Manila Standard - 2020 May 30 - Saturday

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Infections hit record at 1,046 DOH clarifies only 46 are ‘fresh cases’ based on its new method

VOL. XXXIV • NO. 96 • 1 SECTION 4 PAGES • P18 • SATURDAY, MAY 30, 2020 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

GCQ-READY. Preparing for the eventual shift to general community quarantine on June 1, the MMDA has erected concrete barriers that assign the leftmost lane to the exclusive use of bus units, a move that has led to monstrous traffic jams as of 4 p.m. on May 29, 2020. Inset shows Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., Chief Implementer of the National Task Force on Covid-19, and Health Secretary Francisco Duque joining members of the task force during a meeting with President Duterte the other night.

By Willie Casas HE country’s new confirmed COVID-19 cases almost doubled to 1,046 on Friday from Thursday’s 539, setting a new record for the highest single-day surge since the pandemic began, and bringing the total number of cases to 16,893.

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However, the Department of Health said only 46 cases or less than 5 percent of the total number of new cases were “fresh cases” – a new term used by the DOH as it decided yesterday to change its reporting method on confirmed virus infections.

“Starting today (Friday), we will change the way we report our cases.

We will now divide the number to show which as fresh or newly-validated cases and which are late or delayed,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said.

She cited as example Thursday’s 539 new cases, of which she said only 109 were “fresh cases” or those confirmed Next page

Palace defends GCQ move, cites need to boost economy

By Vito Barcelo, Darwin G Amojelar, Rio N. Araja and Vito Barcelo MALACANANG on Friday defended its decision to place Metro Manila under a general community quarantine (GQC), which will ease quarantine restrictions by June 1, despite the continued rise in COVID-19 cases.

“We need to jumpstart the economy… the government cannot let its citizens stay out of work for too long,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque said after President Rodrigo Duterte approved the shift to a GCQ Thursday night.

Roque also said the government can no longer provide financial assistance to the people, saying there are not Next page

‘School tuition must be paid on installments’

Also gearing up for the more relaxed GCQ include train commuters (represented

by Army reservists and railway employees) who take part in a simulation of physical distancing and construction workers who are properly equipped to go back to work.

WORLD ROUNDUP

• Prospects grim for diabetics • SoKor limit

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte appealed to schools Thursday night to offer installment payment options for students, recognizing how their parents are hard-pressed in finances due to the community quarantine brought about by the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

In a televised meeting with Cabinet officials, Duterte also ordered the state-run Land Bank of the Philippines (Land Bank) to provide loans to students, especially those who could not afford to pay their tuition at all.

Duterte assured parents who may have lost their jobs due to the pandemic that their children would still be able to pay their tuition with loans offered by the Land Bank.

ONE in 10 diabetics with coronavirus dies within seven days of hospital admission, according to a study of more than 1,300 patients published Friday in the journal Diabetologia.

Two-thirds of the patients were men, and the average age across both sexes was 70, the study found.

“The presence of diabetic complications and increased age increase the Next page

COVID-19 PH AT A GLANCE

Next page

Septuagenarian couple: Lovebirds in lockdown “YOU can take off your mask and kiss the bride,” the priest said, as a septuagenarian US couple who spent the pandemic lockdown together after a single date married on Thursday.

“In normal circumstances, we would still be

Next page

Bello: Only 5k OFWs left out

By Vito Barcelo AT LEAST 5,000 migrant Filipino workers are still in quarantine facilities in Metro Manila, although more than 19,000 of the stranded 24,000 have been sent home, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said Friday.

“We are just short by about 5,000 who are still waiting to be transported to accomplish what we were tasked to

do. As of last night, we were able to facilitate sending home 19,010 [workers],” Bello said.

President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday ordered local executives to attend to the hospitalization of Filipinos found positive for COVID-19, and promised to shoulder the cost.

“This is really an order of the national government to the local governNext page

(AS OF 4 PM MAY 29)

16,893 TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES

1,046 NEW

46

FRESH

942

21

3,720

122

DEATHS

RECOVERIES

NEW

NEW

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News

SATURDAY, MAY 30, 2020

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Repeal of Bayanihan law eyed ENATE Minority Leader Franklin Drilon wants to repeal a section of the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act which punishes quarantine violators to prevent abuses in its implementation following the COVID-19 pandemic.

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“I have extreme reservations about renewing Section 6 of RA No. 11469 because of what we have seen as the way it is implemented by those who are in charge,” Drilon said in a Senate hearing.

“We have seen how law enforcers have used this provision to arrest people for acts which otherwise would not justify arrest without warrants.

“The alleged violators are mostly the poor and vulnerable who are driven by hunger and the lack of jobs.”

Philippine National Police Chief Archie Gamboa, who attended the hearing, did not oppose the proposed repeal.

Bills’ swift passage urged

eral bills aimed at mitigating the damage wrought by the community quarantine that saw the economy come to a standstill.

He asked President Rodrigo Duterte to call for a special session of Congress to a special session “to pass critically needed economic measures to boost the economy” that practically collapsed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Salceda, tagged as the “apostle of total lockdown” in the House, had always advocated total lockdowns and similar draconian measures to contain the spread of the pandemic.

