Manila Standard - 2020 April 17 - Friday

DOLE halts workers’ subsidy; Finance starts its aid program

By Vito Barcelo

under the COVID-19 Adjustment Measure Program.

Labor Assistant Secretaty THE Department of Labor and Employment on Thursday said it will Dominique Tutay said applications stop accepting applications for the from employers of formal sector P5,000 cash aid to formal workers Next page

VOL. XXXIV • NO. 59 • 2 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 • FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2020 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Prolonged ECQ an option—Palace

COVID-19 PH AT A GLANCE

(AS OF 4 PM APRIL 16)

5,660

NUMBER OF CASES

362 DEATHS

435

RECOVERIES

Military, police told to prepare to take over

207

NEW CASES

By Vito Barcelo, Macon Ramos-Araneta

M

ALACAÑANG on Thursday warned the Luzon wide lockdown might be extended again if the public continues to ignore and violate guidelines under the Enhanced Community Quarantine, adding that a “total lockdown” remains an option for the government.

President Duterte: • If you don’t follow ECQ, I will ask PNP and AFP to take over.

It will really be like Martial Law. • Experiments are getting into high gear and virus cure may be available in a few days. Once this is available, I will lift the ECQ immediately.

Inter-Agency Task Force spokesperson Cabi- antine guidelines, as he appealed to the public net Secretary Karlo Nograles said extending the to follow the law and help stop the spread of ECQ maybe considered due to the recent rise in the deadly virus. the number of individuals caught violating quarNext page

14 senators call for DOH chief’s resignation

By Macon Ramos-Araneta AT LEAST 14 senators on Thursday demanded the resignation of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, citing his failure to adequately address the COVID-19 pandemic, with the Philippines now having the highest number of confirmed cases Next page

AGAINST COVID.

Filipino ingenuity and creativity come into play in this challenging time of COVID-19 outbreak as exemplified by the Philippine-flag hazmat (hazardous material) protective suit created by Cagayan de Oro designer Guela Ampong while the local government of Bacoor, Cavite takes a new tack at social distancing by marking the spot where consumers can queue up at a public market. In Caloocan City, a health worker takes a specimen of a city hall employee during the rollout of mass testing to detect virus cases. Guela Ampong, Jr Josue, Jun David.

ID system hits snag; senators wary US ‘passes peak’ of virus cases, says Trump

By Macon Ramos-Araneta, Maricel V. Cruz, Rey E. Requejo, and Francisco Tuyay SENATE President Vicente Sotto III and Senator Panfilo Lacson have filed Senate Resolution 352, seeking to investigate the National ID System’s delayed implementation.

They said the National ID System could hasten the effective distribution

LOCAL ROUNDUP of help to Filipinos affected by the Luzon-wide lockdown due to COVID-19.

“This would not only aid in the efficient distribution of the social amelioration program currently being implemented by different government Next page

Robots ride to the rescue WASHINGTON—What looks like a rolling picnic cooler stops at the crosswalk, waits for a car to pass and then navigates its way at a leisurely pace down the sidewalk in suburban Washington.

Next page

WORLD ROUNDUP

PRESIDENT Donald Trump vowed to unveil plans Thursday to reopen the world’s top economy, claiming the US had “passed the peak” of new coronavirus cases even as the from the disease. country logged a record number of deaths The death toll has topped 134,000

with more than two million infected, according to an AFP tally— with nearly 2,600 dying in the past 24 hours in the US alone.

But a bullish Trump told reportNext page

Debt relief eyed for poor nations WITH the global economy plunged into the worst recession in a century, the Group of 20 nations on Wednesday announced a one-year debt standstill for the world’s poorest nations as they struggle to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.

The G20, which brings together the world’s largest economies, also reiterated the pledge to deploy “all available policy tools” to deal with the health and economic crisis caused by COVID-19.

Next page

CHOKE POINT. Motorbike riders and vehicles alike jostle for space at a police checkpoint along the Alabang-Zapote road in Las Pinas. Each rider or motorist is required to undergo temperature check, but in the process the basic quarantine protocol of social distancing is thrown out of the window. Norman Cruz

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News

FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2020

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Reds extend truce until April 30

By Francisco Tuyay

T

HE Communist Party of the Philippines ordered Thursday the New People’s Army to extend the nationwide ceasefire for 15 more days to “prioritize the fight against the pandemic and ensure the safety, health and well-being of everyone.”

out offensive military actions against the armed units and personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police and other paramilitary and armed groups attached to the Government of the Republic of the Philippines.”

The aim of the ceasefire extension, according to the Party CC, “is to ensure quick and unimpeded support to all people requiring urgent medical, health and socioeconomic assistance in the face of the public emergency over the Covid-19 pandemic.”

The Party said all revolutionary forces were “ever ready to cooperate with all other forces and elements to achieve this objective.”

It also reiterated the call for the “urgent release” of all political prisoners and for declaring a general amnesty and expressed a desire for the resumption of the NDFP-GRP peace negotia-

tions.

It said the Party’s ceasefire order had been observed “despite the difficulties and dangers brought about by the continuing occupation of AFP combat troops of guerrilla zones and base areas, the widespread and intense intelligence and psywar operations, and the attacks mounted by the AFP’s strike forces against detected NPA units.”

During the ceasefire period, the Party leaders said all NPA units must strictly limit themselves to active defense operations which shall be carried out only in the face of imminent danger and actual armed attacks by the government troops.

The AFP on Thursday said the extension of the March 19 to April 15 unilateral ceasefire declared by President Rodrigo Duterte following the coronavirus disease outbreak was up to Malacañang.

“That will guide us all the way for next week and at one point, we will present that to the President,” he said.

Pending the IATF and Duterte’s decision on the fate of Luzon-wide ECQ, there have been proposals to impose a “selective” lifting of the ECQ. Nograles said when it comes to the proposed selective lifting of ECQ, the government has to take into considerations five parameters, which include the trends in COVID-19 epidemiological curve, the capacity of the health care system, and the social, economic, and security factors.

With only two weeks before Luzonwide ECQ expires, Roque called on the public to follow the quarantine measures imposed by the government to stop the further transmission of COVID-19.

Roque said the number of cases in the country would have “doubled or tripled,” had the government not imposed the ECQ. While it is difficult to restrain public movements, doing so would help reduce the number of COVID-19, he said.

For the second time in as many days, the number of recoveries, 435, surpassed the number of deaths, 362, the Department of Health said.

The DOH registered the highest record of recoveries from the respiratory disease at 83 overtaking Wednesday›s record of 58.

However, confirmed cases for the new virus nationwide jumped to 5,660 with 207 new infections. There were also 13 new deaths, bringing total fatalities to 362.

The DOH on Thursday said the case fatality rate for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in the Philippines is at 6.6 percent.

Health Undersecretary Lilibeth David said the global case fatality rate for COVID-19 is at 6.4 percent.

David noted other countries with higher death rates include Italy at 12.9 percent, Spain at 10.5 percent, and Indonesia at 9.4 percent.

She said that while the Philippines recorded the highest number of cases in Southeast Asia, the country accounted for only 0.28 percent of cases and 0.28 percent of confirmed deaths globally.

The order by the Party’s highest governing body coincided with a report that a top spy of the local terrorist group in Southern Tagalog was arrested by intelligence troops in Batangas.

The suspect, identified as Lamberto Asinas alias Baste, was nabbed by the military in Brgy. Bunducan, Nasugbu, by joint AFP-PNP forces at around 9:30 a.m. Thursday.

The military said Asinas yielded a caliber .45 pistol, numerous ammunition, one hand grenade, laptop, cellphone and subversive documents during his arrest.

Illegal Possession of Firearms and Ammunition would be filed against him at the Regional Trial Court Branch 27 of Sta. Cruz, Laguna under Executive Judge Cynthia R. Marino-Ricablanca, the military added.

In its order posted at the CPP’s website, the CPP Central Committee extended to 11:59 p.m. of April 30 its earlier ceasefire declaration which started on March 25.

The CPP ordered the units of the NPA and the “people’s militias to continue to desist and cease from carrying

14 senators...

From A1

Prolonged ECQ...

From A1

in Southeast Asia.

In a resolution, the senators called on Duque to step down “for his failure of leadership, negligence, lack of foresight, and inefficiency in the performance of his mandate” as the country continues to grapple with the contagion.

Duque’s shortcomings resulted in “poor planning, delayed response, lack of transparency, and misguided and flip-flopping policies” for COVID-19.

Only 13 of the 14 senators signed the resolution: Senate President Vicente Sotto III, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, Senators Juan Edgardo Angara, Nancy Binay, Sherwin Gatchalian, Grace Poe, Joel Villanueva, Francis Tolentino, Imee Marcos, Ronald dela Rosa, Bong Revilla, Manny Pacquiao, Lito Lapid, and Panfilo Lacson.

Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, a co-author, was not able to sign the resolution.

Duque, in a statement, said he would answer the allegations raised against him in due time, but for now, he will continue to be in the trenches with health care workers and frontliners.

Despite all the challenges and limited resources, he said the Health department is making sure that «we, as a nation have a fighting chance against COVID-19.»

«This is not a fight of one man or of one agency, it is a fight for all of us Filipinos,» he added, as he called on everyone to help each other. «I will continue to serve the country to the best of my abilities.”

The DOH chief said he respects the opinions of the senators.

«But this I have to say--I serve at the pleasure of the President and for as long as he continues to put his trust and confidence in my capabilities, I will lead the DOH and IATF in putting forward a very effective response against COVID-19 in this country.»

«It is very unfortunate and I am re-

“Please stay at home. We need your cooperation,” Nograles told the public in a virtual press briefing.

President Rodrigo Duterte’s spokesman said a “total lockdown” might be considered if the government fails to flatten the curve on new infections.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said a total lockdown is an option, considering that there are still many quarantine violators who continue to defy Duterte’s order to stay at home.

Nograles said the government is now appealing for the public’s cooperation as the Luzon lockdown reaches the “last stretch.”

“April 30 is when the ECQ ends. It’s already what—April 16. It’s been more than a month already, and all of us have sacrificed for so many weeks. But now that we’re down to our last stretch, we’re seeing people becoming complacent. All our sacrifices will be for naught because some people are looking for ways to go out. It just destroys everything,” Nograles said in a mix of English and Filipino.

“That’s why I’m saying when in doubt, don’t do it,” he added.

The task force earlier announced that it will enforce a stricter implementation of lockdown measures after it had observed an increased number of ECQ violators and vehicles on EDSA and major thoroughfares in Metro Manila.

He also said that while the Philippines has the most number of cases of COVID-19 in Southeast Asia, the public should not be alarmed or disheartened because the government is doing all it can to contain the contagious disease.

He added that there is no contest among nations to have the least number of cases, and said that the recent surge in the Philippines is a result of increased testing.

The Palace official said more coronavirus cases could be detected as the government ramps up targeted testing in the coming days to curb the spread

of the disease.

The priority for testing includes probable and suspected coronavirus cases, hospitalized patients, and those with pre-existing medical conditions.

“Some scientists will say that we have not yet detected all COVID-19 possible carriers so we must conduct aggressive testing,” he said.

“We need to test more so we can detect more, isolate, and treat them,” he added.

He said treatment of COVID-19 patients will be part of the medium-term goal while the world waits for the vaccine for the disease. He noted that vaccine may still take a year to develop.

“It’s a race to find a vaccine but just to manage everybody’s expectations, they say, it might take a year before a vaccine is ready. The medium term goal is to look for the best medicine, medical intervention, and treatment that we can provide,” he said.

He also said the Philippines is implementing the same measures being implemented in other countries to contain the COVID-19.

The entire Luzon and some parts of Visayas and Mindanao have been placed under ECQ to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Implementing an ECQ means people are prohibited from leaving their homes, unless they have to access basic necessities or they are exempt from observing the quarantine protocols.

ECQ is deemed different from the proposed total lockdown, which bars people from going out of their homes and recommends the closure of all public establishments.

Nograles, meanwhile, said a small group tasked by President Duterte to study the possible scenarios after April 30 would come up with recommendations with regard to ECQ’s fate by Monday.

“This coming Monday, they will have something to present to the IATF. So let’s just wait. But they’re looking at all aspects,” Nograles said.

Nograles said the IATF-EID would then have an extensive deliberation on the recommendations that would be made by the small group.

just over 1,000 known cases and nine deaths. It had only six confirmed new infections on Thursday.

“There are promising signs our goers his “aggressive strategy” against hard-and-go-early elimination strategy the virus was working and that “the is working and the lockdown is breakdata suggests that nationwide we have ing the chain of community transmission,” Ardern said. passed the peak on new cases.”

of lives and countless trillions of dollars,” he added during a video conference with the 50 or so African countries that are members of the United Nations.

He called for its accelerated development and accessibility to all, adding it must have a “universal global benefit” and “allow us to control the pandemic.”

US ‘passes...

From A1

Lockdown easing New Zealand is expected to start easing a nationwide lockdown to combat the coronavirus next week, but Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern warned it would be far from a return to normal.

The Pacific country of five million people has been one of the most successful in containing the outbreak, with

ID system...

From A1 agencies, but would also help our law enforcement agencies in fighting crimes and facilitate key government services and transactions among others,” said the two senators.

“Almost two years from its enactment into law and the approval of its implementing rules and regulations, there seems to be no significant headway on its implementation,” they added.

President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law in 2018 Republic Act No. 11055 or the Philippine Identification System Act. The ID system receives P2 billion annually for the program, according to Senate Resolution No. 352.

Vaccine needed

A COVID-19 vaccine may be the only thing that can bring back “normalcy,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, hoping for just that before the end of the year.

“A safe and effective vaccine may be the only tool that can return the world to a sense of ‘normalcy,’ saving millions

coronavirus vaccine, global authorities and businesses need to start now on plans to manufacture it, said foundation chief executive Mark Suzman.

“It’s normal to have, at maximum, hundreds of millions of doses manufactured,” he said. “There are seven billion people on the planet. We are going to need to vaccinate nearly every one.

Global cooperation There is no manufacturing capacity to The wealthy Bill & Melinda Gates do that.”

Foundation called for global cooperation to ready COVID-19 vaccines for More cases seven billion people, while offering Singapore reported 447 new infec$150 million toward developing thera- tions late Wednesday, a record daily peutics and treatments for the virus. increase, with the majority linked to While it is likely to take as many as 18 crowded dormitories housing low-paid months to develop and fully test a safe foreign workers. AFP

House solons call

Plea for prisoners

Two members of the House of Representatives on Thursday said the government should start issuing the national identification cards to allow the rapid and efficient distribution of financial aid to the most vulnerable citizens.

Rep. Sol Aragones of Laguna and Deputy Speaker Luis Raymund Villafuerte said while it might be very difficult for the PSA to complete the roll-out during the imposition of the enhanced community quarantine, the agency should go full-force and all-out to implement and execute the National ID System once the ECQ is lifted.

Aragones agreed with Duterte that a comprehensive database of the country’s population would allow the government to immediately identify those that would be entitled to emergency aid or subsidies.

The Supreme Court has been prodded to convene the Justice Sector Coordinating Council to consider a request for the release on humanitarian grounds of prisoners considered vulnerable to the coronavirus disease.

In a two-page letter dated April 15, the Free Legal Assistance Group stressed there was a need for the high court to convene the JSCC to address issues concerning jail decongestion in light of health concerns brought by the said virus.

Medical doctors called The Philippine Army has called for additional medical doctors to join the Army Medical Corps in the fight against the pandemic. With Rio N. Araja, Butch Gunio, Joel Zurbano, and Willie Casas

Robots ride...

From A1 Three blocks away, Jake Williams and his three-year-old daughter Emilia wait for the delivery robot and take out bags with pizza, fresh fruit and a loaf of French bread from the nearby Broad Branch Market.

“We can’t go into the shops now,” says Williams, among those locked down due to the virus pandemic. “And it’s fun for her.”

The Starship delivery robots have seen surging demand in dozens of cities around the world, with consumers staying home and virus risks growing for both shoppers and delivery workers.

Starship began working with the

DOLE...

From A1 workers for its cash aid program from the department was halted as the Department of Finance begins its own wage subsidy program.

“The target of the DOF are those belonging to the middle income class,” Tutay said.

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said the wage subsidy from the DOF will be paid out in two tranches: From May 1 to 15 and from May 16 to 30.

