Virus test results piling up Govt asks 30 labs to clear backlog of 7,000 cases in two weeks
By Willie Casas and Vito Barcelo
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ABORATORIES have been unable to process COVID-19 tests fast enough, creating a backlog of about 7,000 cases, the government’s testing czar said Thursday.
In a press briefing, testing czar Vince ries agreed in a meeting with the govDizon said the 30 accredited laborato- ernment that those that are not swamped
would help with the backlog. “We need to catch up with those 7,000 COVID-19 tests that have not been processed,” Dizon said in Filipino. “That’s why we met to find a solution.” He said because of machines from San Miguel Corp., the testing capacity of labs such as the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine has gone up 80 percent.
With the help of private companies, he added, he was confident that the backlog would eliminated in two weeks. From 5,000 tests a day on May 2, the country is now conducting 8,700 tests a day as of May 10, he said. “Many of our laboratories in Metro Manila are experiencing backlogs because of mechanical defects and lack of
supply. That’s why there are delays in testing,” he said. Dizon, who is also the Presidential Adviser for Flagship Programs, and Bases Conversion and Development Authority president and chief executive officer, said the country has 30 accredited testing laboratories. Next page
VOL. XXXIV • NO. 83 • 1 SECTION 4 PAGES • P18 • FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2020 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com
‘Ambo’ ravages Samar; evacuees face twin threat By Willie Casas, Francisco Tuyay and Joel E. Zurbano POWERFUL typhoon Ambo (international name Vongfong) hit the central Philippines Thursday, forcing a complicated and risky evacuation for tens of thousands already hunkered down at home during the coronavirus pandemic. Before sundown Wednesday, government weather forecasters said Next page
TWIN THREAT. A motorist braving heavy rains
and strong wind maneuvers along a highway littered with fallen trees as typhoon Ambo (Vongfong) makes a landfall in Easter Samar on May 14, 2020. Tens of thousands of evacuees (inset) face the twin threat of storm and coronavirus but evacuation centers in the region say they will only accept half their capacity. AFP
43 mayors slapped with show-cause orders over slow SAP aid By Vito Barcelo and Willie Casas (ECQ) would receive the second round THE government said Thursday it will give show-cause orders to 43 mayors who have been slow to distribute emergency subsidies to low-income families during the COVID-19 lockdown, even as it said 11.5 million families under the enhanced community quarantine
of cash aid. The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said the 43 local chief executive must explain why they were unable to distribute the aid despite two extensions of the deadline given to local government units Next page
Sinas, party-goers in hot water By Vito Barcelo, Willie Casas and Benjamin Chavez
several other senior police officials will face criminal and administrative charges over Sinas’ controversial birthNATIONAL Capital Region Police Of- day celebration amid the enhanced fice chief Maj. Gen. Debold Sinas and Next page
LOCAL ROUNDUP
NEW NORM.
With the easing of quarantine controls starting May 16, 2020 public transport drivers like this one in Cavite-ZapoteLas-Pinas route begin installing plastic separators in-between seats to comply with social distancing rules. Seats marked with X must not be occupied and passengers must wear face masks, according to the driver. Norman Cruz
• Travel ban lifted • LGUs may now buy rapid test kits • School guidelines By Joel Zurbano and Maricel Cruz THE Filipino workers covered by the deployment ban—except health care workers—are now allowed to work abroad, Malacañang announced on Thursday. Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said this was among the guidelines approved by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases. “Land-based or sea-based [Filipino workers] are allowed to be deployed abroad upon the execution of a declaration signifying their knowledge and understanding of the risks involved,” Roque said in a virtual presser. But he said medical professionals still may not leave under the deployment ban issued by the Philippine Overseas Next page
COVID-19 PH AT A GLANCE
(AS OF 4 PM MAY 14)
11,876
258
790
18
2,337
86
TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES
DEATHS
RECOVERIES
NEW
NEW
NEW
WORLD ROUNDUP
• Virus here to stay • ‘Chinese hackers stealing research’ • Mental crisis next THE coronavirus may never go away and populations will have to learn to live with it just as they have HIV, the World Health Organization has warned, as the global death toll from the disease nears 300,000. A vaccine could allow countries and economies to fully re-open from lockdowns and potentially earn millions of Next page
DOJ to file sedition raps vs teacher; 3 others arrested for ‘kill order’ By Rey Requejo, Vito Barcelo and Willie Casas
Mas for offering, via his social media account, a P50- filed against Mas, a 25-year-old public school teacher, million reward to anyone who would kill President before a court in Zambales next week. Rodrigo Duterte. He said Mas would remain in the custody of the NaNational Prosecution Service Prosecutor General tional Bureau of Investigation. THE Justice department said Thursday it had found Next page enough basis to file sedition charges against Ronnel Benedicto Malcontento said the charges would be
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SC: Courts stay closed until May 31 By Rey E. Requejo
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Peralta said the Supreme Court would continue to hold special en banc and division sessions if those were deemed necessary either through meetings or through videoconferencing. Peralta also extended the Supreme Court’s decision-writing period until May 31, but he required all chiefs of offices and services to devise their respective work-from-home schemes and operating procedures from May 18 to 29. He also required all court personnel to be given certain tasks to effectively imple-
ment their offices’ mandates during the work-from-home scheme, and said the high court would also continue to receive petitions and pleadings electronically. And although the courts in the MECQ areas were closed, they would continue to operate from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. from Monday to Friday until May 29, Peralta said. He added that the raffle of cases in all courts in the areas under quarantine would still proceed either electronically or through videoconferencing.