More hirings

Quezon City Rep. Precious Castelo on Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, head of the Friday urged the Health department to House’s ways and means committee, hire 13,000 more health care personnel as is pushing for the swift passage of sev- authorized under its budget this year.

Septuagenarian...

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Infections...

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dating,” said Linda Delk, 72, her hand clutching that of her husband Ardell Hoveskeland, 78.

But the novel coronavirus forced them to shift into high gear while their relationship was still in its infancy.

The couple, both of whom were still grieving the loss of a spouse in 2019, met for the first time in late February at the Peace Lutheran Church in Alexandria, near Washington.

“We met on pancake Tuesday (Shrove Tuesday) at the church,” said Delk.

“He greeted me, I liked him, we helped clean up together afterward.”

The next week, at another church event, “we were at the same table, we had a chance to talk some more,” said Hoveskeland, a former urban transportation engineer.

within the past three days, while the bulk were old validated cases that were belatedly added to the tally.

The DOH said that as of Friday, the death toll stood at 942 with 21 new deaths, while 122 more patients recovered, bringing the total number of COVID-19 survivors to 3,720.

Of the total number of cases, only 11,069 are active cases, broken down as follows – 10,240 mild, 54 severe, 24 critical and 751 asymptomatic.

Vergeire acknowledged that Thurs-

They agreed to meet for lunch.

“We got out to a lunch one time.

It’s the single date we have had,” said Hoveskeland. AFP

‘School...

From A1 “We are hard-pressed in our finances but we have to place the premium of education. This would be another round of expenses but Land Bank is there to help you,” he said.

To ensure that the Land Bank would comply with his order, he asked the state-

She said the department had 72,479 permanent positions of which 59,427 were filled, leaving a balance of 13,058.

“Since appropriations for government salaries are released in full, including those for vacant positions, the DOH should have the funds to hire additional personnel to complete its staff,” Castelo said.

This developed as three party-list legislators, Reps. Presley de Jesus of Philreca, Sergio Dagooc of APEC, and Adriano Ebcas of Ako Padayon Pilipino filed House Resolution 906 urging the Health department to ensure the continued safe implementation of the National Immunization Program for children despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Monitoring system

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Friday urged the government to use the Community-Based Monitoring System Act to ensure efficient distribution of the second tranche of the Social Amelioration Program.

Five million more poor families have been added to the list of beneficiaries who will receive the second wave of cash assistance under the national government’s SAP. Gatchalian said the CBMS law would correct the inefficiencies in the past two months of SAP delivery and ward off irregularities and corruption among local officials who would be disbursing the cash.

Appeal for subsidy

The fishermen’s group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas said Friday the government’s financial subsidy must continue even under the softer GCQ. “Economic activities including transportation are still limited under the GCQ, affecting a significant number of ordinary workers who barely make ends meet. Government subsidy and relief aid should not stop with the lifting of the ECQ,” Fernando Hicap, PAMALAKAYA national chairman, said in a statement.

day’s figure may have frightened the public as it was released hours before President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the shift to more relaxed general community quarantine for Metro Manila and other provinces previously under a modified lockdown.

“We know that the technical aspect of the numbers that we release may lead to misunderstanding and may cause fear that we might return to an Enhanced Community Quarantine,” she added.

Of the 539 cases posted Thursday, the National Capital Region accounted for 61 percent or 330 cases.

The DOH earlier attributed the sudden spike in the number of new cases

to the results from the swab tests on repatriated overseas Filipino workers, calling it an “artificial rise.” However, repatriated OFWs only accounted for about 10 percent or 55 cases out of Thursday’s total number.

Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs said 24 more OFWs were infected, placing the total tally of COVID-19 cases among overseas Filipino nationals at 2,845.

As of Friday, some 1,558 Filipino patients abroad were undergoing treatment for COVID-19, broken down as follows by region: 139 in the Asia Pacific Region, 467 in Europe, 682 in the Middle East and Africa and 270 in the Americas.

owned bank to prepare a daily report on the loans released to beneficiaries.

Earlier, the Land Bank announced that it launched Academe, a lending program to extend credit to private high schools, private technical-vocational education training institutions, colleges and universities in a “study now, pay later” scheme.

“Given the financial constraints brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, Land Bank is financing interventions to

ensure that students will be able to enroll in school when classes finally resume,” Land Bank president and CEO Cecilia Borromeo said in a statement.

The loans carry an interest rate of 3 percent per annum and are payable “based on the maturity of the sub-promissory notes but not to exceed three years.”

Land Bank set aside P3 billion for the lending program, which will be available until June 30, 2021.

With the opening of classes all set for Aug. 24, Duterte commended Education Secretary Leonor Briones for the plan to provide “blended and distance learning” modalities for students to comply with his desire not to allow face-to-face classes until a vaccine against COVID-19 is available.

Palace...

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“You know, we are also balancing the need of our people to work,” Roque said.

Roque also said that the country’s case doubling time and critical care capacity have increased considerably during the months of strict community quarantine.

The shift comes as COVID-19 cases continue to rise, but the Health Department attributed the sudden surge in new cases to its increased capacity to validate more cases.

Under the GCQ, almost all sectors will be allowed to operate on a limited capacity after more than two months of lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Public transportation

The Transportation Department announced the resumption of limited public transportation, including air and sea travel after Malacanang said Metro Manila and other provinces would fall under a GCQ by June 1.

