Manila Standard - 2020 May 21 - Thursday

PH may swing to ’third wave’ • Duque claims ’2nd wave’ on • Cases breach 13,000 mark • No plan to reimpose ECQ COVID-19 PH AT A GLANCE

(AS OF 4 PM MAY 20)

13,221 842 (5 new) 2,932 (89 new) 9,477 279 NUMBER OF CASES DEATHS

RECOVERIES

ACTIVE CASES NEW CASES

By Willie Casas, Vito Barcelo and Joel E. Zurbano

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HE country is already dealing with the second wave of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)—and approaching a third wave—as health officials consider the first wave as the initial introduction of the virus by three Chinese nationals in January, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III told a Senate hearing Wednesday.

Duque also told the senators that preparations were already underway to mitigate the possible next surge in the number of infections.

VOL. XXXIV • NO. 88 • 2 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 THURSDAY, MAY 21, 2020 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Illegal med hub for Sino COVID patients closed

By Jess Malabanan, Othel V. Campos, and Rey E. Requejo

GROUNDS CLOSED. Guards from the Public Safety Division of Clark Development Corp. are deployed at the gates of the Fontana Leisure Parks while a policeman puts up a sign at a building with Chinese characters (inset) after CDC officials ordered its closure due to violations on allowed business activities inside the leisure estate in Pampanga. CDC photos

CLARK FREEPORT—Clark Development Corporation arrested two Chinese nationals and ordered the full lockdown of Fontana Leisure Park inside the Clark Freeport due to the illegal use of facility as treatment hub for Chinese patients with the deadly COVID-19.

The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Regional Field Unit of the Philippine National Police Region III, the Food and Drug Administration, and CDC swooped down on a villa in Fontana last Tuesday, May 19.

CDC said the illegal activity not only violated the law, but was also potentially dangerous to the patients due to the nature of the disease needing expert diagnostic treatment from qualified medical practitioners.

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Brazil daily virus deaths cross Quarantine for arriving 42k OFWs worries gov’t 1,000 but lockdowns opposed

By Vito Barcelo and Rey E. Requejo

RIO DE JANEIRO—Brazil recorded its highest number of coronavirus deaths in a day as Latin America began to feel the full force of the pandemic, while the World Health Organization agreed to investigate its response to the crisis.

With infections rapidly approaching five million, deaths topping 320,000 and the global economy devastated, there are fears

that the worst is yet to come for the poorer parts of the world as they desperately try to contain the spread of the virus.

There was an alarming surge on Tuesday in Brazil as daily COVID-19 deaths crossed 1,000 for the first time, but far-right President Jair Bolsonaro remains bitterly opposed to lockdowns, having Next page

THE arrival in the next few months of 42,000 more Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) might “overwhelm” quarantine facilities set up by the government, National Task Force COVID-19 chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez said Wednesday.

This as more than 13,000 OFWs stuck in hotels and cruise ships docked at the

Manila Bay may be allowed to return to their respective homes and provinces once their coronavirus tests results are released by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) this week, Malacañang said.

At the same time, the national government will expedite the processing and release of COVID-19 test results of OFWs to free up quarantine facilities and accommodate a fresh batch of repatriates expected to arrive in the coming weeks,

Sen. Villar gets flak over grant to middle class

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Cayetano sees ABS-CBN back on air by August

By Joel E. Zurbano NETIZENS on Wednesday denounced the statement of Senator Cynthia Villar, saying the middle-class workers should not be given financial assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic—but she quickly clarified her statement and apologized.

Villar said: "My statements during the hearing yesterday was not in any manner meant to be an affront to the hardworking middle class of the country.

I might have framed my questions and statements in such a manner that made it seem I was insensitive to the plight of the middle income sector. I am not.

Malacañang said.

Speaking to President Rodrigo Duterte during a late night address aired on Tuesday, Galvez said agencies were facing problems in ensuring OFWs move smoothly from testing and quarantine to their hometowns north and south of the capital.

About 30,000 OFWs have undergone polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing.

Of the 22,432 results that have been

By Maricel V. Cruz and Joel E. Zurbano

PASSING CHECKS. Motorcyclists line both lanes of the road at the Zapote district leading to Bacoor, Cavite and Las Pinas City on Wednesday as they pass through strict checkpoints, following reports that many motorists faked quarantine passes issued by the government to get past authorities. Norman Cruz and JR Josue

Duterte defends Sinas, says ’He will stay there’

By Vito Barcelo and Joel E. Zubano

replace Metro Manila police chief Maj. Gen. Debold Sinas, even though he violated quarantine protocols by allowing PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on his subordinates to gather for a surprise Wednesday said he would not fire or birthday celebration.

“You can say that the ‘law is the law.’

That is my responsibility. But I will not order his transfer. He stays there,” Duterte said in a meeting with some Cabinet members Tuesday midnight, May 19.

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HEARINGS on proposals to renew the legislative franchise of ABS-CBN will begin in the House of Representatives next week, with Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano estimating that its approval would be ready by August.

“I foresee that the hearings would not go beyond July, and by August, after President (Rodrigo) Duterte’s SONA (State of the Nation Address), we should be ready to decide,” he said Wednesday.

The President will deliver his SONA before a joint session of the House and the Next page Senate on July 27.

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News

THURSDAY, MAY 21, 2020

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DOJ runs after SAP anomalies T The DOJ through National Prosecution Service chief Prosecutor General Benedicto Malcontento made the order after complaints were filed before the DOJ against 23 barangay officials on Monday.

Apart from these complaints, the

DOJ official said he expects that more complaints will be filed against erring barangay officials.

In fact, the government is building up 110 cases against village officials allegedly involved in anomalies in the

distribution of SAP case assistance to lowincome households.

