages, ±6 percent for Metro Manila, ±5 percent for Balance Luzon, ±5 percent for the Visayas and ±5 percent for Mindanao.

and invalid,” the embassy said in a statement, which was released on the fourth anniversary of the PCA ruling.

“China does not accept or participate in the arbitration, nor does it accept or recognize the so-called award."

Despite the disagreement, Roque said, the country’s trade and economic relations with China will continue.

In July 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague ruled that the Philippines has exclusive sovereign rights over the West Philippine Sea (in the South China Sea), thereby setting aside China’s “nine-dash line” territorial claim, but China has refused to recognize the ruling.

But Roque said the disagreement does not sum up the country’s relations with China.

“We will proceed with what we can continue with our friendship with China, like those concerning the economy and trade,” he said.

But China insisted that its "sovereignty and maritime rights" in the area would not be affected by the PCA ruling.

"China firmly opposes and will never accept any claim or action based on aforesaid award. It has to be highlighted that China and the Philippines have already reached consensus on properly handling the so-called arbitration case, which has laid down solid ground for the turningaround of bilateral relations," the embassy said.

on the Scarborough Reef or Spratly Islands, a vast uninhabited archipelago.

The United States as a result now rejects Beijing's claims in the waters surrounding Vanguard Bank off Vietnam, Lucania Shoals off Malaysia, waters considered in Brunei's exclusive economic zone and Natuna Besar off Indonesia, Pompeo said.

"Any PRC action to harass other states' fishing or hydrocarbon development in these waters—or to carry out such activities unilaterally—is unlawful," Pompeo said.

Pompeo also rejected Beijing's southernmost claim of Malaysian-administered James Shoal, which is 1,800 kilometers (1,150 miles) from the Chinese mainland.

The 2016 decision was issued by a

tribunal under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Pompeo noted that China is a party to it and called the ruling legally binding.

The United States, however, is one of the few countries that is not part of the convention, with conservatives opposing any loss of autonomy to a global body.

THe South China Sea statement comes amid rising tensions surrounding China, including a deadly border clash last month with India that Pompeo called part of a strategy by Beijing to challenge its neighbors.

Trump has also strongly criticized China for not doing more to stop the coronavirus pandemic, news of which was initially suppressed when it emerged in Wuhan late last year. AFP, Maricel V. Cruz

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 2020 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

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SC defers action on ABS plea vs NTC

By Rey E. Requejo and Maricel V. Cruz

E

VEN at the Supreme Court, the ABS-CBN Corporation cannot expect an immediate judicial relief as the 15-member bench decided to defer deliberation on its petition seeking to set aside the cease and desist order issued by the National Telecommunications Commissions that forced it to go off air following the expiration of its franchise last May 5.

SWAB TESTS. Taguig city Mayor Lino Cayetano briefs attendees as Medical health workers assist patients for a swab test during the launch of Taguig City’s Drive-Thru Smart Testing Center at Bonifacio Global City on Tuesday, July 14, 2020. Norman Cruz

IN BRIEF Trial courts to resolve PDLs’ petition for early release PDEA, BOC ink pact vs. drug smuggling

THE Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and Bureau of Customs have renewed a memorandum of agreement to strengthen their partnership in the prevention of the smuggling of illegal drugs in seaports and airports.

PDEA director general Wilkins Villanueva and Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero on Tuesday forged another partnership to enhance the efficiency of the parties in suppressing the smuggling, importation, exportation and transshipment of dangerous drugs or controlled precursors and essential chemicals, including instruments, paraphernalia, apparatuses, and equipment used in the administration and manufacture of illegal drugs.

The two agencies shall share their expertise and competence in their respective jurisdiction, fields of specialization and proficiency.

According to Wilkins, their partnership has resulted in the seizure of billions of pesos worth of illegal drugs because of coordinated intelligence and operational efforts between PDEA and the Bureau of Customs.

Rio N. Araja

Lapid files ‘refund for cancelled orders’ bil TO protect delivery riders and drivers, Senator Manuel “Lito” Lapid has filed a bill which seeks to establish a mandatory reimbursement scheme for cancellation of orders.

Lapid’s Senate Bill 1677 requires the service providers to establish a reimbursement scheme to cover the entire amount of money advances to purchase the items, in case of cancelation of confirmed orders.

He said reimbursements to the riders must be made by food and grocery delivery service providers within one (1) day from cancellation.

To facilitate collection against cancelling customers, the bill also requires the implementation of Know-Your-Customer (KYC) rules which will entail the submission and verification of proof of identity and residential address, subject to compliance with the Data Privacy Act of 2012.

For months now, since the COVID-19 pandemic, Lapid said most of the residents and workers are forced to stay at home and avoid crowded places that they usually visit such as restaurants and groceries. Macon Ramos-Araneta

THE Supreme Court on Tuesday remanded to the trial courts a petition filed by 22 political prisoners, most of them sick and senior citizens, for immediate resolution of their appeal for release from detention.

During its regular en banc session on Tuesday, the SC resolved to remand the case of the 22 persons deprived of liberty to the trial courts where their cases are being heard due to the “issues involved (in the SC petition) are factual” or require determination of facts.

The SC ordered the lower court judges to resolve the PDLs’ petition “with dispatch,” an SC insider revealed.

The petition was filed by the PDLs last

DESPITE the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID -19) pandemic, west zone Maynilad Water Services Inc. on Tuesday said its P7.9-billion upgrade of treatment plants in Quezon City’s La Mesa Dam is already nearing completion.

Randolph Estrellado, chief operating officer, said they have deployed over 400 workers at the La Mesa treatment plants 1 and 2 to fast track completion of the facilities’ P7.9-billion upgrade.

The returning workers have passed the anti-body screening test prior to redeployment, and are now required to follow stricter safety protocols against COVID-19 infection, he said.

has given birth in a hospital in Manila and was later returned to her detention cell with her baby.

The petitioners argued that while they have been charged with common crimes, the arrest, detention and charges against the petitioners are due to their political beliefs.

The petitioners assured the court that they are not hardened criminals and that “they will not evade trial nor flee from the charges.”

Among those named respondents in the petition were Local Governments Secretary Eduardo Ano, Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra, Director

Optional retirement at 56 measure filed

‘Package scheme’ at NAIA revealed

By Maricel V. Cruz

By Joel E. Zurbano

A MINORITY leader in the House of Representatives on Tuesday reiterated his call for the passage of the bill lowering optional retirement age to 56 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Assistant Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro particularly appealed to the Senate to prioritize the bill’s passage, noting that the measure had already been approved on third and final reading by the House and pending at the Senate.

“Government employees dedicate twenty, thirty years of their lives in the service of the nation. It is high time that the government heed their clamor for the option to retire at an earlier age in order for them to enjoy their retirement benefits for as long as possible,” Castro said.

“Since the 16th Congress, we have been pushing for the enactment of the lowering of the optional retirement age of public school teachers,” Castro said. “Now more than ever, we should be able to give government employees who would opt to retire early the option to do so.”

Castro said in preparation for a new normal, there are public school teachers who have difficulty adopting in the online requirements of the blended learning modes of the Department of Education.

AUTHORITIES on Tuesday warned the public of a syndicate engaged in a “package scheme”using the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and the Bureau of Customs in the illegal activity.

Customs has been receiving reports about the scheme through online, email, text message and calls.

Scammers use dummies or fake accounts in social media, emails, text messages or phone calls to lure victims. Some would even use the name of Customs bureau and pose as employees.

They usually get in touch with prospective victims online via chat or dating websites. After several weeks or even months, the perpetrators would send a message to their victims through email, promising to send gifts ranging from luxury bags, jewelry, laptop computers and other electronic gadgets via international door-to-door parcel.

Investigation showed that victims are duped to pay duties and taxes for the release of the package through money remittance or personal bank accounts. Bogus receipts, tracking numbers of packages and other documents are also sent to the victims to make the transaction look legitimate.

The scams can also be sophisticated at times, involving fake tracking website of the said courier/freight forwarder where victims would be asked to visit and see the status of the supposed parcel.

P7.9-b La Mesa treatment plant upgrade

By Rio N. Araja

April who pleaded for their release, either through bail or other means, to decongest jails and prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 in their detention facilities.

In their petition, the PDLs also asked the SC to compel the government to create a Prisoner Release Committee, “similar to those set up in other countries, to urgently study and implement the release of all other prisoners in various congested prisons throughout the country.”

Among the petitioners include Reina Mae Nasino, 22 years old, who was five months pregnant at the time of the filing of the petition.

Published reports showed that Nasino

SC spokesperson Brian Keith Hosaka on Tuesday said that the SC magistrates resolved to “call again” the deliberation on the ABS-CBN’s petition during its en banc session on August 4.

“I was able to briefly confer with SC Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta, and he confirms that the ABS-CBN Corporation petition will be called again for deliberations by the En Banc on August 4, 2020,” Hosaka said in a text message to reporters.

The NTC issued and served its CDO to ABS-CBN last May 5, a day after its franchise expired.

The network has been off the air for more than two months already, and has been utilizing its social media accounts as platforms for its programs.

In its petition, the media company accused the NTC of committing grave abuse of discretion, which it said amounts to lack of jurisdiction in issuing the CDO. ABS-CBN also argued that the CDO resulted to irreparable repercussions on public interest especially at this time when there is a pandemic coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19).

The petitioner also warned that 11,000 workers stand to be affected and lose their jobs.

It also claimed to be losing P35-millions everyday while it is off the air.

The petitioner also said that the CDO also violated the media network’s right to equal protection of the laws.

The NTC, on the other hand, has sought the dismissal of the petition, insisting that there was no grave abuse on the part of the agency to warrant the nullification of the CDO.

“Completion of this project is essential to ensuring water service reliability for our customers, given the challenges posed by increasingly variable raw water quality from Angat Dam,” he said.

The massive P7.9-billion upgrade involves increasing the facilities’ capacity to treat higher raw water turbidity, retrofitting of structures for improved earthquake resiliency, and automating processes.

La Mesa treatment plants 1 and 2 produce 2,400 million liters of water per day, and serves around 90 percent of Maynilad’s 9.7 million customers.

According to Estrellado, the upgrade, which started in 2017, is being done in phases so that the facilities could operate without water interruption services.

CLOCK TOWER. Workers apply paint on the Manila City Hall Clock Tower with white instead of its original red paint, while also coloring the clock face gold in Manila on 14 July 2020, as Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso ordered its makeover and plans to name the new clock tower as the Golden Manila Cityhall Clock Tower. The makeover aims to make the tower sparkle brightly during daytime and create a calming effect for viewers at nighttime.

The Manila City Hall Clock Tower is the biggest of its kind in the country, and stands at 100 feet.

It was designed by Antonio Toledo and was completed during the 1930s. Norman Cruz

DOH body OKs 2 PCV vaccines vs child pneumonia THE Health Technology Assessment Council of the Department of Health has allowed two pneumococcal conjugate vaccines in the PCV tender as part of the government’s fight against child pneumonia, the number one killer disease among children 5 years old and below.

Congresswoman Angelina Tan, chair of the House committee on Health, lauded the DOH and HTA and said that this is a welcome development and that the DOH is “on the right track.”

Tan added that with HTAC, “the country now has a venue to have an in-depth discussion on matters that affects health programs especially immunization programs.”

In previous interviews prior to the release of the HTAC decision, Tan has expressed her position calling for open, competi-

tive bidding on PCV. This, after the World Health Organization (WHO) came out with new evidence that states the two available vaccines in the market- PCV 10 and PCV 13- are comparable in providing the same protection for child pneumonia.

Tan was quoted as saying that breaking the monopoly of procurement on the PCVs will entail savings on costs. This holds especially true at the time of pandemic which has hit hard on global economies, the Philippines included.

“Both vaccines exist. If the health assessment proves that both PCV10 and PCV13 have the same effects, then we need to go through a procurement process that’s open and competitive so the government can save on costs.”

Tan’s statement on savings was validated

in the HTAC report which allowed for the two PCVs in the market to be part of the competitive bidding. PCV10, a more affordable but equally effective PCV option is approved by the Philippine FDA with indications for all serotypes stated in the HTAC recommendation. The other PCV being used currently is the most expensive vaccine in the National Immunization Program at P4.4 billion which is more than half of the P7.2 billion budget of the NIP for 2020.

Additionally, the HTAC report said that the Council recognizes the clamor of the community for higher coverage and the ability to access the health intervention to achieve equality in health, which can be better addressed by having a lower-priced vaccine.

LGUs

Jimbo Owen Gulle, Editor lgu@manilastandard.net editor.lgustandard@gmail.com

A4

WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 2020

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

WAITING FOR TESTING.

Pandemic frontliners wait for their turns at free swab testing at the Mall of Asia-Expanded Community Testing Center in Pasay City under the program of Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) in collaboration with the Las Piñas city government.

Manila to buy new serology test machine THE Manila City government will buy another COVID-19 serology testing machine to boost its mass testing efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mayor Francisco “Isko” Domagoso announced this during a Facebook Live broadcast on Monday as more COVID-19 cases were being identified and isolated in the nation's capital.

The city government has three COVID-19 serology testing machines from American health care firm Abbott as of Monday. Each machine is able to process 5,600 tests a week.

With another machine to be procured by the local government, Domagoso said all four machines combined will be capable of processing 89,600 tests a month.

As of Monday, July 13, the Manila Health Department recorded about 1,373 active COVID-19 cases, 1,858 recoveries and 176 deaths.

Meanwhile, a total 1,858 Manila City residents already recovered from COVID-19, while 176 died as of July 13, the Manila Public Information Officer said on Tuesday.

Some 1,373 Manilenos were identified as confirmed cases after the Manila Health Department recorded 159 new active cases.

About 443 residents were also tagged as “suspects” while 57 residents were tagged as “probable.” Willie Casas

By Willie Casas THE 400-year-old image of Sto. Niño de Pandacan, long considered by devotees to be miraculous, was among the images burned during the fire incident that gutted the Sto. Niño Parish in Pandacan, Manila last week, church officials said.

Only the crown and other small pieces of the image were not burned.

“That’s one of the most painful because that’s a 400-year legacy of people in Pandacan,” parish priest Fr. Ric Valencia said.

The church official said the parish would try to restore some of the antique images destroyed.

The church noted it was a miracle that the Blessed Sacrament and sacramental bread were not ravaged by the fire.