Bello:...

From A1 ments: Help, do not deny, and you must expedite the hospitalization until he is cured. No problem about payment, I will pay,” Duterte said.

In Eastern Visayas, a migrant worker and four others have tested positive for COVID-19, the Health department said.

Patient EV-36, a 31-year-old male from Hilongos, Leyte, was a cruise ship worker who arrived in Tacloban City via an airplane on May 25.

The Ministry of Health of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, meanwhile, earlier recorded 11 COVID-19 cases in the region.

Minister Saffrullah Dipatuan said these new cases were among the 16 students from Cebu who availed them-

World...

From A1 risk of death,” the researchers said in a statement.

“Increased BMI” – body mass index, a ratio of height to weight – “is associated with both increased risk of needing mechanical ventilation and with increased risk of death,” they said.

So-called microvascular complications – affecting the eyes, kidney and nerves – were found in nearly half of the patients, who were admitted to 53 French hospitals from March 10 to March 31.

Problems related to larger arteries in the heart, brain and legs were reported in more than 40 percent of the patients.

Other significant risk factors included heart disease, high blood pressure, and a history of lung disease.

The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide is approaching six million, with the actual number thought to be an order of magnitude higher. More than 354,000 deaths have been registered.

Sokor limits school numbers over virus spike

South Korea on Friday imposed limits on the number of pupils going to schools in and around Seoul as officials scramble to tackle fresh coronavirus cases that threaten the country’s success in containing the epidemic.

Only one in three pupils at kindergartens, elementary and middle schools in the Seoul metropolitan area – home to half the population – will be allowed to physically attend school each day, authorities said, with the others remote learning.

And a total of 502 schools near locations linked to cases in the capital area will remain closed to all pupils, a ministry official told AFP. Social distancing rules were relaxed and the country was returning largely to normal until this week, when it reimposed some measures in the capital and the surrounding region following fresh clusters of cases.

The South on Thursday reported its biggest spike in new infections in nearly two months.

Bazil: Record number of virus cases

Brazil registered a new record in COVID-19 cases and more than 1,000 dead in a 24 hour period, according to official figures.

According to Health Ministry data, 26,417 new cases were confirmed in a 24 hour-period ending late Thursday.

In that same period Brazil experienced its third highest number of virus deaths since the start of the pandemic: 1,156, bringing the total death toll to 26,754, the sixth highest in the world. AFP “The approach of DOTr is partial, gradual and calculated, and more importantly by phases,” Transport Secretary Arthur Tugade said.

Tugade said the agency is concentrated on international flights in and out of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, but once the transition to a GCQ begins, international gateways will expand to include Clark, Cebu and Davao.

Tugade said the government is building testing laboratories in Clark and Cebu.

He also said additional international gateways such as Zamboanga, Iloilo, Bacolod and Bohol will be added in the next two weeks.

“This is one way of decongesting what is happening right now in NAIA 1,2,3 and 4,” Tugade said.

Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific and Air Asia welcomed the opportunity to resume regular commercial operations under GCQ status starting June 1.

“PAL is closely coordinating with local and national government authorities on the necessary implementing rules and arrangements to finalize our routes and flight schedules. We intend to start with limited flights on selected routes,” PAL said.

AirAsia also plans to gradually resume domestic operations by June.

selves of the national government’s offer to take them home.

Bello said the remaining workers still in quarantine facilities would be sent home next week.

Earlier, Duterte gave Labor officials one week to send home some 24,000 repatriated workers stuck for weeks on cruise ships or in coronavirus quarantines in Metro Manila.

The move to expedite sending them home was triggered by Duterte’s threat to reshuffle the Labor department if the workers remained in quarantine facilities despite having certificates of good health.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Duterte had received complaints about the plight of workers still waiting for their coronavirus test results in quarantine and isolation centers.

News

SATURDAY, MAY 30, 2020 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

DOE warned vs buying P2.8-B Malampaya shares THE Bayan Muna group warned Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi not to go on with plans of purchasing the P2.8 billion shares of tycoon Dennis Uy at the Malampaya consortium, and cautioned the official will be held accountable to the public about the supposed ‘risky investment.’

According to Bayan Muna Chairman Neri Colmenares, buying shares in the Malampaya consortium can be considered a ‘senseless waste of public funds,’ in the wake of the huge financial crisis the country is facing due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Sec Cusi should oppose such buyout considering the government claim that we have a funding crisis. We warn Sec. Cusi not to waste government funds on risky investments in the midst of the pandemic as this will make him accountable for such loss,” Colmenares said in a statement.

A published newspaper article revealed the DOE’s plan to buy 10 of the 45 percent shares of Uy in Malampaya worth P2.8 billion, which Cusi claimed is a huge investment earning for the government.

But Colmenares doubts if investing is really the intension of the government in buying the shares of Uy, who, according to the Bayan official, is just being bailed out by the administration from the number of creditors running after him.

Colmenares even cited the June 30, 2020 ultimatum given by BDO to Uy in resolving the debt equity ratio of his P6 billion loan in 2017 and P300 million loan from 2014. The figures are apart from Uy’s P1.9 billion loan from Landbank, P25 billion loan from the Bank of China, and another one from the Philippine National Bank.

