Manila Standard - 2020 June 9 - Tuesday

OVER 100 DUMMY ’FB’ ACCOUNTS REPORTED SHORTLY AFTER DOJ PROBE

By Rey E. Requejo and Willie Casas THE Justice Department's Office of the Cybercrime received more than 100 reports from Facebook users who said their accounts had been cloned, after it opened a full blown investigation into the

proliferation of fictitious accounts on the popular social media site.

Justice Undersecretary Markk Perete on Monday said the cybercrime office had received 112 reports, some of them containing two or more dummy accounts, by late Sunday night.

This prompted the cybercrime office to ask involved in the commission of the crime.

Facebook to take down an initial batch, but with He said the DOJ is looking into computer-related an order to preserve the data for possible use as identity theft under the anti-cybercrime law as a evidence. possible violation.

Perete said the DOJ will pursue all possible "No one is in the clear," Perete said in a message angles and leads to build a tight case against those Next page

Still no face-to-face classes

Duterte insists on having vaccine available first; DepEd to comply with directives

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

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ENS of millions of children will not be allowed back to school until a coronavirus vaccine is available, officials announced Monday, saying they may have to broadcast lessons on TV. Nations like France and South Korea began resuming face-toface classes as they got their outbreaks under control, but Philippine authorities see the risk as too great.

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PH infections top 22k, more easing up set THE Philippines passed 22,000 cases of the coronavirus on Monday after the Department of Health (DOH) reported 579 more infections, while the death toll climbed to 1,011 with eight more fatalities.

This developed as the Duterte administration will revise virus quarantine guidelines on June 16, which will determine how much of the economy will be opened up, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said Monday.

With 331 “fresh” or newly validated Next page

NO RELIEF. About 200 stranded passengers bound for Davao and General Santos City—most of them overseas Filipino workers who have spent nearly two months in quarantine—sleep wherever they can as they wait for their turns to ride sweeper flights at the arrival area outside Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Monday. JR Josue

COVID-19 PH

READY FOR JUNE 12.

AT A GLANCE

Philippine flags decorate light poles along the center island of Aguinaldo Highway along Dasmariñas in Cavite on Monday. On June 12, Friday, the country will celebrate Independence Day, an annual national holiday commemorating the declaration of Philippine independence from Spain in 1898. JR Josue

(AS OF 4 PM JUNE 8)

22,474 TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES

1,011

New big-time oil price hike today

OIL companies raised pump prices

by P1.75 per liter for gasoline, P1.10 per liter for diesel and P1 per liter for kerosene at 6 a.m. Tuesday.

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No water rate change till Sept.

THE Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System said Monday there will be no tariff adjustments in the water bills of its two water Next page

MALACAÑANG assured the public Monday that the second tranche of COVID-19 cash aid will be distributed to poor families even if the law governing it expires this month.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque

says the June 25 expiry of the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act will not affect the second round of cash assistance to poor families under the government's social amelioration program.

“The second tranche of cash aid

will push through even if the Bayanihan Act expires,” Roque told reporters.

“It is not affected by the expiry of the law because the obligation and money is there.”

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Ex-envoy: Seize China’s assets as damage payment A FORMER official who led an international legal challenge to China said Monday Manila could "seize" some of Beijing's assets for the damage it has wrought in its island-building spree.

Former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said the Philippines could take the state-run Chinese firms' stakes in the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines and DITO Telecommunity.

China has a 40-percent stake in National Grid Corp., which operates the Philippines' power grid or electricity distribution infrastructure.

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NEW

8

DEATHS

NEW

4,637

107

RECOVERIES

Palace assures distribution of second cash aid

579

NEW

WORLD ROUNDUP

• Latin America crisis deepens with 7m cases SANTIAGO, Chile—The number of coronavirus infections globally topped seven million on Monday as deaths mounted in Latin America, but New Zealand's declaration of victory against the pandemic offered some hope for the rest of the world.

Rising numbers of deaths were recorded

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FATAL COLLISION. Police investigators sift through the debris of a collision between a garbage dump truck and a trailer truck along Marcos Highway in Tuba, Benguet around 4 a.m. on Monday. Six people died and four others sustained serious injuries in the smashup.

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More House members for Lakas H “We are in the process of beefing up our political influence,” said Romualdez, our ranks by recruiting more lawmakers. president of the Lakas-CMD and chairman We are working very hard to keep with of the House Committee on Rules. our promise to solidify and strengthen Zamboanga del Sur Rep. Leonardo

Babasa Jr., was sworn in as new party member by Romualdez, House Deputy Majority Leader and Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel Arroyo, and Deputy Majority Leader and Zamboanga Sibugay Rep. Wilter Wee Palma II via Zoom application.