testing among its front-liners and expects the number of positive cases to rise in the next few days due to pending results of some confirmatory tests. Meanwhile, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said all its 75 personnel assigned at the agency’s detention facility in Bicutan, Taguig City, as well as 84 foreign detainees tested negative for COVID-19. BI Medical Section Chief Dr. Marites Ambray reported that a total of 159 individuals underwent rapid antibody tests on Tuesday at the detention facility located inside Camp Bagong Diwa. Ambray said that due to the limited number of test kits, only 84 of the more than 400 alien inmates were tested. Those considered at-risk of contracting the virus, such as senior citizens and those with underlying medical conditions, were prioritized. BI Commissioner Jaime Morente welcomed the test results as a positive sign that protocols and measures instituted by the BI are helping prevent the spread of the virus among detainees and BI employees at the facility. The Department of Foreign Affairs reported 88 additional Filipinos abroad have recovered from the coronavirus
disease 2019, bringing the total number to 757. The latest reports reaching the DFA also showed that the number of Filipinos overseas infected with COVID-19 rose to 2,310 with 77 new infections. Of the number, 1,284 are undergoing treatment. It also recorded eight new deaths from the viral disease, raising the death toll to 269. Europe had the highest number of COVID-19-stricken Filipinos at 682, followed by the Middle East and Africa with 673. The Asia Pacific Region still had the least number of infections with 421, while the Americas recorded the most number of fatalities at 146. Globally, COVID-19 has infected over 4 million people and claimed nearly 300,000 lives. On Wednesday, the provincial government of Lanao del Sur said it has flattened the curve on COVID-19 infections. At the same time, Gov. Mamintal Bombit Alonto Adiong appealed to residents to report all instances of irregularities in the disposition of government aid and violation of community quarantine rules. With Nash B. Maulana
from Typhoon Ambo as it continues to defend our citizens from COVID-19,” said PNP spokesman Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac. At least 200,000 people live in coastal areas or flimsy homes in the province near where the storm made landfall with fierce winds and heavy rain. Tens of millions more live along the typhoon’s path, which is expected to take it near Metro Manila, where almost 13 million of the country’s population of 108 million live. Because of the twin threat of the storm and the virus, evacuation centers in the central Philippines will only accept half their capacity and evacuees will have to wear face masks. The surge of people and limited space mean authorities have asked 47 big churches in the area to accept people fleeing the typhoon. “We will be overwhelmed so we’re expanding our evacuation to include churches,” said Cedric Daep, disaster chief in central Albay province. Areas in the typhoon’s path are under varying levels of virus quarantine, yet many people are staying at home to avoid infection. The Philippines has reported 772
deaths and 11,618 cases of the virus, though the number is believed to be higher due to limited testing. Typhoons are a dangerous and disruptive part of life in the Philippine archipelago, which gets hit by an average of 20 storms and typhoons each year. The storms put millions of people in disaster-prone areas in a state of constant poverty and cycle of rebuilding. Typhoon Kammuri, which hit the Philippines in early December, damaged or destroyed 484,000 houses and caused more than a million people to flee, according to the social welfare department. A July 2019 study by the Manilabased Asian Development Bank said the most frequent storms lop one percent off the Philippine economy, with the stronger ones cutting economic output by nearly three percent. The country’s deadliest cyclone on record was Super Typhoon Haiyan, which left more than 7,300 people dead or missing in 2013. Meanwhile, the Department of Health reminded local government officials to implement physical distancing measures inside evacuation centers to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
ties and colleges offering basic education are allowed to open classes on the first Monday of June if there will be no faceto-face classes earlier than Aug. 24. Face-to-face classes may be conducted only in the areas where schools are allowed to open physically. Schools must comply with the minimum health standards that are consistent with the guidelines of the Department of Health, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Office of the President. Schools formally start on August 24, 2020, and end on April 30, 2021 for school year 2020-2021. School-opening guidelines School enrollment is from June 1 to 30. The Education department says priThe Christmas break begins on Dec. 19, vate schools and state or local universi-
2020, and classes resume on Jan. 4, 2021.
HE Supreme Court on Thursday ordered all courts in Metro Manila and other areas under the modified enhanced community quarantine to remain closed until May 31.
Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta said all official meetings, seminars, training programs and other activities in those areas were also deferred unless conducted through videoconferencing. The exemptions were those activities
authorized by him or by the Judiciary Task Force on COVID-19. The high court also allows the solemnization of civil weddings – provided the number of witnesses and guests do not exceed five people.
Sinas,... From A1
Virus... From A1
community quarantine due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID 19), Malacañang said Thursday. In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said he was informed by Philippine National Police chief Gen. Archie Gamboa that a criminal case was “now being readied” and was expected be filed Friday against Sinas and other senior police officials who attended the gathering. “The PNP is also getting clearance from the Office of the President regarding the filing of administrative charges in violation of quarantine rules against the alleged violators,” Roque said. He said a clearance from the President was needed before administrative charges were filed against Sinas, since he was a presidential appointee. “Maj. Gen. Sinas is a third level officer and a presidential appointee; hence, a clearance from the Office of the President is needed for the filing of administrative charges of the PNP. The same applies to the senior police officials who are also presidential appointees,” the Palace spokesperson said in a statement. Earlier, the NCRPO chief was criticized after photos of his surprise birthday celebration on May 8— which he had labeled as a simple “mañanita” or early morning serenade— made rounds on social media this week. The photos were uploaded on the Facebook page of NCRPO’s public information office, where police officers were giving Sinas roses and cakes, while Metro Manila’s top cop mingled with guests seated at various tables. Sinas apologized for what transpired during his birthday, saying some of the photos that circulated online were “edited and grabbed from old posts.” Some lawmakers criticized the supposed “double standard” and “insensitivity” of the police officers for allowing the gathering while most parts of the country were under lockdown due to the COVID-19 crisis. Sinas said he would not take a leave of absence from his post— unless ordered by Gamboa or President Rodrigo Duterte himself. At the same time, the National Bureau of Investigation said on Thursday it would summon Sinas to explain alleged violations of quarantine regulations at his recent birthday party.