The Manila Fire District said the fire might have been caused by an electricity issue.

The church and convent will be rebuilt but spiritual services like baptism, blessing of the dead, and masses will continue to be held daily.

79 positive for virus in 2 LSI boats

By Nash B. Maulana

C

OTABATO CITY—Blank sailing in the meantime for two Philippine Navy vessels bound for Basilan, Sulu and TawiTawi after 79 of the more than 400 locally stranded individuals they have on board were found positive of the deadly coronavirus (COVID-19), officials said Tuesday.

Minister Naguib Sinarimbo of the Bangsamoro Ministry of the Interior and Local Government, said plans to ferry home 424 or so LSIs were temporarily set aside for more urgent concerns: they would have to undergo the process of profiling, swab testing and accounting to

determine their true number while in isolation facilities at the Cotabato Sanitarium in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao.

Sinarimbo told reporters that following health protocols, all the LSIs would have to stay in the Maguindanao facilities for 14 days, before they could final-

ly return home.

Also the number of the LSIs had seemingly varied from 414 on July 7 when they clambered up a government chartered ferry vessel in Manila, according to unofficial text messages from personnel of the Department of the Interior and Local Government to their counterparts in the BARMM. Dr. Safrullah Dipatuan, BAMRM Minister of Health, said that agency also had 405 name-entries in its lists of the same LSIs swab-tested and now awaiting results from the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) laboratory tests at the Cotabato Regional Medical Center.

But apparently, there were 414 people listed in the passengers’ manifest of MV St. Pope John Paul II, the ship chartered by the national government for the LSIs availing of the Tulong Balik Probinsiya Program.

The passengers’ manifest has not been made available to BARMM, according to sources from the region’s humanitarian unit, Rapid Emergency Assistance to Disaster Incidents.

After the LSIs disembarked from the chartered ship in Cagayan de Oro City on Tuesday, the DILG in Region 10 yet gave a different number, reporting that its count of the LSIs had reached 499.

QC launches tack to wear face mask via Facebook page

By Rio N. Araja

Taguig turns to ‘SMART’

By Joel E. Zurbano THE Taguig City government has intensified its campaign and strengthened testing capacity to further prevent the spread of coronavirus disease in the city.

“We adopt the national policy—the secret, the strategy and the secret formula is really to be able to practice test, trace and treat—from Enhanced Community Quaraintie (ECQ) to Modified ECQ, General GCQ, MGCQ to the new normal,” said Mayor Lino Edgardo Cayetano in a meeting with officials of Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) in Fort Bonifacio on Tuesday.

Also present during the meeting were National Task Force against COVID-19 chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, Health Secretary Francisco Duque and Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque.

Cayetano said the strategy was incorporated in the approach dubbed as the Systematic, Mass Approach Responsible Testing (SMART) program which features hospital testing, house-to-house testing, communitybased testing through health centers, and drive-thru testing.

He said the city government deployed 128 swabbers and its testing capacity increased from 1,000 to 2,000 a day.

The Enderun Mega Swabbing Center is at Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City, and has a total of 54 swabbing booths that can accommodate a minimum of 900 clients per day.

Sto. Nino icon, 400 years old, charred in fire

STRICT WITH MASKS. Caloocan Police stand on city streets to enforce the public wearing of face masks all the time outside

homes, and to ensure the implementation of curfew hours and social distancing. Caloocan Police Chief Col. Dario Menor said Mayor Oscar “Oca” Malapitan has a strict reminder to the police to 'strongly implement' ordinances to stave off the coronavirus. Jun David

Water interruption to hit 42k households in Rizal MORE than 42,000 households and establishments are expected to be affected by the water interruption in some areas in Rizal from Wednesday to Thursday, according to Manila Water.

According to Manila Water, the water interruption was caused by maintenance activities or repairs at the pumping station in Barangay Mambugan, Antipolo City.

The interruption will begin at 9 p.m. on Wednesday and will last until 5 a.m.

on Thursday.

The affected barangays include the following: Antipolo City; Bagong Nayon; Mambugan; Mayamot (Pagrai área only); Cupang (Pagrai área only); Dalig (except along Road to Teresa, Tapales, Gamboa); Dela Paz; Sta. Cruz; San Isidro (except Bermuda Heights, Buliran Road, along Circumferential Road); San Roque; San Luis (except Corville, Biong, Primavera) and San Jose (except Marcos Highway).

Teresa: Poblacion; San Gabriel; MayIba; Dulumbayan; Calumpang; Sto. Cristo; Prinza; Bagumbayan; Dalig and San Roque; Morong: San Guillermo; Binangonan: Palangoy; Angono: Mahabang Parang; Taytay: part of Dolores.

Manila Water has notified residents in the affected areas to collect enough water for the interruption period. Benjamin Chavez

QUEZON City Mayor Joy Belmonte has piloted a promotion drive to convince and influence the public about the importance of wearing a face mask to further slow down the transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

The city government has launched an online campaign through its official Facebook page, “where many residents rely for information,” she said.

The campaign, dubbed “Why I Wear a Mask,” posted a video featuring city hall staff members from different offices across various age groups, featuring the city’s frontliners from doctors to policemen, contact tracers and even COVID -19 survivors.

Michelle Gumabao from Quezon City, a Miss Universe Philippines candidate and national team volleyball player, is tapped as a major influencer in the campaign to highlight the importance of wearing a face mask.

She has actively joined the city in its COVID-19 response efforts.

Belmonte said the initiative had received positive response and comments from many Facebook users and other netizens who echoed the city government’s call for the wearing of face masks by sharing the video.

“We are glad that most of them understand that wearing a mask not only protects themselves but also their families, friends and communities,” she said.

Pampanga acquires equipment for schools ahead of August opening CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—The provincial government will acquire school equipment including educational materials vital for the opening of classes through blended learning program of the Department of Education next month.

Governor Dennis Pineda said the provincial government had allocated an amount for the procurement of 74 risograph printing machines for class modules and cost of television production for the new normal educational system which will open on August 24.

Pineda said the risograph machines would be distributed to different local government units which would handle the printing and distribution of modules to different primary, secondary and senior high school students in government learning institutions in the province.

A local television outfit, Pineda said, had been tapped to air educational shows once classes resume next month.

"All equipment, TV production and program costs would be shouldered by the provincial government,” said Pineda dur-

ing the final meeting with DepEd officials and LGU representatives at the Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center Monday.

DepEd provincial director Zenia Mostoles urged parents to enroll their children to avail themselves of the government distance learning program to continue the children's education amid the pandemic.

She said registration for school year 2020-2021 had started and would end on July 15.

The Blended Learning is a program proposed by the DepEd in response to the

COVID-19 pandemic that caused interruption to the education of students.

DepEd said about 16.6 million have enrolled in both government and private schools for 2020-2021 school year.

A big number or 15.8 million enrolled in public learning institutions while 700,000 in private schools.

Education Secretary Leonor Briones said the low turnout rate of private schools was "usual" because private schools might open their classes on a different dates than August 24. Jess Malabanan

Opinion

Adelle Chua, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 2020

Shambolic

EDITORIAL

E

Don’t hate the experts

XPERTS enjoy authority and credibility for a reason.

They did not get to where they were because of their connections, or because they found themselves at the right place at the right time.

Experts spent long years studying their field and staying updated about developments in it. The knowledge is not just theory—equally important is the time spent actually practicing their profession.

They are recognized among their peers and in the local and international community. They enjoy high esteem from the general public. Their work has been reviewed by peers, validated by time, and used as reference by those who come after them.

And when their services are tapped for the public good, they are usually willing to help out, to provide their time and services for the benefit of the many.

They agree to make recommendations, guide policymakers, and draw from their experience in providing answers and finding solutions to the problems at hand.

It is not their obligation to always agree with whoever appointed them. In fact, it is their obligation to disagree with ac-

tions not consistent with their findings and recommendations. They must call out those who make pronouncements and feign expertise just to paint a picture rosier than the actual state.

Meanwhile, those in power should not begrudge these experts the opportunity to speak what they think. The opinion of experts is not that of a politician. It does not recognize political color or affiliation. It is based only on evidence—never names, never personalities.

We must heed their words even if they don’t bring us comfort.

During this time of uncertainty and fear, the only voices that bring comfort are the experts. They know what they are talking about. While we are desperate for good news and relief, words like “everything will be all right” or “we are winning this” or “it’s not as bad as we think it is” from non-experts should be taken with a grain of salt. More so if

CROSSROADS

J.A. DELA CRUZ

they are public officials desperate for good perception.

In the United States, top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci has been maligned by President Donald Trump and his allies numerous times because he continues to warn the public about the persistent threat of COVID-19.

Here at home, Palace mouthpieces play down the dire forecasts of researchers from the University of the Philippines on the number of COVID-19 cases. Spokesman Harry Roque once expressed jubilation at “winning against” the UP projection that the number would reach 40,000 as of end-June.

A health reform advocate was also eased out of his advisory role in the task force implementing regulations concerning COVID-19 for not keeping his opinion to himself and criticizing the government's response to the pandemic.

These are times we need to be guided only by science and evidence. We must heed the warning of experts even if their words fail to bring us comfort.

Reassurances, especially when these have no basis, do not have any value outside of lulling us into complacency—and dooming us into a state worse than where we are.

IT WAS former President Barack Obama who revived the use of the term “shambolic” in public discourse when he slammed President Donald Trump’s governance over the past three years, specifically his management of the pandemic in America.

In a fundraiser for presumptive Democratic presidential candidate, Joe Biden, who was his vice-president in his two terms in office, Obama described Trump's style as "shambolic, disorganized, mean-spirited approach to governance" and his administration’s management of the coronavirus pandemic. Obama’s tirade may as well be directed at other leaders who continue to disappoint as their countries struggle in their efforts to contain COVID-19.

Just across the Atlantic, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s handling of the pandemic has been variously described as slow and disorganized— punctuated by a “shambolic approach testing and contact tracing,” according to one expert. Close to 100 other scientists and medical practitioners have in fact come out openly, saying that Johnson and his crew have squandered public trust by “massaging data” and “spinning the facts.” They have, in their view, chosen to ignore evidence and experience in favor of expediency and political gimmickry.

The issue of testing and contact tracing which has seen the United Kingdom stumble from one tracing mode and contact app to another despite millions of funds thrown into the operation has only angered the public even more. In fact, an ongoing inquiry into the contracts negotiated by the government with private providers not only for testing and contract tracing but also for test kits and PPEs have been denounced by the opposition and a number of non-profits as smelling of “BorisGate if not ToryGate” as information crept in that a majority of those awardees were in fact either sitting Tory members of parliament or associated with incumbent ministers. Sound familiar?

Which is why, the argument goes, the central government has been vigorously resisting the decentralization of responsibility for testing and tracing to local authorities using their own public health centers and teams. Or, outsourcing these tasks to locally accredited facilities. We are aware that public health specialists have often argued that testing, case detection and contact tracing require not only medical but social, behavioral and, in the case of countries like the Philippines, even political interventions. While there is need for a uniform, national standard of medical and health care, it is clear that implementation takes into

Pathetic support for ABS-CBN SANTA Banana, the junking of no less than 13 bills filed at the House of Representatives for the renewal of the franchise of ABS-CBN has given rise to a cacophony of voices, mostly unfamiliar with the real issues behind the congressional move.

What is a legislative franchise, anyway?

It is a franchise granted by Congress for corporations engaged in public utilities and mass media. As far as media is concerned, be it radio or television, there is a provision in the Constitution that its ownership and management are only for Filipino citizens.

My gulay, when a company applies for a franchise—normally for 25 years, renewable for another 25—that is a privilege and not a right. It is a privilege granted by Congress since the airwaves form part of the patrimony of the state.

Thus, from the start, the core of the ABS-CBN issue is whether or not Congress, representing the state, will grant it the franchise renewal. The issue of press freedom was never in question. This is contrary to what those raising hell about the congressional vote are saying.

Some of my colleagues in media who are supporting ABS-CBN have been using cliches such as “chilling effect” and “a stab on press freedom.” I say it’s baloney.

In exercising their opinion, don’t they realize they are also exercising their freedom of expression? So what are they complaining about?

I think they are being misled by their emotions. They cannot quite comprehend

TO THE POINT

EMIL JURADO why the House denied the franchise.

I do not want to repeat myself by enumerating, every time, the issues against the Lopezes that brought about the junking of the franchise renewal application. People should just read the findings of the technical working group that looked into the issue.

The grounds are clear and in fact obvious.

I say it’s baloney.

The network committed many violations, so I am really sad for my colleagues in media who are joining the mob in condemning the denial of the franchise. I wonder if they really know what they are talking about. I wonder if they even know what press freedom is truly about.

These people contradict themselves when they cry to high heavens that press freedom is being threatened. It’s truly pathetic, Santa Banana! *** My nephew, Rudolf Philip Jurado, sent me a copy of his 62-page petition to the Supreme Court questioning the Anti-Ter-

Victory against the oligarchs VIRTUAL REALITY

TONY LOPEZ VISITING elite army troops in troubled Jolo, capital of the Sulu archipelago, 1,544 kilometers southwest of Manila on Monday, July 13, President Rodrigo Duterte was visibly angry— and proud.

The commander-in-chief was angry, not because Jolo policemen murdered four elite Army intelligence soldiers, including two officers, on Monday, June 29 at a police checkpoint in the Sulu capital. The slain troopers were on the trail of terrorists apparently belonging to the warrior Tausog tribe of Sulu. Duterte promised justice to the victims.

“It is not that I am inordinately proud of it,” Duterte suddenly blurted in the course of his speech, partly written and delivered partly extemporaneously. “But that was actually a part of my campaign.”

Then No. 4 in pre-poll surveys, presidential candidate Duterte recalled his 2016 campaign promise to stamp out corruption. He was not talking of small-scale corruption, like the culture

that prevails at the Customs and Internal Revenue. “That is small change,” he sneered, and quickly added, “high-level corruption (“sa itaas”) is in the billions.” ”Itong mga mayaman na ginagatasan ang gobyerno, pati na ang tao.” (These rich people who milked the government, including the people).

The President was angry—and proud.

Duterte was referring to wealth amassed over the years by the country’s entrenched oligarchy which consists of just a few families. Five is Duterte’s count.

