Manila Standard - 2020 June 3 - Wednesday

200k OFWs won’t go home They claim no jobs await them in PH despite gov't assurance of livelihood

By Vito Barcelo

A

T LEAST 200,000 of the 300,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) affected by the coronavirus pandemic, stranded in different parts of the globe, and expected to be repatriated don’t want to go back home, according to Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III.

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In a televised press briefing Tuesday, Bello said some OFWs insist on staying in their host countries because they claimed that jobs are not available for them in the Philippines. Next page

NEW ROAD KING. A lone cyclist crosses the street near a mall in Makati City, where employees and customers alike line up to enter, on Tuesday. Other workers use bicycles to go to and from work (inset photos) as Metro Manila began its general community quarantine—marked by a lack of public transport, making the two-wheeled transports a necessity—after over two months of harsh lockdown conditions. Andrew Rabulan and Norman Cruz

PH suspends abrogation of VFA for 6 months THE Philippines will hold off for six months the termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement, the treaty which governs the presence of American soldiers conducting military exercises in the country.

The suspension of the end of the military accord was upon President Rodrigo Duterte's instruction and "in light of political and other developments in the region," Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin said Tuesday.

Locsin posted a copy of his note verbale to the US Embassy in Manila on his Twitter account.

"I issued this diplomatic note to the US Ambassador. It has been received

by Washington and well at that," Locsin said.

The note, dated June 1, said: "The suspension shall start on even date and shall continue for six months, which period is extendible by the Philippines for another six months, after which the tolling of the initial period in Note Verbale No. 20-0463 dated 11 February 2020 shall Next page resume."

COVID-19 PH AT A GLANCE

(AS OF 4 PM JUNE 2)

18,997 TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES

359

966

Trump to call in soldiers against violent US protests WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump vowed to order a military crackdown on once-in-a-generation violent protests gripping the United States, saying he was sending thousands of troops onto the streets of the capital and threatening to deploy soldiers to states

unable to regain control.

The dramatic escalation came a week after the death in Minneapolis of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who was killed when a white police officer knelt on his neck, leading to the worst civil unrest in decades in New York, Los Angeles and

dozens of other American cities.

In the Midwest, police were early Tuesday trying to bring the city of St Louis under control after a night of looting and violence in which four officers were shot, police chief Colonel John Hayden said, adding their injuries were not life-threatening. Next page

Palace: Anti-terror bill no draconian move MALACAÑANG said Monday there was a need to enact the bill against terrorism as it would assure the public there was “no draconian provision” in the proposed law to combat terrorism in the country.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the proposed amendments to Republic Act 9372, or the Human Security Act,

were patterned after the anti-terror laws of other countries to effectively combat terror threats.

President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday asked lawmakers to speed up the passage of the bill seeking to amend the 13-yearold Human Security Act whose provisions were deemed toothless by the Palace and other policymakers.

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Romualdez hails stimulus package OK BILL POWWOW. House Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez

(right), the Defeat COVID-19 Committee co-chairman, discusses with Deputy Majority Leader and Pampanga Rep. Mikey Arroyo (left) and Quezon City Rep. Anthony Crisologo (center) the proposed P1.3-trillion ARISE bill before it was passed on second reading at the plenary of the House of Representatives on Tuesday. Ver Noveno

By Maricel V. Cruz HOUSE Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez said Tuesday the approval on second reading of the proposed P1.3-trillion Accelerated Recovery and Investments Stimulus for

the Economy Act will help President Rodrigo Duterte to restart the economy.

Romualdez, chairman of the House committee on rules, said ARISE, or the economic stimulus for workers, would protect close to 16 million workers, create Next page

6

DEATHS

NEW

4,063

84

RECOVERIES

SHOW OF FORCE. Protestors block the state highway as they march on May 31 in Saint Paul, Minnesota, during a protest over the death of George Floyd. Thousands of National Guard troops patrolled major US cities after five consecutive nights of protests over racism and police brutality that boiled over into arson and looting, sending shock waves through the country. AFP

NEW

NEW

Dine-in protocols for restaurants get green light HEALTH officials have approved the protocols for dine-in operations of restaurants after observing demonstrations

by McDonald’s, Shakey’s and Tim Ho Wan restaurants in SM North EDSA in Quezon City.

“We were very satisfied with the dine-in demonstrations of the three restaurants since they showed that the safety protocols are being implemented and proved that they are indeed doable,” said Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, who accompanied members of the InterAgency Task Force on the Management Next page

DOH admits test case validation work in progress

By Willie Casas, Rey E. Requejo and Joel E. Zurbano The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday announced that it is working with its licensed laboratories to speed up the submission of test results to ensure a more precise collation, validation, and reporting of COVID-19 data. Next page

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News

Wuhan doctor dies from virus B Hu Weifeng, a urologist at Wuhan Central Hospital, died on Friday after being treated for COVID-19 and allied issues for more than four months, state broadcaster CCTV said.

He is the sixth doctor from Wuhan Central Hospital to have died from the virus, which emerged in the central

Chinese city late last year.

Cases have dwindled dramatically from the peak in mid-February as the country appears to have brought the outbreak largely under control.

The official death toll in the country of 1.4 billion people stands at 4,634 -- well below the number of fatalities in less

populous nations.

