Manila Standard - 2020 June 1 - Monday

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VOL. XXXIV • NO. 97 • 1 SECTION 4 PAGES • P18 • MONDAY, JUNE 1, 2020 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

WORKERS’ WOES. Maintenance men place visual markers at least a meter apart in front of the Bonifacio Shrine in Manila, a reminder

for the public to observe social distancing even as Metro Manila eases into the more liberal general community quarantine today. Workers’ groups however express fears their much-awaited return to work will be jeopardized by COVID-19. Norman Cruz

MRT-3, bus, P2P get go signal

By Darwin G Amojelar and Joel E. Zurbano SOME buses will be allowed to ply EDSA starting Monday, but can only pick up and drop off passengers at four points—North Avenue and Quezon Avenue in Quezon City, Ayala Avenue in

COVID-19 PH AT A GLANCE

(AS OF 4 PM MAY 31)

18,086

862 NEW

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Labor deplores lack of safeguards under GCQ

By Vito Barcelo, Rey E. Requejo, Willie Casas

TEACHER’S TOOL. A housewife teaches her children how to use a laptop computer in their home in preparation for the coming school year. Education authorities have yet to decide on which mode to use –online learning which will require much use of computers or the traditional face-to-face classes. JR Josue

M

ILLIONS of workers return to work today, June 1, after being on lockdown for more than two months, but the country’s largest labor group said they were worried about the lack of safeguards against COVID-19.

16

TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES

FRESH

957

7

DEATHS

NEW

3,909

101

RECOVERIES

Makati and Taft Avenue in Pasay City.

In an interview with CNN Philippines, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said more work would need to be done on the designated bus stops along EDSA.

Workers in a fix amid virus threat Amid such concerns, the Palace reminded the public to strictly follow health protocols as Metro Manila and other regions shifted to a general community quarantine (GCQ) that allows most businesses to reopen.

In a statement, the Associated Labor Unions (ALU) urged employers to comply with the safety and health guidelines in the workplace, and to provide employees with personal protective equipment and to orient them on new safety and health procedures.

NEW

100K OFWs want to come home ASAP Global infections top 6m

By Vito Barcelo and Maricel V. Cruz

THE number of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) stranded in various parts of the globe has swelled to nearly 100,000, the Department of Labor and Employee (DOLE) said Sunday.

Citing reports from the Philippine Overseas Labor Offices (POLOs) in 40 foreign posts, the DOLE command center in Manila recorded a total of 98,615 stranded workers as of Friday, May 29.

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THE number of coronavirus cases worldwide topped six million Sunday, with Brazil registering another record surge in daily infections as divisions deepened on how to deal with the pandemic.

Latin American countries are bracing for difficult weeks ahead as the disease spreads rapidly across the region, even as much of the world exits lockdowns that have wrecked economies

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and stripped millions of their jobs.

In Brazil – the epicenter of South America’s outbreak with nearly 500,000 confirmed cases, lagging only behind the United States – disagreement among leaders over lockdown measures has hampered efforts to slow the virus as the number of fatalities in the country nears 30,000.

President Jair Bolsonaro, who fears

WORLD ROUNDUP

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Traders express dismay over ‘double standard’

By Maricel Cruz, Willie Casas, olators, saying more than 30,000 ordi- from the social and economic adversiBenjamin Chavez and Rio N. nary Filipinos have been arrested while ties brought about by the COVID-19 certain public officials are flouting the pandemic,” read the joined statement Araja protocols with immunity. issued by the American Chamber of “The private sector strongly supports Commerce of the Philippines; the CaSeveral business groups have hit the apparent double standard in the applica- the whole-of-government, whole-of- nadian Chamber of Commerce of the Next page tion of the rule of law for quarantine vi- society effort to respond and recover

Bayanihan concert raises P122m

MINNESOTA MAYHEM. Police launch tear gas and fire rubber bullets toward

protestors near the 5th police precinct during a demonstration to call for justice for George Floyd, a black man who died while in custody of the Minneapolis police, on May 30 in Minnesota. Curfews have been imposed in major US cities Saturday as clashes over police brutality escalated across America, with demonstrators ignoring warnings from President Trump that his government would stop the violent protests ‘cold’. AFP

Space travel’s new era begins

MORE than P122 million in cash and in kind was raised by Bayanihan Musikahan, a concert series livestreamed online on week nights in the last two and a half months.

Cash donations have

TWO veteran NASA astronauts were headed for the International Space Station on Saturday after Elon Musk’s SpaceX became the first commercial company to launch a rocket carrying humans into

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Mass testing of Sino nationals denounced

By Joel E. Zurbano THE COVID-19 testing in BF Homes, Parañaque City, involving 300 Chinese nationals working at a Philippine offshore gaming operation was illegal, officials said Sunday.

Barangay officials of BF Homes said the homeowners

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News

MONDAY, JUNE 1, 2020

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Omnibus warehouses raided

By Joel E. Zurbano

G

high-pressure stream sterilizers, blood bags, books, real-time quantitative thermal cyclers and other medical supplies and equipment.

It was not the first time the authorities raided a store or warehouse selling overpriced medical supplies. Last month, Customs agents also seized some P5 million worth of personal protective equipment and medical supplies from a store in Binondo, Manila, and alleged treatment drugs for the COVID-19 disease in Singalong, Malate.

In Trece Martirez, Cavite, authori-

ties at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport recently destroyed 8.7 tons of illegally imported Chinese medicines, cosmetics, cigarettes and electronic goods.

The items were shipped without permits and clearances and could not be sold or auctioned off for being unfit for consumption.

Customs-NAIA collector Carmelita Talusan said they condemned the items using the Thermal Decomposer Facility of Integrated Waste Management Inc. to make sure those would not be sold.

“We have issued guidelines that apply to workplaces, employers, and workers,” he said.

“The administration… has put in place interventions and measures following minimum public health standards to ensure the safety of Filipinos,” he said.