On the other hand, Tutay said DOLE has so far given cash assistance to 236,405 formal sector workers under CAMP out of the 321,975 target beneficiaries.

“We still have about half a million approved CAMP applications but some of them are awaiting papers,” she said.

Tutay said the department has already requested an additional budget for CAMP and if approved will cover 500,000 more workers.

The government earlier unveiled a P51- billion wage subsidy program for workers in about 1.6 million small businesses hit by coronavirus lockdown.

As of Wednesday, the agency has already given out P5,000 cash aid to more than 236,000 workers.

Tutay also said the supplemental budget is still being requested to benefit 500,000 more workers in the formal sector.

Meanwhile, Senior Citizen Party-list Rep. Francisco G. Datol said indigent seniors who have been relying on relatives and friends to avoid hunger will soon get their much-delayed 2019 social pension as well as an advance of six months.

Datol , in a video message, said the funds will soon be available for distribution. He advised seniors, who will get P500 a month in social pension, to wait for the announcement of the actual disbursement.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development earlier said the seniors› database underwent verification upon orders of President Rodrigo Duterte, a process that delayed in the release of the monthly pension.

A total of 3,796,791 indigent seniors were supposed to receive their pensions in 2019. However, President Duterte ordered an updating of the DSWDs senior data base amid mounting reports that relatives of deceased seniors on the list do not report the death in order to continue collecting the pension.

Debt relief...

From A1 With over two million cases and fatalities approaching 130,000 worldwide, many of the less developed countries are facing the heaviest burden since they do not have the spending power to deal with treatment and the economic fallout caused by widespread lockdowns of their economies imposed to contain the virus.

The G20 finance ministers and central bankers endorsed “a time-bound suspension of debt service payments for the poorest countries,” and in the communique following their virtual meeting, said, “All bilateral official creditors will participate in this initiative.”

Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan, who heads the group, said this means “poor countries don’t need to worry about repaying over the course of the next 12 months.”

The initiative will “provide north of $20 billion of immediate liquidity” for poor countries to use “for their health system and support their people facing COVID-19,” he said in a press briefing.

The G20 officials “put our money where our mouth is, and commit to further support the world as it faces this pandemic,” he said.

The International Monetary Fund and World Bank had been calling on the governments to provide debt relief to the countries most in need, and finance ministers from the Group of Seven advanced economies agreed to do so on Tuesday provided the G20, which includes China and Russia, was in favor. AFP

Broad Branch in early April, when the corner store was forced to close to shoppers because it was too small to ensure proper social distancing.

Store owner Tracy Stannard said a fleet of up to 10 robots each day, managed by Starship, helps the market meet demands in the neighborhood.

The store handles 60 to 70 deliveries daily, half by robot.

“Some people request the robot, they don’t even care about the groceries,” Stannard said. “It’s cute to see them roaming the neighborhood and it makes people happy.”

Robot deliveries from Starship and a handful of other companies meet only a tiny fraction of food deliveries, but highlight a need in a time of social distancing and pandemic fears. AFP

News

FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2020 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

A3

Follow health protocols, DAR staff told

By Rio N. Araja THE Department of Agrarian Reform has issued Memorandum Circular No. 140, directing all its officials and select employees to strictly follow health protocols in issuing quarantine accreditation passes to agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) nationwide.

Secretary John Castriciones has been authorized

by Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to issue quarantine accreditation passes to farmer-beneficiaries so they could supply agri-food products to critical areas affected by the Enhanced Community Quarantine.

This developed as militant group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas alleged that the Department of Agriculture must clarify and release actual guidelines on how to avail the P5,000 cash aid from the agency’s Rice Farmers Financial Assistance Program and Land Bank of the Philippines’ Financial Subsidy to Rice Farmers program.

In the DAR memorandum, Castriciones urgently reminded selected DAR workforce to follow the required health protocols issued by the Department of Health.

“To continue the DAR’s service to the ARBs,

non-ARBs and to the community, the issuance of quarantine passes must be done properly and with utmost care by protecting the employees first.

They must adhere to health protocols so they will not get infected by the virus and spread it to the ARBs and to others,” Castriciones said.

The DAR workforce are instructed to follow health protocols that only designated personnel issued with quarantine passes would be allowed to leave their homes, and that they must wear a face mask, face shield and gloves.

Under the directive, they must desist from touching their face, eyes, nose and mouth, and that they must observe proper hand-washing and carry alcohol to disinfect their hands.

Upon returning home, they must dispose their used protective gears, change clothes and disinfect the clothes and shoes they wore.

Bathing is also required for disinfection.

The memorandum also states that it is the duty of the DAR personnel and the concerned DAR official to ensure that ARBs, agrarian cooperatives and agrarian reform communities, in any DAR activity, should comply with the health protocols.

With Willie Casas and Benjamin Chavez

KADIWA. Consumers wait in line to buy affordable agricultural products at the Kadiwa Market inside the Bureau of Plant Industry in San Andres, Malate, Manila on Thursday. Norman Cruz

CHR probes hospital on ashes ‘hostaging’

By Jess Malabanan

A

NGELES CITY—Special investigators from the Commission on Human Rights 3 have been directed to conduct probe over the alleged ‘hostaging’ of ashes and medical records of coronavirus patients, two of whom died late March and early April this year.

ANTI-VIRUS PPE. Employee-volunteers of San Miguel Corporation repack 40,000 sets of medical-grade PPE (personal protective equipment) that the company recently acquired to donate to frontline medics fighting the COVID-19 virus. The PPE, sourced from suppliers in China, arrived Wednesday via a chartered Philippine Airlines Boeing 777 aircraft. It is part of a P500 million fund the company set aside to acquire PPEs from local and international suppliers.

Gov’t asked to ease burden on ‘power’

By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Willie Casas A SENATOR and a think tank group have asked the government to introduce measures that would ease the burden of Filipino households, especially on electricity and power.

Senator Win Gatchalian, for one, asked the government to make concessions for Filipino families, whose electricity bills are expected to pile up after a month of reprieve especially that the Enhanced Community Quarantine has been extended.

The senator expressed concern that ordinary Filipinos, especially those belonging to the marginalized sector, might not have the financial capacity to pay their two months worth of electricity bills in full and therefore risk having their electricity disconnected.

Gatchalian, who chairs the Senate Committee on Energy, prodded the Energy Regulatory Commission to look for solutions that will ease payment terms of consumers. He suggested to stagger the two months of electricity bills for not less than three months.

He also appealed to Meralco to temporarily waive its convenience fee so that consumers may be able to pay their electricity bill using the company’s mobile app without extra charges. According to Meralco, consumers who pay via the said app will have to pay an additional P47 convenience fee.

“For humanitarian reasons, let’s think of ways that will make the lives of our kababayans better and alleviate their suffering as we face this pandemic,” he said.

Think Tank group Infrawatch PH, meanwhile, is calling for the suspension of value-added tax and universal charges on power rates until community quarantines remain in place around the country.

“The suspension of VAT and universal charges on electricity rates during the coronavirus crisis translates to around two hundred pesos in savings for the average household consuming 200 kWh. More important, this translates into a staggering P4.2-billion indirect economic aid to 21 million lower income households without the need for new loans or the sale of government assets,” said Terry Ridon, Infrawatch PH convenor and former urban poor chief of the Duterte administration.

SMC donations reach almost P1 billion MORE areas outside Metro Manila are benefiting from assistance from the San Miguel Corp. initiatives against COVID-19, now at P947.7 million, as the company continues to find ways to bring relief to the hardest-hit communities and provinces nationwide.

SMC president and chief operating officer Ramon S. Ang said the company has responded to calls for assistance from local government units outside the National Capital Region, including provinces as far as Iloilo and Leyte.

“Our people are working hard to be able to extend our assistance to more provinces and communities and to support our national government’s efforts. Our goal is to help keep our countrymen away from hunger and illness, and somehow, in our own way, give them hope during this difficult time,” Ang said.

As of April 14, SMC’s total allotted food donations

has topped P227 million. These food donations include canned goods, biscuits, coffee, and milk delivered through the LGUs, non-profit organizations and churchbased groups, among others.

It has also distributed some 1.1 million kilograms of rice, worth an estimated P38.4 million.

The company has donated a total of 864,740 liters of 70 percent ethyl alcohol to date at P64.9 million. Alcohol produced from the Ginebra San Miguel facilities are being distributed to various hospitals, local government units, national government agencies, and other institutions and organizations.

The bulk of SMC’s donations, some P500 million, is being used to purchase protective gear from local and international suppliers, to help better equip medical frontliners in their battle against the COVID-19 virus.

BI seizes smuggled cigarettes in Zambo

By Vito Barcelo THE Bureau of Customs seized more than P8.2 million worth of smuggled cigarettes in Zamboanga City.

Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service Zamboanga Operatives, in coordination with the Naval Intelligence and Security Group-Western Mindanao and Naval Special Operating Unit, intercepted the assorted smuggled cigarettes onboard a boat, the MJ NR 4 in Brgy. Lower Calarian, Zamboanga City.

The operation was made following an information received that a motor boat loaded with alleged smuggled cigarettes from Jolo, Sulu was seen anchored within the vicinity of Stanvac Lower Calarian, Zamboanga City.

Upon inspection of the vessel, the operatives discovered more than 300 master cases of smuggled Bravo, Fort, Tradition, LS and Astro cigarettes with estimated value of P8,275,000.00.

The shipment did not have a permit from the National Tobacco Administration, which is a violation of Executive Order No. 245 (Amended Rules and Regulations Governing the Exportation and Importation of Tobacco and Tobacco Products.

SALVAGED. Binondo residents try to salvage useful belongings in the aftermath of a fire in Barangay 286, Delpan, Binondo in Manila, on April 15, 2020. An estimated 295 families lost their homes to the fire which reached the third alarm. Norman Cruz

Jason Carmona, Special Investigator 111 of the CHR3 regional office, stationed at City of San Fernando, said his team will visit the Philippine Rehabilitation Institute Medical Center and will ask the management to shed light on the incident as part of an impartial investigation.

The complaint, Carmona said reached the CHR3 office through news article posted in the social media and forwarded by a netizen.

Carmona said his team will initiate initial investigation including taking of formal complaints from Geoffrey Santos, son of Dr. Renato and Aurora Santos, who both succumbed to COVID 19 on March 29 and April 6 respectively in said hospital.

In his letter dated April 14, Geoffrey Santos said he was asked by the PRI to settle hospital bills amounting to P2.5 million before the management could release the medical records including laboratory tests and the urn carrying the ashes of Aurora.

Carmona said the hostaging of patients including medical records is a criminal offense punishable under the law.

Santos said he was required by PRI to pay in full his father’s bills but he declined due to unavailability of cash.

On April 2, he learned from the news that the Philippine Health Insurance (Philhealth) will shoulder all medical expenses for COVID 19 patients. On April 3, the PRI demanded again a partial payment for his mother’s continuous medicine and confinement.

Faith-based group, traders join forces in relief efforts THE Center for Community Transformation, a faithbased organization and some business enterprises have joined forces to step up their distribution of relief packs worth P15 million, directed at 20,000 households in marginalized communities where CCT and these groups operate.

Two weeks ago, the CCT launched its “CCT Paglingap Program,” precisely to address the need to bring food on the table, following the imposition of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) by the government. CCT, from then on, has been receiving donations in cash and in kind worth millions of pesos.

The Victory Christian Fellowship delivered a truckload of 3,000 relief packs consisting of food and medicines to CCT which, in turn, were distributed by CCT workers and volunteers to VCF’s target ministries nationwide.

Meanwhile, the Glory Evangelical Church initially donated a million pesos, so CCT can sustain its food distribution program covering Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

CCT has also distributed over 7,000 survival food packs consisting of five kilos of rice, canned goods and noodles. Hundreds of kilos of rice were sourced from CCT’s rice plantation at an integrated farming center in Lupang Pangako, a 32-hectare integrated social development center located in Kalikid, Nueva Ecija.

CCT has so far distributed over 10,000 survival packs, medicines, and health kits to several communities where CCT operates its various social amelioration programs and where CCT’s partner organizations run their ministries.

“This is a heartwarming response of our business and non-profit partners to be in solidarity with our people, especially our underprivileged brethren in these times of extreme need,” said Ruth S. Callanta, CCT president and CEO.

Unveiling of 3rd telco in PH still uncertain—Bayan Muna THE unveiling of Dito Telecomunity Corp. in the country is in danger of being put off anew following the opposition of several US departments in the operation of the China Telecom (Americas) Corp. in America.

In the light of the recent development, Bayan Muna Chairman Neri Colmenares said that the government should scrutinize further the third telco player that will also require a congressional investigation since the entry of China in the tele-

communication sector, he claims, is a threat to the sovereignty of the country and national security.

“This development in the US will delay Dito Telecom’s rollout because it should now be subject to tighter scrutiny from government and requires a congressional investigation.

Because of its expansionism in the WPS, the Chinese government is not a friend. We continue to assert that allowing China entry into our telecommunication sector is a threat to

Philippine sovereignty and national security,” Colmenares said.

The Dito Telecommunity Corp., formerly Mindanao Islamic Telephone Company Inc. (Mistel), is a consortium of Udenna Corp. of Davao businessman Dennis Uy, and its subsidiary Chelsea Logistics Corporation and the Chinese stated-owned China Telecommunications Corporation, a parent company of China Telecom.

A4

Opinion

FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2020

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Are we now ready to lift?

CROSSROADS

J.A. DE LA CRUZ LET me be very clear. We agree that the COVID-19 pandemic is not just a public health crisis but an economic, social and even a psychological one.

These are deadly, unprecedented times incomparable to any in modern history. Not just the Philippines but the entire world was unprepared to meet this gravest threat to humankind in living memory. In fact, all countries barring none are scrambling to find solutions to stave off the crisis on all fronts.

As one expert correctly noted, we are actually doing shooting-from-

The answer will depend on these things. the-hip, seat-of-pants decision making as the virus envelops the globe.

So, it is not proper much less healthy to consider the impact of this pandemic into separate boxes isolating solutions as if one existed without the other. These are so intertwined it would be foolish to propose solutions to one without thinking of the others.

As the country enters its sixth week of Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) with all the grief, heartaches, trials, challenges and occasional cheers that it brought to millions of affected families, the foremost question remains: Are we now ready to lift the ECQ? The answer is, it depends.

It depends foremost on the effectiveness of the ECQ and its social and economic impact as exemplified by

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

that continuing debate on Life versus Money. Almost all experts agree that it is only when there is reasonable agreement that the health and medical protocols have been put in place and responsibly handled that we can discuss lifting the lockdown.

Even on a controlled basis, as many in the business community are suggesting. Or a rolling one, as some labor and political groups have proposed. Or a barangay-based lockdown, as others are wont to suggest.

Before we get suckered into any lifting of any kind, we reiterate that such should not be rushed—otherwise we might find ourselves worse off than when the lockdown began.

It would do well for all concerned, especially our decision makers, to take heed of the findings, projections and recommendations of a research team from the government think tank, the Philippine Institute of Development Studies (PIDS). Although many of the recommendations of the study entitled “Projected Disease Transmission, Health System Requirements, and Macro Economic Impacts of the Corona Disease 2019 (Covid-19) in the Philippines” have been in discussions since the lockdown, it is the facts and findings they managed to put together which are interesting. These put in question some of the very data being used by most government officials including their boss, Economic Planning Secretary Ernie Pernia.

But that is another story. What matters at this point are their recommendations, a summary of which I have decided to print in this column.

Here goes: “The COVID-19 pandemic is not merely a public health issue but an economic and social one as well. The enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) is a step towards managing the health system’s limited resources,

Bleak prospects

T

HE International Monetary Fund has painted grim prospects of the global economy amid the coronavirus pandemic that is disrupting the supply chain.

It forecasts the specter of the deepest recession in a century and concedes things could get worse, depending on how the pandemic pans out.

The funding institution sees the recession trimming $9 trillion from the world economy this year but expects a rebound of 5.8 percent in 2021.

Still, the IMF is cautious on its 2021 outlook because of the rapidly changing situation.

The global economy has virtually shut down, following the efforts of every government to restrain the spread of the virus and prevent health systems from collapsing. The IMF is still wary despite the quarantine measures in place across the globe.