“Without declaring martial law, sinira ko ‘yung mga tao na humahawak sa ekonomiya at umiipit at hindi nagbabayad,” the President said. “They take advantage of their political power.” “If I die. (And) my plane falls (from the skies), son of a bitch, I am very happy,” the President exulted for having kept one of his key campaign promises.

Duterte repeated his singular achievement in plain English: “Without declaring martial law, I dismantled the oligarchy that controlled the economy of the Filipino people.”

rorism Act of 2020. The law is supposed to take effect on July 18.

He raises several main points. My nephew is the former Duterte government corporate counsel.

First, the House of Representatives railroaded the passage of the bill. While they passed it on second and third reading on separate days, the House should have printed copies in its final form to be distributed to House embers three days before its passage into law. The exception to this House rule is when the President certifies the necessity of the law’s immediate enactment.

My nephew said the rule was not followed in this case. He also said that Muntinlupa Rep. Ruffy Biazon withdrew his authorship of the bill because he had no time to read it.

The truth of the matter was that the House simply adopted the Senate version.

Jurado also attacked the President’s certification of the law because he did not mention the emergency or necessity of it.

What was most telling in the petition is that Jurado said it was unconstitutional. He cited Section 29 of the law which authorizes the exemption of law enforcement from criminal liability should there be a delay in bringing suspects to court. He said this would violate Article 125 of the Revised Penal Code, which says detention could only be for 12, 18 or 36 hours depending on the offense.

My gulay, if lawyers went through the proposed law at all before the President signed it, they should all be fired!

The small crowd of army soldiers did not react. The subject was probably abstruse to them. But the speech, aired the following day, was the hottest Viber topic among the country’s big businessmen the following day.

In the first three years of his six-year presidency, Duterte had lashed out at so-called oligarchs, among them selfmade property tycoon Roberto V. Ongpin (who is actually related to Duterte on his mother side, Roa), Manuel V. Pangilinan of the telco behemoth PLDT and its Indonesian First Pacific companies, and the Ayala family, owners of the Philippines’ oldest conglomerate. The President laced his anti-oligarch diatribes with expletives and even promised to slap Pangilinan and the Ayalas if he encountered them in a hotel lobby. Later, in the wake of the pandemic, Duterte apologized to Pangilinan and the Ayala family for the hurting words.

Ongpin divested from one of his listed companies and was not bothered

by Duterte ever since. Pangilinan’s Maynilad Water and the Ayala family’s Manila Water waived claims to arbitral award of more than P11 billion in water fees due from the government and promised to remedy allegedly “onerous” provisions in their long-term concession contracts. Relatedly, the government managed to collect P6 billion in overdue aviation fees from Philippine Airlines owned by Lucio Tan, once reckoned as the country’s second richest Filipino.

But the crown jewel of Duterte’s anti-oligarch campaign is ABS-CBN

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Corp., the country’s largest broadcast network, in revenues, and owner of the television station Channel 2 and the radio AM bandwidth 630 or DZMM. On July 10, 2020, after 12 hearings that exposed ABS-CBN’s innards and practices to the public, the House Committee on Legislative Franchises rejected by an overwhelming vote of 70 to 11, the bid of ABS-CBN to renew for another 25 years its broadcast franchise, ending a 53-year business that had given the Lopez family enormous wealth and formidable political clout in more than half a century.

The Franchises Committee backed its decision with a 27-page, 15,264-word report retailing the alleged franchise abuses and violations by ABS-CBN over the years.

The main issues against ABS-CBN: The Lopez scion that heads ABSCBN management, Eugenio “Gabby” Lopez III is an American and a Filipino citizen at the same time. He was born in Boston on August 13, 1952 to Filipino parents. The 1987 Constitution prohibits non-Filipinos from owning and managing media. “There is a cloud of doubt on Mr. Lopez’ Filipino citizenship and allegiance to the Philippines,” said the committee.

ABS-CBN issued Philippine Depositary Receipts, virtual shares of stocks to foreigners, valued at P8.6 billion

consideration different locales and contexts requiring nimble and case specific norms and teams with clear lines of organization, leadership and accountability. Implementation cannot be a one size fits all, top-down operation. Speed of detection, testing and isolation and knowledge of the terrain, so to speak, count most in cases such as this highly transmissible COVID-19 outbreak.

In Taiwan and Singapore, authorities imposed rigorous screening, testing and tracing schemes all across the land. They did not wait for people to check in sick or show any kind of symptoms. They prepositioned testing centers, embedded apps in phones and

Are we setting ourselves up to be like the United States and United Kingdom? other tech instruments and organized tracer teams down to the local community levels. They actively looked for people who maybe infectious or communities which can be epicenters of the virus. The sooner cases are identified, the quicker they can be quarantined, and the fewer contacts there will be to trace. They didn’t wait for the virus to appear in a clinic or hospital—they went looking for it.

In Vietnam, their testing and contact tracing programs initially targeted incoming passengers at airports who had to agree to a temperature check, and fill in a form giving their contact details and travel and health history.

These measures were then extended to anyone entering a major city, government building or hospital. Anyone with suspicious signs or symptoms, such as a temperature over 38 degrees C was taken to a medical facility for thorough testing. Accessible testing stations were also set up across cities, while banks and apartment complexes established their own screening procedures.

The transport systems and other essential services such as those in food markets and deliveries as well as utilities were also subjected to rigorous testing and tracing which included families of workers and their communities.

Likewise, Germany developed an aggressive case-detection strategy, testing anyone with symptoms and using a public information call center to direct people to nearby local testing centers. In both countries, local public health centers which have long been part of the entire health and medical ecosystem were immediately activated complete with equipment and personnel to undertake the rigorous effort at isolating and mapping centers of affliction with the data harmonized with the call for gradual reopening of their economies.

Full version at www.manilastandard.net.

(62.6 percent), against P5 billion (37.4 percent) issued to Filipinos. “The PDRs of ABS-CBN contain limitations on its ownership rights in favor of foreigners,” noted the committee. ABS-CBN “allowed foreigners a measure of control in the company.”

There is a 50-year limit on legislative franchises. Section 11, Article XII of the Constitution says no franchise shall be exclusive “for a longer period than 50 years.”

Full version at www.manilastandard.net.

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 2020 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

China: HK activists launching ‘revolution’ H ONG KONG―China has accused Hong Kong democracy activists of trying to start a revolution as it warned some campaigning for recent primaries may have breached a tough new security law it imposed on the city.

The bellicose comments by the Liaison tions despite warnings from government Office, which represents China’s govern- officials that the exercise could breach ment in the semi-autonomous city, dra- Beijing’s sweeping new law. matically heighten the risk of prosecution Polls for the city’s partially elected legfor opposition parties and leading figures. islature are due to take place in September.

More than 600,000 Hong Kongers Pro-democracy parties are keen to use turned out over the weekend to choose seething public anger towards Beijing’s candidates for upcoming legislative elec- increasingly authoritarian rule to win a CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Republic of the Philippines REGIONAL TRIAL COURT National Capital Judicial Region BRANCH 101, QUEZON CITY PETITION FOR CORRECTION OF ENTRY IN THE CCT NO. 004-2016024814 ISSUED BY THE R.D. FOR Q.C. AND REGISTERED UNDER THE NAMES OF BONIFACIO V. DIANASAS & JONA B. HALTINER. JONA HALTINER Represented by Attorney-in-fact, ROGER N. BANGALISAN, Petitioner, -versus-

CASE NO. Q-RZN-19-05541-CV

BONIFACIO V. DIANASAS/ THE REGISTER OF DEEDS OF QUEZON CITY, Respondents. x----------------------------------------------x

SUMMONS BY PUBLICATION TO : BONIFACIO V. DIANASAS Unit 2706, Tower 3, Grass Residences, Nueva Ecija Street and Misamis Street, Bago Bantay, Quezon City GREETINGS: WHEREAS, on April 15, 2019, the petitioner through counsel, filed the instant petition; WHEREAS, on February 4, 2020, the counsel for the petitioner filed a ‘Motion for Leave of Court to Serve Summons by Publication’; WHEREAS, on February 6, 2020, the Honorable Court issued an Order, the last paragraph of which reads as follows: “As prayed for, the petitioner, within 15 days from receipt hereof, is to coordinate with the Clerk of Court of the Branch for the issuance of summons by publication.

SO ORDERED.” NOW, THEREFORE, you, the respondent Bonifacio V. Dianasas, are required to enter your appearance and answer the petition in the aboveentitled case within sixty (60) days after the last publication hereof, serving a copy thereof upon the petitioner at B3 Lot 22, Golden Hear Village, Mulawin, Tanza, Cavite, otherwise, the petitioner will take judgment against you and demand from the court reliefs prayed for in the petition.

Let this summons together with the petition be caused to be published by the petitioner at her own expense in the Manila Standard, a newspaper of general circulation which was chosen through raffle, once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks.

Witness the HON. EVANGELINE C. CASTILLO-MARIGOMEN, Presiding Judge of this Court, on this 27th day of February, 2020, in Quezon City, Philippines.

(Sgd.) ATTY. ROMMEL H. SUMEDCA Clerk of Court V

PETITION FOR CORRECTION OF ENTRY IN THE CONDOMINIUM CERTIFICATE OF TITLE (CCT) NO. 004-2016024814, ISSUED BY THE REGISTER OF DEEDS FOR QUEZON CITY, AND REGISTERED UNDER THE NAMES OF BONIFACIO V. DIANASAS & JONA B. HALTINER; CASE NO. 19-05541-CV JONA B. HALTINER, REP. BY HER ATTORNEY-IN-FACT, ROGER N. BANGALISAN, Petitioner, -versusBONIFACIO V. DIANASAS, & THE REGISTER OF DEEDS FOR QUEZON CITY, Respondents. x----------------------------------------------------x PETITION WITH REQUEST TO SERVE SUMMONS BY PUBLICATION COMES NOW, Petitioner by counsel, and unto this Honorable Court, respectfully avers: 1. That Petitioner is a Filipino citizen, of legal age, and presently residing in Berne, Switzerland, with Philippine address in B3 Lot 22, Golden Hear Village, Mulawin, Tanza, Cavite, represented herein by his brother and attorneyin-fact, ROGER N. BANGALISAN, via a General Power of Attorney (GPA) hereto attached as Annex “A”. For purposes of this petition, it is hereby requested that all pleadings, motions, orders and other court processes be served via their undersigned counsel’s given address below; 2. RESPONDENT BONIFACIO V. DIANASAS is a Filipino, of legal age, and with last known address at Unit 2706, Tower 3, Grass Residences, Nueva Ecija Street, and Misamis Street, Bago Bantay, Quezon City, as disclosed in the owner’s Condominium Certificate of Title (CCT); 3. RESPONDENT REGISTER OF DEEDS FOR QUEZON CITY is being impleaded in its official capacity as a government agency tasked to be the custodian of records of lands, their titles, and their conveyances and liens and encumbrances.

It may be served with summons and processes at the LRA Compound, East Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City; RESPONDENT OFFICE OF THE SOLICITOR GENERAL (OSG) with address at 134 Amorsolo St., Legaspi Village, Makati City, is being impleaded being the counsel for and in behalf of the State/government.

4. That Petitioner Jona B. Haltiner is a naturalborn Filipino citizen, a widow, who was previously married to a Swiss national. She is likewise an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) based in Berne, Switzerland.

5. After the death of his husband, Petitioner found a second chance at love in the person of Respondent Bonifacio V. DIANASAS and they briefly had an intimate relationship; 6. They decided to live together as husband and wife without the benefit of marriage; 7. In January 2011, Petitioner decided to purchase a condominium unit from SM

be “unable to perform their functions normally”.

‘Colour revolution’ The Liaison Office’s statement also singled out Benny Tai, a prominent democracy activist who played a leading role in organising the primary.

“The goal of the Benny Tai gang and the opposition camp is to seize power to govern Hong Kong, with a vain attempt to launch a Hong Kong version of a ‘colour revolution’,” the office said.

Colour revolution is a term used to describe multiple popular protest movements around the world that either swept a government from power or tried to.

However in authoritarian Communist

High Court allows federal executions

7.1 Their agreement was that Petitioner will shoulder the payments for the purchase of the Condominium unit, Respondent DIANASAS will manage and pay the monthly amortizations of said condominium unit from the remittances and wire transfer funds of Petitioner to respondent’s account.

7.2 This was the agreement since Petitioner is an Overseas Filipino Worker based in Berne, Switzerland, who has to go back to work in order to earn a living, So, Respondent DIANASAS will act as trustee of Petitioner for the payment of the amortizations until fully paid. And to give semblance of authority, both of them shall sign in the Contract to Sell as buyers and SMDC as the seller;

WASHINGTON—The Supreme Court of the United States on Tuesday allowed the first federal executions in 17 years to proceed, overturning a lower court order delaying them.

Four federal executions were scheduled but a district court judge had suspended them to allow for legal challenges to the lethal injection that was to be used.

The district court decision had come just hours before the first execution, of former white supremacist Daniel Lewis Lee, who was convicted with another man of murdering a family of three during a robbery intended to help fund the founding of an “Aryan Peoples Republic”.

The prisoners “have not made the showing required to justify last-minute intervention by a Federal Court,” the Supreme Court said in a ruling released in the early hours of Tuesday. AFP

8. Thus, Petitioner and Respondent DIANASAS executed a Contract to Sell with the SMDC, hereto attached as Annex “B” and the made an integral part hereof. The purchase price is P2,366,449.00.

9. Petitioner thereafter went back to Berne, Switzerland to work as an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW). As agreed upon, she entrusted to Respondent DIANASAS all her affairs, pertaining to the purchase and payment of Unit 2706, Tower III at the Grass Residences, SMDC. She sent her remittances to Respondent DIANASAS for him to pay the monthly amortizations of subject property.

10. Later, she learned from her friends and relatives that Respondent DIANASAS is having an affair with several girls. Petitioner confronted him but he denied having an affair. They fought over it and their communication waned until such time that Petitioner could no longer contact him; 11.Worried that Petitioner might lose the Condominium she bought from SMDC for nonpayment of the amortizations, Petitioner then sought the help of his brother, Roger Bangalisan, to look for Respondent DIANASAS, and to settle all obligations with SMDC regarding subject property; 12.Petitioner’s attorney-in-fact could not locate the whereabouts of Respondent DIANASAS, despite his diligent efforts. He was only able to transact with SMDC and the title to subject property was released to him sometime in 2018; 13. Attached as Annex “C” is a copy of CCT no. 004-2016024814; as Annex “C-1” is a copy of the Tax Declaration for subject property, both made integral parts hereof.