“As more sectors and industries begin to operate, let us continue cooperating with authorities in enforcing quarantine protocols,” he added.

Roque urged the public to “take care of each other” by wearing face masks and shields, maintaining physical distancing, staying at home when needed, and avoiding crowded places.

Starting June 1, areas such as Metro Manila, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Pangasinan, Albay, and Davao City will be under GCQ after more than two months of strict movement restrictions to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The quarantine was eased even as cases COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the country.

As of May 30, there were 17,224 COVID-19 cases in the country, with 3,808 recoveries and 950 deaths.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) said it is ready for Metro Manila’s shift to a GCQ. Joint Task Force COVID Shield Commander Police Lieutenant General Guillermo Eleazar said it would be more challenging from a law enforcement standpoint but said the police are

up to the task.

He said police will still conduct random checks among motorists to check if they are authorized to be outside of their residences, or if they are workers in industries allowed to operate under the GCQ. The Supreme Court will resume its full court and division sessions on June 2 and June 3, respectively, at the SC offices in Manila, Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta said on Sunday.

Peralta acknowledged that SC justices, including himself, experienced difficulty in conducting hearings online during the lockdown.

Nonetheless, Peralta said all quarantine protocols will be strictly implemented once justices hold their regular sessions.

The full court session hall and those used for division sessions have been rearranged to conform to quarantine rules on physical distancing.

While justices will start their regular person-to-person sessions, staff members of the justices may still continue to work from home and only those actually needed in the offices are required to report.

Peralta also announced that starting June 1, all courts in the country are fully operational but no walk-in court visitors will be entertained.

In Metro Manila, courts will be open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday. Courts outside Metro Manila will be open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Night courts and Saturday courts remain suspended.

distressed and need repatriation in the coming weeks.

The POLOs have so far recorded the repatriation of 36,625 OFWs since the outbreak of the global pandemic.

Meanwhile, the DOLE command center also reported that all of the more than 24,000 OFWs who were stranded in various quarantine facilities would have been transported to their provinces by Sunday.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III last week ordered the activation of the command center to monitor and direct actions on the repatriation, assistance, reintegration and deployment of OFWs, and prevent a repeat of the disorderly process in dealing with returning OFWs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of Sunday noon, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration

(OWWA) said 23,472 OFWs had embarked for their safe homecoming with their families. The clearances of 538 workers are still being awaited.

All transported OFWs were given clearances after undergoing Covid-19 tests following prolonged quarantine in government designated facilities.

OWWA had so far spent over P700 million for the repatriation, transport, accommodation and food of the more than 30,000 returning OFWs. House of Representatives’ Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez on Sunday said health workers and repatriated OFWs would be protected from all forms of discrimination as the House as is scheduled to approve this week an anti-discrimination bill on third and final reading.

were the ones who allowed the foreigners to be tested inside the subdivision.

Residents urged Mayor Edwin Olivarez to investigate and punish the officials of the BF Federation of Homeowners Associations Inc. led by Arturo Astorga II, who reportedly allowed the activity last Thursday.

Community leaders claimed that the mass testing was conducted without

permits from the Department of Health and the City Health Office.

Senator Risa Hontiveros, meanwhile, has urged the government to deport and blacklist all Chinese nationals involved in criminal activities.

“While we are working hard to protect our people from the [COVID-19] virus, these criminals freely roam and pose danger to public health. This blatant disregard of our laws should merit immediate deportation and blacklisting,” Hontiveros said in a statement.

She made her call after the raid of

various establishments in Parañaque, Pampanga and Makati that were found to be illegally operating as hospitals and pharmacies, and that were primarily catering to the employees of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators and Chinese nationals.

Hontiveros said the underground and unlicensed medical facilities posed a danger to public health.

Barangay BF Homes chairman Paolo Marquez said the BFFHAI officers involved also did not seek permission from village officials or the city health office.

“Everything will be different” after the coronavirus pandemic, Pope Francis said, calling for a fairer society and action to “end the pandemic of poverty in the world.”

Speaking in Spanish in a video message to mark the feast of Pentecost, the pontiff said there was a duty to build a new reality, particularly for the poorest.

“Once we emerge from this pandemic, we will not be able to keep doing what we were doing, and as we were doing it.

No, everything will be different. From the great trials of humanity—among them this pandemic—one emerges better or worse. You don’t emerge the same.”

“I ask this of you: how do you want to come out of it? Better or worse?” said the 83-year-old Argentinian.

“We are one humanity. We know it, we knew it, but this pandemic that we are living through has made us experience it in a much more dramatic way.

All the suffering will be of no use if we do not build together a more just, more equitable, more Christian society, not in name but in reality.”

– about news reports of public officials violating with impunity the IATF and DOH protocols intended to protect public health... Upholding the law and ensuring faith in our justice system stands as the bedrock of our democracy, and will enable the economy to survive and recover from these most trying times.

The sacrifice of our people deserves nothing less.”

The business groups noted that ordinary Filipinos who were arrested for quarantine violations were treated dif-

ferently from public officials who committed the same mistakes.

“Many of those arrested suffered detention, costs, humiliation, and inconveniences, and some endured unwarranted jailtime when unopened courts or government offices, or even limited bank branches, could not process their bail in a timely manner,” read the joint statement.

“As the country rides this tide of uncertainty, we trust that our leaders at the national and local levels will demonstrate beyond doubt the highest stand-

ards in observing and enforcing the rule of law, and serve as role models in discipline and moral ascendancy.”

Several public officials have drawn flak for what were seen to be violations of the quarantine guidelines, including National Capital Region Police Office head Maj. Gen. Debold Sinas over a mañanita to celebrate his 55th birthday while Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III for visiting a hospital to accompany his pregnant wife despite being a person under investigation for COVID-19.

As the global death toll from the pandemic surpassed 368,000, US President Donald Trump’s decision to permanently cut funding to the World Health Organization has been broadly criticized.