It warned "severe risks of a worse outcome" because of the "extreme uncertainty around the strength of the recovery."

Cumulative loss of the global gross domestic product over 2020 and 2021 from the pandemic crisis, according to the IMF, could total round $9 trillion, “greater than the economies of Japan and Germany combined."

"Much worse growth outcomes are possible and maybe even likely," the IMF report warns, "if the pandemic and containment measures last longer... or if widespread scarring effects emerge due to firm closures and extended unemployment."

The Philippine economy is not

excluded from the global economic downturn. The IMF downgraded its 2020 growth forecast for the Philippines to 0.6 percent, or virtually flat, from a previous estimate of 6.3 percent. The multilateral institution, however, is upbeat at the same time on its forecast for the Philippine economy next year, predicting a strong rebound of 7.6 percent.

The Philippine economic recovery, as the IMF sees it, should be premised on a healthy population. IMF resident representative to the Philippines Yongzheng Yang said government policies should “focus on both protecting public health and putting people back to work, but getting the virus under control is, if anything, a prerequisite to saving livelihoods.”

Philippine policy makers can take a cue from IMF's assessment. The protection of public health must be paramount. The people, after all, are the greatest asset of the economy.

Turn to A5

Failure ON April 15, 2020, President Duterte, acting on the recommendation of the Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) on the coronavirus crisis and backed by a scared business community, extended the 30-day lockdown by another two weeks, until midnight of April 30, 2020.

IAFT called for lockdown extension without telling or explaining to the nation what happened during the first 30 days of the lockdown, the gains made, if any, and the downside, if any.

The IATF did not cite any scientific findings to bolster the need for another lockdown of 15 days. Lockdown Part II doesn’t have clear basic objectives.

The coronavirus crisis is supposed to be a war. To win that war, we must know the enemy—the coronavirus or the SARS CoV-2 which causes the disease called COVID-19—coronavirus infectious disease of 2019.

Amazingly, our so-called scientific community—our doctors, epidemiologists, virologists, biologists, even chemists—have been silent on telling us the science of the virus. What it is, how it infects us, how it damages our body leading to death, and what we must do to guard against infection and what to do during infection—except to keep a distance of six feet between us and our relatives and friends, and to wash our hands very often, for 20 seconds at least (one Happy Birthday Song), or 40 seconds, better (two Happy Birthday songs).

The man who should be in charge, Health Secretary Francisco Duque, has receded to the background, playing second fiddle to a coterie of generals, active and retired.

We have retired Lieut. Gen. Rolando Bautista, 57, the former Army commander, chief of the Presidential Security Group, and a veteran of the Battle of Marawi (whatever hap-

pened to that city?) giving cash and goodies to the very poor of Filipinos, numbering some 18 million families.

He has P205 billion to give away, at P5,000 to P8,000 per family per month for two months. The problem is he doesn’t know who and where most of those families are.

Why the erratic performance? Blame the Department of Health. If it did anything during the first 30 days of the lockdown, we certainly did not hear about it.

We have former Major Gen. Delfin Lorenzana, 71, who as Defense secretary chairs the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), supposedly the lead agency in the disaster that is the coronavirus crisis. But it came late to the game. At first, the agency tried to monopolize the procurement and distribution of test kits, personal protective equipment (PPEs), and relief goods, adding a layer of red tape to the process, at a time when hundreds are getting sick and scores are dying.

After a backlash, its monopoly was given up.

Theoretically under Lorenzana is the Armed Forces of the Philippines which has about 200,000 men and headed by Gen. Felimon Santos. The AFP’s job is as force multiplier for the enforcement of the lockdown.

We have retired Gen. Eduardo Año, 57, the former AFP chief of staff. He is the secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

Under him is the Philippine National Police which has 200,000 members and is headed by police Gen. Archie Gamboa. Their job is to man the checkpoints set up to enforce the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) or lockdown.

Turn to A5

At last, mass testing can begin WE'VE been arguing since last month for the government to adopt the rapid or onsite test kits for COVID-19 as one way to "flatten the curve," as scientists like to describe it. We have also been wondering why the Department of Health has consistently thumbed down the idea despite strident calls for them to do otherwise.

Well, President Rodrigo Duterte has completely overturned the DOH stand on the matter and approved the procurement of rapid test kits to boost the country’s screening capability to 900,000 tests in the next three months.

You could look at this as some kind of a slap on the wrist of the DOH for insisting on an untenable position.

But let's not focus on that now.

What's important at this point is that with the accelerated pace of testing, health authorities can really determine the scale of the contagion and take the necessary steps to isolate the "suspected" and "probable" carriers of the deadly virus.

If the DOH can find out with certainty—based on the scientific method— the real situation on the ground, then the government can also move with measured steps from now on in the economic sphere.

It cannot be denied that community quarantine, or the euphemism for lockdown, has been necessary to contain the spread of the virus. But the quarantine has also curtailed eco-

We hope we will see more medical check-ups (testing) rather than police checkpoints. nomic activities and deprived a large portion of the population, especially the poor and the low-income earners, of the chance to earn a decent living and keep body and soul together. The subsidies granted to the poor under the social amelioration program, while welcome, are simply not enough to buy other needs apart from food.

In this sense, lockdowns as a tool to address a mainly health issue are a

cure perhaps worse than the disease, as they consign the poor to greater misery and suffering.

I understand that the government wants to find carriers of the virus that has so far infected nearly 6,000 Filipinos. I really hope that with the introduction of a more aggressive testing program to locate as many as infections as possible, we could bring down the numbers and usher in a gradual return to normalcy.

The DOH has designated 11 laboratories and hospitals to do the testing for the coronavirus. The Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases said there are 15 laboratories in the country accredited to run coronavirus tests. As of now, there are 28 institutions undergoing the DOH certification process and 37 others having signified intention to seek accreditation. With an expanded capacity, the government would be able to process 8,000 to 10,000 tests a day by the end of April, when the strict lockdown of Luzon island would be lifted.

After April 30, what?

Can those already devoutly wishing for an end to the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) or lockdown Turn to A5

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Opinion

FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2020

Criminal justice online FOOTNOTES TRANQUIL G.S. SALVADOR III REGARDLESS of the existence of the pandemic, crimes and offenses continue to be committed whether independent of, as an incident or as a consequence of the uncertain times.

With this reality, the Supreme Court issued Administrative Circular No. 33-2020 concerning Online Filing of Complaints or Information and Posting of Bail. The issuance intends to effectively limit the physical movement of judges, personnel, and court users to their stations during the period of the health emergency without sacrificing the legal reliefs available to litigants in criminal cases.

Under the circular, criminal complaints and information with the supporting documents may be filed by electronic transmission or email before the proper trial courts. The Clerk of Court will then refer the matter to the Judge on Duty who will personally evaluate the complaint or the resolution of the prosecutor (with the criminal information) within a period of three (3) days from the electronic filing. Once the records are evaluated, the Judge on Duty may: (a) dismiss the case if the evidence fails to establish probable cause; (b) issue a warrant of arrest or commitment order for a valid warrantless arrest if there is a finding of probable cause; or (c) order the prosecutor to submit, through electronic transmission, additional evidence within three (3) days from notice if there is doubt as to the existence of probable cause.

An accused arrested by virtue of a warrant or confined in prison pursuant to Section 6, Rule 112 of the Revised Rules on Criminal Procedure (RRCP) on lawful arrests without a warrant may apply for bail online. The Judge on Duty shall ascertain if the accused

can be admitted to bail as a matter of right under Section 4, Rule 114 of the RRCP; otherwise, Administrative Circular No. 33-2020 on online bail application will not apply. Bail is granted, as a matter of right, to a person in custody for a criminal case: (a) before or after conviction in the Metropolitan Trial Court or Municipal Trial Court, or (b) before conviction in the Regional Trial Court for an offense not punishable by death, reclusion perpetua, or life imprisonment. The requirements for bail will be electroni-

Crimes are committed every single day with or without force majeure. cally transmitted and examined by the Judge on Duty, and if complete and compliant will be approved and the corresponding order of release issued.

If the amount of bail initially fixed by the Judge on Duty is excessive for the accused, he may then file a motion to reduce the bail which shall be subject to the comment of the prosecutor within twenty four (24) hours from the filing of the motion; both the motion and the comment shall be electronically transmitted. The approved bail and the order of release shall be electronically transmitted by the Judge on Duty to the Executive Judge of the judicial station who will in turn electronically transmit the same to the law enforcement authority or detention facility. The electronically transmitted approved bail and release shall be sufficient to cause the release of the accused.

In instances when online bail is not applicable, Sections 5 and 8, Rule 114 of RRCP will apply. It means that if the accused is charged with a grave offense punishable by death, reclusion perpetua, or life imprisonment (known as non-bailable offenses), or if convicted by the Regional Tri-

Failure From A4

By the way, DILG chief Año and AFP chief Santos both tested positive for COVID-19. Both have since been declared negative. So they know the enemy first hand.

We then have five generals—Bautista, Lorenzana, Santos, Año, and Gamboa manning half of the frontline against coronavirus. The other half is manned by health workers.

As if that was not enough, President Duterte appointed a sixth general, Carlito Galvez Jr., a former AFP chief. He is the National Task Force COVID-19 chief implementer of the National Action Plan (NAP) unveiled by the government in late March, three months after the coronavirus erupted worldwide in early January. He talks of a time frame of up to 18 months which means he will stay long in the job. He is a peace adviser waging a war at a time of peace.

Now, is ECQ working?

We are now more than 34 days into the lockdown which involves the near-complete shutdown of Luzon, the Philippines’ richest, most productive, and most populated main island. Luzon contributes 73 percent of the national output of goods and services which totals P18 trillion. For over 30 days, the lockdown stopped the production of P1 trillion worth of goods, shuttered 90 percent of industries, laid off 25 million workers, caused hunger and unrest, and is bringing the country to negative economic growth of three percent and record unemployment of 50 percent, the worst in 22 years.

Was the lockdown intended to flatten the curve? The answer is no.

We continued to scale the COVID-19 Everest from 187

al Court for a not so grave offense (known as discretionary bail), a hearing is required since the relevant court would have to determine the propriety of granting bail to the accused. There is even a special requirement of a “summary hearing” for non-bailable offenses under Section 10 (a) of the Revised Rules on Continuous Trial.

The purpose of the hearing is to allow the prosecution to establish in open court that the evidence of guilt against the accused is strong, or that the accused is entitled to bail while his appeal is pending before the higher court. An online or electronic type of hearing is clearly not contemplated by Administrative Circular No. 33-2020 considering that it is only a temporary and swift legal recourse to address simple and less contentious legal issues at this time of the pandemic.

It does not mean, however, that an accused detained for non-bailable offenses or who wants to apply for discretionary bail is left without a remedy. As provided in Administrative Circular No. 31-2020, the Supreme Court down to the first level courts (Metropolitan/Municipal Trial Courts) shall maintain the necessary skeletal staff to address urgent matters brought before them. While all hearings are suspended during this period, pleadings in relation to bail and habeas corpus, promulgation of judgments of acquittals, and reliefs for those who may be arrested and detained, among others, may still be acted upon by the pertinent courts.

Crimes are committed every single day with or without force majeure.

Hence, our Judiciary, true to its calling, continues to play its vital role in maintaining order in a democratic society—by bringing lawbreakers into the fold of law, seeing to it that due process is observed, and assuring the general public, with the continuous operations of the courts, that the Rule of Law prevails even in these unsettling times.

total cases and 45 new cases per day when the lockdown began in mid-March to 5,223 total cases and 230 new cases per day on April 15 when the new lockdown came into force.

With the start of the first lockdown, the tally had already sunk below 100 new cases per day from March 15 to March 27 (when it hit 96).

On March 28, nearly two weeks after lockdown, new cases spurted to 272, then 343 on March 29, and hit a high of 538 on March 31. Total new daily cases leveled somehow to 76 on April 4, only to go three digits each day since then, climbing 414 on April 6, 291 on April 14, and 230 on April 15. Yesterday, April 16, we had 207 new cases, bringing total infections to 5,660, with 362 deaths.

Today, the Philippines is the worst-hit country in ASEAN with 5,660 cases, despite our being the first in Asia, outside China, to declare a lockdown. The Philippines is also No. 2 in number of COVID-19 deaths in ASEAN. Why the erratic performance?

Blame the Department of Health. If it did anything during the first 30 days of the lockdown, we certainly did not hear about it.

Only on April 13, did President Duterte order the procurement of two million rapid test kits and 900,000 PCR test kits. DOH should have ordered that on March 15, the first day of lockdown. Plus, DOH should have begun building quarantine beds to the level of 100,000. So far they have produced 6,000 beds.

The problem is that DOH under Duque was congenitally opposed to mass testing, contact tracing and quarantine by the hundred of thousands. As a result, the ECQ did not bend the curve. It instead bent the backs of more than 18 million families because of joblessness, hunger, and poverty.

Barangay officials directly liable for ECQ violations CLEARLY, the Enhanced Community Quarantine has effectively helped contain the spread of the contagion novel coronavirus, now known as COVID-19.

With the estimated 20 million residents in Metro Manila on lockdown in the past five weeks, the health authorities have been able to cope with the local epidemic with the arrival of the needed testing kits and additional testing centers.

People really, really need to stay home.

Despite the repeated appeals from President Duterte himself for continued cooperation through the extended lockdown period, however, not quite a few would rather ignore the ECQ rules and preventive measures against the virus’ spread.

The Inter-Agency Task Force on the state of public health emergency, headed by the Department of Health, has explained repeatedly day in and day out the need for people to stay home for the duration of the ECQ in the hope of flattening the curve on COVID-19 incidence.

Unfortunately, the gains from the efforts of public and private sectors in the war against COVID-19 are being undermined by a number of people who violate the ECQ rules, including barangay officials themselves.

Barangay chairmen and other officials have in many instances tolerated this. Still, there are those who refuse to venture out in violation of Republic Act 11469 or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act of 2020.

They even engage in illegal activities such as drinking in public, loitering during curfew hours, and illegal gambling. These go on under the nose of barangay officials and some local government units in Metro Manila and in other regions.

Manila Mayor Isko Moreno said he would slap some barangay officials with administrative charges for the shameless quarantine violations.

In Parola, Tondo, barangay officials themselves allowed boxing and bingo, disregarding rules on social distancing.

Caloocan City Mayor Oscar Malapitan pressed for the preventive suspension of a barangay captain and three councilmen for sponsoring illegal cockfight or tupada at the North Cemetery.

Eleven other people were caught in the act of holding tupada in Meycauayan City, Bulacan, and are now facing multiple charges for resistance and disobedience, illegal gambling and violation of ECQ rules on social gathering.

The IATF also said at least three governors, two mayors and quite a number of barangay chairmen will have to explain to the Department of the Interior and Local Government

From A4

decreed by the Duterte administration from March 15 to April 30 expect changes in the horizon?

The COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team of the University of the Philippines (UP), for one, has recommended localized quarantine measures after April 30.

The team said that while the ECQ over the whole of Luzon appeared successful in limiting the number of patients infected with the latest coronavirus strain, the measure might have ill effects when implemented for a long period.

What they suggest is to enforce a modified quarantine where only areas with a high probability of a COVID-19 outbreak would be subjected to

why they violated ECQ rules—or face suspension and charges before the Office of the Ombudsman.

These were but a few of the ECQ violations that have been reported over the past week. Others were a religious procession and pabasa in violation of social distancing which the Catholic Church itself had discouraged.

After the Holy Week, the usual scene of vehicular traffic along EDSA unraveled as if people were going on leisure trips and did not know that the ECQ has been extended till April 30.

The Philippine National Police said over 17,000 persons have been apprehended or cited for various lockdown violations, including illegal gambling like tupada and saklaan.

Barangay officials, as well as local government unit (LGU) officials, are directly liable for such ECQ violations.

I would say that by and large, the Filipino populace of over 109 million have cooperated and supported the government measures in response to the pandemic that has devastated livelihoods and the economy.

We will not allow the gains of the ECQ and the sacrifices of those health workers and policemen in the frontline to come to naught just because some of our fellowmen would rather put themselves at risk of virus contamination.

Though there is a continued increase in the number of confirmed cases of novel coronavirus or COVID-19 in the country, there is a notable rise in the number of recovered patients, just as we had pointed out last week.