On Thursday, the Department of Health (DOH) reported 258 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total to 11,876, nearly 60 days since quarantine measures were imposed nationwide to curb the transmission of the novel coronavirus. Metro Manila accounted for 188 of the new cases. The department reported 18 new deaths as a result of COVID-19, bringing total fatalities to 790. The DOH also announced 86 new recoveries, bringing the total number of patients who have recovered from the disease to 2,337. The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Thursday reported 179 confirmed COVID-19 cases among its personnel, as 39 more police officers tested positive for the virus. Based on its updated monitoring report on Wednesday evening, the PNP Health Service (PNPHS) said of the total, 57 have recovered, four have died, while 118 active cases are undergoing treatment. The police force has ramped up mass
Local... From A1 Employment Administration. Roque said the IATF-EID also allowed recruitment and placement agencies to operate in the areas under modified enhanced community quarantine and general community quarantine. The government offices and agencies involved in the processing of Filipinos bound for abroad should establish “green lanes” to enable prompt processing and deployment, he said. The POEA earlier issued a resolution temporarily suspending the deployment of all health care workers “until the national state of emergency is lifted.”
World... From A1 dollars for its creators, but the WHO said the virus may never be wiped out entirely. “This virus may become just another endemic virus in our communities and this virus may never go away,” said Michael Ryan, the global health body’s emergencies director in Geneva. “HIV has not gone away – but we have come to terms with the virus.” The prospect of the disease hanging around leaves governments across the world facing a delicate balancing act between suppressing the pathogen and getting economies up and running.
US: China trying to steal treatment Chinese hackers are trying to steal
‘Ambo’... From A1 Ambo, the first to hit the country in 2020, had intensified its fury while moving west-northwestward as the center of the typhoon was estimated at 315 km east of Borongan City in Eastern Samar. The typhoon, expected to force the evacuation of 400,000 people in Northern Samar alone, had maximum sustained winds of 95 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 115 kph, with forecaster warning of moderate to heavy rains Thursday that could cause flooding and landslides over Eastern Visayas, Catanduanes, Albay, Sorsogon and Masbate. The Philippine National Police, meanwhile, said the command would continue to strictly enforce quarantine guidelines in affected areas while coordinating with local government units and other law enforcement agencies for unified course of action to protect the public from Ambo and COVID-19. “Amid challenges faced by the PNP, it will remain resolute and ready for disaster preparedness and response operations to protect lives and properties
Rapid test kits
Local government units may now purchase rapid test kits to be used in screening people for possible infection with the coronavirus disease. The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases gave the approval on Wednesday, Roque said. Last month, the Health department said public or private institutions were not prohibited from buying and using rapid test kits approved by the Food and Drug Administration as long as the guidelines on the use of these kits were followed.
COVID-19 vaccine research, US authorities said, ratcheting up tensions between the superpowers. “China’s efforts to target these sectors pose a significant threat to our nation’s response to COVID-19,” the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said. Neither agency offered evidence or examples to support the allegation. Beijing, for its part, accused the US of smearing, adding that China is “also leading the world in COVID-19 vaccine research and treatment.” “China expresses strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to such smearing. Judging from past records, the US has carried out the largest cyber-theft operations worldwide,” foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a regular press briefing.
be ready in a year’s time under an “optimistic” scenario, based on data from trials that are under way, the European Medicines Agency said. “We can see the possibility if everything goes as planned that some of them (vaccines) could be ready for approval in a year from now,” said Marco Cavaleri, the EMA’s head of biological health threats and vaccines strategy. World leaders past and present insisted on Thursday that any eventual COVID-19 vaccines and treatments should be made available to everyone, free of charge. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan were among more than 140 signatories of a letter saying any vaccine should not be patented Vaccine could be ready in a year while the science should be shared A vaccine for the coronavirus could between nations. AFP
Lockdown ordered The Paranaque City government will place at least five barangays under “strict community quarantine” for three days following the surge of COVID-19 cases in the city. Mayor Edwin Olivarez is set to sign an executive order ordering the strict quarantine, which will only allow health front liners, essential workers, and residents with emergencies to head out of their homes. Olivarez identified the barangays with the highest number of coronavirus cases as San Antonio (78 cases), BF Homes (66), San Dionisio (64), Don Bosco (59), Moonwalk (51) and Baclaran (43).