Malcontento said he expects similar cases would be filed before prosecution offices in the provinces. “(The) cases are all over the country not only here at main (office). I instructed all heads of offices all over the country to set these for preliminary investigation as soon as possible, to monitor (their) progress and report to us,” Malcontento said.

“This would not just be one case. There would be many cases all over the country so it is up to every city prosecutor to schedule the hearings,” he added.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra had already given instructions to prioritize the holding of a preliminary investigation on the criminal charges filed against these

PH...

doubt about government claims that it is flattening the curve of COVID-19 cases.

"We have to be honest. There must be a complete and reliable data," said the senator during the Senate Committee of the Whole hearing Wednesday.

Hontiveros cited a study from Johns Hopkins University stating that "flattening the curve involves reducing the number of new COVID-19 cases from one day to the next. This helps prevent healthcare systems from becoming overwhelmed."

The senator said that if that decrease in cases is how we can measure the “flattening of the curve,” then the DOH should also communicate if the country indeed is experiencing a decrease in the number of new cases daily.

"It's a simple measure that is also easily understandable by many. We need to be consistent in our data, and more importantly, in the data we relay to the public,” she said. “It is confusing if we have different measures of success.”

President Rodrigo Duterte, meanwhile, expressed confidence that a vaccine for COVID-19 would be available to all Filipinos by early 2021, as the government would purchase it as soon as it is developed.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said that clinical trials for an experimental vaccine being developed by the United States’ biotech firm Moderna, Inc. were showing “positive” results.

This developed as Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that the University of the PhilippinesNational Institutes of Health (UP-NIH) had recalled its locally-made coronavirus test kits over “very minor” defects.

During an online media forum, Vergeire said the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) saw the defects, which she didn't specify, when the test kits were sent for validation.

The kits were recalled so the UP experts could correct them, Vergeire said.

Roque reiterated that the government is ready to implement an immunization plan

once a COVID-19 vaccine is developed.

“We have come up with a concrete plan as to how we will implement the vaccination program as soon as the crisis is over,” he said.

Roque said the government would give priority to individuals who belong to the vulnerable sector, such as senior citizens and individuals with health risks.

“We’re praying that first and foremost, we will have a vaccine, and second, we’re praying that all can avail of it,” Roque said in a radio interview.

He said the vaccine would be offered free to the disadvantaged.

There is currently no cure or vaccine for Covid-19.

Meanwhile, Roque said the government has no plan yet to reinforce an enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in some areas after quarantine protocols were eased and allowed some establishments to reopen.

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) placed the National Capital Region and other provinces under a modified enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) and general community quarantine (GCQ) on May 16.

Roque said if the COVID 19 cases continue to rise, the IATF may reconsider placing some areas under lockdown, adding it would take at least 14 days for symptoms of the virus to appear in infected persons.

“It is too early because we know that there is a 14-day incubation period before we find out how many more are getting infected after they started flocking to malls,” Roque said.

The Palace appealed to the public to stay home unless it is necessary to go out, stressing that opening up malls and other industries does not mean that the COVID-19 threat no longer exists.

Duterte, in a public address late Tuesday night, warned of a return to ECQ should the rate of infection speed up.

Meanwhile, the presidential adviser for

entrepreneurship said the private sector will lead a study to determine the infection rate of COVID-19 in Metro Manila and Laguna.

During a press briefing Wednesday, Joey Concepcion said the zero prevalence test is part of the private sector-led Project ARK (antibody rapid test kits) initiative in coordination with National Policy Against Covid-19 deputy chief implementer Vivencio Dizon, Metro Manila mayors, and the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA).

A prevalence test would determine the number of infected people in a particular population at a given time.

“So every month, we will see if we are improving—if the level of infection is increasing or declining,” Concepcion said.

He said the study will be done for four months.

“The 16 cities of NCR (National Capital Region) plus Laguna will be taking this part of study (so) that we will measure the level of infection using rapid test kits.

This is going to be supervised by PSRC (Philippine Survey and Research Center) research firm,” he added.

Also on Wednesday, Duque said six hospitals that allegedly refused patients needing medical treatment have been sent show cause orders.

“The DOH is investigating these hospitals and has sent show cause orders asking them to explain,” Duque said in Filipino. So far, only three hospitals have sent letters of explanation, he added.

The DOH’s health facilities oversight board will convene on Thursday to deliberate the criminal and administrative sanctions that can be meted out against erring hospitals who refuse to treat patients.

In April, a 65-year-old man who had difficulty breathing died at home in Nueva Ecija after being refused by different hospitals.

President Rodrigo Duterte had earlier warned against neglecting patients needing medical attention amid the COVID-19 health emergency.

China has furiously denied the allegation, saying the US is making such claims to "shirk responsibility and bargain over its international obligations to the WHO." Russia has denounced Trump's threat, and the European Union has also backed the WHO, saying it was "not the time for finger pointing."

The row has threatened efforts to coordinate a global response to the pandemic, but the American president has dug in and continued to target China and the WHO as he faces intense domestic pressure to find a way out of the crisis.

The United States is the worst-hit country in the world, with nearly 92,000 COVID-19 deaths and over 1.5 million cases, and many are wearying of the social distancing measures that have hammered the world's biggest economy and left tens of millions unemployed.

Trump is keen to see an end to confinement measures in the US with the presidential election due in November, and his Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin warned the American economy risks suffering "permanent damage" the longer the lockdown continues. AFP

Quarantine...

expected return of more OFWs.” In an interview over ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC), Roque disclosed some 13,000 repatriated OFWs, or nearly half of those in the country, could "soon" leave quarantine facilities.

"There are now 13,000 (negative COVID-10) test results with certificates, meaning the 13,000 individuals would soon be allowed to leave the quarantine facility," he said.