“While government is burying us in debt and discontinuing important projects to realign funds for the COVID response, the DOE is investing public funds in a questionable investment by Dennis Uy, who is reportedly being asked by his creditors to pay off his overdue obligations. If this is intended to help alleviate Uy’s cash strapped predicament, then this is certainly a misuse of public funds for Malacañang’s favored friends” Colmenares said.

Colmenares added that Cusi should inhibit himself in various transactions involving Uy’s companies, citing that in 2017 the Chelsea Logistics Holdings Corp (CLC) of Uy bought the Starlite Ferries Inc. owned by the family of Cusi.

IN BRIEF PAL set to resume normal flights under GCQ LEGACY carrier Philippine Airlines is now preparing to resume normal flight operations after the government eased restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“PAL welcomes the opportunity to resume regular commercial operations following the Philippine government decision to upgrade certain areas of the country, including the National Capital Region (Metro Manila), to General Community Quarantine (GCQ) status starting June 1,” said PAL spokesperson Cielo Villaluna.

She said PAL is closely coordinating with local and national government authorities on the necessary implementing rules and arrangements to finalize our routes and flight schedules.

“As soon as these are finalized, we shall inform the public of the flights and routes we shall operate,” said Villaluna.

Joel E. Zurbano

LOST AND FOUND. Streetchildren hold onto several license plates they’ve found in the floodwaters of Riverside Drive Tunnel along

Magallanes Driver on Intramuros, Manila. Some of the plates have four digits, indicating the cars are of latest make. Andrew Rabulan

PH judiciary shares ‘new normal’ to ASEAN neighbors T

By Rey E. Requejo

HE Supreme Court has shared with leaders of judiciary in the three Association of Southeast Asian Nations its so-called “new normal” in dispensing justice during the new coronavirus pandemic.

During the first webinar about “Justice in times of COVID-19” hosted by the Judicial Integrity Network in ASEAN, the Supreme Court through Court Administrator Jose Midas Marquez told participants how Philippine courts continue to function and dispense justice during the coronavirus pandemic.

Under the new normal for the Philippine judiciary, Marquez said that 22,522 persons deprived of liberty have been released through videoconferencing hearings.

Aside from Marquez, those who also participated as speakers during the virtual seminar were Sundaresh Menon, Chief Justice of Singapore; Judge Andriani Nurdin, Vice President of the High Court of Jakarta; and Tan Sri Azahar Mohamed, Chief Judge of Malaya.

The virtual forum was moderated by

(Ret.) Acting Chief Justice and Justice of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka Shiranee Tilakawardane.

All the magistrates acknowledged how their respective judiciaries utilized technology so as not to disrupt judicial work and operations to ensure access to justice, transparency, and fair trials especially during this time when physical distancing is strictly being enforced.

In his presentation entitled “Virtual Courts in Response to COVID-19: The New Normal for the Philippine Judiciary,” Marquez took pride in sharing how the Philippine courts pilot-tested virtual hearings to combat the challenge of jail congestion even way before the lockdown in the country which began in March.

Approved in June last year, Marquez said the Guidelines on the Use of Videoconferencing Technology for the Remote

Appearance and Testimony of Certain Persons Deprived of Liberty, or PDLs, in Jails and National Penitentiaries were implemented and pilot-tested three months after, or in September 2019 in Davao City courts. The virtual hearings were limited to 22 courts until COVID happened.

In March this year, Chief Justice Diosdado M. Peralta, in response to the “exponential spread of Covid-19 cases in the country,” issued Administrative Circular 31-2020, and ordered that all 2,630 courts nationwide to drastically reduce operations and to maintain only the necessary skeletonstaff to immediately act on urgent matters brought before them. But he emphasized that the Constitution and the laws were not suspended, and that the “courts are not shutting down in times of emergencies.”

Taking off from the Davao experience, the SC, on the order of Chief Justice Peralta, immediately provided some 1,000 trial courts in key cities nationwide with official Philippine Judiciary 365 accounts each. The Philippine Judiciary 365 has enabled all court stations nationwide to receive pleadings electronically and select courts in key cities to conduct video conferencing hearings.

House okays Romualdezes’ bill on creation of EVDA

By Maricel V. Cruz

SURVIVING. Wearing a face mask inspired by Guy Fawkes, a person with disability peddles his wares in the streets of Manila on May 29, 2020, unfazed by the noonday heat and the threat of virus infection. He says he has a family to feed. Jr Josue

BARMM out to win war vs COVID-19

By Nash Maulana COTABATO CITY—The Bangsamoro is determined to “win the battle” against an “unseen enemy” in Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Health authorities said the first of the Bangsamoro government’s series of hard responses against the spread of the dreaded disease has been the upgrading of local medical facilities, which will enable the Cotabato Regional Medical Center to conduct laboratory-based tests on potential COVID-19 carriers.

On Thursday, Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Al-Hadj Murad Ebrahim of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao officially turned over a 1,000 square-meter 100-bed capacity isolation facility in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao.

A ranking Moro health official said “what COVID-19 did not see in us is our ability to respond as a people. In times of

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crisis, the Bangsamoro stood tall; he responded beyond what is expected of him, and most of all he has not surrendered to lose to the unseen enemy, but fought back and made the necessary actions.”