COVID-19 cases reached 5,660 as of Thursday, April 16, but correct me if I’m wrong—such number is a meager percentage of the total tests conducted at the 16 laboratories accredited by the Department of Health.

That simply means most of the people who get sick and show coronavirus-like symptoms turned out negative for the dreaded disease.

It’s welcome news indeed that recovered COVID-19 patients (435) has outnumbered those who succumbed to it (362) as of the last tally. That’s not to mention that more patient recoveries may not have been reported at all.

We should be thankful that the Grim Reaper has visited the Philippines less frequently that he has Italy, United States, Spain, United Kingdom and other countries where hundreds die from COVID-19 each day.

I said we should be thankful that President Duterte decided to heed the advice of the Department of Health authorities to impose the general community quarantine first in Metro Manila instead of heading for Boracay Island to promote tourism despite the global pandemic threat.

Instead Manong Digong made the urgent announcement and, on the following day, placed the entire Luzon under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) altogether with the declaration of the state of public health emergency.

With everyone’s cooperation, we will see the glimmer of hope of recovery in the days to come. I hope we will have fewer “pasaway” violators of the Enhanced Community Quarantine rules.

biznewsasia@gmail.com

Are we...

At last...

A5

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

From A4

a lockdown.

"Prolonged restriction on the movement of goods and services over a large area (i.e., region-wide) can unnecessarily paralyze local economies... In light of this reality, our best recourse after April 30 is to implement graduated activation of ECQ depending on the level of risk in certain areas at a given time. Under this set-up, provinces (or even lower-level LGUs) may be put under ECQ depending on how close or far they are to an estimated outbreak threshold,” they explained.

The team used epidemiological approaches in disease mapping. They said at least 16 provinces in the Philippines have outbreak probability rates of over 90 percent. The percentage was obtained by getting the ratio between the number of cases in an area compared to the estimated out-

break threshold.

If the government heeds their recommendation, then the ECQ would again be extended in 13 areas in Luzon: Bataan, Batangas, Benguet, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Metro Manila, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Quezon, and Rizal.

If you live outside these areas, then you can expect some measure of relief from community quarantine.

But those of us who remain trapped in Metro Manila will have to simply bear what authorities deem appropriate under prevailing conditions.

We hope, however, that we will see more medical check-ups (testing) rather than police checkpoints so we can emancipate ourselves from the stifling atmosphere of an extended lockdown. ernhil@yahoo.com

and buying time to buttress hospital and laboratory testing capacity, and equipping healthcare workers with proper protection.

However, setting the economy on “freeze” for a longer period may cause unintended consequences. As our model suggests, the ECQ may have provided the health system some time to prepare but in itself not sufficient to contain the outbreak. In the absence of more aggressive public health interventions, a successive wave of infections could rise months after the ECQ. Hence, the government should not be complacent, and should be strategic in containing the outbreak. The post-ECQ strategy must be designed to maintain a low level of virus transmission, but economically sustainable.

We therefore recommend a gradual and calibrated transition to a riskbased strategy that combines relax-

ation of economic restriction while controlling the spread of the virus.

As the economy reopens, the government should continuously expand its capacity to perform the following: • Detect and isolate individual cases, and identify close contacts.

• Protect high risk population groups, including healthcare workers.

• Continuously implement public health measures, such as physical distancing and handwashing.

• Treat many patients as possible, particularly severe and critical cases.

To implement these requires a whole-of-government approach: bringing together the resources of different government agencies and harnessing the expertise of the private sector. The general strategy should not be hospital centric. Efforts to control the transmission of the virus should start in local communities, and hospitals shall serve as the last line of defense. The role of local governments to implement public health programs and surveillance are critical.”

A6

World

FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2020

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Oil nears 18-year low on demand devastation warning OIL languished at multi-year lows on Thursday, with WTI crude remaining around $20 a barrel as dire warnings about a virus-triggered demand shock overshadowed a deal to cut output.

US benchmark West Texas Intermediate made small gains in Asian afternoon trade to $20.05 per barrel at one point. It had slipped below the $20 mark Wednesday, and hit its lowest price in 18 years.

International benchmark Brent crude, which also suffered heavy losses a day earlier, rose half a percent to trade at $28.12 a barrel.

Prices have crashed as the coronavirus pandemic saps global demand, with the situation compounded by a supply glut resulting from a price war between OPEC cartel kingpin Saudi Arabia and non-OPEC rival Russia.

A compromise hammered out at the weekend by Riyadh, Moscow and other crude producers to slash output by around 10 million barrels per day briefly boosted prices but the rally soon fizzled out.

Investors fear the agreement does not go far enough to offset massive demand losses, as storage capacity around the world shrinks because of the glut.

Adding to traders' worries, the International Energy Agency said Wednesday that 2020 was likely to be "the worst year in the history" of the sector.

For 2020 overall, demand will fall by 9.3 million barrels per day (mbd), with April alone down 29 mbd from a year earlier to levels last seen in 1995, the IEA said in its latest monthly report.

Stephen Innes, chief global markets strategist at AxiCorp, however said that the market had found some support in Asian trade Thursday as it was "leaning towards a combination of deeper OPEC+ cuts and a more assured response from the G20 producers to avoid a further collapse in oil." AFP

SOCIAL, BUT NO DISTANCING. People commute to work despite a state of emergency in Japan at Shinagawa station in Tokyo on April 16. AFP

COVID-19 to have ‘profound’ impact on mental well-being P

ARIS—The coronavirus pandemic is likely to have a "profound and pervasive impact" on global mental health as billions struggle to cope with isolated living and anxiety spikes, experts warned Thursday.

In a paper published in Lancet Psychiatry, a panel of 24 specialists call for more funding for research into the impacts COVID-19 may have on society's mental well-being.

Two accompanying surveys of the British public showed that most people questioned had experienced heightened anxiety and fear of becoming mentally unwell since the pandemic struck.

"We are all dealing with unprecedented uncertainty and major changes to the way we live our lives as a result of coronavirus," said lead author Emily Holmes from Uppsala University's department of psychology.

"Our surveys show these changes are already having a considerable impact on our mental health."

The authors called for real-time monitoring of anxiety, depression, self-harm and suicide across the world,

as well as the creation of treatment programs that can be accessed remotely.

"This needs to be on a bigger scale than we have ever seen previously, and must be coordinated, targeted and comprehensive," said Matthew Hotopf, from King's College London's Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience.

"Above all, we want to stress that all new interventions must be informed by top notch research to make sure they work."

Studies into the mental health impact of previous disease outbreaks, such as the SARS epidemic in the early 2000s, showed a clear increase in suicide rates and the number of health care workers who experience emotional distress.

But the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic is unprecedented, with billions of people forced to isolate at home and no end in sight even after social distancing

measures are eased.

'Perfect mental health storm' The surveys, conducted among more than 3,000 people in Britain, showed a wide range of fears arising from the pandemic.

These include increased anxiety, the effects of social isolation, the fear of becoming mentally unwell and accessing care if needed.

The experts cautioned that these symptoms were likely to continue well in to the future, even after the current round of lockdowns are eased.

The authors called for government funding to establish specialized working groups comprised of people with experience of mental health impacts to ensure research and treatment are prioritized.

"Increased social isolation, loneliness, health anxiety, stress and an economic downturn are a perfect storm to harm people's mental health and wellbeing," said Rory O'Connor, professor of Health Psychology at the University of Glasgow. AFP

Gold glitters as cash-strapped Thais sell jewelry BANGKOK—Thais are flocking to Bangkok's Chinatown to sell their gold jewelry as the price of the precious metal spikes and the economy tanks due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Gold surged to a seven-year high on Tuesday to $1,731.25 an ounce, following global moves led by the US to reinflate economies with trillions of dollars of stimulus measures.

That has boosted the price of gold across the world, tempting many to sell their stocks of the precious metal at a time of economic hardship without recent precedent.

Many Thais buy gold jewelry as an investment in times of plenty, to be sold when prices rise or belts tighten.

In Bangkok, where a virtual lockdown has taken root for a fortnight, hundreds flocked to Yaowarat, Bangkok's Chinatown, to trade bracelets, necklaces and rings for cash as local gold prices jumped more than 20 percent.

"I don't have any savings so I decided to sell the gold I have for cash to keep me afloat during this time," Thanakorn Promyuyen, a 39-year-old street vendor told AFP. Traders have bought tens of millions of dollars worth of gold since Tuesday, according to Jitti Tangsitpakdi, a chairman of a trade association.

"One shop bought 200 million baht ($6.1 million) of ornaments and bars," he said, explaining businesses whose revenue has been strangled by the lockdown are being forced to sell their gold savings.

"Their businesses are in bad shape; better to sell gold and keep cash," he added.

"In over 60 years and I never seen people queue like this to sell their gold."

Thailand's economy is forecast to contract by more than five percent this year after the virus shuttered borders— killing the cash cow tourist industry— leaving millions unemployed.

"I don't have any income, only expenses," said 43-year-old Aumporn Pansa as he sold his jewelry.

"I have kids to take care of as well as monthly bills, so I had to come here and sell.” AFP

SEEING RED. A woman wearing a face mask dances with a ribbon at a park in Beijing on April 16. AFP

Wuhan‘s ’wet markets‘ struggle after virus lockdown AT A large food market in the Chinese city of Wuhan, signs forbid the selling of wild animals and live fowl, while announcements calling for "victory" over COVID-19 play on a loop from speakers.

China's "wet markets" have been slammed internationally as the coronavirus roils the world, with the disease having seemingly emerged from stalls selling live game in Wuhan late last year.

The government has since banned the sale of wildlife for food, but the reopening of markets has drawn criticism from around the world as the death toll from the pandemic continues to mount.

Shut down during the lengthy quarantine that sealed off Wuhan until April 8, the city's markets are now fighting for survival as customers have not been rushing back.

"There's no question, we're doomed this year," spice seller Yang, who runs a stall at the massive Baishazhou wholesale market, told AFP. "There have never been so few people at our market."

Yang, whose sales have fallen by a third from before the lockdown, dismissed criticism of markets as virus hotbeds as "unnecessary panic."

One market remains closed: The Huanan Seafood Market that sold a range of exotic wildlife and is suspected to be the cradle of the virus that jumped from animals to humans.

Wet markets are popular venues to buy fresh meat, vegetables and fish across Asia—most selling common, everyday produce to locals at affordable prices.

Most don't sell live animals, although some do.

During visits to three Wuhan markets this week, AFP saw live turtles, frogs, fish and crustaceans for sale, but no fowl or mammals blamed for past diseases.

Workers at Baishazhou said they were now required to disinfect their stalls several times a day. Yang keeps multiple bottles of disinfectant in her small office, alongside a box of masks.

Nevertheless, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said this week the decision to reopen wet markets was "unfathomable." AFP

Kim Jong Un’s absence from tribute sparks speculation SEOUL—North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's conspicuous absence from commemorations for his grandfather Kim Il Sung's birth anniversary this week suggests he could be looking to emphasize his own authority over his family's legacy, analysts said.

The April 15 birthday of the North's founder is the most important celebration of the nuclear-armed country's annual political calendar, known as the Day of the Sun. North Koreans are taught from birth to revere Kim Il Sung and his son and successor Kim Jong Il, father of the current leader, and all adults wear

badges depicting one or both men.

But Kim's absence from any official reports on this year's commemorations led analysts to speculate he wants to distance himself from the "cult of personality" surrounding the country's ruling dynasty.

The state KCNA news agency did not mention him in a Thursday report on senior officials visiting the Kumsusan Palace to pay the "highest tribute" to the two late leaders.

Since inheriting power in 2011, Kim has always gone to the sprawling mausoleum on the outskirts of the capital on

Pentagon accuses Iran Navy of ‘dangerous’ harassment WASHINGTON—The US Department of Defense accused Tehran of dangerous and provocative actions Wednesday after 11 Iranian Navy vessels harassed US ships in the Gulf.

The Pentagon said the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps boats "repeatedly crossed the bows and sterns of the US vessels at extremely close range and high speeds," coming at one point within 10 yards (nine meters) of the bow of one.

At the time the US Navy and Coast Guard ships were conducting operations

in international waters in the northern Gulf with Apache attack helicopters, the US Navy said in a statement.

The much smaller speedboat-like IRGC Navy vessels ignored warnings from the US ships for about one hour, before finally responding to radio communications and then leaving, the US side said.

"The IRGCN's dangerous and provocative actions increased the risk of miscalculation and collision," the US said, adding they violated maritime customs and laws. AFP

their birth anniversaries.

Pictures Thursday in the Rodong Sinmun newspaper, the official mouthpiece of the ruling party, did not show him attending, although a floral basket was draped with a banner bearing his name.

"Kim Jong Un wants to break away from the past, as well as the North's traditional cult of personality," said Ahn Chan-il, a North Korean defector and researcher in Seoul.

"His message is that Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung's times are now over," he told AFP. "He wants to come across and brand

himself as a leader who is modern and competent, rather than a descendant of his predecessors. And he wants to gradually tone down the idolization of the two late leaders as it goes against his agenda to brand the North as a 'normal state.'"

The ruling party's claim to legitimacy has its roots in Kim Il Sung's fight against Korea's Japanese colonizers and for years the North's official propaganda has promoted Kim Jong Un's resemblance to his grandfather, in appearance, manner, and even handwriting. AFP

PROTEST.

Laura Kennedy protests outside the University of Michigan Hospital on April 15 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Workers were demonstrating the lack of personal protection equipment, which has been in shorter supply due to the COVID-19 pandemic. AFP

Business

A7

FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2020 || extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market plunges; Ayala Land falls T HE stock market tumbled Thursday on profit taking and following overnight woes on Wall Street as more negative US economic data fueled worries about the full impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index plunged 420.45 points, or 7.1 percent, to 5, 525.60 on a value turnover of P9.3 billion. Losers overwhelmed gainers, 153 to 50, with 38 issues unchanged.

Major property developer Ayala Land Inc. sank 11.2 percent to P30.20, while International Container Terminal Services Inc., the biggest port operator and owned by tycoon Enrique Razon Jr., dropped 11 percent to P75.20.

Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. of the Aboitiz Group plummeted 14.9 percent to P41.25, while Megaworld Corp., the largest lessor of office spaces, fell 10 percent to P2.70.

The rest of Asian markets fell on Thursday after a spate of grim economic forecasts this week. The International Monetary Fund warned of the worst global downturn in a century, and poor US economic figures released Wednesday further spooked investors.

The woes on Wall Street discouraged traders in Asia, where Tokyo closed down 1.3 percent. Hong Kong fell 0.6 percent, Sydney lost 0.9 percent and Taipei shed 0.7 percent.

Seoul was flat, while Shanghai rose 0.3 percent and Singapore was up 0.7 percent.

The latest numbers from the United States, the world’s biggest economy, cast more light on the scale of the dam-

The World Health Organization has warned, however, that lifting virus-related restrictions too early could have devastating consequences, with fears of a possible second wave of infections.

“Any recovery in risk sentiment depends on how quickly economies can reopen without risking overloading their healthcare systems and, most of all, not risking any chance of a secondary spread,” said Stephen Innes, chief global markets strategist at AxiCorp.

“The risk of escalating economic damage is putting... governments under immense pressure to relax social distancing measures sooner, rather than later.”

There was more bad news on oil markets, with the International Energy Agency warning that 2020 was likely to be “the worst year in the history” of the sector. With AFP

age unleashed by lockdowns and social distancing measures imposed to try and stop the spread of the virus.

US retail sales plunged in March while industrial production in the same month suffered its steepest drop since 1946, data showed Wednesday.

Other reports pointed to weak homebuilder sentiment and manufacturing conditions, while a Federal Reserve report said American economic activity “contracted sharply.”

“The economic data was nothing short of disastrous,” Ann Miletti of Wells Fargo Asset Management told Bloomberg TV. “How long can you sustain the shutdown is what’s on investors’ minds.”

President Donald Trump has said that he will on Thursday announce the first plans for lifting lockdowns in the US— the worst-hit country with the most virus deaths and infections.