In a meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte, taped and aired over state-run PTV4 late Tuesday night, Galvez said more than 27,000 repatriated OFWs were undergoing quarantine in various facilities in Metro Manila.

Roque earlier gave assurances the government would address the complaints of OFWs stuck in quarantine facilities beyond the mandatory 14-day quarantine period.

The Bureau of Quarantine, as of May 13, has been manning a total 80 quarantine facilities (58 are hotels or similar facilities, while 22 are cruise ships) covering 12,476 repatriates.

As of May 14, there were 32,264 repatriates from 362 vessels, 22,903 or 71 percent of whom have completed their respective quarantine.

Of the 8,130 land-based repatriates, 7,446 or 92 percent are still in quarantine.

All returning OFWs are required to undergo facility-based quarantine and testing for COVID-19 under the guidelines of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs has said 91 distressed Filipinos in Myanmar have been repatriated by the Philippine Embassy in Yangon.

In a statement, the agency said it did not and would never tolerate the said or similar activities inside the Freeport, 88 kilometers north of Manila.

CIDU3 director Colonel Amante Daro identified those arrested as Hu Ling, 44, hospital supervisor, and Lee Seung Hyun, 38, pharmacist, both temporarily staying at no. 627 Fontana Villa in this freeport.

The medical facility, Daro said, is along Florida Street. Fontana Villa, Fontana Resort and Leisure Park.

Daro said a suspected COVID-19 patient identified as Lee Wang was confined at the hospital during the raid.

They were taken to PNP Regional Office in Camp Olivas, City of San Fernando.

Aside from the operators who are now facing criminal charges, the CDC will also hold into account the management of Fontana for allowing this to happen within their property.

“We assure Clark stakeholders, the locators, local communities and residents especially, that we will not stop until all those involved are prosecuted and punished,” CDC said.

Daro said his office received a letter of complaint from one of the resort occupants, citing the existence of a hospital where a suspected COVID-19 patient was being treated there.

Acting on the complaint, Daro said his men coordinated with the Inter Agency Task force on Emerging Infactious Disease, Food and Drugs Authority and Department of Health to check and inspect the area where they found cubicles inside.

A pharmacy with stocks of Chineselabelled drugs purportedly intended for patients was discovered operational, said Daro.

He said representatives from the FDA and DOH seized the medicines and other medical supplies inside the pharmacy.

Criminal charges are being readied against the suspects including the owner of Fontana Resort and Leisure Park for alleged violation of the Republic Act 9711 and RA 2393 also known as Medicine Act of 1958.

Meanwhile, the Department of Justice on Wednesday ordered the Bureau of Immigration to assist in identifying and tracking down the Chinese nationals suspected to be infected with the coronavirus disease and sought treatment at an unauthorized medical facility in Pampanga.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said there was strong possibility these Chinese nationals, who were patients of the makeshift hospital, were still “dangerously roaming around.”

“I have instructed the BI to coordinate with the Philippine National Police/local government unit in tracking down these Chinese and other nationals who sought treatment from this unauthorized medical facility in Pampanga and who could still be dangerously roaming around,” Guevarra said in a text message.

classified as such were still salaried workers even during the pandemic.

But Villar clarified on Wednesday the middle class were the backbone of the Philippine economy and "I recognize the workers' contributions to the country and their families."

Villar said her intention was to clarify reports about the middle class workers who remained employed but had been included as among the beneficiaries of the Social Amelioration Program of the government.

She said Congress had intended the SAP funds to benefit the poor and the unemployed.

"Lawmakers made sure that we were clear about the targeted beneficiaries of the cash assistance. The workers who continue to receive their salaries during the quarantine were excluded as eligible beneficiaries because they did not lose their income even amid the strict quarantine setup," said Villar, the richest senator in the 18th Congress.

Last year, Villar, wife of former Senate president Manuel Villar, also drew flak for telling people not to eat galunggong if they could not afford to buy what was known in the Philippines as the "poor man's fish."

By Rey E. Requejo and Maricel V. Cruz

HE Department of Justice has directed all prosecution offices nationwide to give priority to the resolution of complaints filed against barangay officials involved in anomalies in the distribution of cash aid under the government’s social amelioration program.

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“The first wave was small. Now we’re on the second wave and we’re doing what we can to flatten the epidemic curve,” Duque said in Filipino.

“The worst case scenario here is that we will have a repeat of outbreaks, and we’ll have what is called a second wave —actually we’re on the 3rd wave. It will depend on the number of cases in the different areas,” the Department of Health chief told the panel in replying to a query from Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian.

Secretary Carlito Galvez, chief implementer of the national policy against COVID-19, told the same hearing that efforts to flatten the curve were effective, with the number of new cases averaging from 150 to 200 a day, with mortality rates declining.

“This means we’ve stabilized the situation,” Galvez said.

He added that testing capacity is continuously being improved.

But the DOH on Wednesday reported 279 new cases, bringing the total number of infections to 13,221, with nearly 9,500 active cases.

Five new deaths brought total fatalities to 842, while 89 new recoveries brought the number of patients who recovered from COVID-19 to 2,932.

For medical experts, however, the Philippines is still dealing with the first or current stream of COVID-19 infections.

“We’ve never flattened anything yet,” Dr. Benjamin Co, a specialist on pediatric infectious diseases who has been monitoring the country’s epidemiological curves based on daily government data, told ABS-CBN News. “We’re still dealing with the first wave.”

This next phase in a pandemic comes only with “humongous outbreaks,” and after the first wave of infections has come under control, Co added.

Senator Risa Hontiveros also expressed

Brazil...

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described them as unnecessary over a "little flu."

"Our country is going from bad to worse, it is getting worse," said retiree Gilberto Ferreira in Rio de Janeiro. "We have an inefficient government, and the people also do not obey the rules of the pandemic."