DOJ... From A1 Mas, a teacher from Santa Cruz, Zambales, was arrested on May 11 after he allegedly posted on Twitter via the account “@RonPrince” the message “I will give 50 Million reward kung sino makakapatay kay Duterte #NotoABSCBNShutDown”. Mas reportedly cried and apologized for his post, but Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said his apology would not exculpate him from his criminal liability. The Presidential Security Group said Thursday there were no direct threats against Duterte, adding the President had “total security.” The group made the statement after the arrest of two other people in Aklan and Cebu who offered reward money in
43 mayors... From A1 (LGUs), with the latest deadline ending midnight of May 10. “While the vast majority of the LGUs were able to distribute their SAP (social amelioration program funds) before the deadline leading to a national pay-out rate of 97 percent yesterday, there are those who were still left out,” said Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año. “The DILG and the public deserve to know why they failed to complete their distribution.” The 43 LGUs had an accomplishment rate of only 79 percent, he said. Eleven of the mayors are in Western Visayas, eight are in Mimaropa, five are in Central Visayas, four are in Davao Region, and four are in the National Capital Region. Two each were from the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Calabarzon, Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao and one was from Central Luzon. DILG Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya, meanwhile, clarified that graft and corruption cases related to the handling of the SAP fund will be investigated by the Philippine National Police (PNP)-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and no longer by the DILG field offices. He said Año transferred the probe of corrupt barangay officials to the PNP CIDG field offices for the immediate filing of cases since the CIDG has more investigators than the DILG field offices. He added that Año will not tolerate a single instance of graft and corruption. Malaya also said the public may participate in validating the list of beneficiaries of SAP in their communities by checking the list posted in barangay halls, which is also a requirement for LGUs to get the second tranche of SAP to be downloaded by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). The Palace on Thursday said at least 11.5 million families under the ECQ would receive a second round of cash assistance. Metro Manila, Laguna and Cebu City are still under the ECQ but will gradually transition to a modified ECQ starting May 16. Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said under amended guidelines, millions of families who were unable to receive the cash assistance from the first trance of the social amelioration program would receive help this time around. “Poor families of Metro Manila and other high risk areas that will be placed under MECQ by May 16 will get financial assistance as promised by President Duterte,” Roque said in a television interview. The MECQ is more relaxed than ECQ, but has more restrictions than a general community quarantine (GCQ). “For the second tranche this May, the beneficiaries are those who live in ECQ areas which is about 11.5 million families,” he said. Duterte earlier approved the addition of 5 million families that will benefit from the first tranche of the financial aid program amid the COVID-19 crisis. The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), however, said poor families living in areas under a GCQ should also receive cash aid from the second tranche of the SAP. In a statement, Bayan secretarygeneral Renato Reyes said the cash assistance should be given to everyone struggling to make ends meet during the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting lockdown that thrown millions of Filipinos out of work. “It does not mean that just because they are living in areas to be placed under GCQ, all of them will be able to go back to their jobs. Some of them still can’t work. Some of them have completely lost their jobs. They should continue to receive social amelioration from the government,” Reyes said. their Facebook posts to any person who could kill the President. The NBI also arrested a woman who created a fake account and used her husband’s name to threaten to kill Duterte. Meanwhile, the NBI has summoned Overseas Workers Welfare Administration Deputy Administrator Mocha Uson to explain the “fake news” she had sent out to the public, an official confirmed Thursday. “Yes, she is being investigated by our CCD [cybercrime division] for fake news,” NBI Deputy Director Ferdinand Lavin said. He said the bureau subpoenaed Uson as part of an investigation into “fake news” that was ordered by Guevarra, and that there were complainants against her. He said Uson was required to appear before the NBI on May 18 over her post about personal protective equipment.
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Gatchalian leads ABS-CBN probe By Joel E. Zurbano and Maricel V. Cruz
S
ENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian will act as presiding officer of a committee hearing on the issue of ABS-CBN broadcasting network.
Gatchalian thanked Public Services Committee chairman Senator Grace Poe for entrusting him the responsibility of presiding over the crucial legislation of granting provisional franchise to ABS-CBN. “As acting presiding officer, I feel that expediency is crucial as the Filipino people need access to vital information given that vast swaths of the population emerge out of the enhanced community quarantine,” he said. “Our people need information to guide us in this uncharted territory. In addition, more than 11,000 ABS-CBN employees need to return to productivity and earn a living in these uncertain times,” the senator added. Gatchalian assured the public on the
opening of the committee hearing immediately even if it falls on a Sunday “without prejudice to the formal transmission of the House of Representatives this coming Monday.” Senator Francis Pangilinan said many people want ABS-CBN to be back on air because its operation is crucial in ensuring the free flow of lifesaving information and in keeping the jobs of thousands of people. “We witnessed last night how our coequal chamber has fast-tracked the approval of the provisional franchise bill of ABS-CBN. In a few hours after its filing, the Committee of the Whole approved HB 6732 on first and second reading, and is expected to vote on it on third reading
early next week,” he said. Pangilinan said the move of the House of Representatives was a display of how measures in the chamber can easily hurdle, if the leadership wills it. “We want our courses of action to be right—from the bill’s landing at the House plenary to its transmittal to the Senate for our own deliberation—so that we will have a provisional franchise that is legally and constitutionally firm and unassailable.” According to the Constitution, Article VI Section 26. (2) No bill passed by either House shall become a law unless it has passed three readings on separate days, and printed copies thereof in its final form have been distributed to its Members three days before its passage, except when the President certifies to the necessity of its immediate enactment to meet a public calamity or emergency. “It is within the power of the House to set this right, and soon,” Pangilinan said. He added the nod of the House and the Senate will also not automatically al-
low the network to operate as the bill has to pass through the final approval of the President. “While we look forward to the provisional franchise, we hope to tackle in the near future measures granting the network a renewed 25-year franchise to finally resurrect its operations,” he said. Meanwhile, lawmakers in the House of Representatives lauded the initiative of Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano to grant shuttered ABS-CBN a provisional broadcast franchise up to Oct. 31 this year. Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez said the hearings on bills calling for the renewal or a fresh grant of a 25 year franchise to the radio-television network should start soon. “This will give ABS-CBN time and the venue to explain itself on accusations that it allegedly violated the terms and conditions of its expired franchise, labor laws and even the Constitution,” Rodiguez, chairman of the House committee on constitutional amendments, said.