Manila Standard BuSineSS daily StockS review thurSday, april 16, 2020

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

ASIA UNITED BANK PH ISLANDS BDO UNIBANK CHINABANK COL FINANCIAL EAST WEST BANK FERRONOUX HLDG IREMIT MANULIFE MEDCO HLDG METROBANK NTL REINSURANCE PB BANK PHIL NATL BANK PHIL STOCK EXCH PSBANK RCBC SECURITY BANK SUN LIFE UNION BANK VANTAGE

48.5 63 107 20.1 15.3 7.99 2.78 0.87 621 0.29 40.5 0.68 8.8 23.9 169 43.95 17.6 107 1,695 53.9 1.09

48.5 63 107 20.1 15.48 7.99 2.78 0.97 621 0.29 40.5 0.68 8.95 24 169 43.95 17.6 110 1,695 54.45 1.09

48.5 57.5 103 19.88 15.2 7.74 2.69 0.87 615 0.28 39.6 0.61 8.8 22.5 162 43.95 17.5 103 1,600 53.9 0.96

FINANCIALS 48.5 3,100 57.5 4,096,810 103 5,316,190 19.96 200,200 15.3 794,600 7.82 348,100 2.69 22,000 0.97 3,000 615 80 0.29 80,000 39.95 7,129,300 0.61 20,000 8.8 52,700 23.8 819,400 165 570 43.95 1,300 17.5 3,800 103 1,308,220 1,600 70 54 12,610 0.96 2,000

150,350 250,130,948 552,345,642 3,987,228 12,155,650 2,732,739 59,620 2,810 49,310 22,950 285,631,690 12,910 463,800 19,435,715 94,223 57,135 66,860 139,414,537 115,315 682,463.50 2,050

140,650 -51,375,316 -59,961,243 -1,419,264 -11,346,678 -1,215,099 -90,800,580 435,610 -7,176,755 52,740 15,659,183 -394,505.50 -

ABOITIZ POWER AC ENERGY AGRINURTURE ALLIANCE SELECT ALSONS CONS AXELUM BASIC ENERGY BOGO MEDELLIN CEMEX HLDG CENTURY FOOD CIRTEK HLDG CNTRL AZUCARERA CONCEPCION CROWN ASIA DAVINCI CAPITAL DEL MONTE DNL INDUS EAGLE CEMENT EEI CORP EMPERADOR EUROMED FIRST GEN FIRST PHIL HLDG FRUITAS HLDG GINEBRA GREENERGY HOLCIM INTEGRATED MICR IONICS JOLLIBEE MABUHAY VINYL MANILA WATER MAXS GROUP MEGAWIDE MERALCO PANASONIC PEPSI COLA PETROENERGY PETRON PHINMA PHX PETROLEUM PILIPINAS SHELL PRYCE CORP RFM CORP ROXAS AND CO ROXAS HLDG SFA SEMICON SHAKEYS PIZZA SMC FOODANDBEV SPC POWER SWIFT FOODS TKC METALS UNIV ROBINA VICTORIAS VITARICH VIVANT VULCAN INDL

27.8 2.08 7.12 0.54 0.98 2.5 0.181 82.05 1.11 14.66 7.1 13.98 22.2 1.83 4.6 4 5.89 7.8 5.6 7.96 2.27 18.66 56 1.41 34 0.92 11.7 5 1.01 147 3.21 11.6 6.81 7.8 274 3.5 1.8 2.43 3.02 8.95 10.98 19.1 4.23 4.51 1.38 1.38 0.97 6.27 59.25 8.05 0.105 0.75 129 2.49 0.84 15.08 0.71

27.85 2.08 7.2 0.54 0.98 2.5 0.181 82.05 1.11 14.66 9.05 13.98 22.2 1.83 4.6 4 5.89 7.9 5.72 7.97 2.27 18.66 56 1.41 36 0.92 11.96 5.61 1.09 147 3.21 11.6 6.81 7.8 274.6 3.5 1.81 2.43 3.14 8.95 10.98 19.8 4.23 4.51 1.43 1.38 1.1 6.28 60 8.05 0.105 0.79 129 2.49 0.85 15.08 0.72

25.9 2 7 0.49 0.94 2.45 0.181 82.05 1.05 14.4 7.1 12.64 22.2 1.83 4.6 3.75 5.5 7.65 5.47 7.91 2.12 17.7 54 1.33 32.55 0.85 11.58 4.9 0.95 137.4 3.2 11 6.21 7.28 260 3.5 1.76 2.4 3 8.95 10.2 19.02 4.23 4.51 1.38 1.3 0.9 5.85 57.65 7.96 0.105 0.72 120 2.49 0.81 14.4 0.65

INDUSTRIAL 25.9 1,939,200 2 10,536,000 7.19 435,100 0.52 3,437,000 0.94 651,000 2.47 1,943,000 0.181 10,000 82.05 20 1.06 4,338,000 14.44 1,194,500 8.85 15,936,100 13.98 1,400 22.2 100 1.83 7,000 4.6 50,000 3.95 94,000 5.57 1,742,400 7.7 285,500 5.49 995,300 7.96 6,650,100 2.2 2,113,000 17.7 1,803,100 54.95 15,070 1.36 12,050,000 33.9 168,100 0.9 1,531,000 11.58 424,200 5.6 1,951,000 1.08 2,429,000 141.5 2,318,510 3.2 32,000 11.06 4,882,300 6.39 3,423,100 7.66 1,526,300 260 629,900 3.5 75,000 1.8 333,000 2.4 12,000 3.14 3,324,000 8.95 1,100 10.5 40,600 19.36 921,500 4.23 1,000 4.51 15,000 1.42 190,000 1.3 171,000 1.1 4,443,000 6 6,480,900 58.1 471,240 8 39,500 0.105 480,000 0.78 415,000 120 3,402,590 2.49 1,000 0.81 3,547,000 14.4 2,000 0.69 1,170,000

51,545,390 21,242,340 3,113,570 1,726,400 620,960 4,796,180 1,810 1,641 4,640,650 17,250,746 127,494,627 18,892 2,220 12,810 230,000 362,840 9,695,552 2,198,301 5,514,376 53,000,499 4,634,660 32,172,066 828,600 16,431,440 5,714,175 1,350,520 4,935,756 10,399,720 2,522,340 329,576,249 102,430 54,640,558 22,401,731 11,541,454 166,636,786 262,500 591,210 29,010 10,191,610 9,845 427,984 17,836,822 4,230 67,650 269,160 227,500 4,649,550 39,316,372 27,353,086.50 316,069 50,400 314,050 416,096,569 2,490 2,926,770 28,868 813,450

-31,786,645 157,960.00 70,984 5,000 -2,261,390 -1,191,040 -2,866,976 825,455 -5,163,076 -607,111 -596,879 -52,492,975 30,960 -5,326,522 247,934.50 163,190 4,964,000 -16,600 -725,960 -86,630 -1,350 7,144,272 -15,748,700 4,329,492 2,513,113 -20,694,836 44,990 -808,570 -319,368 -1,141,750 -4,510 -50,600 16,488,519 7,421,156.50 80,000 -42,160 -212,792,744 -5,740 -

ABACORE CAPITAL ABOITIZ EQUITY ALLIANCE GLOBAL ANGLO PHIL HLDG ANSCOR ASIABEST GROUP ATN HLDG A ATN HLDG B AYALA CORP AYALA LAND LOG COSCO CAPITAL DMCI HLDG FILINVEST DEV GT CAPITAL HOUSE OF INV JG SUMMIT KEPPEL HLDG A LODESTAR LOPEZ HLDG LT GROUP METRO PAC INV PACIFICA HLDG PRIME MEDIA SAN MIGUEL CORP SEAFRONT RES SM INVESTMENTS SOC RESOURCES SOLID GROUP SYNERGY GRID TOP FRONTIER WELLEX INDUS ZEUS HLDG

0.58 48 7.4 0.55 6.17 7.99 0.49 0.485 570 1.6 5 4.47 8.6 475 3.88 56.9 5 0.455 2.89 8 2.75 3.19 0.75 104.1 1.78 850 0.68 0.95 178.9 151 0.207 0.141

0.58 48 7.4 0.56 6.17 8.3 0.49 0.485 573 1.63 5 4.48 8.6 480 3.88 56.9 5 0.465 2.92 8.1 2.75 3.19 0.78 104.9 1.78 850 0.72 0.95 200 151 0.207 0.141

0.54 41.25 7.02 0.53 5.96 7.17 0.435 0.48 554.5 1.5 4.8 4.2 8.5 450 3.88 52 5 0.435 2.8 7.6 2.6 3.19 0.72 100 1.78 820 0.68 0.92 170 151 0.207 0.137

HOLDING FIRMS 0.56 5,912,000 4,001,100 41.25 7.02 4,640,300 0.55 71,000 5.96 3,200 7.6 13,900 0.46 2,650,000 0.485 290,000 560 1,115,760 1.5 3,543,000 4.81 1,668,300 4.2 11,254,000 8.6 6,800 450 425,700 3.88 1,000 52 4,191,890 5 100 0.435 340,000 2.88 1,577,000 7.75 740,100 2.6 75,726,000 3.19 1,000 0.75 106,000 100.5 512,850 1.78 2,000 820 560,260 0.72 41,000 0.93 19,000 170 8,370 151 100 0.207 10,000 0.137 290,000

3,264,150 173,838,595 33,036,322 38,510 19,183 104,898 1,231,700 140,550 626,318,510 5,412,210 8,119,048 49,078,280 58,017 197,754,204 3,880 224,733,511 500 150,350 4,425,590 5,806,749 201,242,010 3,190 79,820 52,288,322 3,560 466,121,145 28,820 17,730 1,558,904 15,100 2,070 40,610

-245,400 -134,743,445 -14,868,556 -111,550 -31,699,305 -4,000 -3,500,094 -21,959,140 -23,975,944 -3,880 -141,889,911 541,830 -253,926 -49,399,600 -5,369,966 -182,725,560 -5,970 -

8990 HLDG A BROWN ARANETA PROP ARTHALAND CORP AYALA LAND BELLE CORP CEB LANDMASTERS CEBU HLDG CENTURY PROP CITY AND LAND CITYLAND DEVT CROWN EQUITIES DM WENCESLAO DOUBLEDRAGON EMPIRE EAST EVER GOTESCO FILINVEST LAND GLOBAL ESTATE KEPPEL PROP MEGAWORLD MRC ALLIED PHIL ESTATES PHIL INFRADEV

11.66 0.59 1.03 0.58 32.3 1.44 3.93 6.03 0.375 0.74 0.73 0.144 7.26 16.68 0.3 0.079 0.99 0.84 3.89 2.85 0.145 0.34 0.81

12.1 0.59 1.05 0.58 32.3 1.44 4.1 6.03 0.375 0.74 0.73 0.144 7.26 16.68 0.3 0.079 0.99 0.85 3.89 2.9 0.146 0.34 0.81

11.62 0.54 1.03 0.56 30.2 1.37 3.8 6.03 0.35 0.68 0.73 0.12 7.02 16 0.3 0.079 0.94 0.81 3.89 2.7 0.141 0.33 0.77

PROPERTY 12 246,700 0.54 1,720,000 1.05 60,000 0.56 1,347,000 30.2 26,302,600 1.38 133,000 4 767,000 6.03 100 0.355 7,690,000 0.74 4,000 0.73 1,000 0.12 3,040,000 7.02 26,400 16.18 160,000 0.3 80,000 0.079 10,000 0.95 13,413,000 0.81 195,000 3.89 4,000 2.7 52,250,000 0.141 7,370,000 0.33 2,090,000 913,000 0.81

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

VOLUME

VALUE

PHIL REALTY PRIMEX CORP ROBINSONS LAND ROCKWELL SHANG PROP SM PRIME HLDG STA LUCIA LAND SUNTRUST HOME VISTA LAND VISTAMALLS

0.25 1.74 16.82 1.52 2.67 30.35 1.88 1.18 4.13 3.61

0.25 1.77 16.82 1.55 2.7 31 1.93 1.34 4.13 3.69

0.25 1.63 14.1 1.5 2.67 29.55 1.85 1.12 3.96 3.51

0.25 1.74 14.42 1.5 2.67 29.55 1.92 1.3 3.96 3.66

160,000 32,000 5,879,100 342,000 32,000 19,134,500 56,000 6,695,000 1,975,000 95,000

40,000 55,590 90,194,838 521,350 85,470 572,980,835 105,860 8,458,520 7,941,580 343,090

-24,902,288 -142,880 29,400 -165,153,070 -44,830 -4,155,690 -

2GO GROUP ABS CBN ALLHOME APC GROUP APOLLO GLOBAL ASIAN TERMINALS BERJAYA BLOOMBERRY BOULEVARD HLDG CEBU AIR CENTRO ESCOLAR CHELSEA DFNN INC DISCOVERY WORLD DITO CME HLDG EASYCALL FAR EASTERN U GLOBE TELECOM GMA NETWORK GOLDEN BRIA HARBOR STAR IMPERIAL INTL CONTAINER ISLAND INFO LBC EXPRESS LEISURE AND RES LORENZO SHIPPNG MACROASIA MANILA JOCKEY METRO RETAIL METROALLIANCE A METROALLIANCE B NOW CORP PACIFIC ONLINE PAL HLDG PH RESORTS GRP PHIL SEVEN CORP PHILWEB PLDT PREMIUM LEISURE PRMIERE HORIZON PUREGOLD ROBINSONS RTL SBS PHIL CORP SSI GROUP STI HLDG TRANSPACIFIC BR WATERFRONT WILCON DEPOT

6.11 17.6 5.85 0.32 0.04 16.88 2.19 5.95 0.029 54 6.47 2.95 3.05 1.85 1.89 5.04 830 2,190 4.97 341 0.8 1.47 82.5 0.085 12.1 1.46 0.7 5.2 2 1.57 1.88 1.86 1.73 1.71 7.19 3.4 136 2.4 1,150 0.335 0.219 44.9 64.95 5.84 1.39 0.375 0.178 0.425 13.96

6.19 17.74 5.88 0.325 0.04 16.88 2.39 5.97 0.03 54.1 6.47 2.95 3.05 1.85 1.93 5.29 830 2,190 5 341 0.8 1.47 83 0.085 12.48 1.47 0.72 5.22 2 1.57 1.88 1.86 1.73 1.71 7.19 3.4 136 2.4 1,150 0.335 0.219 46 64.95 5.84 1.39 0.375 0.178 0.425 14.38

6.11 17.3 5.44 0.305 0.04 16.88 2.19 5.7 0.029 49.6 6.47 2.74 3.03 1.85 1.83 5.04 830 2,100 4.9 330 0.78 1.47 75.2 0.084 12 1.38 0.7 4.82 2 1.49 1.6 1.63 1.64 1.7 7 3.35 130 2.2 1,111 0.315 0.205 43.1 55.05 5.84 1.26 0.365 0.175 0.415 13.22

SERVICES 6.16 17.3 5.44 0.305 0.04 16.88 2.39 5.77 0.03 50.4 6.47 2.84 3.03 1.85 1.9 5.28 830 2,100 4.94 337 0.8 1.47 75.2 0.084 12.48 1.39 0.71 4.87 2 1.49 1.72 1.63 1.66 1.7 7.1 3.4 130.1 2.32 1,115 0.32 0.21 44.1 58.5 5.84 1.28 0.375 0.175 0.415 14.3

56,400 256,700 3,554,900 1,260,000 100,000 100 78,000 5,927,400 17,900,000 272,690 1,000 1,016,000 31,000 8,000 38,797,000 11,900 10 107,800 395,000 230 970,000 10,000 2,636,240 230,000 34,300 154,000 6,000 5,174,900 57,000 2,469,000 5,593,000 18,000 1,423,000 17,000 13,200 26,000 358,880 2,944,000 379,915 5,840,000 2,380,000 4,910,500 409,740 1,400 1,980,000 9,820,000 770,000 80,000 1,959,300

346,887 4,489,614 19,738,798 395,600 4,000 1,688 176,610 34,547,001 527,900 13,820,769 6,470 2,897,430 93,990 14,800 72,852,170 60,773 8,300 228,506,190 1,946,610 77,220 771,180 14,700 207,994,458 19,340 421,042 218,340 4,250 25,713,812 114,000 3,726,390 9,697,420 29,990 2,370,400 28,920 94,626 88,200 46,689,726 6,760,910 425,759,625 1,867,850 505,180 219,421,400 24,676,304.50 8,176 2,588,840 ( 3,661,200 135,770 33,550 27,044,566