With the entry of Babasa, Lakas-CMD now has members in 17 congressional districts apart from its party-list allies.

Babasa, vice chairman of the of the House committees on disaster management, on higher and technical education, and on local government, was a former member of the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban).

Romualdez maintained the strong

commitment of Lakas-CMD to support the passage of President Rodrigo Duterte’s legislative agenda.

“The Lakas-CMD political party is a staunch ally of the government and will continue to support the swift passage of President Duterte’s legislative agenda,” said Romualdez.

As co-chairman of the Defeat COVID-19 Ad Hoc Committee with Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, the Leyte solon spearheaded the passage of at least six anti-COVID measures designed to kick-start the economy through infrastructure spending programs that would create jobs and boost public health following the global health emergency.

outside their homes.

Online enrollment for over 25 million primary and secondary students started earlier this month for a delayed start to the school year, which normally runs from June to April in the Philippines.

Scientists around the world are racing to develop a coronavirus vaccine, but it is not clear when a viable candidate will be proven and distributed on a large scale.

One of the contenders is from British pharma giant AstraZeneca, which said last week that it is "on track" to begin rolling out a vaccine in September if ongoing trials prove successful.

While preparing schools for “a different setup” is a challenge, she said DepEd is readying the resumption of school operations based on their Basic Education―Learning Continuity Plan (BE-LCP) which would affect almost the entire education infrastructure in the country―from the DepEd Central Office down to the school level.

We are updating our policies, realigning our finances, and collaborating with our partners so that our goals of providing quality education and protecting the safety and health of our constituents will be achieved,” Briones said.

Remote enrollment is ongoing

nationwide with the aim of collecting and assessing household information of students.

The enrollment will be crucial in preparing and tailor-fitting the learning delivery method in different localities, Briones said.

Meanwhile, the groundwork for “blended learning” is underway, which would make use of radio, television, online, and modular learning ― currently being prepared and updated by the DepEd this year.

To ensure the effectiveness of these alternative learning methods, she said the DepEd is working with the private sector and education experts.

Last week, the DepEd announced that a total of 5,204,949 students have enrolled in both public and private schools nationwide during the first week of its remote enrollment system.

The enrollment, which is for school year 2020-2021, is done through the phone or through online platforms and will last until June 30.

On Monday, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian pushed for the acceleration of the DepEd's digital transformation.

Among the online services that should be expedited now are enrollment, payments, grades submissions, and

parent-teacher meetings, Gatchalian said.

Through Senate Bill No. 1565 or the Education in the New Normal Act, which calls for the creation of a Safe Schools Reopening Plan, Gatchalian is seeking to speed up the provision of free public wi-fi as mandated under Republic Act No. 10929 or the “Free Internet Access in Public Places Act” to support distance learning, especially when school closures occur during emergencies.

The proposed measure also mandates DepEd to enhance its information and communications technology (ICT) capacity to streamline and integrate its workflow and processes. This would increase the efficiency of services through automation and digitization that promotes zero-contact policy and observes social distancing.

The bill also seeks the installation of electronic and online systems for seamless exchange of data and information among DepEd offices, learners and parents.

Data centers, data repositories, encryption systems, basic messaging, electronic mail, and cyber-security facilities will be installed in the build-up of DepEd’s technology capacities. DepEd personnel will undergo training in rolling out this digital transformation. With AFP, PNA

could have affected the social media site, Lorenzo said.

But some users reported receiving threats from accounts bearing their own names.

"What did you say? Oust Duterte? Junk Terror Bill? You dare mount an online protest, you'll be caressing bars now," one such message said.

Responding to the rise of fake accounts on the social media site, Facebook said they are now investigating reports of suspicious activity on their platform and taking action on any accounts that are in violation of their policies.

"We encourage people to continue reporting any accounts they believe may be inauthentic," it added.

Facebook said its artificial intelligence (AI) detects most fake accounts and disables them before they can post on the platform.

In the House, Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate on Monday appealed to Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano to hold in abeyance the transmission of House Bill 6875 or the Anti-Terrorism Bill of 2020 after a number of lawmakers wrote to the secretary-general seeking to change their votes.