Infections in Brazil—already the thirdhighest globally—were climbing by the thousands, with the outbreak in the world's sixth-largest country expected to accelerate until early June.

The grim numbers from Latin America came as the World Health Organization agreed to launch an independent investigation into its handling of the outbreak after scathing attacks from the United States, which is locked in a feud with Beijing over the pandemic.

President Donald Trump has threatened to permanently cut US funding to the WHO, accusing the UN body of being a "puppet of China" and helping Beijing cover up the initial outbreak.

Cayetano...

Duterte...

“The deliberations by the committee on legislative franchises will continue during our recess. They will not stop until they are finished, so that no one can say we’re stopping the process or dragging our feet,” Cayetano said on ABS-CBN’s teleradyo channel.

The Speaker pointed out that the committee would look into “no more than 10 issues” in relation to ABS-CBN’s proposed new franchise, including the network’s alleged violations of tax and labor laws, breaches of the terms and conditions of its previous broadcast privilege, and Filipino ownership and foreign citizenship issues.

He said the committee on legislative franchises would have “full autonomy” while he and other House leaders focus on bills to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and post-lockdown measures such as economic stimulus proposals.

“We will have to multitask,” Cayetano said.

The Speaker said the committee would most likely hold two to three hearings a week.

Sinas had come under fire over a gathering during his birthday even as the rest of Metro Manila remained in lockdown where such social gatherings are banned. Photos shared by the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Facebook account showed Sinas being greeted by his team and guests gathering at buffet tables. The photos quickly spread on social media and drew harsh criticism, much of which focused on how Sinas had violated the very protocols he was supposed to enforce on others.

“In the case of General Sinas at the National Capital Region Police Office, I don’t want him transferred. He is a good officer. He is an honest man and the mañanita for his birthday was not his fault,” Duterte said.

The President also justified the nonwearing of masks, saying the policemen could not possibly eat had they worn masks.

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released, 465 have turned out positive, Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said.

“We have more than 13,000 who finished testing and now have certificates.

The 13,000 can be sent home already,” Roque added.

He also asked the OWWA to provide an inventory of repatriated OFWs still awaiting results of their tests in quarantine facilities.

The government has turned massive convention centers and sports facilities as patient care centers for OFWs and suspected COVID-19 patients.

Hotels and passenger ships are also being used as quarantine facilities.

As of May 14, there were 32,264 repatriates from 362 vessels, 22,903 or 71 percent of whom have completed their respective quarantine.

Of the 8,130 land-based repatriates, 7,446 or 92 percent are still in quarantine.

“We must expedite the results because we don’t have enough hotel rooms for our OFWs to stay in while they wait for their polymerase chain reaction test results,” he said in an interview over GMA’s Unang Hirit, beamed nationwide.

Roque said he would press concerned agencies, particularly OWWA, to process and release OFWs’ test results as early as possible.

He added: “My promise is that I will continue to badger all inter-agency, the OWWA, to find out and ensure that the results won’t take long, that they’re already being processed and being relayed because we need more space for the

Sen. Villar...

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“I am concerned and I look out for the welfare of the middle income workers.

If I have offended anyone with my statements, I humbly apologize."

During the Senate's Committee of the Whole hearing on Tuesday, the senator questioned the executive branch's decision to give financial aid to 18 million families, saying government should not provide financial assistance to the middle class because people

suspected erring barangay officials.

“The DOJ is giving priority to the investigation of complaints against barangay and other local government officials for irregularities or fraudulent acts relative to the distribution of SAP cash aid because these cases take on a sinister and disgraceful character, considering that money intended for poor hungry people is unlawfully taken away from them,” Guevarra said, in a text message.

As of May 17, the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) SAP monitoring report showed that 97 percent of the P100 billion SAP funds allocated for the first tranche of cash aid had been given to the beneficiaries from 17 regions.

Cavite malls reopen with new guidelines MALLS in Cavite province were allowed to reopen on Wednesday, a day after Governor Jonvic Remulla and mall owners met and discussed new guidelines.

In a Facebook post, Remulla said mall operations will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for local customers only.

Quarantine pass is needed among mallgoers, he said.

Security personnel have been ordered to manage properly people who are waiting outside the establishments.

According to Remulla, those who will visit groceries and supermarkets will be limited.

"One customer out, one customer in. This time is not your right, this is a privilege for your own good. Do not abuse this, as many other customers will need to buy their needs," he said.

"Frontliners priority lane will continue. You are our heroes. You are welcome in any mall anywhere," the governor added.

Remulla said if protocols inside malls would properly be implemented, the local government might also lift the liquor ban.

On Monday, Remulla directed the temporary closure of all shopping malls in the province, which is now under general community quarantine, due to violation of social distancing guidelines.

Benjamin Chavez

Illegal...

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News

Roque says he won’t apologize to reporter PRESIDENTIAL Spokesperson Harry Roque rejected the call of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines to apologize to a reporter for berating and cutting her off during a press conference for allegedly misquoting him on government’s coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) testing efforts.

“I don’t owe anything to NUJP. I’ve done work for NUJP, they probably owe me, I don’t owe them,” Roque said in an interview over ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC) on Wednesday.

The NUJP, in a statement, described Roque’s actions as “boorish and, as it turned out, misbegotten tirade.”

"Officials who earn public ire for their pronouncements should not blame journalists who are merely doing their jobs," the NUJP said. PNA

Postpone school opening, teachers urge DepEd

10 P’que streets under lockdown

By Joel E. Zurbano

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HE Paranaque City government placed 10 streets in Barangay Baclaran under a three-day ‘calibrated lockdown’ beginning today (Thursday) at 6 a.m. up to Saturday of 6 a.m. due the high number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus disease.