-139,098 -1,801,861 -1,266,993 -5,794,557 -2,071,710 -119,178,460 800 -29,117,594 4,190 2,100 -4,352,155 -114,000 -2,196,100 186,350 5,100 35,112 -33,820 -115,787,210 -157,500 -66,921,270 -7,783,285.50 788,569.9997) -3,027,050 -26,550 14,228,468

ABRA MINING ACE ENEXOR APEX MINING ATLAS MINING ATOK BENGUET A CENTURY PEAK COAL ASIA HLDG DIZON MINES FERRONICKEL GEOGRACE LEPANTO A LEPANTO B MANILA MINING B MARCVENTURES NICKEL ASIA NIHAO ORNTL PENINSULA ORNTL PETROL A ORNTL PETROL B PHILODRILL PX MINING PXP ENERGY SEMIRARA MINING UNITED PARAGON

0.001 6.25 0.92 1.98 10.86 1.16 2.7 0.209 6.95 0.76 0.197 0.078 0.081 0.007 0.58 1.84 0.99 0.475 0.0084 0.0084 0.0082 2.21 4.44 13.2 0.0041

0.0011 6.4 0.96 1.98 10.86 1.16 2.7 0.209 6.95 0.76 0.197 0.082 0.087 0.0075 0.59 1.84 0.99 0.475 0.0084 0.0095 0.0082 2.35 4.44 13.2 0.0041

0.001 5.96 0.89 1.98 10.86 1.16 2.61 0.208 6.54 0.71 0.193 0.078 0.065 0.007 0.58 1.7 0.94 0.47 0.0084 0.0084 0.0082 2.2 4 12.5 0.004

MINING & OIL 0.0011 13,000,000 6.29 277,600 0.92 2,209,000 1.98 20,000 10.86 6,800 1.16 1,000 2.7 281,000 0.208 810,000 6.95 7,300 0.71 7,556,000 0.193 30,000 0.079 7,510,000 0.077 1,930,000 0.0075 39,000,000 0.58 35,000 1.74 10,034,000 0.95 126,000 0.47 160,000 0.0084 3,000,000 0.0095 12,000,000 0.0082 8,000,000 2.22 859,000 4.09 1,715,000 12.5 2,739,200 0.004 5,000,000

14,200 1,733,744 2,031,910 39,600 73,848 1,160 738,980 168,640 50,684 5,486,640 5,860 605,680 135,100 280,100 20,310 17,493,840 119,830 75,500 25,200 107,400 65,600 1,912,530 7,048,810 34,846,996 20,200

-818,980 59,400 -601,540 4,310 1,049,970 -229,480 -232,520 -10,034,036 -

ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B1 AC PREF B2R CPG PREF A DD PREF GLO PREF P GMA HLDG PDR GTCAP PREF B HOUSE PREF A MWIDE PREF PCOR PREF 3A PCOR PREF 3B PNX PREF 3B SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2D SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2G SMC PREF 2H SMC PREF 2I

15.54 520 490 100 97.5 502 4.89 997 94.7 99 1,015 1,010 104 76 74.5 75.1 75 75 75

15.62 520 490 100 97.5 502 4.9 997 94.7 99 1,015 1,010 104 76.2 74.5 75.1 75 76 75

15.54 510 485 100 97 502 4.89 997 94.7 99 1,010 1,010 100.8 75.85 74 75 75 75 74.75

PREFERRED 15.62 131,900 510 530 485 12,470 100 50 97.4 11,270 502 40 4.89 63,000 997 1,800 94.7 10 99 500 1,010 830 1,010 100 104 230 75.85 28,590 74 610 75 1,400 75 2,380 76 68,110 74.75 55,080

2,050,712 275,100 6,087,214 5,000 1,097,645 20,080 308,520 1,794,600 947 49,500 842,400 101,000 23,600 2,172,745 45,191.50 105,025 178,500 5,129,348 4,117,405

-1,272,158 -3,479,000 -220,500 -13,520 -76,762 -

LR WARRANT

0.8

0.82

0.75

WARRANTS 0.8 158,000

123,050

ITALPINAS KEPWEALTH XURPAS

1.76 6.44 0.56

1.76 6.44 0.6

1.56 6.1 0.55

1.59 6.37 0.6

FIRST METRO ETF

89.9

89.9

85

MS 2,907,868 951,360 62,450 763,170 823,747,375(38 184,740 3,058,130 603 2,746,150 2,900 730 379,730 188,177 2,596,406 24,000 790 12,778,490 162,060 15,560 145,667,930 1,048,610 700,600 725,810

-23,362 -2,100 5,800 2,835,194.9999) 37,060 -134,450 17,900 182,400 709 161,228 -24,000 -5,024,820 -63,436,910 -

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

Trading Summary

SHARES

FINANCIAL

21,826,645

INDUSTRIAL

112,938,210

HOLDING FIRMS

134,088,461

PROPERTY

154,926,594

SERVICES

120,937,276

MINING & OIL

118,494,669

GRAND TOTAL

679,822,050

SME

11,506,000 94,300 4,967,000

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 87.45 39,710

19,134,850 590,591 2,878,540 3,485,303.50

101,940 610 -40 115,364.50

VALUE 1,198.53 (down) 61.47 1,396,027,852.59 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 7,315.24 (down) 413.75 1,735,966,818.43 HOLDING FIRMS 5,466.67 (down) 385.90 2,896,712,999.69 PROPERTY 2,8,04.54 (down) 264.74 1,242.63 (down) 76.86 1,769,613,811.945 SERVICES MINING & OIL 4,671.25 (down) 178.90 1,393,556,637.77 PSEI 5,525.60 (down) 420.45 73,142,128.6266 All Shares Index 3,370.13 (down) 181.60 9,291,114,270.54 Gainers: 50; Losers: 153; Unchanged: 38; Total: 241

Ayala’s IMI upbeat, sees more contracts and revenues

By Jenniffer B. Austria INTEGRATED Micro-Electronics Inc., a unit of conglomerate Ayala Corp. and a leading global manufacturing and technology solutions expert, remains positive on the prospects of the company this year after securing new projects that could potentially deliver $407 million in annual revenues.

IMI president Arthur Tan said during the annual stockholders’ meeting conducted via livestream Thursday that the company, despite the current headwinds due to COVID-19, has put in place systems that would enable it to continue operations amid market disruptions.

“As a global manufacturing partner, we have systems in place for these kinds of market disruptions currently enforced in our sites today. Our capabilities across all the major markets puts us in a unique position to not only survive but to rebuild and emerge stronger and better. Part of our operations now is to sustain and support most of the essential industrial and medical products that the world desperately needs,” Tan said.

An IMI unit, Surface Technology International (STI) Ltd. based in the UK, has joined the #VentilatorChallengeUK consortium in producing critically needed medical ventilators in the fight against COVID-19 in the region. It is a consortium of UK industrial, technology and engineering businesses from across the aerospace, automotive and medical sectors, that has come together to produce medical ventilators.

IMI is also producing printed circuit board assemblies used for ultrasonic welding equipment commissioned by a medical device manufacturer. It is a critical equipment needed to produce medical textiles and filters for syringes and other medical devices.

Tan said the company is also driving the development of next generation platforms, especially in the areas of automotive.

“Business wins related to the automotive camera continue to rise and provide IMI with leverage in offering more advanced technologies such as mirror replacement and camera-video system level modules. Revenues in this group is seen to double to US$124 Million in the next five years,” Tan said.

SEC’s draft rules further bolster right of minority owners THE Securities and Exchange Commission drafted rules that will empower minority shareholders of publiclylisted companies to call for special meetings and include items in the agenda.

The SEC, in a draft memorandum circular released Wednesday, said the proposed rules would promote good corporate governance and ensure the protection of minority investors.

Under the proposed rules, shareholders representing at least 10 percent of the outstanding capital stock will the right to call for a special stockholders’ meeting.

The holding of such special meetings will be subject to the guidelines set under Section 49 of Republic Act No. 11232, or the Revised Corporation Code of the Philippines, as may be applicable.

Shareholders representing at least five percent of the outstanding capital stock will have the right to include items in the agenda prior to a regular or special stockholders’ meeting.

Any officer or agent of the corporation who refuses to allow a qualified shareholder to exercise the right to call for a meeting or put items on the agenda will face administrative sanctions provided under the Revised Corporation Code.

If the refusal is made pursuant to a resolution or order of the board of directors, the liability for such action will be imposed on the directors who voted for it.

Covered parties have until April 22, 2020 to submit their comments and inputs on the proposed rules.

The SEC earlier issued rules requiring shareholders’ approval for the sale or disposal of properties and assets amounting to at least 51 percent of a company’s total assets.

Under the rules, the vote of the stockholders representing at least twothirds of the outstanding capital stock in a stockholders’ meeting will be required prior to the execution of the sale transaction. Jenniffer B. Austria

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

A8

FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2020

Business

IN BRIEF Power plants cautious on force majeure bids THE Philippine Independent Power Producers Association Inc. warned against forcing power generation companies to a “force majeure” as proposed by distribution utilities and electric cooperatives.

PIPPA president and executive director Anne Estorco Montelibano said in a statement that doing so would not only disrupt the power supply chain and was also “tantamount to one sector taking advantage of the other.”

“Using consumer interest as a guise for undermining power supply contracts should not be allowed, as this will affect the ability of generating companies to pay for fuel, operating costs, and even loans, which will render it unable to continue operating its power plants.

This can happen quickly, in some cases, within one unpaid billing period,” Montelibano said.

Manila Electric Co. invoked the force majeure provision in its power supply agreements to bring down rates in April, thus prompting consumer group Laban Konsyumer Inc. to call on other distributors and ECs and generators to do the same. Alena Mae S. Flores

BDO reiterates fight vs. verification scam BDO Unibank warned that scammers were stepping into high gear with their attacks as the country continues to observe the enhanced community quarantine.

“A prevalent scam has them posing as a bank personnel and urging clients to verify their bank accounts by clicking on a link.

This link then opens a website that looks exactly like a bank’s official website. On this fake website, they trick clients into divulging their personal information,” the bank said.

Personal information includes account numbers, credit card information, online banking login details like usernames and passwords,and One-Time PINs. It enables scammers to use clients’ identities, gain access to their online bank accounts, and steal their money.

BDO Unibank said it would never ask their clients to verify their bank accounts. Legitimate bank officers, it said, will never reach out via SMS, call, email, or social media to ask for personal information for account validation.

NGCP increases aid to Project Ugnayan TRANSMISSION operator National Grid Corp. of the Philippines is contributing another P5 million or more than 10,000 supermarket gift certificates to Project Ugnayan, the collaborative initiative between the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation and top business groups, companies and institutions.

The amount is on top of its earlier donations, including the P1-billion assistance to the national government’s COVID-19 response and relief efforts.

“NGCP made a pledge to continue finding opportunities beyond our previous aids to help combat the effects of COVID-19 in our country, and we are staying true to that promise. This contribution to Project Ugnayan will hopefully sustain more families severely affected during this period,” the company said in a statement.

Project Ugnayan aims to support families affected by the COVID-19 outbreak and the imposition of the extended enhanced community quarantine by providing supermarket gift certificates to over 1.5 million economically displaced families in Metro Manila.

PH has enough supply of rice for 84 days, says DA

By Othel V. Campos THE Agriculture Department said the country has adequate supply of rice throughout the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine period.

Agriculture Secretary William Dar said the country would have a comfortable rice supply for the next 84 days, including the projected increase from the implementation of the “Plant, Plant, Plant” program, or Ahon Lahat, Pagkaing Sapat Kontra Covid-19.

“We earlier said that we have rice supply for the country good for 75 days.

With the implementation of the ‘Plant, Plant, Plant’ program, we are optimistic to produce an additional 9-day supply going into the lean months of July to September,” Dar said.

The agency said the rice supply would be sufficient because of the expected harvest from the main wet season and import arrivals based on the issued sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances.

It said by end-2020, the country would have a rice inventory of 18 million metric tons, 18 percent more than the annual demand of 14.67 million MT of rice.

“At a conservative assumption of 70 percent adoption rate of the ‘Plant, Plant, Plant’ program interventions on rice, we can produce an additional 1.3 million MT. Add that to our projected local production and imports with SPSICs of 1.86 million MT, we will have a year-end stock good for more than three months,” he said.

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases already approved the P8.5billion fund for the Rice Resiliency Project under the ‘Plant, Plant, Plant’ program.

PPE MANUFACTURER. The Department of Trade and Industry-Regional Operations Group and DTI-Region 4A, through its Shared Service Facility for Garments Production, teams up with Reliance Producers Cooperative in Carmona, Cavite to manufacture laboratory gowns, jump suits and face masks for the country’s healthcare workers. The initiative is in response to the call of the Department of Health to work closely with the DTI, industry associations and private firms to produce personal protective equipment locally.

BSP reduces interest rate by another 50 bps to 2.75%

By Julito G. Rada

T

HE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas on Thursday reduced the benchmark interest rate by another 50 basis points to 2.75 percent to support the economy amid the threat posed by the onslaught of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno, in a viber message to reporters, said the new interest rates would become effective on April 17. The deposit and lending rates were also cut to 2.25 percent and 3.25 percent, respectively.

The latest move by the Monetary

Board was the second time in nearly a month that the benchmark interest rates were slashed by 50 bps.

Data showed that it was the first time in more than 11 years that the benchmark interest rates were reduced by a total of 100 bps in two successive meetings. The first happened on Dec. 18, 2008 during the global financial crisis.

“Each of the rate cuts this year were designed to make borrowing money cheaper, to ensure the public and private sector will have no problem financing the fight to contain COVID-19, as well as all other basic needs during the health crisis,” the BSP said in a statement.

ING Bank Manila senior economist Nicholas Mapa said the latest rate cut was carried out ahead of the May 24 meeting as the national government extended a lockdown of the main island of Luzon until April 30.

“Market reaction to the move was

muted given that Diokno had heavily hinted at implementing a ‘deeper rate cut’ at an off-cycle meeting,” Mapa said.

“We expect Diokno to continue to ease monetary policy, reducing RR [reserve requirement] by another 200 bps before the end of April and cutting policy rates by another 25 bps by May. Investors will continue to monitor the size and scope of the fiscal COVID-19 recovery plan now that the lockdown has been extended to the end of the month with government officials flagging a worst case scenario technical recession by the third quarter of the year,” Mapa said.

The Monetary Board earlier said inflation would continue to be benign and could settle close to the low-end of the target range of 2 to 4 percent this year and in 2021, citing the COVID-19 pandemic affecting both global and domestic growth.

Economic cost of virus spread likely to reach up to P2.5t—PIDS THE Philippines may suffer economic losses of P276.3 billion to P2.5 trillion due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a study of state think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies.

The study titled “Projected Disease Transmission, Health System Requirements and Macroeconomic Impacts of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 in the Philippines” said the most affected sector would be manufacturing with projected losses of P82.1 billion to P855.2 billion.

The study was conducted by PIDS senior research fellow Michael Abrigo, research specialist Jhanna Uy, research fellow Valerie Gilbert Ulep and PIDS consultants Nel Jason Haw and Kris Francisco-Abrigo.

It said other vulnerable sectors were wholesale and retail trade with projected losses of P93.2 to P724.8 billion; transport, storage and communication because of expected declines in tourism with P11.7 billion to P124.3 billion and other services with P41.5 billion to P356.9 billion.

“Projections from combined disease transmission, micro-simulation and macroeconomic models suggest that the country’s gross value added may decline between P123.5 billion to P2.5 trillion,” it said.

The PIDS study said extending the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine for another month “may potentially cost the Philippine economy at least P150 billion due to the possible declines in household consumption as workers remain unemployed” during the period.

Based on the distribution of household incomes in 2015, “about three in every five Filipinos have limited capacity to subsist without additional support if community quarantines are extended beyond one month.”

The contraction of economies as a result of the pandemic will also limit the capacity of overseas Filipino workers to send remittances to their families, it said.

The COVID-19 outbreak has already caused a significant decline in the price of crude oil in the first quarter as countries imposed extreme measures such as lockdowns and cross-border closures to stop the spread of the disease.