Wuhan Central Hospital has yet to give a formal statement on Hu's death. In early February it said some 68 staff members had contracted coronavirus.

Meanwhile, healthcare systems across Latin America risk being overwhelmed by the coronavirus, the World Health Organization has said, as the death toll from the disease in hard-hit Brazil nears 30,000.

The warning from the global health body came as a sister UN agency issued new guidelines for pandemic-hit airlines that reveal what flying might look like when passenger planes take to the skies

200k...

OFWs coming from priority countries/ territories will be given financial assistance, he added.

“The Department shall provide financial assistance to qualified OFWs from countries with Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) presence and/or are heavily affected

by COVID-19,” Bello said.

An estimated 12 million Filipinos work abroad. In 2019, they sent home up to $35.1 billion (P1.76 trillion) in remittances, accounting for just under 10 percent of the country's gross domestic product in 2019, according to the Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

Previously, Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año said the government expects some 300,000 OFWs to return to the country this year as their host countries—under lockdowns because of the COVID-19 pandemic— send migrant workers home.

“For the whole year, we are expecting that 300,000 OFWs will come home,” Año said. “The whole world is under lockdown. They are sending home migrant workers, not just from the Philippines, but other countries, too. This is our chance to show the importance of OFWs when they get home.”

But repatriated workers so far have not fared well, spending up to two months in isolation centers in the Philippines, rather than the required 14 days because of delays in their COVID-19 testing.

Since April 13, returning OFWs have been required to undergo mandatory

quarantine inside government facilities, meaning hotels and other accommodations accredited by the Department of Tourism.

Since April 27, returning OFWs were required to undergo reverse transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests for the coronavirus.

Since May 6, the government has identified the need to prioritize testing for some 20,000 quarantined OFWs. Nearly three weeks later, thousands remain in quarantine.

If unresolved, the problem figures to worsen through June, when some 40,000 more OFWs are expected to return.

Secretary Carlito Galvez, who heads the national task force on COVID-19 response, has said this could overwhelm the country's current quarantine facilities.

Recruitment and migration consultant Emmanuel Geslani expressed concern that the government may not be able to provide jobs to returning OFWs affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, since the fund allotted for displaced workers is only P1.5 billion.

Geslani said the continuous lockdown of the Middle East countries, Japan and some countries in Europe will greatly contribute to massive losses in OFW deployment for this year and until 2021.

“With the continuing lockdown of our main markets in the Middle East and the huge number of displaced workers in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait UAE and Qatar our main labor markets, around 100,000 OFWs have been affected the pandemic

with many of their jobs lost through closure of establishments,” he said.

He said that seafarers who have returned to the country now number 30,000 and more 40,000 are expected in the month of June with charter flights and cruise liners sailing to the country.

“Expected losses in the sea-based sector is at 100,000 [jobs], which includes cruise ship crews, general cargo, containers ships and oil-rigs support vessels,” Geslani said.

He said cruise lines are not expected to sail until September or October in 2020, thus Filipino seafarers will wait until that time if they are recalled. Operations will start slowly with only a few of the estimated 200 cruise ships sailing all over the world.

The DOLE command center in Manila recorded a total of 98,615 stranded workers as of May 29, citing reports from POLOs in 40 foreign posts.

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 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.

counterparts in the country, after the US revoked the visa of his close aide and former police chief now Senator Ronald Dela Rosa.

US officials did not cite a specific reason why Dela Rosa's visa was cancelled, but many speculated it was due to his involvement in Duterte's violent war on drugs.

As late as May 5 this year, Locsin virtually shut the door on the revival of the VFA, saying there are other ways “to give muscle” to the existing Mutual Defense Treaty between the Manila and

Washington.

Under the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, the Philippines and the US commit to come to each other’s aid in case of an armed attack by a foreign aggressor.

“We are never going back to the Visiting Forces Agreement but there are other enduring-predictable not just ad hoc- ways of cooperation to give muscle memory to the Mutual Defense Treaty without which we would be an Oriental slave state,” Locsin said in his Twitter account about a month ago.

According to Locsin, one of the

ways is for Washington to provide more armaments to Manila to equip the country’s armed forces.

“Arming us to hold up to our end of the Mutual Defense Treaty is one,” he said.

Last year, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reiterated the pledge to come to the aid of the Philippines amid growing concern over the aggressive activities of China in the West Philippine Sea which includes the construction of military facilities in seven artificial islands, including three inside the country's 200-mile exclusive economic zone. With Rey E. Requejo

These measures still apply during the GCQ, in accordance with the May 22 resolution of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), the DTI said.

Under the GCQ, restaurants and fast food establishments can only cater to take-out and delivery services.

Dine-in operations will be allowed at a 50-percent maximum capacity under the modified GCQ where majority of provinces are now classified.

Lopez expressed confidence that with all the necessary safety protocols, dine-in operations would be allowed in the next two to three weeks as Metro Manila transitions to a modified GCQ. Also, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade urged companies to refrain from asking all their workers to physically report for work, and provide shuttle services to those who need it.

The appeal came after commuters waited long hours for rides and crammed into free shuttle services on the first day that quarantine restrictions were relaxed.