The number of confirmed cases worldwide is more than six million, according to an AFP tally.

“Now is the time for enhanced cooperation and common solutions,” the European Union said in a statement, adding: “Actions that weaken international results must be avoided.” AFP

The roster of musical artists included nearly the entire range of musical genre, from pop to rock to classical, from upcoming talents to top-seeded performers like Gary Valenciano, Ebe Dancel, Martin Nievera, and Lea Salonga. Broadway star Salonga guested three times in the series, the first of which raised P1.5 million in an hour.

Bayanihan Musikahan ensured precision food delivery by partnering with Philippine Business for Social Progress and the Samahan ng Nagkakaisang Pamilya ng Pantawid. The latter is a 70,000-strong urban poor network of people’s organizations.

SNPP’s veteran community leaders, among the poor themselves, drew on their long experience in community organizing and relief operations, as well as accurate databases, to carry out the last leg of deliveries to target households.

The 103,154 food packs thus far distributed in the National Capital Region and seven adjacent provinces typically included fresh vegetables and produce. PBSP innovated on old disaster relief practice in procuring supplies directly from farmers and fisherfolk cooperatives located outside the main impact zone of the contagion.

OVERNMENT agents seized P50 million worth of medical supplies and equipment in two separate raids in Malabon and San Juan.

They raided two warehouses owned

by Omnibus Biomedical System Inc., the company that has been tagged in a Senate inquiry for selling overpriced automatic extraction machines to the government.

Customs agents conducted the raids with help from the Philippine Coast

Guard and the National Bureau of Investigation based on an order issued

by Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero.

The authorities said Omnibus was hoarding and selling overpriced medical supplies and equipment such as

MRT-3...

From A1

Workers...

From A1

“Number 1, we need to clear first the debris because we demolished the center island to serve as loading and unloading areas of P2P buses, shuttle buses, and buses for MRT augmentation,” Pialago told CNN, adding that concrete barriers also have to be placed.

This means that bus stops at the center of EDSA Will not be used yet, she added.

Under a general community quarantine (GCQ), city rail service and trains will resume partial operations in Metro Manila, with bus augmentation. Shuttles of private companies and point-to-point buses can also hit the road.

Th ALU also asked companies to be less strict in carrying out tardiness penalties given the limited mass transportation that will be available under a GCQ. The group also accused the Department of Labor and Employment of exposing workers to wider abuses by allowing reduced work hours through job sharing and other flexible work schemes and giving companies the license to reduce at will the existing regional minimum wage rates and existing benefits, including the negotiated wage rates and benefits agreed upon through collective bargaining agreements.

Palace spokesman Harry Roque sought the “concerted effort of everyone” to follow the rules under the GCQ, such as observing social distancing and wearing of face masks in public places.

He said the government cannot fight COVID-19 alone and needs the people’s cooperation.

“The sacrifices of our people in the past 70 or so days are laudable and we must not put these to naught. It maybe difficult for some, especially those who will physically report [for work], but we live in extraordinary times and situation,”Roque said.

The Palace official also assured the public that measures are in place to ensure their safety.

TRAIN SERVICE The Transportation Department said MRT-3 will operate 19 train sets when it resumes service on June 1, up from 15 that ran before the COVID-19 lockdown in Metro Manila.

The department said operating speed would also be boosted to 40 kilometers per hour, up from 30 kph.

This, it said, would reduce headway, or the time between trains, from an average of nine minutes before the lockdown to six minutes.

The improvements were made possible by progress in rail replacement work done during the lockdown, and the addition of train sets to boost capacity.

“Having more trains, faster operating speed, and lower headway are intended to contribute in mitigating the reduction in capacity of MRT-3, which will only be able to accommodate 153 passengers per train set, or 13 percent of its pre-ECQ capacity of 1,182 passengers per train set, due to implementation of 1-meter social distancing inside trains,” said MRT-3 Director for Operation Michael Capati.

Physical distancing markers have been placed inside the 19 train sets, to implement the 1-meter social distancing requirement per IATF and DOH guidelines to minimize the spread of COVID-19.

Transport Undersecretary for Railways TJ Batan said the MRT-3 was able to replace 9,216 linear meters during the lockdown, bringing the total to 40,140 linear meters out of 65,892 linear meters as of May 28.

“Rail replacement works are expected to be completed by September 2020, several months ahead of its February 2021 target completion date.

Following completion of rail replacement works, train operating speed will gradually increase from 40kph to 60kph by December 2020, leading to a reduction of headway, or the time between trains, down to 3.5 minutes,” Batan said.

Traders...

From A1 Philippines; the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines; the Institute for Solidarity in Asia, Inc.; the Institute of Corporate Directors; the Judicial Reform Initiative; the Makati Business Club; and the Management Association of the Philippines.

“We are therefore greatly disappointed—even appalled and dismayed

Space...

From A1 orbit, ushering in a new era in space travel.

SpaceX’s two-stage Falcon 9 rocket with astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley aboard blasted off flawlessly in a cloud of bright orange flames and smoke from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center for a 19-hour voyage to the space station.

“Let’s light this candle,” Hurley, the mission commander, told SpaceX mission control in Hawthorne, California, before liftoff at 3:22 pm (1922 GMT) from NASA’s storied Launch Pad 39A. The SpaceX launch is the first of

Oil price hike looms: P0.30

100K OFWs...

From A1 The OFWs are those affected by lockdowns in their respective host countries, distressed and seeking repatriation, of those whose work contracts have expired but cannot return to the Philippines due to the absence of commercial flights.

Of the total stranded OFWs, 83,483 are in the Middle East, 12,050 are in Europe and America, and 3,082 in Asia.

Most OFWs from the Middle East are land-based totaling 83,380 while those in Europe-Americas are mostly sea-based workers numbering 11,372.

In Asia, 2,110 are land-based workers.