BARMM Public Works Minister Eduard Uy Guerra, an architect by profession, said the modern facility had been constructed in 40 days preceding its official inauguration on May 28.

Dr. Safrullah Dipatuan, BARMM Health minister, said the construction of the isolation center inside the Cotabato Sanitarium Hospital Complex, followed the National Interagency Task Force’s accreditation of the CRMC as alternative national testing center for symptomatic and asymptomatic patients.

Earlier, the BARMM chief minister signed up for a P 14 million Memorandum of Agreement with CRMC, represented by its director, Dr. Helen Yambao, to upgrade the hospital’s medical facilities amid the pandemic.

THE Samar-Leyte area will be a major economic hub once the Eastern Visayas Development Authority bill is enacted.

The House of Representatives on Thursday night approved on second reading House Bill 6869 or the bill that calls for the creation of the proposed agency tasked to spearhead investment promotion and implement economic development strategies in Region VIII. The bill was contained in committee report 339 of the House committee on government enterprises and privatization chaired by Parañaque City Rep. Eric Olivarez.

Tingog party-list Rep. Yedda Marie K. Romualdez and her husband, House Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez are the principal authors of the approved measure, otherwise known as an Act Creating the EVDA, Defining its Powers and Functions, Providing Funds Therefore and for Other Purposes.

The Romualdez couple thanked their colleagues for acting on the passage of the bill aimed at ensuring significant and widespread development in Region VIII to be felt by ordinary people.

By Joel E. Zurbano

“With EVDA, we can ensure that our investment priorities and promotion strategies are in sync with our development needs and our regional strengths such as our geographical location, our skilled human resources, and our immense tourism potentials,” said the Romualdezes.

They said the proposal will also serve as proof of their commitment to empower the local government units in Eastern Visayas.

“For example, a foreign investor interested in investing in Eastern Visayas need not go to all the local government units in the regions or to a disinterested national government agency.

He doesn’t even have to be in Tacloban. But through EVDA, one can get the right and concise information and support that he or she needs,” the two legislators said.

There is a need for the people of Eastern Visayas to “build our confidence in the future,” they added.

They said that Eastern Visayas is very important to the country’s economy being located at the very heart of the Philippines, with the islands of Samar and Leyte serving as island bridges between the country’s northern island of Luzon and the southern region of Mindanao.

Designate parking space for bicycles—Recto SENATOR Ralph Recto on Friday urged the government to designate parking spaces for bicycles, not just lanes, to encourage more people to use bikes on their way to workplaces during the new normal.

“It is not enough that we set aside passageways for bicycles. We should also see to it that the public places they’re going to have spots where they can leave their bikes safely,” he said.

Recto said the government should lead by example, by putting up bike racks in its offices and in public schools, colleges, hospitals and markets.

Bicycle parking spaces and lanes do not require detailed engineering studies, are easy to build, and cost little, he said.

“If we are willing to borrow P11.5 billion for every kilometer of subway, then this is something we can afford.”

Recto said malls should now dedicate and expand parking areas for bicycles which must be secure, and above all, free of charge. Joel E. Zurbano

Computers badly needed by detainees A LAWMAKER who also heads a nongovernment organization engaged in providing computers to jails, on Friday said the upgrade of information technology linkage of detention facilities is urgently needed as he noted the release of more than 4,000 detainees in a week “largely through videoconferencing.”

At the same time, Rizal Rep. Fidel Nograles said computers have allowed inmates to consult their lawyers even during the quarantine period.

Recently, the Supreme Court said that 4,683 detainees were released from April 30 to May 8 through videoconference hearings. A total of 9,731 inmates had so far been released over a period of six weeks through various circulars that the SC had issued to address jail congestion and mitigate the spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019. Maricel V. Cruz

QC to enforce no-face mask, no entry rule TO slow down the further spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte has vowed to strictly enforce the no-face mask policy in public places.

As Metro Manila’s shifted from modified enhanced community quarantine to general community quarantine on June 1, Belmonute underscored the importance of wearing a face mask to protect a person against COVID-19.

She directed the Quezon City Police District, all barangay officials, Department of Public Order and Safety, Task Force Disiplina, Market Development and Administration Department, and other concerned offices of the city government to enforce the order.

Authorities would no longer be lenient to violators, she warned, saying those without a face mask in a public place would be “automatically” penalized.

“Since face mask is one of our first defenses against COVID-19, we will intensify our campaign for the people to get use to wearing a face mask in public places,” she said. Rio N. Araja

Chinese ‘meds’ seized at NAIA

GOVERNMENT agents assigned at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport seized more smuggled shipment of Chinese medicines worth P700,000.

Customs-NAIA port collector Carmelita Talusan said the contraband from Fujian, China was misdeclared as “vitamin pills” and consigned to a male individual from Muntinlupa City.

“Upon physical examination of the goods, it was found that the shipment contained (180 kilos) Chinese medicines illegally imported and without the necessary License to Operate and Certificate of Product Registration from the Food and Drugs Administration,” she said.

Early this month, the FDA released an advisory and cautioned the public against the purchase and use of unregistered Chinese medicines.