Othel V. Campos, Darwin Amojelar, Rey E. Requejo, Joel E. Zurbano, Rio N. Araja, and Willie Casas

Palace:...

its approval, activists and people’s organizations were already being tagged as ‘terrorist fronts’ by law enforcers— even presenting such accusations in congressional hearings,” Gabriela said.

Roque said today’s anti-terrorism law was actually one of the most lenient compared to similar laws enforced in other countries.

But concerns have been raised that the proposed measure might be used to target individuals expressing dissent against the government.

In a statement, the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers expressed apprehension that its passage would worsen the climate of impunity “that has made the Philippines a fertile ground for extrajudicial killings, illegal arrests and crackdowns against activists and progressive organizations and even ordinary citizens.”

Under the Senate bill adopted by the House of Representatives, any person who will threaten to commit terrorism will be imprisoned for 12 years. The same jail term will be applied against those who will propose any terroristic act or incite others to commit terrorism.

In defending a stronger anti-terror law, Roque said the Philippines was “not a stranger” to terrorism, citing the 2017 attack in Marawi City and the atrocities committed by the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu.

EIJING—A Wuhan doctor who worked with coronavirus whistleblower Li Wenliang died of the virus last week, state media reported Tuesday, becoming China's first COVID-19 fatality in weeks.

From A1

“We are trying to convince them to return, but majority of them prefer to stay in their host country despite lockdowns imposed by governments abroad,” he said.

The labor chief said they received reports that majority of the OFWs who lost their jobs due to the pandemic are in Hong Kong, the Middle East, Macau, Singapore, and Europe – mostly domestic helpers, factory and construction workers.

Bello said the 300,000 OFWs affected by the pandemic include those who were displaced, stranded, or infected by the COVID-19 disease.

However, the Labor chief assured returning OFWs they may find re-employment under various government measures, such as the Build, Build, Build program, while the DOLE will provide livelihood programs to other affected OFWs. OFWs who have experienced job displacement due to the receiving country’s imposition of lockdown or community quarantine or having been infected by the disease will receive cash assistance, he added.

To receive the cash aid, “they must be still at overseas jobsites, or in the Philippines as Balik-Manggagawa, or already repatriated to the Philippines, and must not receive any financial support/ assistance from the receiving countries/ employers,” Bello said.

PH...

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Under the accord, the VFA “shall remain in force until the expiration of 180 days from the date on which either party gives the other party notice in writing that it desires to terminate the agreement.”

Manila formally sought the VFA's termination on Feb. 11, 2020.

Duterte ordered the abrogation of the VFA, which allows American soldiers to regularly train with their Filipino

Dine-in...

From A1

of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) on a visit to the restaurants.

“A lot of them exerted effort to demonstrate that the transmission can be minimized, if not totally prevented, while still having dine-in operations,” he added. (See related story on A4 – Editors) Meanwhile, the Department of Trade and Industry said the moratorium on rent payments and evictions extends to the general community quarantine period that took hold in Metro Manila this week.

Landlords are not allowed to evict residential and commercial tenants, and should give tenants a 30-day grace period to settle their dues once the community quarantine is lifted, the DTI said in its supplemental guidelines on rents.

The DTI first laid down these guidelines in April, two weeks after the government imposed an enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) over Luzon and other parts of the country.

Trump...

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"Mr Floyd was killed somewhere else and they're tearing up cities all across the country," a visibly emotional Hayden said.

After being criticized for his silence on the worsening crisis, Trump struck a martial tone in a nationwide address Monday from the White House garden, as police fired tear gas on peaceful protesters outside the fence.

"I am dispatching thousands and thousands of heavily armed soldiers, military personnel and law enforcement officers to stop the rioting, looting, vandalism, assaults and the wanton destruction of property," Trump said.

He slammed the previous night's unrest in Washington as a "total disgrace" and called on governors to "dominate the streets."

"If a city or state refuses to take the actions that are necessary to defend the life and property of their residents, then I will deploy the United States military and

quickly solve the problem for them," he said, denouncing "acts of domestic terror."

Despite the president's rhetoric, Monday's protests appeared largely peaceful in major cities, though some looting was reported in New York and Los Angeles.

During his address, however, law enforcement including military police used tear gas to clear protesters outside the White House so the president could walk across the street to the two-centuries-old St John's church, hit with graffiti and partially damaged by fire during unrest on Sunday.

"We have a great country," Trump declared as he stood before the church's boarded-up windows, held up a Bible and posed for photographs.

The backlash was swift.

"He's using the American military against the American people," tweeted Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden.

"He tear-gassed peaceful protesters and fired rubber bullets. For a photo. For our children, for the very soul of our country, we must defeat him," he said. AFP

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“There is no draconian provision there.

All provisions are based on the laws of other countries that are effective in dealing with terrorists,” Roque said in a televised briefing.

Roque made his statement even as Senator Panfilo Lacson said there were enough safeguards in the new anti-terrorism bill amid criticism from some sectors.

Lacson said the concerns being raised by human rights advocates had been adequately addressed during the committee on national defense and security public hearings, as well as the debates and interpellations in plenary.

"As a responsible member of the community of nations, we are duty-bound to improve upon our laws toward ensuring we are able to implement United Nations Security Council Resolutions, meet international standards, and fulfill state obligations with the UN while putting in place safeguards against possible abuse," he said in a statement.