The stock market has also dwindled, an indication of a diminishing market confidence. The study cautioned that “if this current trend continues, it may directly impact the country’s prospects for export growth in the near term.”

It also warned of the negative effects of disruptions in both local and global supply chains, particularly “in the delivery of final goods for consumption and the production of other goods and services that rely on intermediate inputs.” Julito G. Rada

ERC approves staggered payment of Meralco bills in four months

By Alena Mae S. Flores THE Energy Regulatory Commission approved a four-month staggered payment of electricity bills to help cushion the impact of the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon on consumers.

“We directed the distribution utilities to provide a longer grace period by deferring the collection of electricity charges during the enhanced community quarantine,” ERC chairperson Agnes Devanadera said.

“The cumulative amount of electricity bills shall be paid in four monthly equal installments no earlier than May

15, 2020 and without interest, penalties, fees and other charges to help electricity consumers manage the difficult health crisis,” Devanadera said.

This means the cumulative amount of electricity bill that was supposed to have fallen due within the ECQ would be amortized in four equal monthly installments, payable in the four succeeding billing months following the end of the ECQ. The ERC said the electricity bills that would be staggered starting May were those that fell due during the ECQ, or from March 16 until April 30.

“This shall be reflected as a separate item in the electricity bill due on those

succeeding months, provided that the first billing due date following the ECQ shall be no earlier than May 15,” ERC said.

Manila Electric Co., the country’s biggest power retailer, welcomed the move of the ERC to ease the burden of power consumers.

“We welcome the recent ERC directives and as such will implement all the guidelines in the ERC advisory. We are confident that under the ERC’s guidance, Meralco’s implementation of the grace period, deferment of electricity bill, and four-month amortization of the bills falling within the ECQ will help ease and lessen the burden of our cus-

tomers during these trying times, as we face the global pandemic, and endure through the current lockdown,” said Meralco first vice president and regulatory management head Jose Ronald Valles.

The ERC said actual payments received by the distribution utilities during the ECQ period are still required to be immediately remitted proportionately to the concerned entities.

It said customers who have the ability to pay are encouraged to settle their bills within the original due date to help manage the cash flow in the energy supply chain and ensure the continuous supply of electricity.

Tugade extends ‘rental holiday’ of airport tenants to end of April

By Darwin G. Amojelar THE Department of Transportation extended the “rental holiday” for airport concessionaires until end of April to help the aviation industry amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade instructed airport authorities to extend the “rental holiday” for airport concessionaires to cushion the economic impact of the pandemic on the aviation sector and its stakeholders.

The International Air Transport Association earlier estimated that the pandemic could cost 419,800 jobs and $3.5-billion reduction in revenues while its impact to the gross domestic product was estimated to reach $3.74 billion. It could also reduce travel demand by as many as 21.87 million passengers.

The Air Carriers Association of the Philippines earlier sent a letter to the Philippine government for intervention as Philippine carriers were facing “existential threat to their survival.”

ACAP requested the government to provide a credit guarantee scheme and long-term facility at attractive rates or a guaranty facility to enable airlines to restructure debt.

Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, Air Asia Philippines, Cebgo and PAL Express ceased domestic operations and international flights over COVID-19.

IATA released an updated analysis on April 14 showing that the COVID-19 crisis would see airline passenger revenues drop by 55 percent to $314 billion in 2020 from a year ago. It earlier estimated $252 billion in lost revenues in a scenario with severe travel restrictions lasting three months.

“The industry’s outlook grows darker by the day. The scale of the crisis makes a sharp V-shaped recovery unlikely. Realistically, it will be a U-shaped recovery with domestic travel coming back faster than the international market. We could see more than half of passenger revenues disappear. That would be a $314 billion hit,” said IATA director-general and chief executive Alexandre de Juniac.

“Several governments have stepped up with new or expanded financial relief measures but the situation remains critical. Airlines could burn through $61 billion of cash reserves in the second quarter alone. That puts at risk 25 million jobs dependent on aviation. And without urgent relief, many airlines will not survive to lead the economic recovery,” he said.

SMC DONATION. Employee volunteers of San Miguel Corp. repack 40,000 sets of medical-grade PPEs that the company recently acquired for donation to medical frontliners fighting the coronavirus disease 2019. The PPEs, secured from suppliers in China, arrived on April 15 by way of a charter Philippine Airlines Boeing 777 aircraft.

It is part of a P500-million fund the company set aside to acquire PPEs from local and international suppliers.

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

FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2020

B1

Will White bring UFC to Florida?

By Reuel Vidal

Sports In this file photo UFC Lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov (right) and Al Iaquinta trade blows at the center of the octagon during their championship bout at UFC 223 held April 7, 2018 won by Nurmagomedov. AFP

Sports can return but without fans, says Fauci

ITU races resume July

By Peter Atencio INTERNATIONAL competitions and activities in triathlon are expected to resume by July.

The International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Triathlon Executive Board said this following meeting via teleconference last Thursday with member countries.

By that time, the threat coronavirus pandemic would have put under control.

“Lahat ng activities could startby July. And it will depend upon the situation concerning the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Triathlon Association of the Philippines chief Carrasco.

Carrasco joined the meeting, which evaluated the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the organization, as discussed the “evolving situation with events, athletes, coaches, officials and all the triathlon family.”

The ITU has informed member countries that all world triathlon events are currently suspended until June 30.

The board is currently meeting with the ITU operational working group, which is working with the five continental confederations on the calendar for resuming the events when the pandemic is over.

The Executive Board approved the general principles of the new Olympic and Paralympic qualification system, which were suspended when the pandemic forced organizers to stop holding international races early this year.

The approved principles have now been sent to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and International Paralympic Committee (IPC) for their approval.

The international meets which are under evaluation includes the staging of the Subic International Triathlon meet, which will now be held this November.

“We moved the date to November. That’s when it will resume,” said Carrasco.

L

OS ANGELES, United States—The top US health and infectious disease specialist says the key to reopening professional sports leagues in America is to have the athletes play games in front of empty stadiums.

Anthony Fauci, who is helping to coordinate the US response to the global coronavirus pandemic, said reliable antibody testing and fast results are also crucial to the return of sports.

“There’s a way of doing that,” Fauci told US Snapchat show “Good Luck America.” “Nobody comes to the stadiums. Put (athletes) in big hotels, wherever you want to play.

“Keep them very well-surveilled, but have them tested like every week and make sure they don’t wind up infecting each other or their families, and just let them play the season out.”

Professional sports leagues are in gridlock due to the pandemic that has so far killed nearly 28,000 Americans.

The NBA is pondering a similar model for getting their 2019-20 season restarted in either Las Vegas or the Bahamas.

The NBA shut down on March 11 after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the virus, and the NHL, Major League Soccer and the PGA Tour quickly followed suit.

The PGA is reportedly considering a return on June 11 without fans in attendance, starting with the Texas Open, which was originally scheduled for the weekend of May 21-24.

The matches would not be played in front of fans, and the PGA may have to play on gallery-free courses for at least the months of June and July.

Eight Tour events were postponed on March 17. The PGA Championship and Masters were rescheduled for later in the season.

Major League Baseball’s 2020 season, which was due to start March 26, is on hold, as is the LPGA tour and motor racing, while the NFL is just hoping it will be able to start its season on time in September.

New York mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday he doesn’t want to see large-scale sporting events and concerts with fans come back for a long time.

“Those big events should be one of the last things we should bring back online. The last thing we should do is gather 10,000, 20,000, 50,000 people in one place,” de Blasio told CNN. “That is the opposite of social distancing, so I think it could take quite a while.” AFP

‘Aerial Voyager’ soars in political arena SIXTEEN years after his retirement, Vergel Meneses, the PBA’s one and only ‘Aerial Voyager,’ continues to soar.

Following a great basketball career, the 51-year-old cage legend is now trying to carve a name in public service as the esteemed mayor of Bulakan, Bulacan, who’s facing the biggest challenge yet of his young term brought about by the global effect of the coronavirus pandemic.

Meneses is so far coping up with the pressure of leading one of the oldest towns in the country in this time of crisis, just as he did during his 14-year playing stint where he won three PBA championships and earned an MVP award 25 years ago.

In celebration of the silver anniversary of his MVP feat and the only one of the 40 Greatest Players in league history to be elected as mayor, Meneses will be honored with the President’s Award by the PBA Press Corps during its annual awards night.

The Bulakan mayor is also the guest of honor and speaker in the affair originally scheduled last March 16 at the Novotel Manila in Araneta Center and to be aired by Cignal TV, but was postponed indefinitely when the entire Luzon was put under the Enhanced Community Quarantine.

A two-time Mythical First Team

member and three-time Best Player of the Conference, Meneses is the second recipient of the award first handed out to the entire PBA Board led by chairman Ricky Vargas in 2018.

Meneses first caught the public’s attention when as an 18-year-old forward from Jose Rizal College, he bested established amateur stars Jojo Lastimosa, Alvin Patrimonio, Bong Alvarez, and Nelson Asaytono to rule the 1987 PABL Freedom Cup slam dunk contest.

When he turned pro in 1992, he was tabbed by Presto as the no. 1 pick in the draft and then had a brief stint with Sta. Lucia, which brought the CFC franchise.

But it was with Swift that Meneses established himself as a superstar, becoming its franchise player who will lead the team to three championships, including back-to-back (Philippine Cup and Commissioner’s Cup) titles in the 1995 season when he emerged MVP. The two-time slam dunk champion and four-time All-Star MVP later also suited up for Barangay Ginebra, FedEx, Red Bull, and finally, Talk ‘N Text. His no. 18 jersey was retired by Air21 Express in 2006 as he finished with a total of 9,453 career points in 590 games, including averages of 16.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.6 assists.

During his pro career, Meneses was

Vergel Meneses

also a vital cog for the 1998 Centennial Team of coach Tim Cone, which won the Jones Cup and bagged the bronze medal in the Bangkok Asian Games.

Four years after retiring, Meneses tried his hand in coaching, taking the job as mentor Jose Rizal University.

He led his alma mater to five Final Four appearances in the NCAA and had an 84-76 (win-loss) record in almost a decade before resigning from his post to run as mayor in the last national elections.

THIS is the moment UFC fans have been waiting for.

Dana White will likely hold UFC 250 in Florida after governor Ron DeSantis deemed professional sports events as “essential services” which could be held even during the Covid-19 pandemic.

This is welcome news for fight fans who missed a chance to see a blockbuster bout between UFC Lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson.

Nurmagomedov is stuck in Russia because of the lockdown.

The Florida memo from the governor stated: “Employees at a professional sports and media production with a national audience—including any athletes, entertainers, production team, executive team, media team and any others necessary to facilitate including services supporting such production—only if the location is closed to the general public.”

WWE was quick to take advantage of the directive and aired a live episode of its weekly series “Raw” from its Orlando production facility last weekend. Other professional sports leagues, especially the UFC, could follow suit.

The UFC card is slated to be headlined by Ferguson fighting Justin Gaethje.

Also being targeted to fight are Henry Cejudo against Dominick Cruz, Amanda Nuñez against Felicia Hardy, Francis Ngannou against Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Jeremy Stephens against Calvin Kattar, Greg Hardy against Yorgan de Castro and Carla Esparza against Michelle Waterson.

White was poised to hold UFC 249 without fans on April 18 at a Native American tribal reservation in California. The move initially met with resistance from California Senator Dianne Feinstein and was eventually cancelled at the request of broadcaster ESPN.

VCGBPH starts fund drive for for personnel VOLLEYBALL Community Gives Back PH has initiated a fund drive for those game day personnel who were affected by the suspension and cancellation of leagues due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Recently, a group of volleyball personnel composed of referees, ball retrievers and bouncers approached VCGBPH to ask assistance during this trying times.

“With the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine, daily wage earners have found themselves struggling to earn a living. Earning their livelihood has been one of the greatest uncertainties that a lot of countrymen have been worrying about. Some of these daily wage earners hit closer to home for the volleyball,” said VCGBPH. In the spirit of bayanihan, VCGBPH is launching #CARINGFORALL: Down The Line, We Are One to provide assistance for the paid-per-day personnel, as any help will go a long way.

Among those who responded to the call is Rebisco, which already sent goodies for the affected volleyball game day crew.

“We are humbly asking for support in assisting our volleyball heroes behind the game, who are in need of our help.

Any amount will be of help to get us through this crisis,” said VCGBPH. Donations can be sent to Ryan Sordan through BPI bank account 8069 0632 77.

Start of Tour de France postponed to August PARIS, France—The Tour de France will be raced from August 29 to September 20, organizers announced on Wednesday (Thursday Philippine time), postponing cycling’s flagship event originally slated to start on June 27 due to the coronavirus lockdown.

The new dates follow French President Emmanuel Macron’s extension of a ban on large public gatherings until mid-July.

The news comes as a relief to professional cycling teams and fans with four-times Tour winner Chris Froome welcoming a “light at the end of the tunnel” for those suffer-

ing under Covid-19 lockdown.

The decision moves the threeweek race out of its traditional slot in the summer holidays, when roadside crowds of around 12 million would be expected to gather in festive spirit.

It will now finish on the same day the postponed French Open championships starts, September 20, giving a worrying indication of a potential autumn fixture pile-up as more sports seek to reschedule suspended events.

Tour director Christian Prudhomme told AFP the new start was based on a double rationale.

“We wanted to be as far away from the pandemic as possible,” he said.

“The president put a July 14 date on public gatherings, but it seemed more reasonable to us to allow the riders time to get into peak condition.”

‘Let’s take hope’ While the dates have changed the original route remains intact, starting in Nice and finishing in Paris.

“The Tour is still the Tour. All the challenges we set remain intact,” he said of the hotly anticipated climb-laden route that rarely strays far from the mountains.

Britain’s Froome said the news

came as a boost for all lovers of the sport.

“It’s the news we have all been waiting for, some light at the end of the tunnel,” said the Ineos rider.

“I’m seeing a lot of negativity and despondency on my timeline, I know this period has been tough on all of us, and bike racing is not important in the greater scheme of things.

“But let’s take hope in that we may return to some sort of normality in the near future.”

Froome’s Ineos team-mate Geraint Thomas, who won the Tour in 2018, echoed his thoughts. AFP

In this file photo taken on July 28, 2019 a cyclist rides in front of the Eiffel tower during the 21st and last stage of the 106th edition of the Tour de France cycling race between Rambouillet and Paris Champs-Elysees, in Paris. AFP

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

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FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2020

Entertainment

ABS-CBN digital platforms achieve historic milestones THE country’s leading media and entertainment company, ABS-CBN, continues to be the go-to source of Filipinos for information and entertainment as its Facebook page hit more than 20 million likes and YouTube channel followed by more than 26 million, making both the most followed local accounts on the respective platforms.

ABS-CBN’s Facebook is the first page by any Filipino media network or personality to achieve the 20-million milestone on the popular social media platform. On the ABS-CBN Facebook page, fans get their updates and engage in conversations with other fans about the network’s programs, project announcements, and biggest stars.

More Filipinos on the platform also turn to ABS-CBN for their news updates as ABS-CBN News is the most liked lo-

cal news account on Facebook with 18 million likes.

ABS-CBN’s undisputed online reach also stretches to YouTube, where it boasts 26.3 million subscribers and 35.1 billion lifetime views, making it the most subscribed and most viewed Filipino channel on the site.

Moreover, the channel placed 13th in the most viewed YouTube channels globally in terms of watch hours in February this year, after finishing 2019 in tenth place.

More than 40 of the channels owned or managed by ABS-CBN have also been awarded Gold and Silver YouTube Creator Awards, which are given by YouTube to channels that have gained one million subscribers and 100,000 subscribers, respectively.

Its most subscribed YouTube channels include, ABS-CBN News, which has

8.9 million subscribers with 5.9 billion views, Star Music (4.9 million subscribsubscrib ers), Pinoy Big Brother (3.4 million), Star Cinema (2.6 million), The Voice Kids Philippines (2.38 million), and The Gold Squad (2 million).

ABS-CBN’s leadership on Facebook and YouTube boosts ABS-CBN’s transitransi tion into being an agile digital company with the biggest online presence among all media companies, and a growing list of digital properties that appeal to a wide array of audiences.