14. However, in said CCT owner’s title, the name of Respondent “Bonifacio V. DIANASAS”, was still indicated as one of the registered owners of the condominium unit, despite not having contributed to the payment of the unit.

15. Thus, in order to correct the true status of subject property, and the true owner thereof, this instant petition was filed to remove the name of Respondent DIANASAS in said CCT No. 0042016024814;

WHEREFORE, premises respectfully prayed that:

considered,

it

is

1. Prior to hearing, that an Order be issued for the Service of Summons to Respondent Bonifacio V. DIANASAS, by publication; 2. That after notice and hearing, this Honorable Court direct the respondent Register of Deeds for Quezon City to correct the name of the registered owner of Unit 2706, Tower III, Grass Residences, Brgy. Sto. Cristo, Quezon City, by removing the name of Respondent Bonifacio V. DIANASAS in said title; 3. Reliefs, just and equitable under circumstances, are also prayed for.

the

Tanza, Cavite for Quezon City, March 14, 2019.

C.G. GONZALES JR. & ASSOCIATES LAW OFFICES Counsel for Petitioner 111 Sta. Cruz St., Poblacion, Tanza, Cavite Tel. No.: (046) 437-7085 By: (Sgd.) CESARIO G. GONZALES, JR. IBP Roll No. 56976 IBP Lifetime Member No. 012897 (6-26-2014) PTR NO. CAV1613134; 1-04-19; Cavite MCLE VI Compliance No. 0011351-(8/17/18) MCLE V Compliance No. 0011148-(09-29-15) CP: 0927-784-6177 E-mail:czarlaw@gmail.com

VERIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION ON NON-FORUM SHOPPING I, ROGER N. BANGALISAN of legal age, Filipino, married and with address at Block 3 Lot 22, Golden Heart Ville, Mulawin, Tanza, Cavite, after being duly sworn to in accordance with law; hereby depose and state that: 1. I am the Petitiioner’s attorney-in-fact in the above-mentioned case as evidenced by the attached SPA; 2. I have caused the preparation of the foregoing Petition. I have read the same and declare that the contents thereof are true and correct of my personal knowledge and/or based on authentic records; 3. I have not heretofore commenced any other proceeding involving the same subject matter with the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, the courts of general and limited jurisdiction, or any other tribunal, agency or commission, and to the best of my knowledge, no such other action or proceeding is pending therein; and, 4. If I should thereafter learn that a similar action or proceeding has been filed or is pending before the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, or any other court, tribunal, agency or commission, I hereby undertake to report that fact within five (5) days to this Honorable Court.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto affixed my signature on the 6th day of February 2019, (Sgd.) ROGER N. BANGALISAN SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN TO before me a notary public for and in 6th day of February, 20019, affiant exhibiting to me his SSS ID with No. 03-9472736-1 issued on__________ at _________.

WITNESS MY HAND AND SEAL.

Doc. No. 328 Page No. 66 Book No. VIII Series of 2019.

(MStandard - July 15, 22 & 29, 2020)

China—itself a state built from revolution—the term has frequently been used by both the government and state media to describe an illegitimate revolution backed by hidden, usually western, forces.

Tai, a law professor, has previously been jailed for his involvement in peaceful prodemocracy protests in 2014.

On Tuesday, the Apple Daily newspaper published a column by Tai in which he hailed the primaries.

“Threats from the powerful did not deter tens of thousands of citizens from coming out and casting a ballot,” he wrote.

“They have not given up on their determination to pursue democracy and universal suffrage.” AFP[

IN BRIEF

Development Corporation (SMDC), particularly, Unit 2706, Tower III, Grass Residences, located in Barangay Sto. Cristo, Quezon City, just beside SM North, where she and Respondent DIANASAS could live together as husband and wife.

PRAYER Republic of the Philippines National Capital Judicial Region REGIONAL TRIAL COURT QUEZON CITY Branch ___

majority within a chamber that has always been weighted in favour of pro-establishment parties.

Control could give them a greater ability to stall budgets and legislation, one of the few tactics left open to the opposition camp.

But in a statement released late Monday, the Liaison Office described the primaries as “a serious provocation against the current election system”.

It said campaigning that pushed to take control of and paralyse the chamber is a breach of Article 22 of the security law.

Article 22 targets “subverting state power”. It outlaws “serious interference and obstruction” of the central and Hong Kong governments, or any act that causes them to

SPACEMAN WALKS. Brazilian accountant Tercio Galdino, 66, gives the thumb up to people riding a motorcycle as he and his wife Alicea Galdino walk along Leme beach in protective suits, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on July 12. Tercio, who has a chronic lung disease, made the protective suits (looking like astronauts gear) at home using suits used by health professionals. AFP

Yangtze swells, scramble on to contain floods SHANGHAI―Soldiers erected sandbag flood barriers in a city near China’s largest freshwater lake after the heaviest rainfall in nearly six decades drenched the swollen Yangtze River basin.

The vast Yangtze drainage area has been lashed by torrential rains since last month, leaving 141 people dead or missing and forcing the evacuation of millions more across several provinces.

Flooding along the river—the world’s third longest—has been an annual summer scourge since ancient times, but this year’s inundation has been especially severe.

The downpours have intensified since last week, causing dozens of Yangtze-basin waterways to post record-high water levels, while more than 400 had exceeded warning levels, Vice Minister of Emergency Management

Zheng Guoguang said on Monday.

“Since June, average precipitation in the Yangtze river basin has been the highest since 1961,” he told a news briefing in Beijing.

Authorities had been monitoring a flood crest as it neared Wuhan, the metropolis of 11 million that the Yangtze winds through and which had already suffered the vast number of China’s deaths and cases in the coronavirus pandemic, which first emerged in the city.

They said river levels were decreasing after the crest passed Wuhan on Monday with no reports of major new flooding there.

Record rainfall Concern was now shifting downstream to Poyang Lake, which drains into the Yangtze in hard-hit Jiangxi province and is the largest freshwater lake fully within China’s borders. AFP

UN court to rule in Qatar air row THE HAGUE―The United Nations’ top court will rule Tuesday in a bitter feud between Qatar and four rival neighbours which imposed an air blockade against Doha after accusing it of backing radical Islamists and Iran.

The decision covers a key part of the acrimonious standoff that erupted three years ago between Qatar and Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The four other states are asking the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to quash a decision by the world civil aviation body in favour of Qatar over sovereign airspace.

The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in 2018 ruled it had the jurisdiction to handle a dispute brought by Qatar, which accused its neighbours of violating a convention that regulates the free passage of its passenger planes through foreign airspace.

But the four allies disagreed, saying the ICAO was not the right body to judge in the dispute and that its decision to do so was “manifestly flawed and in violation of fundamental principles of due process and the right to be heard.” AFP

Body of actress Rivera retrieved from US lake LOS ANGELES―US officials on Monday found the body of “Glee” actress Naya Rivera in the Californian lake where she drowned last week during a boat trip with her four-year-old son.

Rivera’s body was retrieved and an initial examination found no evidence of foul play or suicide, Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub told a ‘Glee’ actress Naya Rivera press conference.

“We are confident the body we found is that of Naya Rivera,” said Ayub, pointing to the location, appearance, clothing and condition of the body.

Her body was being taken to a medical examiner’s office for a full autopsy and confirmation of her identity from dental records, though no other missing persons have been reported at Lake Piru, he added.

Rivera, 33, is believed to have accidentally drowned after renting the boat with her young son at the camping and recreational hotspot around an hour’s drive northwest of Los Angeles.

She vanished on Wednesday afternoon, and a massive search involving divers, patrol boats and helicopters was launched after her sleeping son was spotted drifting alone in a boat on the lake.

The son later told investigators that Rivera had helped him into the boat before “he looked back and saw her disappear under the surface of the water,” said the sheriff.

Ayub pointed to the lake’s strong currents as a possible cause of a fatal accident.

“The idea perhaps being that the boat started drifting—it was unanchored—and that she mustered enough energy to get her son back onto the boat, but not enough to save herself,” he said.

The lake has been closed to the public since Wednesday, with around 100 personnel, including the US Coast Guard and rescuers from neighboring counties, joining the search. AFP

EXPLOSION. A fireball erupts from the site of an explosion reportedly targeting a joint Turkis-Russian patrol on the strategic M4 highway, near the Syrian town of Ariha in the rebel-held northwestern Idlib province, on July 14. AFP

Taiwan solons brawl over head of gov’t watchdog TAIPEI―Taiwanese lawmakers scuffled in parliament on Tuesday over a nomination for the head of a top government watchdog, the second time physical confrontations have erupted over the issue in as many weeks.

Opposition Kuomintang (KMT) members clashed with legislators from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) as they tried to block nominee Chen Chu from entering the main parliamentary chamber.

A KMT lawmaker was sent to hospital after his arm was cut when glass panels were shattered during the melee while several other lawmakers from both sides suffered minor injuries.

Taiwan’s parliament was once notori-

ous for mass brawls among lawmakers and has been the location of frequent protests.

Scuffles broke out over reform policies and pension cuts when President Tsai Ing-wen first took office four years ago, but such confrontations had since become rare.

Chen, 70, has been nominated to be president of the Control Yuan, an investigatory agency that monitors the other branches of government.

The KMT is opposed to her appointment, which requires approval from the DPP-dominated parliament.

“Out of 27 nominees for Control Yuan members, 24 have close ties with the DPP,” the KMT said in a statement Tuesday. AFP

Business

B3

WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 2020 || extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market ends flat; Ayala Land, Puregold rise PSEi July 14, 2020 TOP GAINERS

TOP LOSERS

MOST ACTIVE

S

TOCKS closed virtually flat Tuesday amid fears over a spike in coronavirus infections around the world, the reimposition of containment measures and China-US tensions.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index added 0.24 point, or 0.004 percent, to 6,172.81 on a value turnover of P5.1 billion. Losers, however, beat gainers, 126 to 87, with 29 issues unchanged.

Major property developer Ayala Land Inc. rose 3.4 percent to P33.50, while Puregold Price Club Inc. of retail tycoon Lucio Co climbed 3 percent to P48.

GMA Network Inc. slumped 13.2 percent to P5.77, while MerryMart Consumer Corp., the supermarket chain owned by businessman Edgar Sia II, sank 10.5 percent to P2.65.

The rest of Asian equities ended lower Tuesday, while oil prices were also hit by speculation top producers will begin tapering their output cuts.

And news that Singapore’s economy, considered a regional barometer, contracted a mind-boggling 41 percent in the second quarter provided a stark reality-check for traders.

After hitting lows in March, markets have been surging thanks to government support and optimism that the world economy will bounce back as crippling lockdowns are eased.

But a worrying increase in new virus cases across the planet has forced governments to revert to measures aimed at preventing the disease’s spread.

Asian markets tracked a weak lead from Wall Street.

Hong Kong fell 1.2 percent, Shanghai dropped 0.8 percent and Tokyo lost 0.9 percent.

Sydney fell 0.6 percent and Seoul was off 0.1 percent with Taipei and Jakarta flat. Wellington was up 0.5 percent.

Singapore was 0.2 percent down after figures showed the city-state’s trade-dependent economy plunged into recession for the first time in a decade as it contracted a record 41.2 percent on-quarter in April-June and 12.6 percent on-year.

The worse-than-expected figures will ring alarm bells for Asia’s many trade-dependent economies as Singapore is typically hit first before ripples spread across the region.

California, the richest of the US states, ordered all indoor restaurants, bars and movie theaters to re-close, while churches, gyms, shopping malls, hair salons and non-essential offices have been told to shut up shop in several densely populated counties, including Los Angeles.

The measures follow new restrictions imposed in Texas, Arizona, Florida and other major states.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong on Monday announced sweeping new curbs as the city suffers a relapse. Melbourne is already under a new lockdown and there are signs of new outbreaks in Sydney.

The new spikes come as World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned: “There will be no return to the ‘old normal’ for the foreseeable future.”

He added that without governments adopting a comprehensive strategy, the situation would get “worse and worse and worse.”

The developments overshadowed an announcement from Pfizer and BioNTech that two of four vaccine candidates for the virus had received “Fast Track” designation from the US Food and Drug Administration.

With AFP

Manila

Standard

TODAY

INVITATION TO BID First Bay Power (FBPC) Corp. is a duly franchised distribution utility engaged in the distribution of electricity within its franchise area in the Municipality of Bauan, Province of Batangas. It has identified the necessity for the supply of electricity for its full energy requirement to meet the demand of its captive customers.

FBPC invites all eligible suppliers that can supply 10MW of power to commence on 26 January 2021, subject to the approval of the Energy Regulatory Commission.

Terms of Reference Description 1

Bid Subject

This Terms of Reference (TOR) shall cover the bidding of the Power Supply Agreement (PSA) for the supply of 10MW within the franchise area of First Bay Power Corporation (FBPC), in compliance with the requirements of the Department of Energy (DOE) Circular DC2018-02-0003 “Adopting and Prescribing the Policy for the Competitive Selection Process in the Procurement by the Distribution Utilities of Power Supply Agreement for the Captive Market.”

2

Bidding Summary

First Bay Power Corporation (FBPC) is looking for a qualified supplier that will supply the 10-year full energy requirement for its captive customers under the provisions provided in this Terms of Reference (TOR).

3

Contract Capacity

FBPC requires a supply of 10MW of power, escalating up to 15 MW, for a period of ten (10) years commencing on January 26, 2021 or any such date, subject to the approval of the Energy Regulatory Commission of the resulting PSA which will be jointly applied by FBPC and the Winning Bidder of this CSP. The details of the capacity to be contracted are as follows:

Contract Period

Contract Capacity

26 January 2021 to 25 January 2022

10 MW

26 January 2022 to 25 January 2023

10 MW

26 January 2023 to 25 January 2024

11 MW

26 January 2024 to 25 January 2025

11 MW

26 January 2025 to 25 January 2026

11 MW

26 January 2026 to 25 January 2027

12 MW

26 January 2027 to 25 January 2028

12 MW

26 January 2028 to 25 January 2029

13 MW

26 January 2029 to 25 January 2030

14 MW

26 January 2030 to 25 January 2031

15 MW

4

Bid Documents Fee

All Prospective Bidders may participate in this CSP by submitting all requirements for pre-qualification and purchasing the Bid Document package subject to the payment of a non-refundable Bid Document Fee of PhP 100,000.00.