But the women’s group Gabriela said the new Anti-Terrorism Bill was another dagger that would legitimize the abuse of power.

“The bill spells total death to our democratic rights. Even prior to

DOH...

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During the Beat COVID-19 virtual press conference, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire and public health epidemiologist Troy Gepte both said that as more tests are conducted daily, COVID-19 laboratories continue to be swamped with more samples to process.

While the DOH has also been conducting a mass hiring program which includes data encoders, testing laboratories have also been adapting and improving their ability to submit test results to the Department so that timely and accurate data may be released to the public.

“It’s difficult to validate the information; we’re doing all we can,” Gepte said in a mix of English and Filipino. “It’s a work in progress with the labs to report properly the data.”

As much as possible, Gepte said, they

again in earnest.

The march of the illness across the Americas comes as other parts of the world return to relative normality after weeks of restrictions on daily life that have wrecked economies and left millions jobless.

Schools, swimming pools, pubs and tourist sites have begun to throw open their doors again in Europe as the continent continues easing lockdowns despite the threat of a second wave of infections.

The pandemic has now killed more than 377,000 people and infected at least 6.3 million since erupting in China in late 2019. AFP

want to use the most recent data, but getting the information is not easy.

Much of the testing is still subject to a manual verification process and paperbased case information forms are still widely used, he said.

This makes case validation all the more critical to ensure that the publicly available data is accurate, Vergeire added.

Vergeire explained that the DOH can only start the validation process once the laboratories have submitted test results to them, but this puts a strain on the testing system. Fortunately, there are more laboratories being accredited, with 49 currently licensed and 130 with pending applications.

“When all our laboratories submit consistently their daily reports, and they use the COVIDKAYA application, only then can we do close to real-time information-sharing between laboratories and the DOH,” she added.

Spike in budget deficit triggers call for prudent funding vs. virus

By Joel E. Zurbano, Julito G. Rada, and Maricel V. Cruz SENATOR Franklin Drilon on Tuesday urged the government to drop its plan to spend P11.7 billion to hire 130,000 contact tracers in consideration of the country's growing budget deficit due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"In light of the budget deficit, it behooves all agencies to exercise prudent judgment in the use of public funds," said Drilon, who was able to compel the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. to lower the cost of its COVID-19 testing package by 50 percent, saving the government a potential loss of P8.3 billion.

Drilon supported Senate President Vicente Sotto III's call for "more prudent" use of the country's funds. Sotto also asked the Department of Health to divert the P11.7 billion for the treatment of patients.

The minority leader remprimanded the DOH for insisting on its plan when it can find other ways "to do contact tracing without hurting the government coffers," adding that such a move "shows its insensitivity to [the] budget deficit."

"Given the increasing budget deficit, which is projected to reach P1.56 trillion or 8.1 percent of the country's gross domestic product this year, this P11.7 billion should better be put to good use," said Drilon. (See related story on A4 – Editors)

6 solons queue to grill chair of ABS-CBN AT LEAST six congressmen have signed up to question ABS-CBN chairman emeritus Eugenio Lopez III when he appears before Wednesday's congressional hearing of the media company's franchise bills.

Lopez, whose Filipino citizenship is being questioned, will be one the resource persons in the joint hearing of the committees on legislative franchises and good government and public accountability, according to Ako-Bicol Rep. Alfredo Garbin.

Deputy Speaker Rodante Marcoleta of the SAGIP party-list group was one of the legislators who wanted to question Lopez, Garbin said.

The rest are Reps. Edcel Lagman of Albay, Rufus Rodriguez of Cagayan de Oro, Rep. Carlos Zarate of Bayan Muna and Ron Salo of Kabayan.

Garbin made his statement even as the Supreme on Tuesday dumped the petition of lawyer Larry Gadon seeking to stop the National Telecommunications Commission from issuing a provisional authority to allow ABS-CBN to operate beyond the expiration of its franchise last month.

The high court voted unanimously to dismiss Gadon's petition for lack of legal standing to file the case. Maricel V. Cruz and Rey E. Requejo

Romualdez...

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three- million short-term jobs and other measures to ease the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic over three years.

Romualdez made his statement even as Rep. Rufus Rodriquez said he wanted the House and the Senate to extend their first regular session until next week so they could pass pending COVIDE-19 response bills.

He filed House Concurrent Resolution 8 to amend the legislative calendar so that Congress would continue to meet up to next Friday, instead of adjourning this coming Friday.

Congress is set to end its first regular session for the 18th Congress on June 5.

Rodriguez said there were “important measures the country needs during and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic that have to be passed by Congress.”

Romualdez made his statement after the House on Monday night approved on second reading the proposed ARISE measure under House Bill 6815, which proposes P688 billion in spending this year.

The House is expected to have passed the bill on third and final reading when Congress adjourns its session this week.

“The approval of the economic stimulus package [ARISE] will ensure the availability of jobs and the continuity of business for millions of Filipinos. It is a stimulus program that seeks to restore our economic growth, maintain employment levels and expand the country's productive capacity,” said Romualdez on the measure that also aims to create 1.5-million jobs through infrastructure projects and protect 5.57 million micro, small and medium enterprises by rescuing theirtroubled companies.