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to reporters when asked if the DOJ will include in its investigation known terrorist organizations. The department will also look into a theory from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) that it may have been a "glitch," he said, in a text message.

The DOJ official added that the DOJ is coordinating with Facebook Asia Pacific "to expedite the process."

At the same time, Perete said the DOJ would not use information submitted to them by Facebook users for other purposes, saying the department would maintain their privacy.

"The law on data privacy prohibits disclosure of information without consent or beyond the purpose for which data was obtained or provided,” he said.

"The DOJ Office of Cybercrime is not only aware of this prohibition; it will assiduously uphold the law that protects the privacy of citizens," Perete said.

On Sunday, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra ordered the Office of the Cybercrime to investigate the proliferation

of dummy and fictitious accounts on Facebook after reports that university students had spotted empty Facebook accounts bearing their names following protests against the new anti-terrorism bill passed by Congress.

The University of the Philippines and the official of publication of the De La Salle University have reported such accounts.

The Philippine National Police, the National Privacy Commission and Facebook are also conducting their respective investigations.

But NBI Cybercrime Division chief Victor Lorenzo said Facebook prevents the creation of multiple accounts under the same name and said the proliferation of clone accounts could simply be a glitch.

“We are looking at, in all probability, that this is just a glitch because it's very difficult to create an account on Facebook, especially if there will be numerous accounts under one ID, one cell phone number, [and] one location,” Lorenzo said during an interview over TeleRadyo.

The US, where Facebook is based, is grappling with widespread protests against racism and police brutality, which

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Under the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, each beneficiary will receive cash aid of P5,000 to P8,000 twice—in April and May—based on the minimum wage rates in the region.

The program was later expanded to cover five million more families, and on Monday the Department of Social Welfare and Development said Monday it is verifying the list for cash aid for the additional families.

"The Department will issue Social Amelioration Card forms with code specifically for the additional beneficiaries," the department said in a statement.

The poor families in Benguet, Metro Manila, Southern Tagalog, Central Luzon except Aurora, Pangasinan, Albay, Zamboanga City, Iloilo, Cebu, Bacolod City and Davao City are entitled to the second tranche of cash aid, the department said.

Rep. Fidel Nograles, meanwhile, wants to institutionalize the enforcement of a moratorium on all residential utility bills for the duration of a declared state of calamity or emergency, and in anticipation of another public health-related national emergency.

He filed House Bill 6960, or the proposed Utility Bills Moratorium Law, which would automatically impose a moratorium on electric, water, internet and telephone bills in the areas where the enhanced community quarantine is in force.

“We do not wish for another public health emergency to happen, but we must be realistic in expecting that the next epidemic is right around the corner,” Nograles said.

“Right now, even as we are still grappling with the pandemic, we already have to cover the bases so we won’t be blindsided when the next public health crisis hits.”

from Brazil to Mexico to Peru, driving the confirmed global death toll above 400,000 and the number of declared infections over seven million, according to an AFP tally.

Europe also continued to emerge from its lockdown, with Pope Francis proclaiming that the worst was over in Italy although he expressed sympathy for Latin America.

"Your presence in the square is a sign that in Italy the acute phase of the epidemic is over," Francis said on Sunday while addressing Catholics in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican for the first time since the COVID-19 crisis began.

"Unfortunately in other countries—I am thinking of some of them—the virus continues to claim many victims."

Brazil's crisis is escalating and it has the world's third-highest death toll at more than 36,000, but President Jair Bolsonaro continues to play down the impact of the virus.

In Chile the confirmed death toll reached 2,290 after miscalculations from March and April were corrected, adding 1,541 to the figure, health minister Jaime Manalich said Sunday.

The virus, which emerged in China late last year, has forced more than half of humanity into some form of lockdown over the past six months and driven the global economy towards its worst downturn since the Great Depression.

China, which has been accused of covering up the crucial early stages of the virus, on Sunday hit back at critics, saying it "will respond in the face of rumours, defamation, attacks and smearing".

National Health Commission director Ma Xiaowei said reports the government delayed sharing the virus genome sequence "seriously go against the facts."

AFP

DITO, meanwhile, is a joint venture between China Telecom and Udenna Corp., which is billed as the Philippines’ third telecommunications firm.

"Philippine authorities have the right to seize assets and properties owned by the Chinese state in the Philippines to satisfy China's debt to the Filipino people once China's full monetary damages are determined," Del Rosario said.