Of the total stranded OFWs, about 19,631 have unfinished contracts or are

Mass testing...

From A1

By Alena Mae S. Flores CONSUMERS can expect higher pump prices this week as diesel is poised to go up by as much as P0.30 per liter while some oil firms may start to implement the impact of the additional 10 percent duty on all crude petroleum oil and refined petroleum products.

“Expect fuel prices to have mixed movement next week (June 2- 8). Diesel should increase by P0.20 to P0.30 per liter. Gasoline should go down by P0.20 to P0.30 per liter,” Unioil Philippines said in its weekly price forecast.

Meanwhile, the Energy Department said consumers may feel the impact of the higher duties on pump prices starting this week.

“We will know based on the notification (of the oil firms) on Monday (today),” Energy director Rino Abad said.

Malacañang issued Executive Order No. 113 imposing additional 10 percent duty on all crude petroleum oil and refined petroleum products to help bolster government revenues to fight COVID-19.

Data provided by the department earlier showed the additional 10 percent tariff will result in P0.60 per liter increase for gasoline, P0.84 per liter for diesel and P0.55 per liter for kerosene.

Last May 26, the oil firms implemented a hefty oil price hike of P2.65 per liter for kerosene, P2.10 per liter for diesel and P1.75 per liter for gasoline amid strong optimism on the demand side as many countries reopened.

The country’s petroleum demand reached 171.817 million barrels last year, an increase of 1.8 percent from 168.805 million barrels in 2018.

This translates to an average daily requirement of 470.7 thousand barrels compared to 462.5 thousand barrels per day in 2018.

World...

From A1 the economic fallout from stay-athome measures will be worse than the virus, has berated governors and mayors for imposing what he calls “the tyranny of total quarantine.”

Pope: End poverty pandemic

WHO funding cut hit

American astronauts from US soil since the space shuttle program ended in 2011 and the first crewed flight ever by a private company.

“I’m really quite overcome with emotion,” Musk said. “It’s been 18 years working towards this goal.

“This is hopefully the first step on a journey towards civilization on Mars,” the SpaceX founder said.

NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine said it was a “great day” for NASA and SpaceX and an “important milestone for the nation.”

“We’re not celebrating yet,” Bridenstine cautioned. “We will celebrate when they’re home safely.” AFP

Bayanihan...

From A1 exceeded P90 million while the estimated value of the in-kind donations reached P30 million.

The fund-raising project initiated by National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab and friends set out in mid-March aimed to address the threat of hunger amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Public support was collectively motivated by more than 150 musical artists who performed from their homes in the Philippines and overseas during the global lockdown.

News

MONDAY, JUNE 1, 2020 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Makatizens use aid to start business M

AKATI Mayor Abby Binay today said the city government has released a total of P1,035,810,000 in financial assistance through electronic money transfer under the P2.7-billion Makatizen Economic Relief Program (MERP). The program grants P5,000 for each qualified individual.

The mayor said the city has surpassed the P1-billion mark just two weeks after MERP was rolled out, with the cash aid successfully transferred to 207,162 beneficiaries via GCash.

She also noted that a number of residents who have received the P5,000-cash aid have started their own businesses, aside from paying for essential needs and utility bills.

“Several recipients of our cash aid have shared inspiring stories on how they were

able to use it to start a small business, with the goal of making it a stable means of livelihood to support their families for the long term. We are so glad that the entrepreneurial spirit is very much alive among our constituents. It shows hope, courage and resilience in the face of adversity,” Mayor Abby said.

Diana Oblino, a resident of Barangay Olympia, said that after five members of their household—all Makatizen cardholders—received P25,000 in all, they

were able to pay their water and electricity bills that had piled up during the quarantine.

“We were also able to open a small sari-sari store that would keep my parents busy during the quarantine. It’s also our way to keep the money growing instead of using it in one go. Because of Makatulong we were able to build another source of income that would help us get through these trying times,” Oblino said.

She recalled how eagerly her parents had gone to City Hall to apply for a Makatizen Card right after its launch, and were delighted to get a free ‘Chickenjoy’ meal each for their effort. They persuaded her and other members of the family to submit their application, underscoring that it will consolidate all benefits including those under the Yellow Card.

“We didn’t even have to do anything to get the Maka-tulong, we just waited until GCash notified us that P5,000 was added to our account. What a relief really, that in our ‘new normal’—the time of social distancing and quarantine, Makati was able to lessen human-to-human contact and distribute cash through online platforms because of a project launched years ago,” Oblino said.

One of the first batch of beneficiaries, Joeffrey Furo of Barangay Rizal used the money as fresh capital for his e-loading business, small sari-sari store and computer repair shop. With a wife and a child to support, Furo said the financial assistance from the city has been timely, especially for him who is a PWD. His leg was amputated after he figured in a hit-andrun accident.

IN BRIEF BOC destroys P1-B smuggled cigarettes THE Bureau of Customs destroyed more than P1 biilion worth of seized smuggled cigarettes, illegally imported medicines, cosmetics, and electronic goods in Trece Martires, Cavite.

The BOC said the hazardous goods arrived thru different warehouses without proper permits and clearances, adding the said goods cannot be sold thru public auction for being unfit for consumption.

The goods were destroyed using the Thermal Decomposer (Pyrolysis) Facility of the Integrated Waste Management Inc. (IWMI) to make sure that these items will not be not sold or made available in the market, BOC Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero said.

The BOC chief vowed continues vigilance against the influx of dangerous drugs, anti-social goods and hazardous substances.

Guerrero said the counterfeit cigarettes and tax stamps were seized in a warehouse in Victoria Alicia, Isabela. Vito Barcelo

Parañaque City lifts liquor ban

Ex-QC councilor hits Ormoc mayor on OFW issue FORMER Quezon City Councilor and singer Anthony Castelo called out former actor and Ormoc City Mayor Richard Gomez for refusing entry to returning overseas Filipino workers to their hometown in Ormoc.