The streets include Bagong Sikat, Bagong Lipunan, Bagong Pag-asa, Bagong Ilog, E. Rodriguez, Bagong Buhay, Bagong Silang, Dimasalang Extension, Mabuhay, and 12 de Junio.

Mayor Edwin Olivarez said those streets were initially recommended by barangay health officers and selected by the city's health department based on the results of community-based testing conducted by the Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit.

The area is well known as the site of the National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, also known as the Redemptorist Church or Baclaran Church, dedicated to Our Mother of Perpetual Help. A mosque is also located in the area.

Baclaran, with a population of about 29, 000, also has a number of illegal and legal tiangges, which sell everything from clothes and electronics to home decors and traditional medicine, which

MAGUINDANAO 2nd District Rep. Esmael ’Toto’ Mangudadatu hails the marching orders of President Rodrigo R. Duterte to accelerate the implementation of the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) or the National ID in the country.

According to Rep. Mangudadatu, President Duterte’s directives to the Philippine Statistics Authority and other attached agencies to fast-track the activation of the national ID system is a welcome development for the country, particularly since the CoVid-19 pandemic has placed the nation at grave risk and of great uncertainty.

PSA aims to implement the ID system in the following months and is said to be targeting some five million households by end of the year.

“If President Duterte would allow it, I would like to offer the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) as well as Region 12, as pilot areas for the application of the national ID system,” said Mangudadatu.

occupied Coast Road and Taft Avenue.

The COVID-19 incident in the said areas was described as “apparently alarming and per our contact tracing, persons who were positive of the virus are occupyinpopulated and household proximities,” according to Olivarez.

Baclaran is among the three barangays that were placed last week “under immediate concern” by the city government, including San Dionisio and San Antonio after COVID-19 cases in the said areas surged over the weekend.

The city health office reported that 41 coronavirus cases on May 2. It recorded the highest of 49 cases last May 15 in Baclaran alone.

As of Wednesday, the city has a total number of 649 individuals affected by the virus and 42 deaths while 355 patients recovered.

BLOODLETTING.

The Philippine Army, in coordination with the Philippine Red Cross, the Philippine Blood Center, and Army General Hospital held a bloodletting activity on Wednesday, May 20, 2020.

In line with the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ guidance to hold scheduled bloodletting initiatives, said activity aims to supplement the insufficient volume of blood stored in blood banks due to the outbreak of COVID-19.

Norman Cruz

Bill promoting informal workers’ right okayed

Du30 lauded for pushing nat’l ID system

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THE Makati City government rolled out its P5,000-cash assistance to 114,828 qualified individuals, one week after the implementation of the Makatizen Economic Relief Program.

Under MERP, qualified residents are entitled to P5,000 cash assistance as part of the city’s relief efforts to mitigate the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I am happy to report that we have already rolled out our cash assistance to over 114,800 residents in just six working days. This has been made possible through the digital platforms we have utilized to reach more beneficiaries faster,” Mayor Abigail Binay said.

The city government has partnered with GCash for the contactless and efficient delivery of financial assistance to residents.

Binay said out of some 250,000 applications received since she announced the program, 142,267 have been approved. She added that around 10,000 applications were rejected by GCash due to incomplete and incorrect information submitted by the applicants.

She said that those with rejected applications will receive a call or text message explaining why their application was rejected, and what appropriate steps they can take to get approved.

“There is no need to panic because we have allotted enough budget for the program to cover 500,000 residents,” the city chief executive said.

Binay encouraged residents to apply online for the program via the Makatizen App or the www.proudmakatizen.com portal, giving assurance that the processing of online applications is now faster.

“Online applicants who qualify can receive their P5,000 in six working days after they register," she said. Joel E. Zurbano

TEACHERS want to postpone the school opening from Aug. 24 to 2021 for elementary pupils and high school students amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers Philippines and the Teachers' Dignity Coalition fear that teachers and students would face a bigger crisis if school opening would be pushed on Aug. 24.

"With the health and safety of our students, colleagues and millions of Filipinos at stake, and our commitment to ensuring the youth’s right to free and quality education, the ACT Philippines forwards a five-point demand that the government shall effect before school opens to teachers and staff on June 1 and to learners on Aug. 24. Rio N. Araja

A PANEL In the House of Representatives is poised to recommend the enactment of a bill promoting the rights and welfare of workers in the informal economy.

The House Committee on Labor and Employment, chaired by Rep. Enrico Pineda of 1-Pacman party-list group, approved seven measures on the subject and referred them for consolidation to the Subcommittee on Workers of Special Concerns chaired by Rep. Maria Fe Abunda of Eastern Samar.

Pineda said most of the workers from the informal economy were not able to benefit from the special amelioration program (SAP) of the government and emphasized the need for a magna carta so that the workers would not be displaced. Maricel V. Cruz

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Makati distributes P5k cash assistance to city residents

HARBORLINK.

DPWH's "Build, Build, Build" Committee Chairperson Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo, DPWH PublicPrivate Partnership Service Director Alex Bote, and NLEx Corp. Asst.

Vice President for Project Management Nelson Delos Reyes inspect the construction and the implementation of safety guidelines at the NLEX Harbor Link Tollway project along C-3 Road in Caloocan City. According to DPWH Secretary Mark Villar, the NLEX Harbor Link Project, which is expected to connect Manila and Quezon City within a 15 to 20 minute time frame, will be completed by June 15. Norman Cruz

IN BRIEF

THURSDAY, MAY 21, 2020

BI to use digital arrival and boarding passes

By Vito Barcelo THE Bureau of Immigration will launch an advanced passenger processing and information system and use digitized arrival cards and boarding passes for international passengers entering and exiting the country’s ports.