"China can be held accountable here in our country and the Philippine government needs to stand up for Filipinos," said Del Rosario, who dragged China to an arbitration court in 2012 to settle the Philippines’ maritime dispute with that country.

Meanwhile, former Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said Monday the Philippines needs to have a single repository of "historical, legal and environmental research" on the West Philippine Sea. This is so that younger Filipinos can learn and "continue the struggle" of defending the waters from Chinese incursion, Carpio said.

The country must also have a longterm plan on how to reclaim its islets that have been militarized by China, which "wrongfully" claims that they own the entire South China Sea, the former justice said in a webinar about defending the West Philippine Sea during the global pandemic.

"We must have a very good database of our arguments. All that we have done so far in terms of our historical, legal and environmental research must be put in one place so that this can be accessed by future generations," Carpio said.

"All this knowledge that we have accumulated must be passed on to the next generation... It is important that our generation should teach the Filipino youth all these facts so they will continue the struggle," he added.

By Maricel V. Cruz

OUSE Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez on Monday afternoon administered the oath of another lawmaker as new member of the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD), bringing to 35 its total members in the House of Representatives, including 18 party-list allies.

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President Rodrigo Duterte said last month that even if students could not graduate, they needed to stay out of school to fight the spread of the disease.

"We will comply with the President's directive to postpone face-to-face classes until a vaccine is available," Education Secretary Leonor Briones said in a statement Monday.

Classes are to resume at the end of August and teachers will use distance learning methods via the internet or TV broadcasts where needed, Briones added.

But millions live in deep poverty and do not have access to computers at home, which is key to the viability of online classes.

"The teacher and the school will have to adjust... depending on the availability of communication," Briones said in a press briefing.

There has been little public opposition to the postponement of face-to-face classes in the Philippines, where hundreds of new infections are being detected daily despite early and strict lockdown measures.

Children are generally not allowed

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COVID-19 cases and 248 reported late cases, it brought the country's total to 22,474. Meanwhile, total recoveries also rose to 4,637 after 107 more patients recovered from the respiratory disease.

The restrictions were last eased on June 1, when Metro Manila was placed under general community quarantine (GCQ) after 11 weeks on enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).

The quarantine classifications at the start of the month will expire on June 15.

Metro Manila will need a "closer" examination if the prevailing GCQ can be downgraded given that it is the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, Roque said.

Among the fresh cases, 114 are from Metro Manila, 156 are from Region VII, one is a repatriate, and the remaining 60 are spread out across the country.

Among the late cases, 106 are from Metro Manila, five are from Region VII, 31 are repatriates, and 106 other patients came from various areas nationwide.

Among active cases, 16,362 are undergoing treatment or quarantine —15,627 of which are mild, 660 are asymptomatic, while 56 are severe and 19 are in critical condition.

As of June 7, the Philippines has 41 certified polymerase chain reaction facilities and 13 GeneXpert laboratories that have tested a total of 395,221 individuals.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire earlier said the DOH’s testing protocol has been revised to include highrisk asymptomatic individuals.

Palace eyes special session Malacañang wants to call for a special session of Congress after the legislature adjourned last week without passing measures that would boost the government's response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea is studying the possibility of a special session, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said Monday.

"What's important is to have a stimulus bill that is supported by both houses of Congress," Roque said.

Lawmakers had failed to pass a successor to the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, which granted President Rodrigo Duterte additional emergency powers to respond to the crisis. They will reconvene on July 27.

The Palace “sees no urgency" yet in terms of a fresh law to succeed the Bayanihan Act, as it stood by its position that the measure expires on June 25, Roque noted.

COVID-19 testing expanded THE Department of Health (DOH) said it is ready to expand COVID-19 testing to certain asymptomatic groups, now that the country has managed 10,000 tests a day.

In a virtual press conference Friday, infectious disease expert Dr. Anna OngLim said this group would include people who had come in close contact with those infected by the novel coronavirus, including the patient's family, co-workers and health care workers that tended to the patient. Willie Casas, Vito Barcelo, Maricel V. Cruz, Joel E. Zurbano

PCSO: Lotto tickets back to P20 each THE Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office says it will return the price of the lotto ticket to P20 from P24 to attract more bettors to the numbers game.

“We restructured the price based on the suggestions of our agents and the gaming public. We made a study and analysis and it’s viable,” PCSO General Manager Royina Garma said in a statement on Sunday.

“We will roll back to P20 and this already includes the VAT [value-added tax]."

The agency increased the price of the lotto ticket to P24 from P20 in 2018 to comply with the implementation of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law, which also imposed VAT on the numbers game.