“I believe it was poor judgment on the part of Mayor Richard Gomez of Ormoc City, Leyte to refuse entry to Overseas Filipino Workers returning to their hometown from abroad recently,” Castelo said.

Castelo said he agrees with President Duterte’s recent statement addressed to Gomez and other local officials, saying, “There’s really no reason why you should not accept them (OFWs) with open arms”.

Castelo thinks that the actor turned city Mayor could have been less “by-the-handbook” in making the decision.

“Yes, we are in a Covid-19 emergency and we can all relate to the Mayor’s predicament,” Castelo said. “But it is also an emergency situation when you have hundreds of OFWs already in the next town on their way home after having been stranded abroad for months,” said Castelo.

“The good Mayor could’ve had more flexibility during such an eventuality, because in the state we are in, nothing is really predictable—regardless if higher authorities had given you enough notice or not, one must address the pressing problem at hand,’’ he added.

Castelo believes that Mayor Gomez had other options he could have used. He could have placed the OFWs in a holding area for identification, and tested them all over again—considering they’ve already been cleared and deemed negative of the COVID-19 virus before being released in Manila.

Castelo also said that the Mayor could have had them all quarantined again, if necessary- but at least they would have already reached their final destination, and with their families close by. But certainly, Castelo said, it was not an option “to turn them away and be helplessly stranded again—in a foreign place in their own country—still away from their loved-ones,” he stressed.

Castelo, however, admits that he admires Mayor Gomez, a showbiz colleague, for his commitment to discipline, good governance and for his outstanding community service in his city, and that he hopes this experience would be a “lesson- well-learned” for all, including other local officials.

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THE Parañaque City government announced on Sunday it has lifted the ban on the selling of liquor in the city.

In his Executive Order No. 2020-041, Mayor Edwin Olivarez ordered the lifting of the suspension of permit to sell liquor beginning today (Monday), when Metro Manila will be placed under the general community quarantine.

“The continued ban on alcoholic beverages contributes to the decline of the country’s economy where several workers face displacement from the possible closure of liquor companies due to business reverses,” Olivarez said.

He, however, said selling of alcoholic drinks and beverages will only be allowed during the operating hours of establishments. Joel E. Zurbano

QC building permits to go online

INDEPENDENCE DAY. A city government employee ties a Philippine flag on a pole along Aguinaldo Highway in Dasmariñas, Cavite in preparation for the Independence Day on June 12, an annual national holiday commemorating the country’s Declaration of Independence from Spain in 1898. Jr Josue

Yanson siblings in VTI row ordered arrested A BACOLOD City judge has ordered the arrest of four Yanson siblings and their accomplices for alleged grave coercion when they tried to take over the management of Vallacar Transit Inc. from its incumbent president Leo Rey Yanson in July 2019.

Judge Abraham A. Bayona of Branch 7 of the Municipal Trial Court of Bacolod City approved the release of the warrant of arrest against Emily Yanson, Roy Yanson, Ricardo Yanson Jr., Maria Lourdes Celina Yanson Lopez, Jerica Leanne Ramos, Jerina Louise Ramos, Ma. Judy Alcala, PGen. Noli Romana and PCol. Jomil John Trio.

Judge Bayona issued the order during a hearing on May 29, 2020 of Criminal Case No. 20-03-34459 for the charge of grave coercion against the accused.

In an earlier order dated March 10, 2020, Judge Bayona found probable cause against the Yanson siblings and their accomplices for the crime of grave coercion and set their bail at P36,000, each.

“After careful evaluation of the resolution of the investigating prosecutor and the supporting documents pursuant to Section 6(b)

in relation to Section 6(a) of Rule 112 of the Revised Rule on Criminal Procedure, the court finds probable cause exists and that there is a necessity of placing the accused under the immediate custody so as not to frustrate the ends of justice,” Bayona said in his order.

The court set the arraignment of the accused on July 10, 2020 at 8:30 am.

The case stemmed from the four Yanson siblings’ illegal takeover of the management of VTI last year. The four Yanson siblings, backed by the security guards of A-Y 76 Security Specialists Inc., took possession and control, with intent to gain, of VTI’s main office on July 7, 2019.

Established in 1968, the 52-year-old VTI founded by the late Ricardo Yanson Sr. and his wife Olivia V. Yanson, is considered the largest bus conglomerate in the Philippines transporting goods and 700,000 passengers daily.

It is the company behind Ceres Liner, Ceres Tours, Sugbo Transit and Sugbo Tours.

VTI has 15 terminals across Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao. The Yanson Group, the parent company, operates 4,800 bus units run by 18,000 employees. VTI’s main

office is located at Ceres Compound, Purok Himaya, Mansilingan, Bacolod City.

On July 7, 2019, the four Yanson siblings in a purported special board meeting, unceremoniously unseated Leo Rey Yanson as president of VTI. Leo Rey was subsequently replaced by his eldest brother Roy Yanson but Leo Rey, with the support of his mother, Olivia V. Yanson and sister Ginnette Y. Dumancas, refused to step down.

The four Yanson siblings replaced AGNSA Security Agency with AY-76 Security Guards, using as a cover and means a purported Philippine National Police-Supervisory Office for Security and Investigation Agencies (PNP-SOSIA) order issued by PBGen. Romana.

VTI said the SOSIA order turned out to be illegal and invalid as testified by SOSIA Order dated August 2, 2019 signed by PCol. Michael John F. Dubria.

The Philippine National Police-Supervisory Office for Security and Investigation Agencies (PNP-SOSIA) issued an order to reinstall the security guards from AGNSA at VTI’s main office on August 2, 2019.

AMID the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the Quezon City government is set to implement online application for building permits and business licenses.

Mayor Joy Belmonte said such initiative would limit face-to-face interactions between citizens and city hall employees, especially that social distancing is strictly advised during the lockdown.