5

Bid Security

All Prospective Bidders shall furnish, as part of its bid, a bid security amounting to PhP 65,000,000.00 in the form of cash or Standby Letter of Credit in favor of First Bay Power Corporation. Such bid security in the prescribed form will be returned to unsuccessful bidders without interest after the PSA is awarded to the Winning Bidder.

6

Monthly Maximum Energy

Equivalent energy at 90% of the Contracted Capacity.

Monthly Minimum Energy Off-Take

65% of the Contracted Capacity.

FBPC shall not be obligated to pay the Fixed Capacity Fees during events of Force Majeure, Scheduled, and Unscheduled Outages.

7

Supply Description

Can supply the full load (baseload and mid-merit) requirement of FBPC.

8

Start of Supply

Supply shall commence on January 26, 2021, subject to the issuance of the Provisional Authority (PA) by the ERC. In the event that FBPC will require the Winning Bidder to procure replacement power due to the failure of the Winning Bidder to deliver the supply on the Start of Supply Date, Winning Bidder shall shoulder the replacement cost in excess of the winning bid price or the ERC issued PA Rate.

Furthermore, in the event that FBPC will experience outages due to the failure of Winning Bidder to supply energy, FBPC will be reimbursed by an amount equivalent to the shortage in kWh multiplied by 2.50 PhP/kWh.

9

Term of Power Supply Agreement

Ten (10) years from 26 January 2021 to 25 January 2031.

10

Receiving Point

NGCP Metering Point of FBPC

11

Outage Allowance

Supplier shall be entitled to a Maximum Annual Scheduled Outage Allowance equivalent to 720 hours, on a full load equivalent, and a Maximum Annual Unscheduled Outage Allowance equivalent to 360 hours, on a full load equivalent.

Bidders shall also indicate in their respective bids the schedules/dates of their Scheduled Outages, as submitted and indicated in the Grid Operating and Maintenance Program (GOMP).

Replacement power for outages beyond allowances shall be required by FBPC at the winning contract price

12

Connection Scheme

Bidder must submit a diagram of its Connection Scheme with the Transmission Grid and a certification from IEMOP of its Final Generator Ex-Ante Nodal Prices from October 26, 2019 to April 25, 2020 for evaluation purposes.

13

Payment Currency

All bids to be submitted by Prospective Bidders shall be in Philippine Peso.

14

Tariff Structure

Price for generation must be broken down into Fixed Capacity Fee, Fixed and Variable O & M, and Energy Fees, or their equivalent, including all applicable indices and taxes.

Bidder may also express their offer in a per kilo-watt hour basis with yearly adjustment of not more than 4% of 75% of the contract price.

The Bidder shall specify the formula for the computation of the submitted contract price. The Bidder must also specify the base fee adjustment formula, if any, and all applicable adjustments in percent by which each component is affected by price factors such as CPI, Forex, and escalation due to fuel degradation.

There shall be no indexation on Capital Recovery Fee. Evaluation of price offers shall consider delivered cost at FBPC receiving point/s.

15

Taxes

Prospective Bidders shall indicate all applicable taxes including future taxes, fees, and imposts.

16

Price Cap

FBPC shall set a price ceiling which will be disclosed before the opening of bid proposals and after all bids are submitted

by Prospective Bidders.

17

Reduction in Contract Capacity

The Contract Capacity and its Associated Energy may be reduced equivalent to the reduction in the demand of FBPC’s captive market by reason of the implementation of Retail Competition and Open Access, RA No. 9513 or the Renewable Energy Act of 2008, or other laws, and legal requirements to which FBPC is required to comply.

18

Grounds for Termination

The following shall be the grounds to which the resulting PSA of this CSP may be terminated: • Event of Default • Non-fulfilment of conditions to effective date • Certain events of Force Majeure • Expiration of Term • Upon Mutual Agreement • Change in circumstances

19

Pre-Qualification

Interested Bidders shall submit the following documents which must be delivered by hand and be stamped RECEIVED by the Third Party Bids and Awards Committee (TPBAC) Secretariat not later than 5:00PM of July 29, 2020 at the FBPC Main Office located at Kapitan Ponso Ext., Polacion 2, Bauan, Batangas. a.

Notarized Letter of Intent (LOI) to participate, signed by a duly authorized representative, indicating the following: 1.

Full name of the company 2.

Complete address 3.

Telephone number and/or fax number 4.

Name of principal contact 5.

Email address and mobile number of principal contact b.

Original or certified true copy of Secretary’s Certificate authorizing the company’s participation in the CSP c.

Summary of Company Profile and List of Products and Services or a Latest Company Brochure signed on each page by the Company’s duly authorized representative. d.

Certified true copy of DTI Business Name Registration or SEC Registration Certificate e.

Certified true copy of valid and current Mayor’s Permit/Municipal License/Business Permit f.

Certified true copy of Value Added Tax (VAT Registration) g.

Certified true copy of the latest available Audited Financial Statement h.

Certified true copy of valid Tax Clearance from the BIR

A cyclist rides along Marina Bay overlooking the financial business district in Singapore on July 14, 2020. Singapore plunged into recession in the second quarter as the economy contracted more than 40 percent, preliminary data showed on July 14, with the trade-dependent city state hammered by the coronavirus in another ominous sign for the global recovery. AFP

Singapore in recession as economy sinks 41%

By Martin Abbugao SINGAPORE―Singapore plunged into recession in the second quarter as the economy contracted more than 40 percent, preliminary data showed Tuesday, with the trade-dependent city state hammered by the coronavirus in another ominous sign for the global recovery.

The economy shrank 41.2 percent quarteron-quarter and 12.6 percent on-year between April and June, according to data from the trade ministry, and analysts said it was the worst quarterly figure for gross domestic product ever recorded in Singapore.

It marked the second consecutive quarter of contraction, meaning the city state has entered a recession for the first time since 2009, when it was hard hit during the global financial crisis.

Singapore is one of the world’s most open economies and is seen as a barometer for the health of global trade, and the dismal figures are another warning sign that the global economy is heading for a deep and painful downturn.

The worse-than-expected figures will also ring alarm bells for Asia’s many trade-dependent economies―typically, Singapore is hit first before ripples spread across the region.

“It’s the worst-ever quarterly figure in Singapore’s 55-year history,” CIMB Private Banking regional economist Song Seng Wun told AFP.

“But it’s not a surprise as the bottom line is that Singapore is a small city state, extremely dependent on trade in goods and services.”

The trade ministry said the massive contraction was due to restrictions imposed from early April to early June to stem the spread of the virus, which included the closure of many businesses.

It also attributed the shrinkage to weak external demand.

‘The trough’ The construction sector contracted by 54.7 percent year-on-year and 95.6 percent compared to the previous quarter, the figures showed.

The services sector shrank 13.6 percent year-on-year, with tourism-related services and the air transport sector hard hit due to travel restrictions.

The manufacturing sector, however, expanded by 2.5 percent on-year in the second quarter, primarily due to a surge in output in biomedical manufacturing, the ministry said.

The data released Tuesday are based on socalled “advance estimates.” The figures are often revised once the full quarter’s data are available.

Singapore initially kept its virus outbreak in check through a strict regime of testing and contact-tracing, only for serious outbreaks to later sweep through crowded dormitories housing low-paid migrant workers.

*Except for the valid Tax Clearance from the BIR which must be certified by the BIR, all requirements which are required to be a CTC of the original may be certified by the duly authorized representative or the custodian of the required document.

Qualified Bidders shall be notified through a formal letter three (3) working days after the submission of the prequalification documents.

All Qualified Bidders may purchase the Bid Document package upon payment of a non-refundable Bid Document Fee of PhP 100,000.00 starting 9:00AM of July 27, 2020 at the FBPC Main Office.

20

Bidding Schedule

1a

First Publication of Invitation to Bid

July 15, 2020

Invitation of Competitive Selection Process Observers

General Newspaper DOE and ERC Website

1b

Second Publication of Invitation to Bid

July 22, 2020

General Newspaper

2

Deadline for Submission of Pre-Qualification Documents

July 29, 2020

5:00 PM @ FBPC Building, Kapitan Ponso Ext., Poblacion 2, Bauan, Batangas

3

Last day of Issuance of Notice to qualified bidders of Eligibility to Bid

August 4, 2020

4

Availability of Bid documents

July 27 to August 17, 2020

9:00 AM @ FBPC Building, Kapitan Ponso Ext., Poblacion 2, Bauan, Batangas

5

Deadline for Submission of Comments and Questions on the Bid

August 7, 2020

Not later than 5:00 PM thru tpbacsecretariat@firstbaypower.com

6

Pre-Bid Conference

August 13, 2020

9:00 AM to 12:00 PM Via Zoom or google Meet or any other means of virtual communication available

7

Issuance of Bid Bulletin/s, if necessary

August 20, 2020

8

Deadline for Submission of Bids

August 27, 2020

9:00 AM @ FBPC Building, Kapitan Ponso Ext., Poblacion 2, Bauan, Batangas

9

Opening of Bids

August 27, 2020

10:00 AM @ FBPC Building, Kapitan Ponso Ext., Poblacion 2, Bauan, Batangas

10

Post Qualification of Bids

September 2-3, 2020

11

Issuance of Notice of Award to Winning Bidder

September 4, 2020

12

Signing of PSA

September 11, 2020

The Bauan Plaza Hotel J.P. Rizal St., Poblacion, Bauan, Batangas

13

Filing with ERC

September 17, 2020

ERC Office

14

Start of Supply

January 26, 2021 MS (JULY 15 & 22, 2020)

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com

B4

WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 2020

Business

DTI asks LGUs to shorten curfew hours IN BRIEF

Vista Land set to sell $200-m dollar notes HOME builder Vista Land & Lifescapes Inc. is raising as much as $200 million from the issuance of dollar-denominated notes due 2027.

Vista Land said Tuesday in a disclosure to the stock exchange wholly-owned unit VLL International Inc. had tapped Credit Suisse (Singapore) Limited, DBS Bank Ltd. and The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Ltd. as managers of the offering of $200 million in senior guaranteed notes, which will carry a coupon rate of 7.25 percent per annum.

The offering forms part of the company’s $2-billion Medium Term Note Program.

“The proceeds of the notes issue will be used to refinance existing indebtedness, purchase, develop, construct, or improve assets, property and equipment, and for general corporate purposes,” Vista Land said. Jenniffer B. Austria

By Othel V. Campos

T

HE Department of Trade and Industry urged local government units to extend their curfew limits to 12 a.m. from 10 p.m. to allow restaurants to have longer operating hours and help them break even amid weak sales.

The DTI made the call after the government announced the expanded dine-in capacity of restaurants and diners to 50 percent in areas under extended community quarantine and 75 percent in those under modified ECQ. Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said dining establishments were advised to increase their capacity by July 21. The department will issue a memorandum circular to implement the new guidelines within the week, he said.

“All these measures were aligned with the ultimate intention to gradually open up the economy and increase the take-home pay of our workers in the services sector,” he said.

Restaurants will be allowed to operate at higher capacity but only with the strictest health protocol, social distancing and wearing of masks are basic, according to Lopez.

Lopez said the DTI was keeping an eye on restaurants on a daily basis through a digital monitoring system.

Around 400 establishments are under surveillance since dine-in operations were allowed in June.

Establishments were 92-percent to 100-percent compliant with the health protocols established by the government, he said.

The Trade Department said salons and barbershops would also allowed to operate at 50 percent of their capacity under general community quarantine and up to 75 percent under the modified ECQ starting July 16.

Salons and barbershops will also be allowed to introduce hair treatments such as hair dye or hair coloring and other similar services.

“We want the grooming and dining establishments to have improved ventilation and exhaust systems, and for restaurants to set-up 18-inch acrylic dividers, if they can afford it,” he said.

1st CALAX interchange completed in early ‘21 MPCALA Holdings Inc., a unit of Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., expects to open the first interchange of the Cavite segment of the Cavite Laguna Expressway (CALAX) by the first quarter of 2021.

“We’re almost 50 percent [complete] in terms of Cavite. The section five which is leading to Silang East will be opened first quarter next year,” Roberto Bontia, MPCALA president and general manager, said.

“We are working with the support of DPWH to complete it within the term of the current administration,” he added.

Public Works Secretary Mark Villar is confident the Silang East exit will be completed by end of the year or first quarter of 2021.

“So hopefully we can finish the whole alignment and we’re targeting to finish the the whole alignment sby this administration and I think we’re well underway,” he added.

Darwin G. Amojelar

MOLECULAR LAB. Philippine Red Cross chairman and Senator Richard Gordon (second from left) leads the inauguration of PRC’s sixth molecular laboratory in Batangas City. Donated by LT Group Inc., the listed holding firm of tycoon Lucio Tan, the new lab is capable of conducting 4,000 COVID-19 tests daily using its own automated RNA Extraction and Polymerase Chain Reaction machine.

Open to the public since July 11, the lab can also detect tuberculosis, cancer, HIV, dengue, malaria, hepatitis and Zika, among others.

With Gordon are (from left) LT Group chief finance officer Jose Gabriel Olives, lawyer Raul Academia of PMFTC and Asia Brewery vice president Rocky Rivera.

DMCI lowers 2020 capital expenditures by half to P19.4b

By Jenniffer B. Austria DMCI Holdings, the diversified engineering conglomerate owned by the Consunji family, said it will reduce its 2020 capital expenditures by 52 percent to P19.4 billion from the original target of P40.4 billion amid the expected slowdown of businesses due to the pandemic.

DMCI chairman and president Isidro Consunji said during the virtual annual stockholders’ meeting he expected a marked slowdown in the company’s consolidated earnings this year, as the COVID-19 pandemic continued to drag down economic activities, market prices and workforce productivity.

“We expect weak demand and low selling prices to affect most of our businesses. DMCI [D.M. Consunji, Inc.] could show more resilience, if supported by massive public spending and timely issuance of permits and rights-of-way,” said Consuji.

“At this stage of the pandemic, we cannot predict how the business environment will evolve but it will definitely take some time before our company can rebound to its pre-pandemic income and dividend payout levels,” he said.

Consunji said to survive the current crisis, the group was

deferring their capital spending to boost liquidity and keep balance sheets healthy.