Immigration commissioner Jaime

Morente said the bureau is now preparing to implement digitized arrival cards and records for more effective passenger monitoring, amid the continuing outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“These new paperless travel control systems and procedures are just among several innovative protocols that we

QC partners with 2 labs for testing

By Rio N. Araja THE Quezon City government has partnered with the Quezon City General Hospital and Philippine Genome Center to hasten the processing and release of COVID-19 test results from its intensified community-based testing.

To date, Quezon City has 1,856 confirmed cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as of May 19, 7 p.m.

“As we increase our testing capacity, we need more laboratories that will process the specimen and speed up the identification of positive COVID-19 cases in our city,” said Dr. Rolly Cruz, head of the city's Epide-

miology and Surveillance Unit.

"Our target is to do 10,000 or more tests by the end of the month," he added.

While the Chinese General Hospital and Medical Center will accept and process 50 tests per day with a turnaround time of two to three days, the Philippine Genome Center, which can also process swab tests gathered from the communitybased testing centers, has recently received 2,000 PCR test kits donated to the Quezon City government by San Miguel Corp. and 13,000 rapid testing kits from Bloomberg, Ayala Corp. and other anonymous donors led by Project Ark.

will be introducing under a new normal environment during this pandemic,” Morente said in a statement.

The BI chief explained that the new protocols are designed not only to achieve social distancing by lessening person-to-person contact between officers and passengers, but also to facilitate contact tracing, if needed.

House panel OKs amendments to CITIRA law

By Maricel V. Cruz HOUSE of Representatives' Committee on Ways and Means on Wednesday House Ways and Means Chair and Albay Rep. Joey Salceda gave his greenlight to the proposed changes to the second package of the comprehensive tax reform program on corporate income taxes and fiscal incentives.

Salceda, the panel chairman, said the amendments were “aligned with my own analysis of what needs to be done.”

“I broadly agree with the amendments.

Actually, I proposed that we cut CIT faster to help Covid-afflicted businesses even before the changes were made. So, with that critical input considered, it fits what I believe should be the tax policy counterpart of the economic recovery plan. It’s P42 billion more money in hundreds of thousands of small businesses—wala pang delay sa implementation, kasi instant ang epekto sa bottomline.

The cut is effective July 2020, if the Senate can manage to pass it before we go on break this June.” Salceda said.

The changes to the second package of tax reform, which will now be named CREATE—Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Act—include an immediate cut in Corporate Income Taxes by five percent starting July 2020, up to 2022, to be followed by a one percent cut every year until the rate reaches 20 percent, 3 percent lower than the ASEAN average of around 23 percent.

Other amendments include a more universal net operating loss carryover provision, which will extend the carryover period of net losses in 2020 by two more years, prolonging the carry-over period from three to five years. This will allow firms to utilize net losses in 2020 as additional deductions to their taxable income from 2021 to 2025.

“The House originally came up with an enhanced NOLCO, but since the economy was doing okay then, we limited it as an incentive. Now all troubled enterprises, basta non-large, can avail of the provision.”

JINGGOY’S CASE.

Former Senator Jinggoy Estrada appears before the Investigation Division of the National Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday to present evidencSAe that he followed the government’s guideline on the enhanced community quarantine.

On May 2, 2020, the San Juan PNP invited the former senator to the police station to explain his alleged violation of ECQ rules when he distributed food bags to the people of San Juan.

Norman Cruz

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

A4

THURSDAY, MAY 21, 2020

PSE INDEX CLOSING Wednesday, May 20, 2020

26.11 PTS. 5,581.96

TOTAL VOLUME TOTAL TRADES TOTAL VALUE ADVANCES DECLINES UNCHANGED

316,582,385 73,475 3,299,090,967.15 84 88 40

F oreign e xchange r ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2020

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

50.7870

Japan

Yen

0.009282

0.4714

UK

Pound

1.224700

62.1988

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.129019

6.5525

Switzerland

Franc

1.029760

52.2984

Canada

Dollar

0.716794

36.4038

Singapore

Dollar

0.705916

35.8514

Australia

Dollar

0.652900

33.1588

Bahrain

Dinar

2.649217

134.545

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266347

13.5270

Brunei

Dollar

0.703433

35.7253

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000068

0.0035

Thailand

Baht

0.031358

1.5926

UAE

Dirham

0.272287

13.8286

Euro

Euro

1.092300

55.4746

Korea

Won

0.000816

0.0414

China

Yuan

0.140845

7.1531

India

Rupee

0.013221

0.6715

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.230097

11.6859

New Zealand

Dollar

0.607000

30.8277

Taiwan

Dollar

0.033420

1.6973 Source: BSP

PAL bleeds further, posts third straight loss of P10.3b

Business BIR, Customs collections down in first four months C

By Julito G. Rada

OLLECTIONS of the Bureau of Internal Revenue and Bureau of Customs in the first four months declined compared with the same period last year, pulled down mainly by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

Data from the Department of Finance on Wednesday showed total collections of the BIR from Jan. 1 to April 30 this year dropped further to P527.41 billion, P179.37 billion or 25 percent below what it collected year-on-year, as a result of the community quarantine measures in Luzon and other parts of the country.

The lockdown also prompted the agency to extend the deadlines for the filing and payment of income and other taxes to next month.

The actual BIR collections from Jan. 1 to April 30 are short of P1.02 billion or 0.2 percent of the target of P528.44 billion for the period.

Preliminary data from the Bureau of Customs, meanwhile, show actual collections dipping further to P179.44 billion from Jan. 1 to April 30, P14.11 billion or 7.3 percent lower than P193.55 billion collected in the same period last year.

The Jan. 1-April 30 collection of the BOC was also P27.15 billion or 13.1 percent short of the target of P206.59 billion for

the four-month period.

Collections of both the BIR and BOC from Jan. 1 to April 30 reached P706.85 billion, or P28.17 billion short of the target of P735.03 billion for the period.