“It is high time that we harness the benefits that technology can offer and implement creative approaches to ensure everyone’s safety,” she said.

Starting today (June 1), those who wish to get or renew one’s business permit is advised to download and fill out the unified business permit application form.

The accomplished form should be submitted to the Business Permit and Licensing Division through email at BPLD@quezoncity.gov.ph for evaluation. Rio N. Araja

CIAC welcomes Aquino as new president CLARK FREEPORT—The rank and file of the Clark International Airport Corporation welcomed the appointment of ex-antidrug czar retired PBGen. Aaron N. Aquino to the top post of one of the country’s premier gateway, believing in his capacity to develop the civil aviation complex under his baton.

“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 Joshua Bingcang, outging officer-in-charge of CIAC and concurrent Senior Vice President for Business Development of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority.

Bingcang added that President Rodrigo Duterte’s appointment of Aquino as the new CIAC chief will further boost the agency’s efforts in establishing a globally competitive aviation complex at the Clark Freeport Zone. Jess Malabanan

Drug trade will return under GCQ—Barbers

RADIAL ROAD.

Secretary Mark Villar of the Department of Public Works and Highways inspects the ongoing construction of the Radial Road 10 exit ramp of the North Luzon Expressway Harbor Link, in Caloocan City, on May 31, 2020. The ramp is a 18.8-kilometer long elevated expressway that will connect Mac Arthur Highway and Road 10, and will traverse C3 road in Caloocan and Navotas City.

Norman Cruz

By Maricel V. Cruz THE chairman of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Dangerous Drugs Committee on Sunday alerted the National Police on the possible return of the drug trade under the general community quarantine.

“The drug trade will return with a vengeance after hibernating for almost three months. Our police should be more vigilant and monitor strictly the movement of people under the general community quarantine, where more people will be out doing serious business while others might be out looking for ways of getting the new high in the time of COVID,” Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, the panel chairman, said.

During the GCQ, more quarantine rules are relaxed and more people are allowed to leave their homes, presumably for work in vital industries and essential sectors, even as the figures on COVID-19 infection continue to rise sharply at an alarming rate.

Barbers alleged that the drug personalities lost billions of pesos in drug trade opportunities when COVID-19 forced the government to declare a lockdown in Luzon in mid-March, followed by lockdowns in almost the entire country as the contagion spreads in the provinces. Thus, he warns that the drug syndicates will be flexing their muscles slowly to recoup their losses as the nation prepares to return to the new normal and people

begin to resume their daily lives.

“These drug syndicates have long prepared for this new normal and have planned out well their next moves amid the fear and confusion. While the people and our law enforcers are busy mapping strategies on how to avoid mass concentration and activities, we might overlook the drug trade resumption,” Barbers said.

“I strongly agree with the Honorable Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation, Edgar Mary Sarmiento, that our seaports, airports and all bus terminals, cargoes and vehicles should be thoroughly inspected and strictly monitored if we are dead serious in stopping these criminals in their activities that put COVID-19 to shame,” Barbers added.

ASPAP rejects claim that gov’t behind POGO workers’ testing THE Accredited Service Providers of PAGCOR denounced the proliferation of misleading information on COVID-19 testing of POGO workers, even as it reiterated that expenses for such tests are borne exclusively by them.

“In compliance with the protocols for the limited resumption of POGO operations laid down by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) our members are conducting COVID-19 tests on POGO workers

at zero cost to the government,” said ASPAP spokesperson Margarita Gutierrez.

Gutierrez made the statement on the heels of reports through social media post, alleging that the local government was behind COVID-19 tests of POGO staff done in an exclusive subdivision in Parañaque City.

The Paranaque City Administrator has categorically said that the city government “would not spend a single cent for the purpose of mass testing for POGOs.” Earlier, Malacanang said it was leaving

such initiative in the hands of the private sector amid rumors of public fund use for the tests.

“The public can rest easy that mass testing of POGO employees is a purely private undertaking conducted at the expense of the respective employers to ensure they are free from the virus, for everyone’s safety,” she added.

Gutierrez said any insinuation of preferential treatment accorded to POGOs is not only erroneous but also irresponsible.

“May we also remind everyone that un-

der Sec. 6 of the Bayanihan to Heal Act (RA 11469), anybody ‘spreading false information regarding the COVID-19 crisis on social media and other platforms’ faces possible imprisonment of up to two months and a fine of up to P1 million,” Gutierrez added.

Earlier, ASPAP vowed to comply with all the health, safety and tax requirements the government had imposed for the resumption of POGO operations in the country.

ASPAP has also formed a task force to assists authorities in the crackdown against

non-registered offshore gaming operators (NOGOs) conducting illegal online gaming activities, stressing that their existence is prejudicial to the interest of legitimate POGO service providers.

“Despite the government’s decision to ease restrictions, let us be mindful that the threat of COVID-19 persists. It is only by working together that we can defeat this pandemic. Sowing disunity and discontent will only hinder our progress on the road to recovery,” Gutierrez added.

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

A4

MONDAY, JUNE 1, 2020

Business

PSE to reopen trading floor Monday

By Jenniffer B. Austria

T

HE Philippine Stock Exchange said it will reopen its trading floor on Monday following the easing of the Metro Manila lockdown.

It said in a statement the bourse would strictly observe health and safety guidelines for the workplace prescribed by the Inter-Agency TaskForce for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, the Department of Health and the Department of Labor and Employment once it opens the trading floor to traders.

“While our floorless or offsite trading from March 19 to May 29 has proven to

be efficient and seamless, we decided to reopen and resume trading on the floor to convey a strong message to the investing public that things are back to ‘normal’ in the capital markets. Hopefully, the optics of the reopening will contribute to the restoration of the general public’s much-needed confidence in the recovery of our economy,” said PSE president and chief executive Ramon Monzon.

“The brokers who were vacated from the trading floor upon the imposition of ECQ in Metro Manila by IATF had to look for alternative sites where they could transfer their trading operations.