He said the group’s real estate business under DMCI Homes would sustain the deepest budget cut as its capital expenditures would be reduced to P14 billion from P31 billion.

It will also defer some of its land acquisitions.

DMCI Holdings had consolidated cash and cash equivalents of P14 billion and P52.6 billion in consolidated debts as of end-June. About P14.6 billion of its total debt will mature in the next 12 months.

Consunji said that in the event of a protracted economic recovery, DMCI Homes and Semirara Mining and Power Corp., which account for the bulk of the consolidated debt, would have P53 billion in unused credit lines to tide them over.

“We are debt-free at the parent level, which gives us the flexibility and financial standing to tap credit facilities and funding sources, if needed,” he said.

Consunji said he was confident that the company would survive the pandemic, which is the third historic crisis in the company’s history, after the 1997 Asian financial crisis and the 2008 global financial crisis.

Bantayan Electric Co-op defends new power supply, says deal ‘aboveboard’

By Alena Mae S. Flores BANTAYAN Island Electric Cooperative said Tuesday the competitive selection process held on the power supply requirement of Bantayan Island in Cebu last year was above board and observed due process.

Banelco said in a statement it carried out the bid on the power supply of Bantayan Island in complete compliance with the CSP and with the Department of Energy Circular 2018-02-0003.

“We affirm our position that due process was observed in the selection and awarding of the winning bid—a position that is supported by the TPBAC [third party bids and awards committee] to which the winning bidders submitted and withstood scrutiny,” the electric cooperative said.

Banelco said that despite numerous attempts by losing bidder Bantayan Island Power Corp. to overturn the TPBAC’s decision to their favor, the winning bidder was clearly and carefully selected at that time.

It said all proceedings of the CSP were witnessed by representatives from the DOE, National Electric Administration

Tuesday, July 14, 2020

0.24 PTS.

TOTAL VOLUME

5,803,293,714

TOTAL TRADES TOTAL VALUE

106,117 5,127,528,114.90

ADVANCES

6,172.81

87

DECLINES UNCHANGED

126 29

F oreign e xchange r ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • TUESDAY, JULY 14, 2020

Currency

Unit

US Dollar Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

Japan

Yen

0.009324

0.4607

UK

Pound

1.256400

62.0750

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.129024

6.3747

Switzerland

Franc

1.061797

52.4602

Canada

Dollar

0.734970

36.3127

Singapore

Dollar

0.719424

35.5446

Australia

Dollar

0.694100

34.2934

Bahrain

Dinar

2.652238

131.039

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266631

13.1734

Brunei

Dollar

0.716846

35.4172

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000070

0.0035

Thailand

Baht

0.031878

1.5750

UAE

Dirham

0.272272

13.4521

Euro

Euro

1.134900

56.0720

Korea

Won

0.000831

0.0411

China

Yuan

0.142898

7.0602

India

Rupee

0.013300

0.6571

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.234632

11.5925

New Zealand

Dollar

0.654000

32.3122

Taiwan

Dollar

0.034025

1.6811

49.4070

Source: BSP

BAP assures stability of local banking system

By Julito G. Rada

Sales of imported cars jumped 198% in June THE Association of Vehicle Importers and Distributors Inc. said sales increased to 3,697 units in June this year, a monthon-month improvement of 198 percent over May sales of 1,239 units.

While June showed significant sales and recovery highlighting pent-up demand during the lockdown, AVID said many factors would continue to dampen industry sales in the coming months.

“While AVID members and their partner dealerships have gone to great lengths to COVID-proof their facilities, strengthen online e-commerce assets, and offer extraordinary promotions and deals to win back customers and encourage buying, headwinds remain. These include lower remittances, weaker demand, and the prospect of a second wave, so we can’t let our guard down,” said AVID president Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo.

Passenger car sales in June rose 239 percent to 1,199 units from 354 in May, those of while light commercial vehicles climbed 181 percent to 2,462 from 876 units.

Sales of heavy duty commercial vehicles also showed better performance with 36 units in June, up 300 percent from nine units in May. Othel V. Campos

PSE INDEX CLOSING

and National Power Corp.. They were also published in the DOE website for transparency. Banelco said it complied with all the policies and guidelines imposed by the TPBAC, contrary to claims of BIPCOR. The electric cooperative said it would remain under contract with BIPCOR until 2021 and was hoping that the latter would give Banelco and the people of Bantayan Island the service that they were duty-bound to fulfill.

Banelco said it was working hard to overcome the energy deficit of Bantayan Island “despite the bureaucratic issues we have to address.”

“The energy needs and the quality of life of all of Bantayan Island’s residents will always be Banelco’s utmost priority. We have a daily rotational brownout due to shortage of supply because of constant engine failure of BIPCOR. This was happening even before the bidding,” it said.

Banelco said it highlighted in the bid documents before its publication the need for power quality and reliability for the main reason that the electric cooperative have only power provider for the entire island of Bantayan.

THE Bankers Association of the Philippines, the umbrella organization of universal and commercial banks in the country, on Monday expressed its confidence in the capacity of banks to manage their credit portfolio amid the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic and concerns over the non-renewal of ABS-CBN Corp.’s franchise.

It said in a statement the banking industry remained strongly capitalized and in solid liquidity position to manage credit risks.

“The prudential measures instituted by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas allowed the banking industry to remain strong and healthy through the years that enabled the banks to withstand various crises,” it said.

“In the midst of today’s pandemic and concerns on the non-renewal of the ABS-CBN broadcast= franchise, we strongly believe that banks will continue to be steadfast as they are supported by strong financial conditions, robust risk management systems and a good corporate governance,” it said.

The BAP said member banks are prudent and take the welfare of their depositors at paramount importance.

Global debt watcher Moody’s Investors Service earlier noted the strength of the Philippine banking system, saying it could weather the higher credit risks that might stem from the impact of COVID-19 pandemic.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin Diokno also assured that the financial system remained strong. “Based on our reading of a wide array of indicators and our own surveillance of what is happening on the ground, we do not see any indications as of yet that our financial market has been impaired irreparably,” Diokno said in an online briefing following the release by the Financial Stability Coordination Council of the Macroprudential Policy Strategy Framework: The Case of the Philippines on Tuesday.

2 1600

JURA DISTILLERY.

Jura, one of Whyte & Mackay’s single malt Scotch whisky brands, owns the only distillery in the scenic island of Jura in Scotland. Whyte and Mackay Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Emperador Inc. in the United Kingdom, reported a 34-percent growth in sales volume in the first six months, driven by Whyte & Mackay Blended Scotch, which consistently ranks the No. 2 most-selling standard whisky in Scotland. Whyte and Mackay owns and operates five whisky distilleries in various parts of Scotland.

Salceda pushes broader satellite technology to make Internet faster ALBAY Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda, chairman of the House ways and means committee, pushed for a broader use of satellite technology for faster Internet especially in the countryside.

Salceda recently filed House Bill No. 7081, or the Satellite-Based Technologies Promotion Act of 2020, to support a “stronger digital economy,” especially work-from-home players and boost the distant learning program when school reopens amid the pandemic.

The proposal aims to amend restrictions on the use of satellite technology, currently limited to telecommunications companies, based on the rules set by Executive

Order No. 467 of 1998.

“COVID-19 has made internet connectivity almost an essential part of the country’s economic continuity and recovery strategy.

Without internet connectivity, the country’s work-from-home programs would fall flat.

Even with internet connection, however, the country’s slow internet speeds and expensive costs are making work-from-home and distant-learning strategies difficult and costly to execute,” he said.

The bill points out that, “in a country where enrollment is far from universal in many areas, despite public education being entirely free, the costs associated with

connecting to the internet are an added burden to already-struggling families and can further dissuade students from enrolling during the COVID-19, crisis,” “Although a vaccine will probably come before the country is able to develop satellite-based systems that could be rolled-out in schools and homes, COVID-19 has served as something of a stress test for the country’s internet connectivity and how the lack of it will impact our economic and developmental outcomes.

We urgently need improvements in internet connectivity if we are to compete in a more digital world economy,” it said.

Sports

Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Reuel Vidal, Assistant Editor

WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 2020

C1

Adiwang eases back to the grind Lito Adiwang, shown here in action, is thankful to be training at Team Lakay again.

PBA players violating protocols face penalty P

PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial

PBA contracts extended up to year’s end

By Peter Atencio THE contracts of players with expiring contracts have been extended until Dec. 31 this year.

The board of the governors of the Philippine Basketball Association gave their nod on this move last Saturday during a meeting.

PBA commissioner Willie Marcial said all teams and players have been notif ied of the board’s decision in a memo that was drafted last Monday.

“Naglabas na kami ng memo kahapon, para ang mga players ay wala nang iisipin pa tungkol dito,” said Marcial during yesterday’s weekly online session of the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum on Zoom and Facebook.

This move is expected to boost the morale of many players when they return to practices by next week.

A number of players, including a lot of big stars, will have expiring contracts

by August 31.

There were also players who were left without contracts when the season was halted last March and after their deals expired in May. Marcial said players, whose teams make it to the finals, will have their agreements stretched until January.

Among the players affected are veterans Asi Taulava and Cyrus Baguio, Sonny Thoss of Alaska, Magnolia’s Peter June Simon, and Davon Potts of Phoenix.

They all have six-month contracts before the pandemic forced the league to shut down.

LAYERS violating health protocols by the Philippine Basketball Association during team workouts face corresponding fines.

League commissioner Willie Marcial said the act of penalizing guilty players was agreed upon during the PBA Board meeting over the weekend as a way to ensure that guidelines would be strictly followed under the ‘closed circuit concept.’

As per the model arranged by the league, players will have to strictly observe a daily routine of home-gymhome once team began working out by clusters tentatively on July 22.

Otherwise, a violation meant a fine beginning at P5,000 or more.

“Ang players dapat bahay, sasakyan, gym. So dapat huwag kang aalis (sa concept),” said Marcial, gracing the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum webcast on Tuesday.

“Kung lalabas ka at pupunta sa supermarket or drugstore dahil hindi mo na-

man mai-iwasan, kailangan sabihin mo kasi may (daily) log kami. Dapat may disiplina talaga.”

First offender will be fined P5,000, with the amount increasing by the numbers of offense committed.

A different and higher penalty is also imposed on players violating the protocols during individual workouts.

“Kapag ang players naman nagviolate ng protocols sa practice, P20K (ang fine nila),” Marcial emphasized in the weekly forum presented by San Miguel Beer, Go For Gold, Amelie Hotel, Braska Restaurant, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), and powered by Smart.

“Mas malaki yung fine kapag nilabag mo yung protocols doon sa practices.”

The fine will be doubled with succeeding offenses committed, added

Russell Westbrook

the PBA chief.

Even the health officer in-charge of monitoring the players’ workout isn’t exempted from being penalized.

“Sabi ko sa mga players mag-sabi kayo sa amin kung may violation ang safety officer ninyo. At kapag nalaman namin at napatunayan na may violation nga, P20K yun,” Marcial said.

Only four players, a coach or trainer, together with the safety officer will be allowed inside the training facility once team workouts begin. Training by teams will be done by batches.

Players and others involve in the workouts are required to undergo swab testing at the San Miguel Corp. facilities before they are allowed to participate in the training.

Meanwhile, the PBA will be able to find out if any member of a team will test positive of the coronavirus (COVID-19) disease through cluster isolation.

This will help the PBA follow health protocols closely when practice sessions begin by July 22.

LITO “Thunder Kid” Adiwang is elated to have some sort of normalcy back in his life.

On lockdown since mid-March, Adiwang just cannot hide his excitement as he rolled back to the Team Lakay central gym for the first time since restrictions finally eased in Baguio City.

“I am really pumped up to be back in the gym after a long time, I really missed being here,” Adiwang said.

The 27-year-old is excited to start working on his skills once more as he has been limited to personal exercises for pret t y much the enti re quarantine.

The #5-ranked ONE Championship strawweight contender shared that he works with the team four times a week for sparring and partner drills, then works out personally on his own during other days.

“One thing I really enjoy the most is training with my teammates, something that I wasn’t able to do during the ECQ. When you have high level training partners, it makes your improvement a whole lot faster,” Adiwang said.

“Certainly, there are adjustments.

When I was in quarantine, I made a training room in my home so I can lift weights without having to go out, and now that we’re here in the new normal, I still use it.”

However, Adiwang is thankful to be training at Team Lakay again, and if the quarantine taught him anything, it’s to appreciate the things he takes for granted—such as freely practicing his craft with his friends.

“There are a lot of things I’ve learned in the past few months,” he said, “and the biggest thing is the importance of the simple things— the things that we often take for granted.”

ONE Championship retur ns to live action with ONE: NO SURRENDER on July 31, in Bangkok, Thailand. Catch it live and for free by downloading the ONE Super App.

Houston’s Westbrook tests positive for COVID-19 LOS ANGELES—NBA star Russell Westbrook revealed Monday he has tested positive for COVID-19 as the league gears up for its return in Florida later this month.

Houston Rockets star Westbrook, the 2017 Most Valuable Player and one of the biggest names in the NBA, said in a statement he was feeling well and was in isolation.

“I tested positive for COVID-19 prior to my team’s departure to Orlando,” Westbrook said on Twitter.

“I’m currently feeling well, quarantined and looking forward to rejoining my teammates when I am cleared. Thank you all for the well wishes and continued support,” the 31-year-old added.

“Please take this virus seriously. Be safe.

Mask up!”

Westbrook was one of several Rockets players who did not travel to Orlando, where the NBA will resume its season on July 30 after a four-month shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.

As well as Westbrook, fellow superstar James Harden and Cameroon international Luc Mbah a Moute also did not travel, although the team has not given a reason for their absence.

Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni on Sunday said Westbrook, Harden and Mbah a Moute were “working in their own home base.”

“We’re still expecting them in a few days,” D’Antoni said. “You never know, but we think we’ll get them back in here by the middle of the week.

D’Antoni would not comment on why the players had not travelled with the team.

“These are things that people are dealing with,” he said. “We’re not going to get into why not. They’re on their way.”

Westbrook is one of several NBA players to have tested positive for COVID-19, joining a list which includes Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant, Boston’s Marcus Smart and Utah Jazz duo Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell.

NBI to probe payroll padding at PSC AGENTS of the National Bureau of Investigation are looking into allegations of payroll padding in the Philippine Sports Commission.

A probe is now under way, according to PSC officer in charge Ramon Fernandez.