IN BRIEF 80 boxes of liquor found in ambulance CAMP OLIVAS, Pampanga—An ambulance carrying 80 boxes of alcoholic drinks worth P131,000.00 was intercepted by lawmen at Barangay San Roque control point in Magalang, Pampanga late Wednesday afternoon. Police arrested two occupants of the emergency vehicle—Daniel Laxamana Dancel, 32, medical aide and John Raven Yamson Quizon, 23, helper, who both work at the Capas LGU. Police Lt. Colonel Henry Flores, Magalang police chief said the ambulance with body markings of New Clark City and Capas LGU (MS 5915), was flagged down by members of the 2nd Pampanga Mobile Force Company (2PMFC) conducting enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) checkpoint past 4 p.m. When checked, Flores said cases of Emperador brandy and Ginebra San Miguel were found inside the ambulance. The vehicle was heading Capas, Tarlac when intercepted at the police checkpoint. Police found an unlicensed caliber .45 pistol concealed at the driver’s seat. Jess Malabanan
NBI arrests trader for deadly alcohol THE National Bureau of Investigation has arrested a businesswoman for large-scale selling of adulterated alcohol in Manila on May 12, 2020. NBI Officer-In-Charge (OIC) Eric B. Distor identified the suspect as Cherrygil del Rosario Arriola, who was arrested in an entrapment operation by the operatives of NBI-Special Action Unit (NBI-SAU). Distor said that the case stemmed from an intelligence report on the alleged largescale sale of adulterated alcohol from suspect’s shop, CreativeLab Cosmetic Products, located in Sampaloc, Manila. According to the report, Arriola personally mixes ethyl alcohol and methanol to increase its volume. Methanol, by its nature, is highly corrosive and is a toxic substance not suitable for human consumption. Willie Casas
PhilHealth premium payment halt sought A LEADER of the House of Representatives on Thursday appealed to President Rodrigo Duterte to give reprieve to members of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), including doctors and other health professionals, given the economic hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. San Jose Del Monte City, Bulacan Rep. Florida Robes said only President Duterte can order to suspend the implementation of the circular increasing the Philhealth contribution of members, including doctors and other health workers, in view of the economic challenges created by the public health emergency. “(I’ll) appeal (to President Duterte) and Philhealth to suspend the implementation of Philhealth Circular No. 20190009 which took effect 7 December 2019 increasing the contribution of premium members, including doctors and health workers, in view of the economic challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Robes, chairman of the House committee on people’s participation, stated in her House Resolution 862. Maricel V. Cruz
DAR: 104 farmers post P22-m earnings DESPITE the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, 104 farmer-beneficiaries of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program are able to earn a gross of P22.93 million in just a month of selling their agricultural produce in “critically” affected areas in Eastern Visayas. Agrarian Reform Secretary John Castriciones described the farmer-beneficiaries delivering goods to COVID-19 “critically affected areas as front liners whose movements should be left unhampered.” Stephen Leonidas, DAR regional director for Eastern Visayas, said the agrarian reform beneficiaries’ organizations started selling their harvest in the last week of March, braving the dreaded COVID-19 to ensure the sustainability of food supply. He said their efforts paid off “handsomely four weeks later, with a total gross sale of P22,928,460.” Rio N. Araja
SWIMMING BAN. Members of the PNP-Maritime Group and Coastguards patrol the Manila Bay in Baseco district of Manila to keep residents from swimming in the area amid the enhanced community quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Norman Cruz
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Jailers urged to look after prisoners’ well-being By Rio N. Araja THE Commission on Human Rights on Thursday called on the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, and the Philippine National Police to look after the welfare of their prison populations against infection from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In a statement, lawyer-spokesperson Jacqueline Ann de Guia said the agecny through the interim National Preventive Mechanisms reached out to different detention and correctional facilities to help mitigate the risks of COVID-19. She said they wrote BJMP’s Bohol District Jails, Quezon City Jail and Manila City Jail; Philippine National Police’s station commanders; Caloocan City’s Bahay Pag-asa, and Bureau of Corrections’ San Ramon Farm in Zambonga City to remind to implement physical distancing among persons deprived of liberty and even jail personnel. “The INMP writes, that while there are recommendations from the UN Subcommittee for the Prevention of Torture (SPT) and the International Committee of the Red Cross requiring interagency actions, there are measures that wardens and officers in charge of places of detention may already undertake, such as implementing physical distancing among PDLs and other personnel; alternative visitation arrangements, including internet or telephone communications; information drives on ways to combat the spread of the contagion as well as attending to psychosocial concerns of all persons in jails, prisons, and other places of detention -- PDLs, staff, officers, and wardens alike,” the CHR statement read. De Guia said that even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the prison populations are one the most vulnerable given the conditions of detention—typically with poor hygiene, dramatic overcrowding and poor healthcare infrastructure within such facilities. “Such situation, if not addressed, may result to cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment or punishment, which goes against the country’s commitment to the UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UN CAT) and its Optional Protocol (OPCAT),” she added.