The shipment will be subjected to seizure

and forfeiture proceedings for violation of Section 1400 (Misdeclaration) in relation to Section 117 (Regulated Goods) and Section 1113 (Property Subject to Seizure and Forfeiture) of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act. Another shipment of smuggled Chinese medicines was also intercepted by Customs agents at a warehouse near NAIA on May 8. The shipment of four kilos of Chinese medicines from Taiwan was sent through air cargo in one of the warehouses in Pasay City and was also misdeclared as 15 US dollar worth “Plastic Boxes”.

The imported drugs is consigned to a Filipino male individual with an address located in Tondo, Manila.

“This is what we are saying another scheme in evading the required License to Operate and Certificate of Product Registration from the Food and Drugs Administration on the importation of medicines,” said Talusan.

She commended her team for the latest seizure. She acknowledged the effort of Customs examiners, and the men and women from X-ray Inspection Project (XIP), Enforcement and Security Service (ESS), Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS), and Customs Anti-Illegal Drug Task Force (CAIDTF) through continuous profiling of shipments to unveil illegal modus in circumventing customs and related laws.

Late last month, Talusan’s team also intercepted three shipments of the same drugs at DHL warehouse near NAIA. The shipments, concealed in three separate packages to three different consignees with same shipper address, were misdeclared by the importer as “Resin Handicraft,” a clear case of technical smuggling.

Talusan stated that the bureau will continue to perform its job in complying with the directives of Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero in strengthening border protection.

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

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SATURDAY, MAY 30, 2020

Business

Sumitomo buys P3-b stake in LRT 1 IN BRIEF

Inflation likely picked up in May

THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said inflation likely accelerated to as high as 2.7 percent in May from 2.2 percent in April, driven by higher prices of oil and agricultural products on supply disruptions and natural disaster during the period.

The BSP Department of Economic Research said in the report the May inflation would likely settle within a range of 1.9 percent to 2.7 percent.

“Higher domestic oil prices as well as the uptick in the prices of various agricultural products due to supply bottlenecks and the impact of typhoon Ambo contributed to positive price pressures during the month,” it said.

“Meanwhile, the electricity rates in Meralcoserviced areas declined during the month despite the reported increase in the total electricity bill due to higher consumption,” it said.

Julito G. Rada

4 Lopez firms among 2019 top taxpayers

By Darwin G. Amojelar

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UMITOMO Corp. of Japan acquired a 34.9-percent stake in Light Rail Manila Corp. which operates Light Rail Transit Line 1 for P3 billion.

“MPIC welcomes Sumitomo as a strategic stakeholder in the LRT1 project along with its current partners AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp. and Macquarie Investments Holdings (Philippines) Limited,” said Manuel Pangilinan, chairman of Metro Pacific Investments which is the majority owner of LRMC. “This investment by Sumitomo is a welcome illustration in their belief in the future of this project. We are all eager to resume operations of LRT-1 when the current extended quarantine is released,” Pangilinan said.

MPIC, through Metro Pacific Light Rail Corp., owns a 55-percent stake in

LRMC which has a 32-year concession from Sep. 12, 2015 to operate, maintain and extend the 20.7-kilometer LRT-1, a vital light rail infrastructure asset in the heart of Metro Manila.

LRT-1, currently with 20 stations, started works on the extension of the system to Cavite.

Ayala Infra Holdings Corp. owns 35 percent in LRMC while Macquarie Infrastructure Holdings (Philippines) Inc. has 10 percent.

MPIC said the company would benefit from the global rail expertise of Sumitomo. It said the transaction would enable the company to share its equity commitment for the project with

FOUR companies under First Philippine Holdings Corp. of the Lopez Group made it to the Finance Department’s initial list of top 100 taxpayers in 2019.

Included in the list are First Gas Power Corp. which ranked 20th among the top taxpayers last year; FGP Corp. at 38th spot; Energy Development Corp., 96th; and Green Core Geothermal Inc., 98th.

First Philippine Holdings serves as the publicly-listed holding company for the power, industrial and real estate assets of the Lopez Group of Companies.

As a group, First Philippine Holdings and subsidiaries paid to the government a total of P5.18 billion in income taxes in 2019. All four FPH companies in the list are subsidiaries of First Gen Corp. which in turn is the holding company for energy- and power-related businesses of FPH. Alena Mae S. Flores

PASSENGER DIVIDERS.

Truck body builder Centro Manufacturing Corp. displays the anti-virus dividers for utility vehicles it manufactures. It is also developing the design for modern PUVs. The dividers will be installed at production facilities in Novaliches, Cavite and Marilao. Sold in the aftermarket as ready-toinstall kits, the dividers may also be retrofitted for existing UVs or PUVs, as only clamps are used and no drillings are required.

Clark Airport upbeat on new leadership THE recent appointment of former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency chief Aaron Aquino as the new president of the Clark International Airport Corp. is a “positive step towards further strengthening the agency’s capacity to develop the civil aviation complex,” Joshua Bingcang, outgoing officer-in-charge of CIAC, said Friday.

“We warmly welcome Gen. Aquino and look forward to further strengthening CIAC under his able and dynamic leadership. His expertise and vast experience in the executive branch of governance is a positive addition to the BCDA Group,” said Bingcang, who is the concurrent senior vice president for business development of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority.