This caused them to incur additional expenses for rental, employee board and lodging and connectivity costs. With the reopening of the trading floor, the brokers would be finally be spared from these incremental and substantial expenses,” Monzon said.

The PSE said it would do temperature checks on traders prior to entry in the floor and midway through the trading session. Traders will also be required to submit daily health declarations prior to entry.

CREATE bill expected to attract more foreign capital

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez (front row, left) and National Task Force against COVID-19 chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. announce that barbershops and salons will be allowed to reopen on June 7. These establishments can operate at a maximum capacity of 30 percent during the general community quarantine and will be further allowed to operate at 50 percent during the modified GCQ.

By Julito G. Rada THE passage into law of the proposed Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Act bill is expected to give the country a “fighting chance” of luring more foreign direct investments under the “new normal,” an umbrella group of business organizations representing 30,000 large and micro, small and medium enterprises across the country said.

Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Benedicto Yujuico pushed for the immediate passage of the CREATE bill. He said the revisions to the original Corporate Income Tax and Incentives Rationalization Act which is now known as the CREATE bill would boost the recovery of companies reeling from the economic slowdown spawned by the health crisis.

Yujuico said in an online meeting of local and foreign business groups held via Zoom that the immediate reduction of the corporate income tax from 30 percent to 25 percent would bring the country’s rate closer to the ASEAN average and help “draw in multinational firms seeking alternative sourcing markets and manufacturing base.”

“COVID-19 and the corresponding lockdown imposed to mitigate its spread seriously damaged the economy. The business sector needs the package of reforms introduced under CREATE to help businesses recover, ensure their resilience and create more sustainable economic opportunities,” Yujuico said.

“We therefore call on the Senate and the House of Representatives to accelerate the enactment of the law,” he said.

PCCI’s members include private companies and enterprises, industry associations, local chambers of commerce and foundations operating in the Philippines.

Most of these member-companies are MSMEs that represent different areas of activities such as export and import, manufacturing and processing and distribution and logistics.

The PCCI also supported the bill’s provisions on extending the net operating loss carryover for businesses from the current three years to five years, for losses incurred in 2020; lengthening the maximum sunset period for current incentive recipients from two to seven years to four to nine years; and providing flexible authority to the Fiscal Incentives Review Board and the president in granting both fiscal and non-fiscal incentives to investors.

Barbershops, salons allowed to operate starting June 7

By Othel V. Campos THE government allowed barbershops and salons to reopen at a limited capacity of three customers at a time with the most basic function of haircut only, as Metro Manila shifts to the general community quarantine.

Officials said barbershops and salons would be allowed to reopen at a maximum of 30-percent capacity by June 7 and would be further allowed to operate at a 50-percent maximum capacity during the modified general community quarantine.

“The earlier reopening was reconsidered by the Inter-Agency Task Force in recognition of the very strict health protocols that were developed.

These guidelines must be closely adopted by these establishments in or-

der to prevent any risk of COVID-19 transmission,” said Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez.

Under the guidelines for barbershops and salons released on May 29, the following should be placed at the entrance: floor mat or foot bath with disinfectant, thermal scanner, alcohol that can be easily sprayed on the clients’ hands, health checklist, face shields for clients who will avail of shampoo services and a system where personal items are disinfected and deposited in secured sanitary bags.

Grooming establishments were also required to observe protocols such as chairs placed at least 1 meter apart on all sides; floor markings visible for the guidance of clients; proper ventilation; available face masks; and sanitizing equipment and tools visible to clients.

SAFE TRIP. Hyundai Asia Resources Inc., the official distributor of the Korean automotive brand, turns over COVID-ready vehicles to bolster the Department of Transportation’s response to the mobility needs of frontliners under the ‘new normal’.

Based on the best-selling H-100 platform, the first four prototypes will be on loan to the DOTr for three months for the agency’s ‘Libreng Sakay’ for frontliners.

Heated tobacco disrupts cigarette industry—new study A NEW study shows that the entry of heated tobacco products triggered the remarkable reduction in combustible cigarettes sales in Japan.

“The decline in smoking rates among adults in Japan is astoundingly impressive when you realize that this has only come about rapidly with the introduction of HTPs,” said Nancy Loucas, executive director of the Coalition of Asia-Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates.

Canadian and American researchers looked at how trends in the sale of cigarettes in Japan between 2011 and 2019 correspond to the sales of HTPs that were introduced into the Japanese market in late 2015.

Using data from the Tobacco Institute

It said that to comply with social distancing requirements, only one trader per booth would be allowed compared to two or three traders per booth before.

All persons inside the trading floor will be required to wear masks at all times and no congregation in any area within the floor will be allowed. It will also provide hand sanitizers at strategic areas on the floor and will diligently perform the disinfecting protocols.

“The above measures may be inconvenient and troublesome but we trust the traders will understand and appreciate that all these are being done to safeguard their health and well-being,” Monzon said.

of Japan and Philip Morris International, the researchers concluded that the accelerated five-fold decline in cigarette only sales in Japan since 2016 corresponds to the introduction and growth in the sales of HTPs. Cigarette sales in Japan were declining slowly and steadily before HTPs were introduced in 2015.

Entitled “What Is Accounting for the Rapid Decline in Cigarette Sales in Japan?”, the study was published on May 20, 2020 in the peer-reviewed open access scientific journal International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

HTPs are smoke-free devices that heat, instead of burn, specially-designed

tobacco units to release a flavorful nicotine-containing tobacco vapor. As tobacco is not burned, the levels of harmful chemicals produced by HNB products are significantly lower compared to combustible cigarette smoke. The most popular HTP brand is IQOS, a product of PMI. Consumers’ interest and the regulatory environment shape markets, according to Professor David Sweanor of the Faculty of Law of University of Ottawa, one of the study’s authors.