“We have sought the help of the National Bureau of Investigation on the matter,” said Fer nandez, who is tightlipped on the circumstances surrounding the case.

Last January, the government has approved a substantial pay hike for national coaches, to persuade them to train their athletes full time.

Because of this, the salary of Class A coaches

now goes as much as P100,000 a month.

“Suffice it to say that there were red-flags, which alerted us, and so we acted accordingly,” added Fernandez.

The PSC has identified at least 28 Class A coaches from different sports.

Assistant coaches are now assured of a P75,000 monthly salary.

“We hope that we can get to the truth and bring the accountable to justice swiftly,” said Fernandez.

The PSC is currently evaluating the performances of all coaches under the agency’s payroll to determine the salary increase. Peter Atencio

PSC Commissioner Ramon Fernandez

Sports

C2

WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 2020 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Chicago Marathon cancelled over virus fears LOS ANGELES—The Chicago Marathon became the latest major marathon to fall victim to the coronavirus on Monday as organisers confirmed cancellation of the race for only the second time in its history.

The decision had been largely expected, with several other major marathons around the world already suffering the same fate because of the pandemic.

The 43rd edition of the race was due to take place on October 11, with an estimated field of around 45,000 runners and wheelchair athletes.

“The Chicago Marathon is our city’s beloved annual celebration of more than 45,000 runners, as well as tens of thousands of volunteers, spectators and city residents,” Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said.

“Like all Chicagoans, I’m personally disappointed that this year’s event won’t take place as originally planned; however, we look forward to welcoming all runners and their cheering squads once again when the Chicago Marathon returns to our city in full force for another very exciting race.”

Race director Carey Pinkowski said the decision had been taken with the safety of participants and volunteers in mind.

“We understand the disappointment, but when we return to the streets of Chicago, it will be a celebratory moment and an uncompromising statement about the collective spirit of who we are as a running community: We are powerful, we are persistent, and we will reach the finish line again,” Pinkowski said.

Chicago is one of the world’s six Major marathons along with races in Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin and New York.

The Chicago race was last cancelled in 1987 after a loss of sponsorship.

Tokyo went ahead in March with only elite and wheelchair athletes taking part, while Boston was due to take place in April but was then rescheduled for September before eventually being cancelled altogether.

Both Berlin and New York were also cancelled, leaving London— which was moved from April 26 to October 4—as the last marathon race standing. AFP

No spectators for rest of PGA Tour season

Tiger Woods of the United States plays a shot on the 10th hole during the final round of the Genesis Invitational in Pacific Palisades, California.

Tiger returns at Nicklaus golf, joins elite company

H

ONG KONG—When Tiger Woods returns to competitive golf for the first time in five months at Jack Nicklaus’s Memorial Tournament on Thursday, he will do so in exalted company.

Woods will tee off alongside world number one Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka in an eye-catching threeball for the first two rounds at Muirfield Village in Ohio.

Woods needs a sixth victory at the event he last won in 2012 to become the most successful golfer in PGA Tour history, having tied Sam Snead’s record 82 wins at October’s Zozo Championship in Japan.

The 15-time major winner last played competitively at the Genesis Invitational in February, finishing 68th.

Without Woods since the tour’s return from COVID-19 lockdown, the buzz has been all about Bryson DeChambeau and Collin Morikawa, winners of the last two events, and they will go out together alongside defending champion Patrick Cantlay on Thursday.

Big-hitting DeChambeau, the 2018 Memorial champion, is favourite with the bookmakers at 10-1. Woods is priced at a tempting-looking 25-1.

The bookies should note that the last time Woods returned from an enforced layoff, at the Zozo after a 10-week break for arthroscopic knee surgery, he won.

Miguel keeps rolling He might be nearer to 60 than 50 but Miguel Angel Jimenez proved he was still one to watch when the European Tour made a low-key return last week.

At the Austrian Open, an event shared with the second-tier Challenge Tour, the 56-year-old rolled back the years to shoot his lowest score since the 2018 Italian Open, a seven-under-par 65 in the second round.

It put the Spaniard into the lead and he finished tied eighth to record his first top 10 since the 2017 Hong Kong Open.

Jimenez has already set the record for the oldest winner on the European Tour three times and he threatened it again at the Diamond Country Club near Vienna, an event won by Scotland’s Marc Warren.

Jimenez won the 2012 Hong Kong Open at the age of 48 years, 307 days, before successfully defending it a year later when 49 years and 337 days old.

Not content with that, he won the 2014 Open de Espana for his 21st title at 50 years, 133 days.

The European Tour remains in Austria this week before moving to Britain for the

first of six full-field events starting with the British Masters in Newcastle.

Collin’s a cut above Collin Morikawa only turned pro 13 months ago, but he won for the first time on the US PGA Tour at the Barracuda Championship just eight weeks later and has been so consistent that he now has more wins than missed cuts.

His second tournament victory came at the Workday Charity Open at Muirfield on Sunday where he won a nailbiting playoff against Justin Thomas on the third extra hole.

His reward is a huge jump in the world rankings from 29th to 13th, one place above Tiger Woods, and he is firmly in the Ryder Cup picture for the next edition at Whistling Straits, now shifted to September 2021.

Morikawa’s only missed cut came two weeks earlier at the Travelers Championship, and a fortnight before that he had the crushing disappointment of seeing a twofoot putt lip out to lose a playoff to Daniel Berger at the Charles Schwab Challenge.

But he recovered in the best possible fashion with his second win and it is noteworthy that the 23-year-old’s streak of 22 straight weekends played to start his professional career is second only to, you’ve guessed it, Woods. AFP

Redskins confirm name to be changed

Washington Redskins merchandise is seen for sale at a sports store in Fairfax, Virginia. The Washington Redskins confirmed on July 13 that the team is changing its name following pressure from sponsors over a word widely criticized as a racist slur against Native Americans. AFP

WASHINGTON—The Washington Redskins confirmed Monday the team is changing its name following pressure from sponsors over a word widely criticized as a racist slur against Native Americans.

Washington announced on July 3 that the Redskins name had been placed under review after a wave of rallies against racial injustice swept across the United States following George Floyd’s death on May 25.

“Today, we are announcing we will be retiring the Redskins name and logo upon completion of this review,” the NFL team said in a statement.

A replacement name was still being worked upon, the statement added.

Washington owner Dan Snyder had long resisted calls to change the team’s name but faced mounting demands to rethink that position as protests erupted against systemic racism after the death of Floyd, an unarmed African-American man, during his arrest by police in Minneapolis.

Native American leaders had written to the NFL commissioner Roger Goodell last week demanding an immediate change of the team’s name, logo and mascot.

Washington’s announcement was applauded by Ray Halbritter, an Oneida Nation representative and head of the “Change the Mascot” campaign.

“The NFL and Dan Snyder have finally made the right call and Change the Mascot commends them for it,” Halbritter said in a statement.

“This is a good decision for the country ... it closes a painful chapter of denigration and disrespect toward Native Americans and other people of color.”

US lawmaker Deb Haaland, one of the few members of Congress who identifies as Native American, also saluted the move.

“About time,” Haaland wrote. “It shouldn’t take a huge social movement & pressure from corporate sponsors to do the right thing, but I’m glad this is happening.” AFP

Lewis wants better anti-racism focus, unity in F1 AUSTRIA—Lewis Hamilton has called on Formula One and his fellow drivers to stay focused on the sport’s anti-racism stance and present a less chaotic image before next Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix.

The six-time world champion said after winning Sunday’s Styrian Grand Prix that a number of drivers wanted to stop the pre-race anti-racism gestures and that he feels some teams are not doing enough to show solidarity with the movement.

“The drivers spoke after the drivers’ briefing this weekend about what we intended to do and some were asking ‘Why do we have to continue to do this?’,” he said. “Some felt like once was enough last week.

“I just had to encourage them that racism is here, going to be here and probably be here longer than our time here— and people of colour, who are subject to racism, don’t have time to take a moment to protest and that be it.

“We’ve really got to think, as a sport, what we can do because those are nice signs, but passion is needed.”

Despite Hamilton’s efforts, at least four drivers remained standing while others took a knee and several appeared to be absent when they appeared together at the front of the grid before Sunday’s race.

The previous week, before the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix, 14 took a knee and six stood, all explaining why they took that decision. At both races, all of the drivers wore the sport’s “End Racism” t-shirts alongside Hamilton whose shirt carried the

“Black Lives Matter” message.

Hamilton’s Mercedes team all took a knee in the pitlane and on the grid behind the drivers, but the gesture was not unanimously supported by all involved as it has been in many other major sports.

“F1 has come forward and said they are supporting ending racism and it is amazing to see Mercedes is also doing that, but no other team has done a single thing,” said Hamilton.

“The Red Bull mechanics have taken a knee, but if you look at Ferrari they have thousands of people working for them, but I have heard no word of Ferrari saying that they hold themselves accountable and what they are going to do in the future.

“We have to continue to push for equality and raise awareness. For me, personally, it is going to be a lifelong thing.”

‘At some stage we will be together’ Hamilton, who lifted a clenched fist to mark his victory at the Red Bull Ring, also made clear that he was supporting the social justice cause represented by the BLM campaign, not the political activity.

Speaking to reporters via a post-race video news conference, Hamilton also said he had spent time explaining the issues to other drivers individually.

“I’ve made it clear I’m not supporting the political side, I’m supporting the human rights side,” he said. “I’ve said ‘Guys, I’m going to do it. There were some that said ‘Well, I already did it last week—I’m not doing it again’.

Lewis Hamilton

“And there were some that continued to have the same approach they had to the first week and that’s why I tried to spend a bit more one-on-one time with a few of those that had chosen to stand, just to have a chat.

“From the drivers’ point of view, we are going to come closer during this period of time. I’m not saying that everyone is going to be taking a knee, but over time, as we begin to talk about this more often, I’d like to think that at some stage we will all be together, understanding taking a knee.” AFP

LOS ANGELES—The remainder of the 2019-2020 PGA Tour will take place without spectators as the United States battles a resurgence in the coronavirus pandemic, tournament officials said on Monday.

In a coordinated announcement, the remaining tournaments on the schedule said they will not host fans due to concerns over COVID-19.

All five tournaments held since the PGA Tour returned from its coronavirus shutdown in June have taken place without spectators.

Fans had initially been set to be allowed at this week’s Memorial Tournament in Ohio but that plan was scrapped after a sharp escalation in coronavirus cases.

Monday’s announcement means there will be no spectators at the climax of the season, which concludes with the FedEx Cup Playoff series’ Tour Championship, due to be held from September 4-7 in Atlanta.

“These decisions are never easy,” Tour Championship executive director Allison Fillmore said in a statement, describing the move as the “best decision for all involved.”

The two other legs of the FedEx Cup playoffs, the August 20-23 Northern Trust at TPC Boston, and the BMW Championship at Olympia Fields, Illinois, will also be affected.

Fans will also not be in attendance at next week’s 3M Open in Blaine, Minnesota and the World Golf Championship-FedEx St. Jude Invitational in Memphis from July 30-August 2.

The PGA of America had already announced that no spectators will be allowed at the PGA Championship at Harding Park, San Francisco from August 6-9. AFP

Real Madrid a win shy of La Liga title MADRID—Real Madrid need one victory to secure La Liga after they held off a second-half comeback from Granada on Monday to win 2-1 and move four points clear of Barcelona.

With two games left, Madrid will be crowned champions if they beat Villarreal at home on Thursday regardless of how Barca fare at the Camp Nou against Osasuna.

But they were made to sweat by a Granada team that are gunning for Europe and have been arguably the division’s surprise of the season after being promoted from second tier last year.

Ferland Mendy and Karim Benzema looked to have set Madrid on course for a comfortable win at Los Carmenes but Granada were transformed after the break and Darwin Machis’s 50th-minute strike gave them hope.

An increasingly nervous Madrid were clinging on by the end and needed Sergio Ramos to clear one shot off the line as Zinedine Zidane’s side dug in for a ninth consecutive victory.

“Our vision when we start every season is to win the league,” said Zidane. “There are two games left. We are close but we’re not there yet.”

When the final whistle blew, Zidane roared with relief and Ramos clenched his fists after coming through their toughest test since the restart.

“We can’t relax, we’re a bit closer but we have to carry on,” said Ramos afterwards.

“We let our guard down here a bit on the second half. We won the first half and lost the second and maybe that’s a warningfor us. We have to make sure we don’t repeat that mistake.”

Madrid could win La Liga for the third time in eight years at the Alfredo di Stefano Stadium on Thursday night.

“It would mean a lot,” said Ramos.

“It’s the prize for consistency over the whole year. Maybe we had a period of reflection during the suspension and we came back and reacted. We’re in the race and hopefully on Thursday we can celebrate.”

If Madrid slip up against Villarreal, they will still have a second chance on Sunday when they finish at Leganes while Barcelona visit Alaves.

Machis’s goal was the first Madrid have conceded in six matches but few would have seen it coming after the first half.

Madrid scored twice in six minutes, with both goals coming from breaks down their left. AFP

Entertainment Entertainment

Nickie Wang Wang, Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 2020 WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 2020 || nickie.standard@gmail.com

Anthony Rosaldo

sings ambient track from Saturno, Manalo, et al

“P

WEDENG TAYO” is a song The Clash Season 1 alumnus Anthony Rosaldo is very passionate about. He treats the song as if it’s a gentle being that the world needs to see and hear.

The song was written by Vehnee Saturno, Davey Langit, Jonathan Manalo, and Edwin Marollano during the first-ever FILSCAP Master Camp held last year. It tells a story about two individuals who found love at the wrong time.

“It feels like a responsibility. I needed to give the song justice. The one who recorded the demo was Davey. He’s a very talented singer. So, when I was recording it, I had to be a perfectionist because I wanted to match the kind of artistry they put into the song,” Anthony told Manila Standard during an online video interview.

He recorded the song in his own home during quarantine. The other people who were part of the recording such as the musical arranger, the backup vo-

Dealing with confusion during new normal

SINCE the beginning of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in March, people have been living with uncertainty and fear because of the abrupt changes in their day to day routines.

Unable to cope, people tend to get confused and they end up making poor decisions based on fear. Even up to this day, in the new normal.