Commuters press for virus-free, roadworthy vehicles ELVIRA Medina, Chairperson of the National Center for Commuter Safety and Protection, Inc. has lauded the Department of Transportation for the release of public transport guidelines in cities under general community quarantine. Medina, a former director of wellknown hospitals in Metro Manila, cited the important features of the guidelines such as social distancing using seat markers, the availability of sanitizers, the mandatory use of face masks for commuters, drivers and conductors, and the sanitation of vehicles after every trip are im-
portant protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and to arrest the exponential growth of its transmission. “Commuters are the most important resource of the country, so we are working closely with the DOTr and the transport companies and cooperatives to ensure that we have safe and road-worthy vehicles for commuting,” said Medina. NCCSPI also supports limited transport mobility, and proposes the priority resumption of operation of industries engaged in Business Process Outsourcing and those located at Export Processing Zones especially
involved in food production since they are the highest contributors to the economy. The guidelines released by the DOTr places strong emphasis on upholding and reinforcing social distancing protocols and public safety measures. Public utility vehicles (PUVs) will be limited to 50 percent capacity, while drivers, operators and transport terminal workers must wear face masks at all times and employ protective measures such as the use of a plastic wall to separate them from passengers, installation of sanitization facilities in terminals, sanitization of PUVs after each trip, all the
while observing a strict one-meter physical distancing rule among passengers. Areas under GCQ since May 1 include Capiz, Aklan, Davao del Norte, Davao de Oro, Iloilo City and Aurora. By May 16, provinces and cities in region II (Cagayan Valley), III (Central Luzon), IV-A (Calabarzon), CAR, VII (Eastern Visayas), IX (Zamboanga Peninsula), XI (Davao Region), and XIII (Caraga) will also be under GCQ. Medina said that the two months of lockdown is an eye-opener that the current public transport system is unfit in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
BARMM schools may go online
ANTI-VIRUS SHIELD. Employees of a bus company in Cavite install plastic separators around the driver’s and passengers’ seats as an anti-virus protection as they prepare for the easing of restrictions on public transport systems when a more liberal general community quarantine takes effect in the province. Jr Josue
COTABATO CITY—Schools in the Bangsamoro region may yet shift to online or distance learning mode, even as education officials brace for the “new normal” amid the corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Education Minister Mohagher Iqbal of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao has called for and hosted meetings with education officials on the conduct of survey for the region’s Learning Continuity Plan (LCP). Haron Meling, Iqbal’s chief-of-staff, said BARMM’s Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE) also formed part of the Department of Education’s ongoing consultation on the country’s state of learning toward a new normal. Meanwhile, the Commission on Higher Education, for its part, started its nationwide LCP inputs survey on May 8. Consultation-series continues to provide a DepEd designated committee to deliberate on the most convenient alterna-
tive schooling modes applicable to various parts of the country, and that “options include distance learning,” Meling said. Meling said the DepEd’s management committee has already held five teleconference sessions since the consultationseries started in early March to come up with a workable LCP. Meling said education officials want LCP that would ensure that learning remained accessible even for students living in remotest areas. An official statement by DepEd said “LCP includes key features on K-12 curriculum adjustments; alignment of learning materials; various modalities of delivery; and corresponding teacher and parent/ guardian training for home-schooling.” Meling said that since some remote areas of the Bangsamoro region do not have good internet services to support online learning sessions, the committee wants to make class files downloadable or ready-to-print for the students. Nash B. Maulana
QC mayor calls on hospitals to protect health workers QUEZON City Mayor Joy Belmonte on Thursday called on all hospitals not only in the city but also in other parts of Metro Manila to assure the safety of their health workers amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. “We implore hospital owners and administrators to provide safer working conditions, more personal protective equipment and free virus testing to their staff and medical professionals,” she said. Failure to do so could lead to more COVID-19 cases, she said. Data showed a high infection rate of
COVID-19 among Quezon City’s residents who work in other hospitals, the city government said. “They are already overwhelmed and exhausted. We must do our best to protect them as much as they care for our people,” Belmonte said. Citing the latest data by the Department of Health, Belmonte said 390 Quezon City residents who are healthcare workers have been infected with COVID-19 as of May 11. The figure constitutes 24.7 percent of the city’s total COVID-19 cases, which stands at 1,578 on the same date.
Most of these affected individuals are doctors, nurses, radio technologists, attendants and drivers among others, who work in hospitals in other cities. Data also revealed that many of the city’s recorded cases could be directly traced to health workers’ family and household members. “Besides putting our own frontliners at risk, leaving them unprotected and untested may cause them to become carriers of the deadly disease to their family and community,” the city’s chief epidemiologist Dr. Rolando Cruz said. He said an example of such would be the
latest report where a health-care worker from Barangay South Triangle has tested positive for COVID-19 and infected some of her family members. Cruz suggested that hospitals should consider providing their staff comfortable temporary housing facilities, where the latter could opt to stay after duty. “A safe and convenient facility where they can rest physically and mentally would be beneficial. Being away from their family for the meantime will keep them from worrying that they’re putting loved ones at risk,” he said. Rio N. Araja
Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com
A4 FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2020
Business
NEDA proposes 25% corporate income tax starting July By Julito G. Rada THE National Economic and Development Authority proposed the reduction in corporate income tax from the current 30 percent to 25 percent effective July 2020 to help businesses recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. National Economic and Development Authority acting Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua said during the Sulong Pilipinas 2020 online briefing Thursday that the proposal to cut the CIT rate would apply to all companies. “We will propose [to Congress] the [across-the-board] reduction in corporate income tax from 30 percent to 25 percent immediately, or starting July 2020,” Chua said. Chua said NEDA would also propose that the net operating loss carryover be extended from three to five years and that losses in 2020 be credited to future tax payment. He said that for new investors, incentives should be targeted, timebound and tailor-fitted to attract the right types of investments. “For existing investors, there is no change in present incentives for the next four to nine years,” Chua said. He said that for countryside investors, tax incentives should be targeted and time-bound to support the “Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-asa Program,” an initiative to lure people living in Metro Manila to return to the provinces. Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III earlier pushed for the passage into law of the Corporate Income Tax and Incentives Reform Act to stimulate the economy by attracting more foreign direct investments. CITIRA aims to reduce corporate income tax rates by 1 percentage point every year from the current 30 percent to 20 percent by 2029. Chua said the proposals aim to help businesses during the pandemic. “This is where we are right now. But we have the best foundation to recover… Our macroeconomic framework has weakened but our fundamentals remain strong,” Chua said.