The PCSO is also looking at revising the regulations in giving out the secondprize payout to winners.

Garma says the plan for the secondprize winners is for each of them to get their prize in full instead of splitting the total prize among the number of winners.

The second-prize winners are those who correctly guessed five of the six winning digits.

“Except for the jackpot prize, whatever is the amount of the consolation prize is also what our winning bettors will get,” Garma said in a radio interview.

The reduction in the lotto ticket price is seen to get more people to buy lotto tickets, which should result in higher revenues for the PCSO. The agency has been affected by the cessation of lotto and other games, such as the Keno and the small-town lottery games, due to the enhanced community quarantine.

Recently, the PCSO also reduced the fee for those wishing to become authorized agents of its games to help those who lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A potential authorized agent pays a one-time application fee of P2,500 and he or she becomes a lotto, Keno and Sweepstakes agent. PNA

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In an advisory, Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. said the increase would cover the cost of its imports and the additional 10 percent duty on all crude oil and refined petroleum products under Executive Order 113.

Aside from Shell, Petron Corp., PTT Philippines, Seaoil Philippines, PetroGazz, Phoenix Petroleum Philippines and Total Philippines also raised pump prices.

Other oil companies are expected to follow suit due to the increase in oil prices in the world market.

On Saturday, oil producers led by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries agreed to extend production cuts to bolster oil prices.

OPEC and other oil producers led by Russia agreed Saturday to cut production by 9.7 million barrels per day.

Unioil Philippines announced over the weekend that diesel should increase

by P1.10 to P1.20 per liter and gasoline should increase by P1.70 to P1.90 per liter.

On June 2, the oil companies raised the price of diesel and kerosene P0.25 per liter and P0.80 per liter respectively but cut the price of gasoline by P0.20 per liter.

Before Tuesday’s oil price adjustment, the total year-to-date adjustments showed a net decrease of P9.72 per liter for gasoline, P12.19 per liter for diesel and P15.64 per liter for kerosene, according to data from the Department of Energy.

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concessionaires until September.

Patrick Lester Ty, MWSS’ chief regulator, said there will be no change in the foreign currency differential adjustments of Maynilad Water Services Inc. and Manila Water Co. Inc. in the third quarter.

"The MWSS Board of Trustees has recently approved the recommendation of the MWSS to retain the prevailing second quarter FCDA this coming quarter based on its evaluation of the FCDA proposals of the Concessionaires," Ty said in a statement.

The FCDA is a mechanism allowing water concessionaires to recover losses or to refund gains from the movements of the peso against foreign currencies such as the US dollar, the Japanese yen and the euro.

Manila Water, which serves the East zone, will continue to implement an FCDA of 48 centavos per cubic meter, which is equivalent to 1.69-percent of its 2020 average basic charge of P28.52 per cubic meter.

Maynilad will still apply an FCDA of 8 centavos per cubic meter, which is equivalent to -0.21 percent of its 2020 average basic charge of P36.24 per cubic meter. Rio N. Araja

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Jacinto’s qualification as DICT Usec quizzed

WAREHOUSE FIRE. A fire broke out at a soap warehouse and musical instruments warehouse along Guava Road, Brgy. Potrero in Malabon City. Andrew Rabulan

RESIGNED Department of Information and Communications Technology Undersecretary Elise M. Rio expressed doubts on the qualification of former presidential adviser for ICT Ramon ‘RJ’ Jacinto as his successor in the agency.

Jacinto was appointed by President Duterte as new DICT undersecretary last May 22 on the same day Malacanang accepted the resignation of Rio, which had been submitted as early as four months ago.

Rio took to social media to criticize Jacinto’s questionable credentials for the said position.

In a cryptic Facebook post, Rio appeared to be questioning the qualification of Jacinto when he referred to Section 11 of Republic Act 10844 which pertains to the law that created DICT Under that provision, the DICT secretary, undersecretary, and assistant secretary must specifically be required to have “at least seven years of competence and expertise” in the following fields – information and communications technology, information technology service management, information security management, cybersecurity, data privacy, e-commerce, or even human capital development in the ICT sector.

In an FB post, Rio suggested Jacinto was forcibly placed on the wrong government position.

“Section 11, RA 10844 (DICT Law) is like the glass slipper of Cinderella. Some insists it fits them, forcing their feet in until it shatters,” Rio said in his Facebook timeline.