News

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Solon urges PNP, NBI to chase scammers

By Joel E. Zurbano and Willie Casas CHEERING UP. Fireworks explode over the Okunitama Shinto shrine in Fuchu in the western suburbs of Tokyo on Monday, erupting simultaneously across Japan to cheer up the public, pray for the end of the coronavirus pandemic and pep up business for struggling pyrotechnic artisans. AFP

EO setting regulation on meds on

By Willie Casas THE Executive Order, which sets the maximum retail prices of 87 medicines or 133 formulations, has become effective Tuesday.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said Executive Order 104, “Improving Access to Healthcare Through the Regulation of Prices in the Retail of Drugs and Medicines,” provided economic relief to Filipinos by making life-saving medicines more affordable.

The EO mandates 50 percent reduction on the prices of medicines for top burden diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, breast, colorectal and lung cancers, chronic kidney disease, and asthma / chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

“The DOH has always prioritized the health of every Filipinos in all its policies and decisions. This is amplified now, more than ever, to assist the public from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and protect the vulnerable from further impoverishment, ” Duque said.

With the MRP, a diabetic patient on daily insulin glulisine spending P818.75 per pre-filled pen can now purchase his medication at P435.18.

‘Power system a ticking bomb’

DepEd to give training for home studies plan

By Joel Zurbano and Maricel Cruz

T

HE Department of Education (DepEd), more than two months before the scheduled opening of classes on August 24, said Tuesday it would provide training and orientation for parents and guardians who would supervise children's studies at home.

Education Undersecretary Tonisito Umali said parents would also need to prepare as they take on a "bigger role" now that most students would sift through their lessons from home.

"We expect partnership with, for example, the home schoolers' associa-

tions. We have set that already so there will be orientation activities for parents,” Umali told Teleradyo, beamed nationwide.

According to him, the DepEd, which has set a month-long enrolment for public schools this June, had modules that

identify competencies that parents must have to be effective learning facilitators.

Physical classes—where students attend classroom lessons—have been discouraged to avoid exposing students, teachers and other school personnel and placing them at risk of contracting the new coronavirus disease.

Meanwhile, Senator Manuel Lapid has filed a resolution to investigate the status of internet connectivity in the country, aimed at ensuring the effectivity of the work from home arrangement and the distant learning program of the government.

HEAT CONTROL.

Residents of Addition Hills in Metro Manila's Mandaluyong City douse water to control the heat while salvaging their belongings.

The Bureau of Fire Protection declared early Tuesday the fire under control after raising a general alarm on Monday afternoon.

Norman Cruz

By Alena Mae S. Flores MORE Electric and Power Corp. on Tuesday described the power distribution system in Iloilo City which it took over from Panay Electric Co. (PECO) as rotting, in state of disrepair, a ticking time bomb.

Roel Castro, President of More Electric and Power Corp. (MORE Power) said in a statement the current state of the distribution system prompted the new power distributor to implement maintenance works on substations, transformers, and distributions in the past three months, causing brownouts around the city.

Castro said in a statement it was the required maintenance works that caused the longest brownout was in Jaro district on May 17 after MORE Power conducted preventive maintenance work on Jaro substation.

He said the five Iloilo City power substations were integral part of the power distribution system as they reduce voltage to a level suitable for local distribution. Apart from stabilizing the system, substations also protect the consumers from sudden drops or surges of electricity.

Castro said their inspections on the substations, transformers, and cables in Iloilo City revealed alarming conditions of the distribution system.

He said analysis of the substations indicated high levels of dissolved gas due to degradation of oil and paper insulation.

SC endorses to JBC 8 aspirants for a vacancy

By Rey Requejo THE Supreme Court on Tuesday endorsed to the Judicial and Bar Council eight applicants to the post of SC associate justice that was vacated by Associate Justice Andres B. Reyes Jr. who retired last May 11.

During its en banc session, SC justices recommended the nomination of Court Administrator Jose Midas Marquez and Court of Appeals Associate Justices Ricardo R. Rosario, Jaapar B. Dimaampao, Priscilla J. Baltazar Padilla, Manuel M. Barrios, Pablito A. Perez, Edwin D. Sorongon, and Ra-

FVR biographer new Rotary gov THE selection for the next Rotary International District 3780 Governor has ended as District Governor Bernadette Herrera announced the election of FVR family biographer Melandrew Velasco as District Governor Nominee Designate for RY 2022-2023.

The announcement came after all candidates for the governorship underwent screening and interview by the NOMCOM chaired by IPDG Pastor Mar Reyes.

Velasco, currently in the United States, was interviewed via online zoom.

In a statement posted by Velasco on his Facebook page, he thanked

his fellow Rotarians from the Rotary Club of Cubao West where Velasco once served as Club President.

His election makes him the second Rotarian from RC Cubao West to become District Governor after 17 years.

The first was the late PDG Roberto Viray who served as District Governor for two terms in RY 2001-2002 and RY 2002-2003. Viray was considered by Velasco as his mentor in the Rotary organization, giving him tips on the rudiments of Rotary service.

In his statement, Velasco reached out to his fellow candidates, offering his hand of friendship.

mon A. Cruz.

Padilla and Sorongon were among those subjected to an interview via Zoom last May 28 by the JBC members. Marquez, Rosario, Dimaampao, Barrios, Perez, and Cruz were no longer interviewed as their previous interviews were still valid.

SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian urged the Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation to step up efforts to go after online scammers who proliferated and victimized many people amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

More people are also complaining about fraudsters stealing their profiles and photos online.

Gatchalian said authorities should beef up their online presence to safeguard Filipinos against online scams and other related cybercrimes.

As more Filipinos spend most of their time online during this time of the pandemic, Gatchalian said cyber criminals take advantage of preying on vulnerable people as they seek out information and data on the internet to maximize revenue.

The senator called for stricter online monitoring by law enforcers as well as rigorous information dissemination on the latest online scams to ensure that potential victims will not fall prey to those who exploit the prevailing health crisis.

The senator noted the 100 percent increase in cybercrime activities in the country in April, particularly online scams through phishing as reported by the NBI Cybercrime Division.

American consumer credit reporting agency TransUnion reported in May 13, 2020 that suspected fraudulent digital transactions worldwide have increased from March to April this year.

Cities, towns offer transport amid GCQ SEVERAL cities and towns are gearing up efforts as they offers transportation assistance or “Libreng Sakay” program to assist commuters facing difficulty reaching their workplaces due to lack of public transportation during the general community quarantine.

The local government of Quezon City itself announced on Tuesday it would offer two new routes, serviced by 14 buses to its Libreng Sakay program to assist commuters.

Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto also launched an app that would help commuters in Pasig City find the location of “Libreng Sakay” bus.

Valenzuela City has also deployed trucks to provide free public rides on June 1 despite the relaxed quarantine protocols.

Rodriguez Rizal Mayor Dennis Hernandez also announced they would offer the “Libreng Sakay” program in their town where it has four defined routes, San Isidro to Litex, San Rafael to Litex Jollibee, Burgos to Litex Market, and Montalban to Marikina, each with designated drop-off and pick-up points and schedules for the passengers.

Rodriguez said the general public and local residents could avail themselves of the Libreng Sakay rides every Monday to Saturday starting from 5:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. along different routes in the city.

Hernandez reminded the passengers to always abide with the guidelines such as wearing face mask and observing social distancing to prevent the further spread of COVID-19. Rio N. Araja

CONTAINERS CHECKED. DPWH Secretary Mark Villar, DPWH Regional Director Ador Canlas and DPWH Build Build Build Committee Chairperson Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo inspect shipping containers converted into the first mobile quarantine facility at CCP Complex in Pasay City.

Norman Cruz

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

A4

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3, 2020

Business

Gov’t debt surged P869b in 4 months IN BRIEF

Petron announces network changes

OIL refiner Petron Corp. said it expects to weather the coronavirus pandemic through network streamlining and expansion and organization changes.

“Even as we operate in a challenging business environment, we were still able to come out strong and focused on delivering long-term values. This was made possible by strategic organizational changes and focused network streamlining and expansion,” Petron chief finance officer Emmanuel Erana said during the company’s virtual annual stockholders’ meeting.

He said Petron has the largest distribution network in the downstream oil industry. “Locally, we have over 2,400 service stations of which 124 are new builds. This expands our reach allowing us to fuel more journey sand bring our products to more people nationwide,” Erana said.

Petron also opened new care centers bring the total to 39 and with the steady expansion, “there will be more opportunities for motorists to have our highly capable mechanics address their car repair needs,” Erana said.

He said 2,000 lube outlets opened in 2019 adding up to almost 20,000 in total nationwide.

Petron also has 6,000 liquefied petroleum gas branch stores nationwide “to serve the needs of more households around the country.

Alena Mae S. Flores

By Julito G. Rada

HE government’s outstanding debt jumped by P869 billion or 11.2 percent since the start of the year to reach P8.6 trillion as of end-April, the Bureau of Treasury said Tuesday.

T

Data showed that in April, government debt increased by P122.89 billion or 1.4 percent from the March level of P8.48 trillion as the government issued more domestic securities and availed of external loans to raise funds for coronavirus response efforts.

“To date, government debt grew by 11.2 percent for the first four months of the year driven by the 5.1-percent increase in external debt and the 14.4-percent increment to domestic liabilities,”

it said.

The Treasury said that of the total outstanding debt stock, 33 percent was sourced externally and 67 percent was domestic debt.

Domestic debt increased by P736 billion or 14.4 percent since the start of the year to P5.8 trillion as of end-April, while foreign debt went up by P133 billion in the four-month period to P2.7 trillion as of end-April.

The BSP said net issuance of domes-

tic government securities amounted to P50.82 billion in April while the peso appreciation diminished the value of onshore dollar bonds by P0.17 billion.

“For April, net availment of external loans amounted to P87.34 billion as part of the government’s effort to raise concessional financing to address the 2019 coronavirus disease pandemic,” the Treasury said.

Currency adjustments trimmed foreign debt by P15.10 billion, particularly through local currency appreciation.

Total government guaranteed obligations decreased by P4.14 billion or 0.9 percent month-on-month to P477.68 billion in April. The lower level of guarantees was due to the net redemption of both local and foreign guarantees amounting to P3.24 billion and P0.10 billion, respectively.

Vista Mall increases personal shoppers

VISTA Mall and its anchor stores from sister company AllValue continue to strengthen and broaden personal shopper services to help customers navigate the new normal amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Adopting new and innovative ways to enable customers to still purchase essentials and other needs for their homes has become a priority for Vista Mall and its business partners whose commitment is to continue serving the needs of its communities while making sure that the mall remains a safe and clean space for everyone.