Meralco vows to adjust next monthly bill By Alena Mae S. Flores THE Energy Regulatory Commission and power retailer Manila Electric Co. said the next electricity bill will be adjusted to reflect the difference between actual meter readings and the estimates made at the height of the Luzon-wide lockdown. “Customers can rest assured that since the time meter reading resumed at the beginning of May, the true and actual readings already began to be reflected in the bills, with accuracy guaranteed,” Meralco spokesman Joe Zaldarriaga said. He said the meter reading was put on hold in the past months to ensure the safety of Meralco employees, customers and meter readers amid the coronavirus pandemic that placed Metro Manila under the enhanced community quarantine. Zaldarriaga said the bills of households with meters scheduled to be read from March 17 to April 30 were based on the customer’s average consumption in the previous three months. Meralco used the consumption of December, January and February as the basis of the computation. Zaldarriaga said that as some power rates of consumers went up based on the estimated cumulative consumption compared to the actual reading, the difference was eventually posted in the May billing. “But rest assured, the difference between the estimated three-month average and the actual meter read [after ECQ is lifted] is definitely reflected on the customer’s next bill and corresponding charges will be adjusted. You are assured that when all adjustments are made, you pay for only what you consumed,” Zaldarriaga said.
PSE INDEX
Thursday, May 14, 2020
28.45 points 5,654.70
TOTAL VOLUME TOTAL TRADES TOTAL VALUE ADVANCES DECLINES UNCHANGED
1,005,049,098 77,685 3,774,839,147.93 56 114 53
F oreign e xchange r ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2020
Currency
Unit
US Dollar
Peso
United States
Dollar
1.000000
50.2820
Japan
Yen
0.009342
0.4697
UK
Pound
1.223700
61.5301
Hong Kong
Dollar
0.129016
6.4872
Switzerland
Franc
1.028278
51.7039
Canada
Dollar
0.709522
35.6762
Singapore
Dollar
0.704523
35.4248
Australia
Dollar
0.645200
32.4419
Bahrain
Dinar
2.649217
133.207
Saudi Arabia
Rial
0.266241
13.3871
Brunei
Dollar
0.702050
35.3005
Indonesia
Rupiah
0.000067
0.0034
Thailand
Baht
0.031201
1.5688
UAE
Dirham
0.272279
13.6907
Euro
Euro
1.082200
54.4152
Korea
Won
0.000815
0.0410
China
Yuan
0.141024
7.0910
India
Rupee
0.013270
0.6672
Malaysia
Ringgit
0.231054
11.6179
New Zealand
Dollar
0.599200
30.1290
Taiwan
Dollar
0.033433
1.6811 Source: BSP
IN BRIEF Eagle Cement’s income falls 25%
NEW NORMAL. Members of the Metro Clark Advisory Council chaired by Clark Development Corp. president and chief executive Noel Manankil (left) and co-chaired by Mabalacat City Mayor Crisostomo Garbo (right) hold a meeting to discuss harmonized policies in preparation for the downgrading of the enhanced community quarantine. With them are other MCAC members, Angeles City Mayor Carmelo Lazatin Jr.; Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Jose Antonio Feliciano; Capas, Tarlac Mayor Reynaldo Catacutan; and MCAC Secretariat and Communications Division manager Noel Tulabut.
Construction of NCR infra projects resumes C By Darwin G. Amojelar
ONSTRUCTION works on flagship infrastructure projects resumed in the National Capital Region, according to the Public Works Department.
Public Works Undersecretary Emil Sadain said in a report to Secretary Mark Villar that civil works resumed at Bonifacio Global City-Ortigas Center Link Road Project, with the agency’s Unified Project Management Office strictly implementing safety guidelines. Villar earlier issued Department Order 35 which provides the framework and guidance for the implementation of infrastructure projects during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Interagency Task Force under Resolution No. 34 dated
May 8 gave the green light for the resumption of some construction projects with strict compliance to DPWH guidelines. The department said that following compliance to the stringent health and safety protocols, construction activities also restarted at Estrella-Panteon Bridge Project connecting Makati City and Mandaluyong City and Binondo-Intramuros Bridge in Manila which were 54-percent and 32-percent into completion, respectively. San Miguel Corp. also said the construction of the Skyway Extension project would resume on Friday after the issuance of guidelines by the IATF. SMC, through its San Miguel Infrastructure, is the concession holder of the Metro Manila Skyway. San Miguel said that with its contractor returning to the job site, the development would partially mitigate the delay in the delivery of the project which originally scheduled for December 2020. The construction of Skyway exten-
sion was halted for two months because of the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon. The company said, however, that it has yet to determine a new completion date, given that only a limited number of workers could be deployed by contractor EEI Corp. as part of the quarantine measures. The project is seen as a key to reducing traffic in southern Metro Manila, particularly the South Luzon Expressway and the Alabang area while allowing motorists from the south direct access to the elevated Skyway and beyond. “We have been given the go-signal by government to resume work on the Skyway extension, and while we cannot yet go full blast, we will do whatever we can to deliver this project as close as we can to the original deadline. We have to work smart, be efficient, and most of all, keep the workers safe,” said SMC president and chief operating officer Ramon Ang.