Rio and Jacinto already had a history before, arising from their differences with regards to the government’s common tower policy.

Rio, a former military general and chief of the National Telecommunications Commission, contradicted the recommendation of Jacinto for government to allow only two common tower providers in the first four years of its implementation.

House measure lauds USAID for assistance

By Maricel V. Cruz

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HE House of Representatives has adopted a resolution expressing its sincerest appreciation and’ profound gratitude to the United States Agency for International Development for its continued assistance, especially the almost P1-billion financial aid to the Philippines to fight coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic.

The chamber adopted before it adjourned sine die last Friday House Resolution (HR) 954 principally sponsored by House Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez and Tingog party-list Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez.

The resolution recognizes USAID’s consistent showing of great concern for

IN BRIEF COVID-19 shows PH lack of food supply—Villar THE ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has exposed the country’s limitations in food supply and shortcomings in distribution system, Senator Cynthia Villar said.

“Covid-19 is an eye-opener for many people, not only in relation to our health, but the sufficiency and source of the food we eat, too,” said Villar, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food.

“It made us realize how dependent and vulnerable we are when it comes to food.

So much so that being food self-sufficient has become an important part of our life goals in the new normal,” she added.

During the first few weeks of the lockdown, she said there were barangays and cities that run out of supply, particularly of fresh crops or produce.

She said most vegetables, poultry or meat come from outside urban cities, so it took some time for the supply to normalize.

Macon Ramos-Araneta

BI, DOLE urged to locate POGO workers in PH A CONGRESSMAN from Mindanao on Monday told the Immigration Commissioner and the Secretary of Labor to make public the immigration status and the whereabouts of at least 170,000 “excess” Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators workers who entered the country since 2017.

At the same time, Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, the chairman of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs, urged the National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation to make public updates on the criminal cases against POGO workers linked to criminal activities and for the BI and the DOLE to do the same, “to determine if these workers had been stripped of their work permits or if have they been deported.”

He said that for a long time, the public had been kept blind on the real number of mainland Chinese who came to the Philippines supposedly towork as POGO workers.

These foreigners, Barbers said were granted visas upon arrival by the Bureau of Immigration and work permits by the Department of Labor and Employment. “Aside from whereabouts of these excess POGO workers, I am also concerned on the status of the cases of a number of POGO workers caught by law enforcers for involvement in prostitution, women trafficking, drug manufacture and trafficking, drug den operation, online fraud, forging of Philippine passports, money laundering, illegal health clinics and other crimes,” Barbers said.Maricel V. Cruz

the welfare of the Filipino people in these difficult times.

The Romualdez couple said “USAID deserves the highest recognition and.admiration of this grateful nation” for its demonstration of goodwill and promotion of democratic values and advances in governance, peace, and democracy.

“The USAID has always been providing full support to the Philippine government’s projects in terms of economic development and governance, education, environment, health, and other humanitarian assistance,” they said in the resolution.

The resolution noted that the Philippines obtained more than P762.6 million from the US, through the USAID and the State Department to fight COVID-19.

This is apart from the various development projects worth more than P5 billion ($100 million) it received last March.

The US Embassy said on June 5 that the US government will extend an additional P201 million, bringing the total amount of aid to the Philippines to fight COVID-19 to over P978 million.

The resolution thanked USAID for

their continued generosity, support and commitment to the Filipino people despite various issues hounding the relationship between the Philippines and the United States.

The USAID serves as the world’s premier international development agency, which provides development assistance and humanitarian efforts to save lives, reduce poverty, strengthen democratic governance and help partner countries, including the Philippines.

The resolution said the Philippines received from the US a total assistance of P29.6 billion ($582 million) in the health sector and P228.8 billion ($4.5 billion) for the country’s development goals overthe past twenty 20 years.

According to the resolution, USAID

Two of ‘Piston 6’ remain in jail TWO of the six protesting jeepney drivers, collectively known as the ‘Piston 6,’ remained under the custody of the Northern Police District.

Seventy-two year old Elmer Cordero and Wilson Ramilla have yet to be freed, while fellow drivers Severino Ramos, Arsenio Ymas, Wilson Ramilla, Ramon Paloma, and Ruben Balyon were freed after posting bail. The bail was set at P3,000 each.

The police said Cordero and Ramilla will remain in jail because they are facing other charges.

The six, all members of transport group Piston, were arrested by NPD cops on June 2 for failing to practice physical distancing during a protest and supposedly resisted authorities when they were accosted.