The combined collections were lower P193.48 billion lower than P900.33 billion in the same period last year.

The BIR, which accounts for 78 percent of the state’s tax collection capacity, reported collections of P71.78 billion in the April 1-30 period. Compared with the April 2019 actual collection of P237.93 billion, the amount collected for April was 69.8 percent short.

BOC collections from April 1 to 30 amounted to P33.97 billion, which are P17.71 billion or 34.3 percent below the take of P51.67 billion in the same period last year.

They were also P22.57 billion or 40 percent lower than the April 1-30 target of P56.54 billion.

For April 1 to 30, the combined BOC and BIR collections totaled just P105.75 billion, or P183.85 billion lower than P289.6 billion collected in the same period last year.

They were also P25.25 billion lower than the combined BIR and BOC target of P131 billion for that period.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III earlier assured the Filipino people that even with the significant decline in revenue collections of the two agencies, the country remained “financially able” to meet the unexpected challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. President Rodrigo Duterte, he said, ordered economic managers since the beginning of his administration in 2016 to maintain fiscal discipline and exercise prudence in state spending.

By Darwin G. Amojelar PAL Holdings Inc. registered three consecutive years of losses due to stiff competition and increasing operating costs, a filing with the Philippines Stock Exchange shows Wednesday.

PAL Holdings, according to an audited financial statement for the year ending Dec 31, 2019, recorded a net loss of P10.31 billion in 2019, up 138 percent from a P4.33-billion net loss in 2018.

The company also posted a net loss of P7.33 billion in 2017.

“Stiff competition, matched with ever increasing costs, have caused the PAL Group to incur losses over the last three years,” PAL Holdings said.

The PAL Group, however, has lined up several revenue enhancement programs, cash generation strategies and cost control initiatives to improve the results of operations.

PAL Holding’s consolidated revenues amounted to P154.54 billion last year, up 2.7 percent from P150.48 billion in 2018.

Passenger revenues rose 4.2 percent due to additional frequencies and new routes, which resulted to the growth in passenger numbers, partly offset by lower cargo revenues by 8.2 percent and ancillary revenues by 5 percent.

Cargo revenues suffered a slight setback in 2019 due to reduced demand for cargo transport.

Expenses amounted to P151.66 billion last year, down from P156.46 billion in 2018.

“For 2020, amidst the COVID-19 challenges, PAL and PALex are exploring new sources of income while implementing cost saving initiatives,” the company sad.

“Both airlines continue to prepare for the resumption of flights, although likely on a much-reduced scale of scheduled flights, which will gradually ramp up as demand recovers,” PAL Holdings added.

IN BRIEF

Major construction works begin—NLEX NLEX Corp. on Wednesday said the construction works of its major projects resumed after receiving approval from government regulators.

“We have complied with the safety protocols laid out by the government for the implementation of infrastructure projects amid modified enhanced community quarantine,” said NLEX president and general manager J. Luigi L. Bautista.

The tollway company and contractors are taking all the necessary measures based on government health guidelines to promote the safety of workers while at the same time ensuring the continuity of projects.

These measures include rapid antibody testing of workers, strict observance of safety and hygiene protocols such as wearing of personal protective equipment and monitoring of temperature, compliance to physical distancing and provision of washing facilities at strategic locations. Darwin G. Amojelar

BSP: Fintech to play key role in economy BANGKO Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin Diokno said financial technology will play a key role in pump-priming the economy as it recovers from the onslaught of the coronavirus disease 2019.

Diokno, in a speech during the FinTech Alliance Digital Forum held May 20, said fintechs were uniquely positioned to support the country’s bid to shape a “new economy” that is more resilient, inclusive and technology enabled.

“The pandemic has revealed and brought urgency to necessary reforms around public health, social safety nets, disaster response, and countryside development. But what reinforces all these reforms is the digital imperative. There is no arguing that the new economy is digital,” Diokno said. Julito G. Rada

Electric co-ops suffer damage worth P170m

THE National Electrification Administration on Wednesday estimated the initial cost of damage incurred by electric cooperatives from Typhoon “Ambo” at P170 million.

Based on the reports received by the NEA Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Department, the typhoon caused damage to ECs operating in the provinces of Quezon, Marinduque, Sorsogon, Masbate, Western Samar, Eastern Samar and Northern Samar.

Northern Samar Electric Cooperative Inc. suffered the most with an estimated damage of P72.944 million, followed by Eastern Samar Electric Cooperative Inc. at P55 million, Quezon I Electric Cooperative Inc. at P23.729 million and Samar I Electric Cooperative Inc. at P6.476 million.

Initial cost of damage to Masbate Electric Cooperative Inc. was pegged at P6.379 million; Quezon II Electric Cooperative Inc. at P3.375 million; Sorsogon I Electric Cooperative Inc. at P1.340 million; Marinduque Electric Cooperative Inc. at P614,383; and Samar II Electric Cooperative Inc. at P356,199.

InLife offers free life insurance to workers INSULAR Life (InLife) will give away free insurance and hospitalization coverage to 110,000 essential workers to help secure them in case they catch the COVID-19 virus.

Called the “Chain of Protection,” the program will be bankrolled by the Insular Foundation and underwritten by InLife.

“As you know vaccines against COVID-19 have yet to be developed and yet, many of our essential workers continue to serve. We want to extend some form of insurance protection and hospital allowance while they still continue to discharge their duties to the public during the quarantine period,” said InLife executive chair Nina Aguas. Aguas is also the chairman of Insular Foundation.

While viral pandemic diseases are exclusions in a standard life insurance policy, InLife created Chain of Protection specifically to assist the vulnerable workers at this time of crisis.

Testing laboratory ready.