The latest exclusive content to stream on ABS-CBN’s Facebook and YouTube pages is Stay At Home Stories: Mga Kwento ng Taong Bahay,, an empower empowering and relevant digital show that features With over two million subscribers, The Gold Squad—which features popular teen stars the struggles of Filipinos amid the COCO Kyle Echarri, Francine Diaz, Seth Fedelin, and Andrea Brillantes—is one of the top Youtube VID-19 crisis. channels managed by ABS-CBN.

Beauty Queens craft cards for cleft patients

VERY WANG

TRY SOMETHING NEW

NICKIE WANG

IN LIGHT of the COVID-19 situation, Miss Universe 2019 Zozibini Tunzi and Miss USA 2019 Cheslie Kryst went live on the official Miss Universe Instagram page on Monday to hold a virtual card making activity for Smile Train patients.

This initiative aims to help spread smiles and raise awareness for cleft patients around the world.

Even during a pandemic, every three minutes, a baby is born with a cleft lip or cleft palate.

Smile Train assures cleft patients and their families that their partner hospitals will be ready to serve them as soon as it is possible. Smile Train, the world’s leading cleft organization provides free cleft surgery and comprehensive cleft care for millions of patients in over 90 countries. In the Philippines, Smile Train has helped over 60,000 cleft

WHAT ABOUT A TAGLISH EDM?

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AST-RISING EDM artist Jace Roque released his latest digital single “Forever” last March 27. It is his second this year following the success of the previous single “Day and Night,” which peaked at No. 8 on iTunes Philippines and became a fixture on Spotify playlists around the world.

patients since 2001.

Interested individuals may also participate in the activity and send their cards to the Smile Train Philippines headquarters at 3/F Annex Building, 22 East Avenue, Diliman Quezon City.

Since 2016, the Miss Universe Organization and Smile Train, have been involved in a charitable partnership to help raise awareness of the issues faced by children living with untreated clefts in the developing world.

For more information about Smile Train’s global efforts and to donate, please visit smiletrain.org.

To learn more about Smile Train’s local programs in the Philippines, please visit smiletrain.ph, follow Smile Train Philippines on Twitter and Instagram @SmileTrainPh, and like us on Facebook at @SmileTrainPhilippines.

Jace Roque, who dreams of collaborating with Sarah G, SB19, and James Reid, is an independent artist who promotes electro-pop music in the Philippines.

Home-stuck music fans can enjoy Jace Roque’s new EDM track ‘Forever’ by streaming or downloading it from digital stores.

This new song is special to Jace because it’s his first “Ta “Taglish” release. All his previous hits, including last year’s “So “Sober” and “Love” were in English.

He decided to try something new and he’s very pleased with the result.

Forever is a multi-genre track blending dance, hip-hop, Latin, pop, R&B, and reggae into one cohesive sound. Nevertheless, it captures his brand as an artist; so far the most musically diverse of all his releases.

Lyrically, it talks about taking control of one’s destiny in terms of love, not leaving everything to chance.

“A lot of people believe that if it’s meant to be, it will be,” Jace noted. “But the truth is, you can’t just dream about forever. You’ve got to work hard to earn it.”

This technically-skilled musicmaker was once in a relation relationship where he did everything in his power to make things work.

Sadly, it still didn’t pan out.

“I really tried to make things work because that’s the kind of guy I am when I’m in a relation relationship. I don’t give up easily, and I always acknowledge my short short-

comings and strive to be the best version of myself,” he related.

Jace has been in the industry for quite some time; one of the few independent artists making waves without the backing of a major record label or management team. It’s impressive that his songs have earned a grand total of 1.5 million total streams across all platforms. That number says a lot about a young man’s drive, as well as his versatility as he arranges, produces, and writes his own material.

He fought hard to see his previous singles gain traction and he’s ready to do it all over again with Forever. The song was included on Spotify Philippines’ New Music Friday playlist upon release.

Jace closed out, “Longevity is something that I’m working really hard to achieve. I’m now on my 12th year in the industry and all the hard work and perseverance I’ve put in is no joke. It can be tiring at times but I always remind myself why I want to pursue music in the first place. It’s because I want to express myself.

I’ve always been a very artistic person and I don’t see myself doing anything else.”

Miss Universe 2019 Zozibini Tunzi (right) and Miss USA 2019 Cheslie Kryst led the Smile Train initiative on MUO social media page.

Life

FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2020

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Bernadette Lunas, Editor manilastandardlife@gmail.com

Filipino-made dengue case mapping system

wins NASA apps challenge

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HE dengue case forecasting system made by Filipino developers was chosen as one of the winners from over 29,000 participants in the 2019 National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s International Space Apps Challenge.

The Aedes Project, one of the two finalists from the Philippines in last year’s competition, uses climate and digital data to pinpoint potential dengue hotspots.

NASA named it one of the six winners in the best use of data—the solution that best makes space data accessible or leverages it to a unique application.

Developers Dominic Vincent D. Ligot, Mark Toledo, Frances Claire Tayco, and Jansen Dumaliang Lopez from CirroLytix created a forecasting model of dengue cases by correlating information from Sentinel-2 Copernicus and Landsat 8 satellites, climate data from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, and trends from Google search engines. Potential dengue hotspots will then be shown on a web interface.

Using satellite spectral bands like green, red, and near-infrared, indices like Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation and Normalized Differ-

ence Vegetation Index are calculated in identifying areas with green vegetation, while Normalized Difference Water Index identifies areas with water.

Combining these indices reveals potential areas of stagnant water capable of becoming breeding grounds for mosquitoes, extracted as coordinates through a free and open-source cross-platform desktop geographic information system QGIS. “AEDES aims to improve public health response against dengue fever in the Philippines by pinpointing possible hotspots using Earth observations,” explained Dr. Argyro Kavvada of NASA Earth Science and Booz Allen Hamilton.

DOST-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOSTPCIEERD) deputy executive director Engr. Raul C. Sabularse said the winning solution “benefits the community especially countries suffering from malaria

Biological oceanographer Dr. Paula S. Bontempi, the current leader of the Space Apps global organizing team.

Filipino-made forecasting system AEDES uses Sentinel-2 Copernicus and Landsat 8 satellite data to reveal potential dengue hotspots.

and dengue, just like the Philippines.”

“I think it has a global impact. This is the new science to know the potential areas where dengue might occur. It is a good app,” added Sabularse.

The leader of the Space Apps global

organizing team, Dr. Paula S. Bontempi, remembers the pitch of the winning team when she led the hackathon in Manila. “They were terrific. Well deserved!” she said.

The win marks the second time the

The winning developers from CirroLytix visit DOST's Philippine Earth Data Resource and Obervation Center in Quezon City.

Philippines bagged an award in the global competition.

“I am very happy we landed in the winning circle. This would be a big help particularly in addressing our health-related problems. One of the Sustainable Development Goals is on Good Health and Well Being and the problem they are trying to address is analysis related to dengue,” said Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña.

In the Philippines, Space Apps is a NASA-led initiative organized in collaboration with De La Salle University, Animo Labs, DOST-PCIEERD, PLDT InnoLab, American Corner Manila, US Embassy, software developer Michael Lance M. Domagas. It is globally organized by Booz Allen Hamilton, Mindgrub, and SecondMuse.

The next hackathon is scheduled on Oct. 2-4.

Check out aedesproject.org to know more.

Keeping kids busy in quarantine

By Steph Llarena CHILDREN run wild at home while parents run out of patience faster than the family’s food supply is one of common challenges in many households a couple of weeks into this quarantine.

Instead of telling bored kids to settle down and play with their gadgets, why not encourage them to use this time to channel their energy into something more productive, educational, and enjoyable?

Kids can flex their creative muscle with the help of crafts and puzzles.

National athletes lead Instagram Live workouts every Wednesday of April.

Make art

Do simple workouts

Several do it yourself (DIY) sites and posts available online teach kids and even adults a number of crafts and other projects such as recycling old materials into something useful, or simply allow them to flex their creative muscle.

HP offers Print and Play activities where children aged 2 to 12 can try out hours of craft making, mazes, dot-to-dot drawing, and other puzzles. It aims to help parents bridge the gap between education in school and learning at home by supplementing their child’s learning while making playtime at home more engaging.

Activities are divided into age groups, and come in three levels (easy, medium, difficult). Parents can download activities on www. hp.com and print them using HP printers.

Children are also invited to write letters of encouragement to patients in hospitals. Email them to covidletters@gmail.com and they will be printed and given to patients confined at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine.

Parents telling kids to do 20 jumping jacks and 20 sit-ups might not be welcomed with enthusiasm, but it might change if a national athlete joins them.

Milo Champions has launched an IG Live workout featuring Kiefer Ravena (@kieferravena15), Alyssa Valdez (@alyssa_valdez2), Juan (@juangdl9) and Javi (@javigdl22) Gomez De Liaño, Pauline Lopez (@pauweenie), Mary Joy Tabal (@maryjoytabalofficial), and Coach Rio de la Cruz (@coach_rio316).

The workouts happen every Wednesday of April from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on the athletes’ respective Instagram accounts.

Meanwhile, later in the month Milo will introduce the Milo Sports Clinics-Online—a series of basic instructional modules led by skilled coaches and athletes in basketball (BEST Center), volleyball (BEST Center), gymnastics (Club Gymnastica), taekwondo (Philippine Taekwondo Association), and futsal (Philippine Futsal Academy).

The online series is available for free. Go to @milophilippines on Facebook for more information.

Other alternatives are Zumba and yoga, which the family can do together. Or be a little creative and turn one kilo of rice or several cans of milk or fruit juices into weights, or use the sofa as an inclined bench press.

Teach kids basic household tasks such as cooking.

Online courses and resources offer lessons children can do while at home.

Learn something new online Check out educational websites that offer online courses for free.

Subjects available include history, arts, music, latest gadgets, technology, and more. For instance, MasterCard provides free online STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) lessons to children, as well as parents and teachers.

The Girls4Tech features a suite of online educational resources designed to help parents and teachers engage and inspire kids, aged 8-12. The activities are built on global science and math standards— and incorporate MasterCard’s expertise in payments technology and innovation—to enable children to discover a range of STEM careers such as Fraud Detective, Data Scientist, and Software Engineer.

New activities are posted on a weekly basis at the Girls4Tech Connect website (www.girls4tech.com), Facebook page, and Twitter handle. Lessons are currently available in English.

While kids learn online, adults may check out free online courses offered by Harvard University (www.online-learning.harvard.edu).

Put down the gadgets and bring out the board games for hours of fun.

Learn new hobbies Kids interested to learn how to play the guitar or the piano or the flute or any other musical instruments can take advantage of this time. Some local musicians offer one-on-one classes online. Tutorial videos are also aplenty on YouTube.

Bring out the old board games out of the closet and teach kids how to play chess, charade, Monopoly, Jenga, Snakes and Ladders, Scrabble, and sungka.

Assign household chores Teach kids basic household tasks while educating them on how to be responsible and take care of the needs of the family. Parents can start with teaching them how to sweep the floor, cook rice, bake, or even do their own laundry. Make it fun by rewarding them with treats after their tasks are done.

Life

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

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YOUNG LIFE

FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2020

By Bing Parel

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HE opening lines of “A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens might as well have been written during this time, with the COVID-19 pandemic changing life as we know it, not really sure when all this will be over:

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times… it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair… We had everything before us, we had nothing before us…”

Fear and paranoia I am speaking for myself, but I know many people can relate to the kind of fear, anxiety, paranoia, and despair that chase each other around my head every now and then.

The anxiety that I might have brought the virus home after a four-hour run going to the drugstore and grocery, my disgust at a (masked) customer who sneezed twice while I was checking out frozen goods, irritation because for more than a month now I still could not find any alcohol, and irrational fear because my throat felt achy and I had runny nose the next day.

I wield a tiny alcohol spray like a weapon—at the metal chair provided for waiting customers, grocery carts, plastic food wrappers. (My mom warned me about spraying people who would come near.) I would spray the gate, even the floor, after going out, then on to the laundry area where I would dump my clothes, take a shower and wash everything I wore (baseball cap included).

I wash the mineral water bottle before giving it to my son, the canned goods, the eggs and fruits and vegetables, almost everything I get my hands on.

Outwardly I was okay, but inside there was gnawing fear and simmering anger because my world was getting unhinged, watching the news with growing dread at the rising number of confirmed cases, PUIs, PUMs, and deaths. It is difficult to maintain one’s mental composure once fear and despair get a foothold.

HOPE FLOATS in the time of COVID

Each household receives approximately 10 kilos of rice and some canned goods.

Focusing on positive news But I knew I had to stop the creeping darkness, so to speak, from overshadowing the “season of Light” that was shining out there.

I needed to find hope in the midst of uncertainty. I began to focus on the positive news: private individuals soliciting donations for alcohol and personal protective equipment for hospitals; restaurants sending food to health workers braving it in the frontlines; little children who made get-well cards for COVID-19 patients; gas stations giving free gasoline to doctors and front liners; local scientists using their expertise to come up with testing kits; and hotels and private establishments offering their facilities as temporary quarters for essential workers stranded during the lockdown.

The pandemic separated the wheat from the chaff as far as local government leaders are concerned. I was— am—especially proud of Marikina City and Mayor Marcy Teodoro who immediately set up sanitation tents, and distributed rice, canned goods, and other relief items to constituents, starting with the tricycle and jeepney drivers who were displaced. And despite repeated frustration, the mayor is relentless in his effort to put up a testing center that would also benefit nearby cities.

Marikina City workers distributing goods in Barangay Concepcion Dos.

more in life stepping up to help ease the pain and burden that others who have less are going through during these difficult and trying times.

Companies like San Miguel, the Lucio Tan Group, the Ayalas, the Sys of SM, the Yuchengco Group, the MVP Group, ICTSI, and many others are drawing from their deep pockets to donate hundreds of millions that will go into the purchase of PPEs for front liners, ventilators, ambulances, and food for the marginalized, among others.

It is truly heartwarming to see these big corporate rivals collaborating to fight a deadly, unseen enemy, with workers rapidly deployed to convert Cooperation among sports coliseums and convention centcorporate rivals While there were government officials ers into COVID-19 emergency quaranwho proved to be big disappointments, tine facilities and testing centers, knowit is encouraging to see those who have ing that time is of the essence.

The worst of times, the best of times Now more than ever, we are realizing the value of human life, appreciating the little things that we used to take for granted. I also did something I have not really done for a long time—went down on my knees and prayed, remembering Psalm 91, my life verse.

And while this may look like the worst of times, this is also the best of times because we are seeing the compassion, kindness, and generosity of Filipinos coming to the surface in no small measure. For we are a resilient race, surviving through tragedies and disasters both natural and man-made, with faith as our strong anchor so that we may stand as a nation against this outbreak and look forward to the day when we heal as one.

Metal chairs are provided for grocery customers waiting to get in.

Local bakeries with social distancing notices.

Drugstore customers wait for their turn.

About the writer Bing Parel is the SVP for the Editorial Department of WSP Incorporated, a Filipino-owned communications firm. In her past life, she was a travel magazine writer and associate editor for a glossy, and was also involved in the national campaign of a presidential candidate. She describes herself as a domestic diva on weekends and confesses that one of her frustrations is the inability to solve a Rubik’s Cube despite her teenage son’s patient encouragement and tutorial attempts.

Online community empowers members with inspiring stories A BRIEF message of hope, an inspiring tale can make a huge difference especially in difficult times, hence a telecommunications company invites its customers to share stories that uplift and encourage.

Globe’s Hope Bank Facebook Community aims to serve as an empowering channel for those who are trying to cope with the emotional and mental challenges caused by COVID-19 pandemic, and to boost the morale of frontliners and patients who are being treated for COVID-19, as well as their families and friends.

“We want to rally people into becoming a community support group to make others realize that they are not alone, that there are people who are willing to provide empathy and emotional connection virtually,” said Yoly Crisanto, senior vice president for corporate communications.

Crisanto added, “This is the time for each of us to reinforce one another, even if only to provide support to those who need them the most.”

To contribute to the platform, members may post using the hashtag #SpreadHOPE, both on their personal profiles and in the group. The messages may be in the form of photos, artworks, quotes, songs/lyrics, video, or anything that reflects their expression of hope and positivity. They may tag family members and friends or anyone who may benefit from such support.

Hope Bank was first introduced by Globe two years ago as a platform for people with mental health illness seeking help and support.