He said that Japanese regulations precluded alternatives to combustible cigarettes, such as nicotine-containing vaping products. However, HTPs generated huge interest among smokers in Japan.

Workstations should be sterilized before and after each service while pieces of furniture made of porous materials should be covered in plastic for ease of sanitation. There should also be strict use of disposable-only menus, reading materials and magazines.

The guidelines also mandate that employees wear personal protective equipment including, but not limited to face mask, face shield, eye glasses, gloves, hair caps and closed shoes.

No personnel with COVID-19 symptoms or exposure to COVID-19 patients should be allowed to work.

The guidelines also remind workers not to wear pieces of jewelry, observe proper personal hygiene, enforce client-personnel interaction protocols and practice frequent handwashing and sanitizing.

PSE INDEX

Thursday, May 28, 2020

46.44 PTS. 5,570.22

TOTAL VOLUME 2,809,230,244 TOTAL TRADES 89,983 TOTAL VALUE 4,471,448,023.24 ADVANCES 113 DECLINES 75 UNCHANGED 39

F oreign E xchange R ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2020

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

50.5930

Japan

Yen

0.009285

0.4698

UK

Pound

1.226400

62.0473

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128964

6.5247

Switzerland

Franc

1.033378

52.2817

Canada

Dollar

0.727061

36.7842

Singapore

Dollar

0.704275

35.6314

Australia

Dollar

0.661600

33.4723

Bahrain

Dinar

2.651113

134.127

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266347

13.4753

Brunei

Dollar

0.701804

35.5064

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000068

0.0034

Thailand

Baht

0.031397

1.5885

UAE

Dirham

0.272272

13.7751

Euro

Euro

1.100700

55.6877

Korea

Won

0.000808

0.0409

China

Yuan

0.139509

7.0582

India

Rupee

0.013175

0.6666

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.229991

11.6359

New Zealand

Dollar

0.618300

31.2817

Taiwan

Dollar

0.033350

1.6873 Source: BSP

IN BRIEF

DOF secures $4.55b worth of foreign loans

THE Department of Finance said secured $4.55 billion in newly-contracted foreign loans from multilateral lenders and the commercial markets as of mid-May to boost the government’s ongoing efforts to suppress the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and provide relief to the most affected sectors.

The budgetary support financing for the COVID-19 emergency came from loans extended by the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank, and the government’s issue of US dollar-denominated global bonds last month, the DOF said.

It said of the amount, $1.7 billion came from the ADB, $500 million from the World Bank and another $2.35 billion from the dual-tranche issuance of the Philippines’ global bonds, which fetched coupon rates of 2.45 percent for the 10-year and 2.95 percent for the 25-year, the lowest ever for a Philippine dollar bond in both tenors.

The World Bank also accelerated its disbursement of the $200-million additional financing for the ongoing Social Welfare Development and Reform Project II to the Philippines, bringing the total amount for budgetary support financing sourced by the government from foreign loans for the COVID-19 response to $4.75 billion.

Julito G. Rada

Phoenix reduces 2020 capex to P1.5b

PHOENIX Petroleum Philippines said it is reducing its 2020 capital expenditure budget to P1.5 billion from P3 billion because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Phoenix chief finance officer Ma. Concepcion de Claro said during the company’s virtual annual stockholders’ meeting focus would be on projects that provide immediate revenues.

“We are cutting capex to P1.5 billion and focusing on projects that are immediately revenue generating. We will continue to work to put the company of firmer financial footing as we have done in the past year,” de Claro said.

The company will also implement costcutting measures and keep expenses at bay amid a slowdown in demand, she said.

“We’re taking about P800 million in savings mostly sourced from marketing, advertising and travel as we shift resources from traditional channels to digital. These cost actions will help keep our opex in line with the expected weaknesses in demand this year,” de Claro said. Alena Mae S. Flores

PLDT ready to meet higher demand for data

PLDT Inc. said its networks are ready to meet the increased demand for data connectivity and digital services during the “new normal.”

“Over the last five years, we have spent P260 billion in capex [capital expenditures] and that has made us very capable of serving our customers during this pandemic. Our investments in our network have paid off, we continue to deliver good customer experience,” PLDT chief revenue officer and Smart president and chief executive Alfredo Panlilio said in a statement.

“In the end, our objective really is to serve our customers, make sure their experience is good. We have sustained that during these very stressful times,” he said.

“E-learning, e-health, e-work, e-sports and entertainment----all underpinned by emoney—the new normal will be driven by digital, with video being the leading offering, as it has been very popular with our prepaid market,” Panlilio said.

Panlilio said customers’ need for these online services will continue even as quarantine restrictions are relaxed and people begin to return to their offices and places of work. Darwin G. Amojelar

Business groups vow to support GCQ rules BUSINESS groups on Sunday agreed to observe the new norms and protocol imposed by the government as the country transitions to general community quarantine starting June 1.

The groups said in a joint statement they strongly support the “whole-ofgovernment, whole-of-society” effort to respond and recover from the social and economic adversities brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Together with the international community, we have demonstrated utmost cooperation, and enjoined our own officers and employees to abide by the quarantine rules of the IATF,” the groups said.

The American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Canadian Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines, Institute for Solidarity in Asia Inc., Institute of Corporate Directors, Judicial Reform

Initiative, Makati Business Club and Management Association of the Philippines issued the joint statement in observance of the lifting of the enhance community quarantine status in Metro Manila.

The groups, however, slammed the alleged violations of the COVID mitigation campaign where government officials reportedly defied the protocol.

“We are therefore greatly disappointed – even appalled and dismayed – about news reports of public officials violating with impunity the IATF [Inter Agency Task Force] and Health Department protocols intended to protect public health,” the groups said.

“As the country rides this tide of uncertainty, we trust that our leaders at the national and local levels, will demonstrate beyond doubt, the highest standards in observing and enforcing the rule of law, and serve as role models in discipline and moral ascendancy,” they said. Othel V. Campos