Pandemic bites into profits of JG Summit and DMCI By Jenniffer B. Austria CONGLOMERATES JG Summit Holdings Inc. and DMCI Holdings Inc. reported lower first-quarter earnings because of the impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic on overall businesses. JG Summit said in a disclosure to the stock exchange first-quarter core net income declined 19 percent to P4.3 billion from a year ago as revenues went down to P67.9 billion. DMCI Holdings said it recorded a 78-percent decline in first-quarter earnings to P616 million from P2.7 billion a year ago as all businesses delivered weak performances during the period. JG Summit said that while property and banking businesses delivered positive growth in the first quarter, food manufacturing business posted flat top line while petrochemical and airline businesses registered significant decline
in revenues. It said that excluding non-recurring items such as foreign exchange and market valuation losses and JG Summit’s P905-million share in Meralco’s impairment loss from its PacificLight Power investment, net income declined by 70.5 percent in the first three months to P1.9 billion from P6.45 billion. “Coming from a strong performance in 2019, the unexpected turn of events driven by the evolving global pandemic started to have a material impact to the JG Summit group in the first quarter of 2020. This includes travel restrictions early in the year that affected our airline, Cebu Pacific, and the stricter social distancing measures mid-March has further resulted in the closure of RLC’s malls and hotels, disruption in URC’s supply chain and delays in our Petrochemical plant expansion,” JG Summit president and chief executive Land Go-
kongwei said. He said that in line with the “new normal”, the group started the process of accelerating its digital transformation to deliver value and improve customer experience and provide a digital workplace for employees. Meanwhile, DMCI Holdings said that excluding a non-recurring loss of P414 million in the first quarter because of sales cancellations for a DMCI Homes project in Davao City and a net loss of P91 million representing the company’s share in the accelerated depreciation of Calaca Units 1 and 2 last year, core net income dropped 64 percent from P2.8 billion to P1 billion. “Our consolidated results were weighed down by operational headwinds, low market prices and the initial effects of the enhanced community quarantine,” said DMCI Holdings chairman and president Isidro Consunji.
EAGLE Cement Corp. said Thursday net income fell 25 percent in the first quarter to P1.2 billion from P1.6 billion recorded in the same period last year on decreased construction activities following the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon. Eagle Cement said in disclosure to the stock exchange first-quarter net sales amounted to P4.5 billion, down 16 percent from P5.4 billion a year ago. The cement producer, however, said cement demand was expected to pick up after the government allowed certain types of construction to resume in areas under the modified ECQ. “Now that construction projects have resumed in the midst of the ECQ, we expect the demand for cement to steadily pick up in the coming weeks,” said Eagle president and chief executive Paul Ang. “Eagle Cement is fully capable of providing sufficient high-quality cement, and we look forward to supporting both public and private sectors in their construction needs as areas in the Philippines shift to more relaxed community quarantine regulations,” he said. Jenniffer B. Austria
Bloombery’s profit slips 38% to P1.4b
BLOOMBERRY Resorts Corp., the operator and owner of Solaire Casino and Resorts, said Thursday net income declined by 38 percent in the first quarter to P1.4 billion from a year earlier, with the temporary suspension of casino operations in mid-March amid the enhanced community quarantine. Bloomberry said in a disclosure to the stock exchange consolidated net revenues went down by 13 percent year-on-year to P9.4 billion. Total gross gaming revenues at Solaire was P12.2 billion, down 10 percent as gaming revenues from VIP dropped 21 percent to P4.7 billion. Gaming revenues from mass tables and electronic gaming machines both declined by 2 percent year-over-year to P3.9 billion and P3.6 billion, respectively. “Our first-quarter results have been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Global economic activity and tourism have drastically slowed while the Philippine government’s enhanced community quarantine has resulted in the temporary suspension of Solaire’s gaming operations,” Bloomberry chairman and chief executive Enrique Razon Jr. said. Jenniffer B. Austria
Inlife launches digital insurance selling system
BANKING on its highly developed digital backbone, Insular Life launched the country’s first fully digital insurance selling system called Virtual Business Enabler. Under the ViBE platform, InLife financial advisers will be able to complete insurance selling without any face-to-face interactions with the client. “ViBE is a multiplatform system hinged on digital tools and innovative procedures,” said InLife senior executive vice president Raoul Littaua. InLife, as early as 2015, started putting in place the necessary technologies, such as the automated underwriting system to enable the company transition its business model into the digital age. The systems and tools at the disposal of InLife positioned the company to function and operate fully digital. “We are happy to note that our digital ecosystem, which we have painstakingly built over the years, is an enabler for our FAs to cater to the needs of their clients and to service them amidst the lockdown,” said Littaua. ViBE will allow clients to sign their policy electronically and to pay for their dues digitally or through online bank transfers.
58% of BPO employees now work at home By Othel V. Campos
HYDRATION DRINKS. Johnson & Johnson (Philippine) Inc. supplies 10 key hospitals with Vivity hydration drinks to help Filipino healthcare workers maintain their strength as they continue the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Shown are the medical staff of St. Jude Hospital and Medical Center after receiving Vivity hydration drinks.
THE IT and Business Process Management sector managed to sustain their operations by allowing most of their employees to work at home during the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon. The sector was able to continue operations and increase capacity throughout the ECQ period with the help of the Trade Department, the Philippine Economic Zone Authority and the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases. Interventions helped the sector improve productivity rate, with 58 percent of employees working from home and another 15 percent delivering work as part of the skeleton staff housed onsite or in nearby hotels. These figures were only at 40 percent and 10 percent, respectively two weeks ago. Recent findings also showed that
while travel and tourism sector continued to face challenges, sectors like healthcare, telecommunications, financial services and e-commerce saw an uptick in demand. The sector said that a couple of weeks into the ECQ, a framework towards a gradual exit was developed, discussed and shared with industry stakeholders. This guideline is a set of recommendations which individual IT-BPM companies could tailor-fit to their own transition plans as they exit towards a “new normal”. The dialog on rebalancing, reshaping and re-solutioning the future of the sector is another critical and expected next step, and one that requires multiagency, multi-industry and multisectoral cooperation to ensure the country’s continuing relevance in the global marketplace despite and amid the challenges.