The police said Cordero has an estafa case, while Ramilla, had served jail time for a carnapping case that has yet to be dismissed.

Cordero and Ramilla, however, insisted that they did nothing wrong.

“Anim na araw po kaming ikinulong at pinaikot-ikot nang walang malinaw na kaso. Wala po kaming kasalanan! (We were jailed for 6 days without a clear case against us. We didn’t do anything wrong!),” Cordero said.

“Makatwiran pong humiling ng ayuda at magbalik-pasada. (It’s only right to ask for aid and return to livelihood),” said Ramilla.

helps the National Government, through its health and humanitarian assistance, to implement universal.health standards, safety measures and response strategies to protect Filipinos against COVID-19 by way of giving assistance to Local governments for a more robust health service delivery at the barangay and household levels; helping individuals, families and frontline health workers to protect themselves from infection through widespread training programs which plays a pivotal role in supporting the Departmentmof Health (DoH) to rapidly and effectively communicate the latest COVID-19 guidelines nationwide; and expanding community access to water, sanitation and hygiene information, services and commodities in places directly affected by the virus.

NEW MEMBER.

Lakas-CMD President and House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez administers the oath taking of new LakasCMD member Zamboanga Del Sur 2nd District Rep. Leonardo Babasa Jr Via Zoom.

Rep.Babasa is the 17th member of Lakas-CMD. Ver Noveno

JBC shortlists seven hopefuls for Associate Justice post

By Rey E. Requejo THE Judicial and Bar Council has transmitted to Malacanang seven aspirants for Supreme Court associate justice post vacated by retired Associate Justice Andres Reyes Jr. last May 11.

In a transmittal letter, the JBC concurrently chaired by Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta shortlisted six Court of Appeals justices and Court Administrator Midas Marquez for the vacancy in the 15-member bench.

Aside from Marquez, also nominated

were CA justices Japar Dimaampao, Jhosep Lopez, Ramon Cruz, Manuel Barrios, Ricardo Rosario and Priscilla Baltazar-Padilla.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, an ex-officio member of the JBC, said the JBC will transmit the list to the Office of the President before the end of business hours on Monday.

The JBC is a constitutional body mandated to screen and vet applicants for judiciary posts and is tasked to come up with a shortlist to be sent to the president, who is mandated by the Constitution to

pick his appointee from the list.

In revised JBC rules effective yesterday, June 8, applicants for the position of SC associate justice or chief justice should have at least 2.5 years left in service if they have previously served as associate justice or presiding justice of an appellate court; court administrator; chairperson of a constitutional commission; solicitor general or department secretary.

If they had not served any of these positions or are private practitioners, applicants should have at least five years left in service.

LTO opens online portal for public use

By Rio N. Araja

DISINFECTION. The Bureau of Immigration stopped its operations to disinfect their facility in Intramuros, Manila as one of their employees has tested positive for COVID-19.

Norman Cruz

THE Land Transportation Office has opened an online portal to serve the public under the new normal.

The agency is now working with its digital technology partner Dermalog that developed an online portal system and rendered automation of public services from driver’s license application and renewal, motor vehicle registration, penalties and online payment access from the safety of the clients’ homes and office.

The rule on social distancing must strictly be observed during the new normal, prompting the LTO to make a major shift in customer and client services.

The LTO has launched its new registration portal at portal.lto.gov.ph in a bid to avoid long queues of applicants and slow down the spread of COVID-19.

The online service is now available in Laoag City, Bayombong, Roxas City, Tagbuilaran City, Dumaguete City, Ormoc City, Butuan City, Pagadian City, Malaybalay, Lipa City, Calapan City, Naga City, Tagum City, Davao City, General Santos City, Baguio City, Angeles City, San Fernando City, Binan City and LTO central office in Quezon City.

The new online portal system is combined with a land transport management system, including an automated biometrics identification system from Dermalog with face recognition and fingerprint identification.

Jimbo Owen Gulle, Editor lgu@manilastandard.net editor.lgustandard@gmail.com

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TUESDAY, JUNE 9, 2020

Ayala boosts Davao testing to 1,000/day

LGUs LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

DAVAO City is set to increase its daily testing capacity for COVID-19 with the help of medical equipment donated to the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) and other institutions.

The donation of automated RNA Extraction machine and 2 RT-PCR machines and their accessories to SPMC Davao will help boost their testing capacity by a maximum of 1,000 tests per day.