CIAC is a subsidiary of the BCDA by virtue of EO 716, issued by then President Gloria Arroyo on April 3, 2008. The Department of Transportation exercises policy and operational supervision over CIAC. Bingcang said President Rodrigo Duterte’s appointment of Aquino as the new CIAC chief would further boost the agency’s efforts in establishing a globally competitive aviation complex at Clark Freeport Zone.

Belle’s net profit falls 31% to P577m BELLE Corp. said Friday consolidated net income dropped 31 percent in the first quarter to P577 million from P835 million a year ago.

It said consolidated revenues went down by 25 percent in the three-month period to P1.42 billion from P1.89 billion in the same period last year.

“The decreases in revenues and profits resulted primarily from Covid-19 related developments.

The effects of the pandemic began with declining tourist arrivals prior to the implementation of the enhanced community quarantines nationwide and was compounded by the temporary suspension of gaming operations at City of Dreams Manila on March 16, 2020 in compliance with government initiatives to contain the virus,” Belle said.

Belle said its primary growth driver, the share in the gaming revenues at City of Dreams Manila, reached P445 million in the first quarter, down by 39 percent from P725 million in the first quarter of 2019. City of Dreams Manila is using this time to prioritize the health of its employees, to establish protocols that ensure a safe working and recreational environment and to support the government in keeping people safe and restarting the economy, it said.

a strategic investor.

“We are delighted to partner with MPIC, to invest in the LRT1 project, and contribute to the development of rail infrastructure in the Philippines.

Sumitomo is keen to share our 100 years worth of global investment and operational experience,” said Eita Fujikawa, Sumitomo’s general manager for transportation systems and infrastructure business department.

“We are confident that our investment and expertise will provide the support the expanding Manila public transit infrastructure needs to grow and to bring local communities even closer through the Cavite extension. We thank MPIC for this unique opportunity, and we look forward to many years of future investment in the Philippines,” Fujikawa said.

LRMC president and chief executive Juan Alfonso said the transaction was a testament of their shareholders’ dedication to further improve LRMC.

Gov’t assures enough fuel supply despite refinery shutdown

By Alena Mae S. Flores THE Energy Department on Friday assured the public of adequate fuel supply despite the shutdown of two refineries amid the low demand caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

It said the country had more than two months of fuel supply as of May 18, enough to meet local demand.

“Overall, we have sufficient supply, with over two months worth [67.2 days] of available supply, based on their May 18 inventory reports,” the department’s Oil Industry Management Bureau said.

Petron Corp. shut down its 180,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Bataan on May 5 for maintenance activities while Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. implemented a one-month shutdown of its 110,00-barrel-per-day refinery in Batangas on May 24.

“The shutdown of Petron and Shell

was due to very low demand. Both refiners, however, could easily resume their operations once demand increases,” the department said.

The agency said demand for petroleum products declined by 20 percent to 30 percent in March and by as much as 60 percent to 70 percent in April during the imposition of the enhanced community quarantine, compared to the February levels.

“We have experienced very low demand for the months of March, April and May, but is expected to gradually increase by June, as quarantine restrictions are eased in an attempt to restart our economy,” the agency said.

Pilipinas Shell said earlier it was shutting down its Batangas refinery for a month starting mid-May as part of its “cash conservation measures”.

The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic led to the implementation of the ECQ in Luzon and selected provinces

nationwide which impacted the country’s economic activity.

“In response to the drastic decline in local product demand and the significant deterioration of regional refining margins brought about the COVID-19 pandemic, the company will temporarily shut down its refinery operations for approximately one month starting midMay 2020,” Pilipinas Shell said.

The Tabangao refinery commenced commercial operations with a nameplate capacity of 30,000 bpd in 1962 and completed its refinery upgrade in 2015.

“The temporary shutdown will help insulate the company from further potential drops in refining margins and will also aid in its cash conservation initiatives. Nonetheless, the Refinery will retain the flexibility to do a start-up immediately should market and demand conditions improve and stabilize,” Pilipinas Shell said.

enants of the bonds with its other existing debt facilities that do not have a DSCR covenant.

Bondholders who will provide their consents would be paid an incentive fee of P1.25 for each P1,000 of the principal amount of the bonds.

Bondholders who will provide their consents and opt to sell their bonds to Rockwell will also receive the sum of the outstanding principal amount of the bonds being sold multiplied by the tender price of 101 percent and accrued interest computed from the last interest payment date up to the bond sale proceeds payment date.

The exercise will commence on June 2, 2020 and will expire on June 24, 2020.

Rockwell appointed First Metro Investment Corp. as advisor for the consent solicitation exercise.

Rockwell booked consolidated net income of P3 billion in 2019, up 20 percent from 2018. Reservation sales grew by 13 percent last year to P16.7 billion.

Reservation sales fell 9 percent in the first quarter this year to P3.2 billion.