San Miguel begins COVID-19 tests on employees SAN Miguel Corp. has begun testing employees for COVID-19 as part of an extensive plan to reopen its workplaces safely and continue providing essential services to the public.

Swabbing is ongoing in key facilities of the company while work to build a dedicated testing lab is underway.

Construction is already 60-percent complete.

San Miguel said in a statement Wednesday it would also strictly implement workplace safety measures–from physical distancing, wearing of protective equipment, frequent hand washing to conducting temperature checks, among others–to prevent the spread of the virus and ensure the safety of employees.

“We are prioritizing, first, our security and other maintenance staff, as they are the ones who take care of our workplace. After them, we test our colleagues whose duties require them to report to

the office,” San Miguel president and chief operating officer Ramon Ang said.

“Initially we are looking at only 20% of our head office population to report for work. Majority will still continue to work-from home.”

Ang said testing at its other facilities, specially its food manufacturing plants in Cavite, was also set to start. Throughout the enhanced community quarantine period, teams of stay-in workers have been working around the clock at San Miguel’s food facilities to continue essential food production.

“We will also test close to 8,000 manufacturing and operations and management front line staff. We are also lining up testing at our Visayas facilities simultaneously,” Ang added.

Visayas and Davao testing will be on stream toward the end of May or early June.

Ang said once San Miguel’s dedicated PCR testing laboratory is up and run-

ning, the company will be able to test even more employees and help ensure their safe return to work. PCR testing is the gold standard for diagnosing COVID-19 because it is highly reliable and accurate.

“We are doing this in phases. The success with which we can quickly test a large percentage of our employee population over the next few weeks will be a key consideration in the timelines of our overall return-to-work plan. Currently, we are working with partner laboratories to process the tests, but once our lab is up, we expect to be able to process more tests quickly so we don’t burden the system and we can take care of our employees,” he said.

“Being able to test to identify who has the virus quickly, isolate them from the rest of the employee population and to monitor the workforce for indicative symptoms will allow us to emerge from this crisis strong.”Jenniffer B. Austria

Energy official sees flat electricity demand this year

By Alena Mae S. Flores

MEGA FACILITY. Century Properties Group joins efforts in the conversion of the Philippine Sports Stadium into a COVID-19 mega testing facility set to open today at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan. The facility is the designated northern sector swabbing center of the government’s ‘Test, Trace, and Treat’ strategy being spearheaded by the National Action Plan Against COVID-19 Deputy chief implementer and Bases Conversion and Development Authority president and chief executive Vivencio Dizon, along with the Department of Health. CPG is contributing a significant portion for the facility’s construction and operations.

ELECTRICITY demand in the Philippines this year will likely remain at the same level in 2019 amid the coronavirus pandemic, an Energy Department official said Wednesday.

“There was a slight increase in the first quarter of 2020 compared to 2019 but demand dropped in the second quarter,” Energy Assistant Secretary Redentor Delola said.

“For the third and fourth quarters, we will not reach the forecasted demand.

Probably same levels as 2019,” he said.

Philippine power demand rose 5.3 percent in 2019.Mindanao registered the highest growth at 8.6 percent, followed by Visayas at 8.3 percent and Luzon at 4.2 percent.

Daily peak demand in 2019 reached 11,344 megawatts in Luzon, 2,224 MW in Visayas and 2,013 MW in Mindanao.

Daily power demand in Luzon is forecast to reach 12,285 MW, Visayas at 2,419 MW and Mindanao at 2,278 MW. “For Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao,

we may not reach our 2020 projections.

We are at 2019 levels towards the end of the year. With zero economic growth, we expect little to no growth (also) for power demand,” Delola said.

The official said residential consumption increased during the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine starting mid-March.

“What happened during the pandemic was residential consumption went up but it could not compensate the decline from the industrial and commercial sector. That’s why we noticed demand went down by as low as 30 percent,” he said.

Delola said Visayas and Midanao power demand did not go down as much as Luzon in terms of percentage since residential consumers had long been the growth driver.

“As we slowly peak up, as we slowly normalize, we will go back to the normal trend but for this year, the impact is likely huge. In fact, we’re seeing there is no growth for the year, so we’ll remain at levels that we have at 2019 then by next year, the growth will be smaller,” he said.

Filinvest raised 2019 net income by 23% to P12b

By Jenniffer B. Austria CONGLOMERATE Filinvest Development Corp. of the Gotianun Group saw its net income increase 23 percent in 2019 to P12 billion from P9.8 billion a year ago, as core businesses in the banking, property, power and sugar businesses delivered strong results.

Filinvest said in a disclosure to the stock exchange Wednesday consolidated revenues rose 15 percent yearon-year.

The group’s real estate and hospitality business contributed more than half of the bottom line, while banking and financial services subsidiary, East West Banking Corp., delivered a net income contribution of P6.1 billion, up 45 percent.

The company’s power unit, FDC Utilities Inc., contributed P2.5 billion in net income, up 20 percent from the previous year.

“The year 2019 was a banner year for FDC. We met our goals for our core businesses, gained further traction in the new businesses and achieved record financial results. This was done through our continued focus on the delivery of products and services to the dynamic yet underserved middle market,” said Filinvest president and chief exuecitve Josephine Yap. “The COVID-19 pandemic, however, has put an unexpected pause to our 2020 plans. Our attention was diverted as we worked closely with the public and private sectors to mobilize resources towards health care, testing and community assistance. The foundations of the Filinvest group pledged P100 million to this fight. Nevertheless, the Filinvest group is in a solid position to address the forthcoming challenges posed by this crisis,” Yap added.

The conglomerate reported that developments were under way in its two major townships in Clark corridor, namely the 201-hectare Filinvest Mimosa Plus Leisure City and 288-hectare Filinvest at New Clark City.