AllDay Supermarket was among the first in the industry to launch their Personal Shopper Delivery Service to address the essential needs of the public at the onset of the enhanced community quarantine.

Personal shoppers were assigned per location to ensure that all queries and orders are served in a timely and efficient manner. Customers can get their essentials in three easy steps. First, customers send their grocery list using an order form from All Day. Second, personal shopper harvests the items and confirm availability of products and alternatives with customer. Third, customers settle their bill via cash on delivery, credit/debit card on delivery, or bank transfer and just wait for their groceries to be delivered or ready for pick up the next day.

Bounty emerges ‘stronger’ from ECQ

BOUNTY Agro Ventures Inc. came out a “stronger organization” with a “healthier financial position,” according to company president Ronald Mascariñas.

Mascariñas revealed this in a social media post as the company embarks on “business unusual” under the general community quarantine starting June 1.

“We are among the lucky ones. We managed not only to minimize expected business losses at the start of the quarantine period in mid-March, but actually dared to expand our business by creating completely new trade channels and bringing our products even closer to the people than ever before through our various formats of rolling stores. As a result, we are approaching the coming regimes of easing restrictions a stronger organization with more products and a healthier financial position,” said Mascariñas.

Bounty’s chicken rotisserie chain Chooksto-Go launched in March its nationwide rolling store, which also served products under the Uling Roasters and Bounty Fresh brands.

The company also sold live Bounty Fresh chicken raised by its 400 contract growing partners, who kept Bounty’s supply chain stable throughout the lockdown period.

PSE REOPENING. The Philippine Stock Exchange Inc. holds special bell ringing ceremony on June 1 to mark the reopening of its trading floor. Leading the ceremony are PSE president and chief executive Ramon Monzon (front row, left) and Securities and Exchange Commission chairman Emilio Aquino (right), along with PSE director Roberto Cecilio Lim, corporate secretary Aissa Encarnacion, director Edgardo Lacson, chief operating officer Roel Refran and directors Emmanuel Bautista and Eusebio Tanco.

IATF lists health protocols for dine-in restaurants

By Othel V. Campos THE Inter-Agency Task Force against Emerging Infectious Diseases approved the health protocols for dine-in operations of restaurants.

It approved the protocols after visiting and watching the demonstrations by McDonald’s, Shakey’s and Tim Ho Wan restaurants at SM North EDSA. The Department of Trade and Industry accompanied the IATF in the compliance check of the restaurants.

“We were very satisfied with the dinein demonstrations of the three restaurants since they showed that the safety protocols are being implemented and proved that they are indeed doable. A lot of them exerted effort to demonstrate that the transmission can be minimized, if not totally prevented, while still having dine-in operations,” said Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez.

Based on the guidelines on minimum health protocols, restaurants should

observe the following equipment and systems: properly sanitized tables and chairs (after each customer’s use); distancing of tables and chairs to at least 1 meter apart on all sides; face-to-face seating allowed only with proper dividers; visible floor markings for guidance of clients in queueing, preferably colorcoded; and proper ventilation in the establishment.

The protocols also include visibility and accessibility of sanitizing equipment and tools; provision of food menus per table; contactless order-taking; covering pieces of furniture made of porous materials with plastic for ease of sanitation; clean trash bins for used papers and used tissue; clean washrooms and toilets with sufficient soap, water, tissue, and toilet paper; and disinfection of high-risk areas, such as order and bar counters every 30 minutes.

The guidelines also called for the set-up of service stations: designated area for take-away/pick-up; separate

handwashing sink for kitchen staff and dine-in customers; contactless drivethru counters; and, the closure of play areas while buffet and self-service areas for food bars, condiments and utensils were not allowed.

Under the general community quarantine, restaurants and fastfood establishments could only cater to take-out and delivery services.

Dine-in operations will be allowed at a 50-percent maximum capacity under the modified GCQ where majority of provinces are now classified.

Lopez expressed confidence that with all the necessary safety protocols, dinein operations would be allowed in the next two to three weeks as NCR transitions to MGCQ. The government said that if health indicators improved, Metro Manila and other areas could possibly graduate into MGCQ and allow the operations of many restaurants and fastfood establishments.

Cusi assures Malampaya’s continued operation despite Galoc’s shutdown

By Alena Mae S. Flores THE Energy Department said Tuesday the $4.5-billion Malampaya natural gas project in northwest Palawan will continue to operate despite the low oil price regime that forced the Galoc oil field to announce the suspension of operation.

Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said there was “no threat” of Malampaya gas project shutdown as the project is “completely different” from the Galoc oil field.

The joint venture that includes Oriental Petroleum and Minerals Corp. earlier announced that production at the Galoc oilfield would be suspended in September amid the low oil prices.

Cusi said the Malampaya gas project under Service Contract 38, which powers natural gas power plants with a combined capacity of around 3,000 megawatts, has existing gas purchase and sales agreements with power generators.

He also said “there is demand” for natural gas from Malampaya gas project where the government owns a

10-percent stake through PNOC Exploration Corp.

The benchmark Dubai crude plummeted by about 66 percent to $23 per barrel by end-March from $67 a barrel as of end-December last year.