Jenniffer B. Austria

Friday, May 29, 2020

268.62 points 5,838.84

TOTAL VOLUME 1,965,885,374 TOTAL TRADES 125,023 TOTAL VALUE 20,390,695,765.20 ADVANCES 95 DECLINES 81 UNCHANGED 40

F oreign E xchange R ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • FRIDAY, MAY 29, 2020

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

50.7270

Japan

Yen

0.009293

0.4714

UK

Pound

1.232500

62.5210

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128992

6.5434

Switzerland

Franc

1.037452

52.6268

Canada

Dollar

0.726269

36.8414

Singapore

Dollar

0.705716

35.7989

Australia

Dollar

0.661900

33.5762

Bahrain

Dinar

2.651113

134.483

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266276

13.5074

Brunei

Dollar

0.703235

35.6730

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000068

0.0034

Thailand

Baht

0.031392

1.5924

UAE

Dirham

0.272272

13.8115

Euro

Euro

1.108000

56.2055

Korea

Won

0.000808

0.0410

China

Yuan

0.139964

7.1000

India

Rupee

0.013212

0.6702

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.229991

11.6668

New Zealand

Dollar

0.619800

31.4406

Taiwan

Dollar

0.033410

1.6948 Source: BSP

Puregold’s profit climbed 16.8% to P1.76b in Q1

By Jenniffer B. Austria SUPERMARKET chain operator Puregold Price Club Inc. said Friday consolidated net income increased by 16.8 percent in the first quarter to P1.76 billion from P1.51 billion in the same period last year as the coronavirus pandemic boosted demand for essential goods.

Puregold said in a disclosure to the stock exchange consolidated net sales went up 17.4 percent in the first quarter to P40.95 billion Puregold stores registered stronger-than-expected same-store sales growth of 14.4 percent in the first quarter while S&R registered a SSSG of 5.1 percent during the same period.

“Our SSSG in this period is driven by higher consumer spending and pantry loading prior to the COVID-19 quarantine as well as the low inflation environment in 2020,” Puregold said.

It said 77 percent of the total revenues came from Puregold stores and 23 percent from S&R Membership warehouse clubs and S&R New York Style Pizza stores.

Income from operations grew 15.4 percent in the first quarter to P2.97 billion from P2.57 billion a year ago.

Puregold group had 443 stores nationwide as of end-March. These included 384 Puregold stores, 20 S&R membership shopping warehouse outlets and 39 S&R New York Style QSR with a total net selling area of 580,000 square meters.

The company earlier announced plans to continue with expansion by opening 25 new Puregold stores this year. It also opened two S&R membership shopping warehouse stores since the start of the year.

Puregold said to adapt to the changing consumer behavior amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it was planning to offer online grocery shopping in 100 Puregold stores by end-2020.

It said only 40 of 380 Puregold stores were offering online grocery shopping under Puregold Mobile App so far.

The share price of Puregold dropped 0.76 percent to settle at P46 on Friday.

2 1600

FOOD DISTRIBUTION.

Rockwell Land reduces 2020 capex by half to P9b amid Luzon lockdown ROCKWELL Land Corp., the property arm of the Lopez group, said Friday it reduced the planned 2020 capital expenditures by half to P9 billion because of the coronavirus pandemic.

This year’s programmed spending was also 19-percent lower than P11.1 billion the company spent in 2019.

“Given the 2.5-month lockdown and considering new safety protocols in construction, the company also expects to reduce capex in 2020 by half from P18 billion to around P9 billion,” Rockwell said in a disclosure to the stock exchange.

Rockwell also said it would conduct a consent solicitation exercise for seven-year and one-quarter P5- billion fixed-rate bonds due Feb. 15, 2021.

The consent solicitation seeks to amend the bond trust indenture to remove the debt service coverage ratio covenant under the bonds.

Bondholders that consent to the proposed amendment will have the option to either receive an incentive fee or sell their bonds to Rockwell.

Rockwell said the proposed amendment would align the financial cov-

PSE INDEX CLOSING

AboitizPower continues to boost support to doctors, nurses and hospital staff on the front lines to help energize and uplift their spirits for what seems to be an endlessly uncertain path to achieving full COVID-19 recoveries. Following the turnover of 20,000 surgical masks in partner hospitals around Luzon and Visayas, AboitizPower’s commercial operations business unit delivers assorted grocery items to nourish hospital staff from Perpetual Help Hospital in Las Piñas and Biñan including Mary Mediatrix Medical Center in Batangas.

Poe pushes PPP scheme to help economy rebound from pandemic

By Othel V. Campos SENATOR Grace Poe on Friday asked the government to take a second look at public-private partnership arrangement to help the economy rebound from the global health crisis.

Poe cited the potential of several sectors that could benefit from PPP such as transportation, health and telecommunications.

“There lies the opportunity to remind policymakers of the financial advantages of PPP over government-funded proj-

ects—the shifting of project costs from the taxpayer to the user of the project’s services. By contracting out the undertaking of large projects that are commercially viable, the government can free up funds to spend on health care and poverty alleviation projects,” Poe said during an online forum organized by Stratbase ADR Institute.

Poe said the transportation sector could save thousands of jobs by creating relevant infrastructure projects to decongest EDSA and provide opportunities for PPPs

in the time of economic crisis.

The “Move as One Coalition” proposed to engage 3,000 bus operators and 15,000 other PUVs through service contracts equal to P30 billion, she said.

It also proposed P10 billion in projects to improve the walking and cycling infrastructure to create an environment that is less dependent on automotive transportation. The advocacy group also proposed P70 billion in infrastructure projects like bus stops, bus only lanes, depots and terminals.