And these decisions, have long term implications, according to celebrity life coach and best selling author, Myke Celis, “If we let ourselves be overwhelmed by the situation on hand, we tend to decide impulsively without thinking of the consequences. I understand that people tend to act based on how they perceive the present, but then again, deciding must always be based on equal amounts of logic and emotions,” Myke shares.

A personal coach to selected celebrities and successful executives, Coach Myke recognizes the universal impact of COVID 19 pandemic.

calists, and the guitarists, as well as the vocal processing were also done in their respective homes. Only the final mixing of the track was done in the studio.

Anthony described this experience as “fun and challenging at the same time.”

“It took me two hours to record it. I was able to buy a gadget that isolates noise that’s why I didn’t have to go to an enclosed space to record. But if I were with a professional sound engineer, it would take me less than an hour to finish recording the song,” the 26-year-old singer shared.

Despite the challenge, Anthony revealed that recording the track was an easy one, a step towards reinventing himself as an artist.

“I was very skeptic when it comes to recording my next single. I really

Amazon’s best-selling author and celebrity coach Myke Celis gives advice on dealing with confusion during new normal

“Everyone is prone to that. No one is safe because admittedly, times are challenging now, even during the new normal. But what we should remember is that we have a choice. The choice to simply breathe, take a step back and analyze the situation fully before deciding on it,” he says.

Coach Myke reminds people about this amidst confusion and change.

“If it’s not life-changing or does not need to be dealt with immediately, don’t stress about it. That is what causes the confusion: when you try to resolve so many things all at once. So don’t,” he points out.

The celebrity coach reminds people that during the new normal our main priority is our health and well being.

“Everything else can wait. Work can wait. School can wait. Dreams can too.

But your life, your safety, and sanity, can’t be set aside,” he ends.

To know more about Coach Myke, visit www.coach-mykecelis.com.

‘Doom Patrol’ is an American web television series developed

by Jeremy Carver for DC Universe.

wanted to reinvent my music, give my listeners a new one to fall in love with. And then came the day for my song listening (listening session).

Ito yung mamimili na ako ng song.

Funny kasi I will be presented only one lang pala. GMA Music knew that ‘Pwedeng Tayo’ was the song that I really wanted to associate myself with,” Anthony recounted.

Talking about the message “Pwedeng Tayo,” wanted to convey, Anthony shared that it’s a lyrical story that most people who have gone through heartbreaks in their life can relate to as it mirrors the reality of love and life.

“Not everyone easily finds his or her perfect match. Either you fall for the wrong person or it wasn’t really your time yet. Sometimes it takes a lot of attempts, a lot of heartbreaks to find ‘The One’ but the good thing is, you will still try kaya kapit lang,“ Anthony said.

Recently, the GMA Artist Center talent was conferred as Most Promising Male Recording Artist of the Year for his debut single “Larawan Mo” under GMA Music at the 51st Box Office En-

Anthony Rosaldo releases his third single ‘Pwedeng Tayo,’ which is now available for digital streaming on various music platforms.

tertainment Awards. The recognition was given by the Guillermo Mendoza Memorial Scholarship Foundation Inc. From GMA Music, “Pwedeng

Tayo” is now available for downloading and streaming on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Music, and other digital stores worldwide.

Formidable assemble Formidable artists artists assemble

for event’Tatsulok’ ‘Tatsulok’ fordigital digitalmusical musical event

FRESH from the success of its firstever digital presentation of an all-original musical revue billed Songs for A Changed World: COVID and Climate Change, PLDT Home, in support of Gabay Kalikasan, has assembled a formidable cast of artists for another musical event called “Tatsulok: A Trilogy for Change.”

The show, which runs online for a month, premiered on Saturday (July 11) on Gabay Kalikasan’s Facebook page and YouTube Channel.

With concept and script by renowned director Floy Quintos (also the main man behind “Songs for a Changed World”), musical direction and arrangement by Krina Cayabyab and Myke Salomon and directed by Dexter Santos, Tatsulok champions love for nature, country and God with its tagline, “Kalikasan. Bayan. Dios. Sabay Mahalin.

Di puedeng paghiwalayin.”

There are 17 artists performing in the month-long presentation, some of whom top-billed the highly successful Ang Huling El Bimbo musical and the recent PLDT Home initiative, “Songs for A Changed World.”

Tatsulok, livestreamed right at the comfort of your own home, boasts of a cast of television and stage artists like Via Antonio, Kakai Bautista, Poppert Bernadas, Joshua Bulot, Sheila Francisco, Anna Luna, Gian Magdangal, Nicco Manalo, Oj Mariano, Phi Palmos, Gab Pangilinan, Bibo Reyes, Giob Rodriguez, Aicelle Santos, Jon Santos, Jamie Wilson, and Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo.

Broadcasted by Pinoy Echooo, Tatsulok’s video design, editing and animation are done by Joyce Sahagun Garcia and her team.

Additional sound mixing is provided by Toto Sorioso with costume styling and props design by Mitoy Sta. Ana. Even during this time of the COVID-19 pandemic, PLDT Home in support of Gabay Kalikasan remains vigilant in its fight to protect and preserve the envi-

Star-studded “Tatsulok” champions love for nature, country, and God.

ronment with projects like Tatsulok that is aimed at encouraging awareness and action against climate change.

Gabay Kalikasan advocates Dom Roque, Rhys Miguel, Martin del Rosario, JC Santos, Roxanne Montealegre, Gladys Reyes, Patricia Tumulak a.k.a. Patty Push, and Taki Saito, former Eat Bulaga host who is also a J-Pop artist, have always provided tremendous help by encouraging people awareness towards creating a climateresilient future.

PLDT and Smart, through Gabay Kalikasan, have been championing environmental sustainability and climate change programs that implement communication, education, public aware-

ness, and other activities to increase knowledge and appreciation of the value of the fragile ecosystem.

This important environmental message is being emphasized even in advertising videos released by PLDT Home and Smart Communications as in the case of “Cloud” and “Rewind” digital video ads that admirably sparked conversations on how each of us can do our share in environmental preservation by simply deleting old files from the net or opting for a paperless billing system.

For more information on how we all can do our share in helping save our planet earth, please visit PLDT Smart Gabay Kalikasan Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube pages.

World of limitless adventures SKY Fiber subscribers can escape into the worlds of superheroes, the bizarre, and singing animals with a binge-worthy line-up of shows this July on HBO GO, which they can access at no cost for the first three months with SKY’s latest promo.

Enter the unknown with the Twilight Zone, the revamp of the hairraising series produced by Jordan Peele and Simon Kinberg. New episodes star television’s finest performers such as Morena Baccarin, Topher Grace, Tony Hale, Christopher Meloni, and Jimmi Simpson.

Awaken the uncanny in you with Doom Patrol and reconceive a world where one of DC’s strangest

groups of superheroes just won’t die. Exclusively on HBO GO, the series airs a new episode of season 2 every Friday.

Journey with music and friendship in Ugly Dolls, a computer-animated musical comedy with Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas, and Janelle Monáe as an unlikely group of friends embarking on a journey of self-love and self-discovery.

Time is running out for Nicholas Cage in A Score to Settle as he battles a terminal illness while righting the wrongs of his past.

Follow the conspiracy in Angel has Fallen with Gerard Butler as he plays an on-the-run secret service agent after

being framed for attempted assassination of the US President.

Join Keira Knightley’s thrilling world in Official Secrets as she plays a whistle-blower about to expose illegal spy operations that would have pushed the UN Security Council to sanction the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Share in the secret starting July 25.

Try not to jump with the stories of assorted guests that pass through Room 104, a motel room in the fourth season of this HBO Original anthology series, premiering July 25 at 11:00 a.m..

HBO GO is available to all SKY Fiber, and SKYcable postpaid subscribers. For more details, visit www.mysky. com.ph/skyfiber.

Life

Bernadette Lunas, Editor manilastandardlife@gmail.com @manilastandardlife @MStandardLIFE

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FASHION AND BEAUTY

WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 2020

By Christine Cheryl Y. Benet

C

LOTHING has long been used as protection, shielding its wearers from the elements. As we slowly go back to work in a new environment, it is important to consider how to best protect ourselves from the invisible enemy.

It is known that viruses are transmitted through droplets. It is essential to protect the most vulnerable parts of our body, which will allow us to adapt and continue living these days.

Clothing is our shield, and here’s how you can use it for protection:

Fashion

for protection Face shield

Face mask and face shield

This mandatory gear is considered essential to our current daily lives. It comes in a wide variety of options, from disposable, reusable, and washable, to stylish pieces in different forms and shapes, made of synthetic materials to avoid absorption of any form of droplets.

However, those with respiratory issues may opt to use masks made of natural materials as long as they add a replaceable extra layer. Eyeglass-wearers may choose the best shape that would help avoid fogging of the lenses.

Face shield, meanwhile, acts as a second line of defense. It also prevents us from touching our face.

KEEP IT SIMPLE.

A fashion expert recommends wearing comfortable long sleeve tops or jackets to protect skin as well as keeping accessories to a minimum when going out.

Headband and face mask set from Maison Metisse

Headband

Irritation at the back of the ears may also occur for those who need to wear masks for an extended period. As such, headbands may help put the ears at rest as we can attach the loops to the bands instead.

If we’re talking about precautionary measures, it would be best to tie your hair up.

Cloth bag

Practical attire

Though long sleeve tops and pants are the best option, the most important factor is still proper ventilation, as full coverage might disrupt our breathing and cause skin irritation.

It is best to wear garments with closures such as zippers for faster openings, and with garterized waists for easier wearing especially when in public restrooms. Consider clothes with big pockets to put necessities such as alcohol spray.

Those who commute to their offices may wear short sleeves and pants granted that proper physical distancing is practiced, and wear their water repellent long sleeve jackets upon arrival to the workplace. Raincoats and wind breakers are ideal protective outerwear.

Gloves

It will be best to evaluate first our errands for the day to determine which will work best and will need minimal care.

It is best to wear easy-to-clean shoes.

Nylon and cotton canvas bags will also be good choices as we can easily wash them as soon as we get home.

Although small bags are convenient, we now tend to bring bigger ones Shoes and bags We may still use our favorite pieces as they have more space for today’s nebut ensure proper disinfecting after use. cessities such as hand sanitizer/alcohol,

face masks and face shields, wet wipes, and UV sanitizers.

To further minimize bag contents, leave your wallet at home and practice cashless transactions such as QR codes as mode of payment.

accessories are not meant to withstand chemicals such as alcohol.

However, watches are still a necessity as they can help us avoid frequently touching and checking our phones.

disposed after use.

For office workers and those who run errands, gloves are not necessary; it is better to wash our hands frequently and use alcohol or hand sanitizer.

Jewelry and accessories

Do you need to wear gloves?

Gloves, which are part of personal protective equipment, are necessities for medical professionals and other front liners and require consciousness of the wearer as they are meant to be

The author works as an industry expert-educator in the country’s leading fashion schools and universities, and has an extensive 20-year involvement in the merchandising and manufacturing sector within the fashion industry.

It is best not to wear or at least keep jewelry and other accessories to a minimum. The ease of disinfecting has to be considered. Be warned that fashion

Beauty under the face mask

ADD TO CART

Forever 21 launches Shopee store

Uniqlo launches its official online store on July 16.

Selected Forever 21 items are available on its official Shopee store.

TRENDY items from Forever 21 can now be purchased on its official Shopee store (shopee.ph/forever21).

To mark its entry on to the ecommerce platform, the brand is offering up to 50 percent discount on selected styles and free shipping nationwide for a minimum purchase of P1,000 today until July 17.

Uniqlo to open Gap, Banana Republic now on Zalora official online shop JAPANESE fashion retailer Uniqlo will officially launch its online store on July 16, allowing shoppers to conveniently order items and pick them up or have them delivered to their doorsteps.

The online store (uniqlo.com/ph) offers nationwide delivery, with free shipping for orders worth P2,500 and up.

Flexible shopping options include Click and Collect which allows customers to purchase online and pick up their orders at any Uniqlo store. A pay in store option, meanwhile, lets customers shop for their items online, pay for them in the store using credit card, and have their items delivered to their preferred address or pick them up at the store of their choice.

The online store will offer a complete lineup of LifeWear items for men, women, kids, and babies in extended sizes from XS (extra small) to 3XL.

ZALORA Philippines now carries select styles from Gap, including tees for men, women, and kids. Banana Republic will follow soon after July 28.

Customers can place their orders 24/7 on zalora.com.ph or through the Zalora Mobile App. The e-commerce site offers shoppers quick delivery, free shipping of over P1,395, various

payment methods like cash on delivery, and free returns.

In celebration of the launch, Gap and Banana Republic are offering 30 percent off on all of its items on Zalora. Use the code GAPZALORA today until July16 for Gap and BRZALORA on July 28 to August 2 for Banana Republic.

HALF of our face may now be covered most of the time but this doesn’t mean we can’t make ourselves feel good with makeup and look presentable should we need to remove our masks.

Here’s how to do you makeup even if you have to wear a face mask:

Ever Bilena All Day Liquid Foundation

Wear light foundation – Opt for lightweight non-comedogenic base. Local cosmetics label Ever Bilena recommends All Day Liquid Foundation or EB Advance BB Cream which offers coverage while allowing skin to breathe.

Eb Advance Eyeconic Palette

Gap and Banana Republic are now on Zalora Philippines.

Put the focus on the eyes – Pandemic has people beginning to learn how to smile with their eyes, and because they are usually the only visible part of the face, it’s their time to shine. Beginners can try a monochromatic look by stick-

ing to the same shades in the EB Advance Eyeconic Palette and applying it on the lids and underneath the eyes.

Meanwhile, seasoned makeup users can try more complex looks, blending all the shades of the same palette. Not fan of eye shadow? Go for winged eyes using the Ever Bilena All Day Eyeliner Pen and finish it off with a few coats of mascara.

Ever Bilena Blush Rush Tint

Glow from within – Highlight exposed parts of the face such as brow bones, high points of cheeks and bridge of nose using EB Advance Glow Out Highlighter that easily gets the job done. Or go for a flushed skin with the brand’s Blush Rush Tint.

Moisturize your lips – Lipstick might be a bit inconvenient to wear especially since our lips are covered and the product might transfer onto the face mask. But don’t neglect your puckers. Lips are prone to chapping and drying hence use a lip balm of lip gloss like the EB Advance EB Advance Vinyl Vinyl Lip Gloss to Lip Gloss keep them moist.

The aforementioned products are available on the brand’s official Lazada page.