An industry source said oil and gas firms were expecting oil prices to recover to $40 per barrel so that oil exploration firms could recover their investments.

“There were huge losses per barrel of oil produced at current price,” the source said.

“Once prices go beyond $40 and stabilizes, it will be commercially viable to produce oil and gas again,” the source said.

Oriental Petroleum, a joint venture partner of Service Contract 14, Block C-1 (Galoc block), said in a disclosure to the stock exchange Galoc Production Company set the cessation of the oil field on Sept. 24.

This came after the issuance of the termination notice from the floating production storage and offloading service provider, Rubicon Offshore International.

PSE INDEX CLOSING Tuesday, June 2, 2020

95.00 PTS. 6,025.17

TOTAL VOLUME 1,007,688,970 TOTAL TRADES 118,036 TOTAL VALUE 7,286,879,430.37 ADVANCES 117 DECLINES 61 UNCHANGED 43

F oreign E xchange R ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2020

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

50.4380

Japan

Yen

0.009291

0.4686

UK

Pound

1.249600

63.0273

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.129019

6.5075

Switzerland

Franc

1.040583

52.4849

Canada

Dollar

0.736811

37.1633

Singapore

Dollar

0.710682

35.8454

Australia

Dollar

0.679900

34.2928

Bahrain

Dinar

2.651113

133.716

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266560

13.4448

Brunei

Dollar

0.708165

35.7184

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000069

0.0035

Thailand

Baht

0.031566

1.5921

UAE

Dirham

0.272272

13.7329

Euro

Euro

1.113400

56.1577

Korea

Won

0.000818

0.0413

China

Yuan

0.140272

7.0750

India

Rupee

0.013245

0.6681

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.231911

11.6971

New Zealand

Dollar

0.629700

31.7608

Taiwan

Dollar

0.033444

1.6868 Source: BSP

BOP incurred $68-m deficit in first quarter THE balance of payments reversed to a deficit of $68 million in the first quarter from a $3.8-billion surplus in the same period last year, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

Data showed that while BOP yielded a surplus of $448 million in March, the three-month tally still registered a deficit amid the rising foreign portfolio investment outflows.

“This development may be attributed partly to the reversal of foreign portfolio investments to net outflows from net inflows in the first quarter of 2019, even as the merchandise trade deficit declined,” the BSP said.

The March surplus was also lower compared to the $627-million surplus in the same month last year. “The BOP surplus in March 2020 reflected mainly the inflows arising from the BSP’s foreign exchange operations as well as income from its investments abroad, and the national government’s foreign currency deposits with the BSP,” the BSP said.

“These inflows were partially offset, however, by the foreign currency withdrawals made by the national government to pay its foreign currency debt obligations during the month in review,” it said.

The BOP position reflects the final gross international reserves level of $88.86 billion as of end-March 2020.

At this level, the GIR represents an ample external liquidity buffer, which is equivalent to around 7.9 months’ worth of imports of goods and services and payments of primary income.

The GIR is also about 5.3 times the country’s short-term external debt based on original maturity and 3.8 times based on residual maturity.

BOP represents the country’s economic transactions with the rest of the world. BOP surpluses help build up the country’s gross international reserves, an ample supply of which helps prop up the peso against the US dollar and keep domestic inflation at bay.

The BOP swung to a surplus of $7.84 billion in 2019 from a deficit of $2.31 billion in 2018. Last year’s surplus was supported by higher net receipts of trade in services, personal remittance inflows from overseas Filipinos and sustained net inflows of foreign direct investments and portfolio investments. Julito G. Rada

2 1600

SECURITY BANK’S DONATION. The

medical frontliners of Gat Andres Bonifacio Memorial Medical Center receive personal protective equipment from Security Bank through the Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service Foundation and the UP Medical Foundation. Gat Andres Bonifacio Memorial Medical Center and Eastern Visayas Medical Center are two of the ten hospitals nationwide where Security Bank donated PPEs.

MPTC resumes construction of Cavite-Laguna Expressway

By Darwin G. Amojelar METRO Pacific Tollways South Management Corp. said it resumed the construction-related activities for its big-ticket projects south of Metro Manila.

“With the relaxing of the community quarantine, we need to get the projects back on track, most especially the BBB projects which aims to spur and sustain economic growth by constructing infrastructure projects badly needed by the country,” Public Works Secretary Mark Villar said.

“The guidelines set is to ensure the

health and safety of everyone involved in the projects. Strict compliance is expected,” he said.

The construction of major infrastructure projects such as Cavite Expressway and Cavite-Laguna Expressway was suspended when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country, causing the adjustments for construction protocols.

“The guidelines of DPWH are specific to help stem the disease. The contractors must follow new protocols at the jobsite which changes the preparation and mobilization time of the projects. These adjustments have an effect on the timeline. We

also give great consideration on the renewed focus by the government on BBB projects; we want to accelerate completion of projects—subject to DPWH and the Department of Health guidelines,” said MPT South president and general manager Roberto Bontia.

MPT South resumed the road widening construction for CAVITEX R-1 second phase of bridge works in Parañaque, Las Piñas and Wawa which is now at 55-percent completion. Personnel and allied services were aso remobilized for the resumption of works in CALAX Subsections 4 and 5, and Cavite Segment.