The donation is an expression of the Ayala group’s continuing commitment to helping contain the COVID-19 pandemic, as it participates in Task Force T3 (Test, Trace, and Treat) convened by the Inter-Agency Task Force–National Task Force (IATF-NTF) and the Department of Health (DOH).

The SPMC donation is one of other similar initiatives that seek to capacitate existing testing facilities and build testing laboratories in different parts of the country. Ayala, through Ayala Land and AC Health, are constructing testing labs in Bulacan, Batangas, Laguna, and Iloilo.

Together, the Ayala group’s various contributions to Project T3 will boost the country’s daily testing capacity by 5,500. At present, the country conducts about 34,000 tests daily.

“We welcome the testing laboratories from Ayala, as these will be a big help to our efforts to stamp out COVID-19 in the country, and improve the country’s health situation in general,” said Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr., chief implementer of the IATF National Action Plan Against COVID-19.

“We recognize that the private sector plays an important role in our shared fight against COVID-19, and Ayala’s donation of testing equipment and laboratories (is) a welcome contribution,” said Vince Dizon, deputy chief implementer of the IATF National Action Plan Against COVID-19.

Traffic solutions for ‘new normal’ AS THE country prepares to transition to the new normal post-pandemic, local government unit chiefs are gearing up for different solutions to address the “new normal’ way of doing business and governance.

As more vehicles gradually hit the road, traffic management will be a top priority of city mayors again with business in Metro Manila slowly coming back to the fold.

Jason Salvador, traffic management expert and road safety advocate, said “Traffic management will be a huge challenge in this post-pandemic because primarily most of our traffic enforcement methods are still anchored the traditional way where the enforcer calls out a vehicle and discusses the violation face-to-face with the driver.

“This should be a No-No now that we have a virus transmission to control, and only a reliable technology can be the best partner for LGUs.” Salvador is also the managing director of Leading Engagement Advocating Development and Reform (LEADER), a group advocating for safer roads.

Millions of vehicles are expected to run in Metro Manila as the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) has been lifted and general community quarantine (GCQ) has taken effect.

As such traffic management is expected to be problematic for many enforcement agencies.

COVID-19 RESPONSE. The Ayala Group

has donated medical equipment to Southern Philippine Medical Center (SPMC) Davao to help boost its COVID-19 testing capacity.

Present during the official handover are (inset, from left) Health Undersecretary Abdullah Dumama, Medical Director of SPMC Dr. Leopold Vega, Davao City Mayor Sara DuterteCarpio, and James Lopez of Globe Telecom, Inc.

POPCOM to LGUs: Enlist volunteers T

HE Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM) is calling on all local government units (LGUs) to immediately organize barangay-based contact-tracing teams, as overseas Filipinos and locally stranded individuals steadily return to their hometowns.

“City and municipal mayors should prioritize the organization of local contact-tracing teams based on the Joint Memorandum Circular 2020-01 of POPCOM, the National Economic and Development Authority, Department of Health and Department of the Interior and Local Government issued on April 30, which prioritizes barangays where

coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)positive individuals reside,” said POPCOM Executive Director Dr. Juan A. Perez III, a co-signatory to the JMC. Based on the JMC, mayors with COVID-19-stricken constituents can mobilize the 200,000-strong barangay health workers across the Philippines, about 10,000 population volunteers na-

tionwide, the barangay police officers or “tanods,” and other local volunteers to conduct contact tracing under the supervision of city, as well as municipal epidemiology and surveillance units.

Perez confirmed that LGUs without such units could request their provincial governors, as well as regional offices of DOH and POPCOM, for technical assistance, as stipulated in the JMC. “Contact-tracing teams should already be in barangays without confirmed cases but with suspect cases, since they are the kind which may eventually turn positive,” the undersecretary said.

Suspect cases under the JMC are those with fever, influenza-like illness or with

respiratory distress, which are the early signs of COVID-19.

They can be detected by the contacttracing teams, under supervision of local health officers, and these should be prioritized for confirmatory testing.

After testing, the POPCOM chief explained suspects would then be classified as “probable cases.” Suspect and probable cases should be under quarantine until the test had been returned.

Positive cases, according to Perez, will be under health monitoring, depending on the severity of the patient’s condition, while negative cases can be removed from quarantine orders.

He said barangay health and population

volunteers regularly visit every house in their barangays to deliver health messages and services.

With the onset of community quarantines since March, these volunteers have been delivering contraceptives to family planning clients who cannot leave their homes.

Perez called for this immediate action, as “we cannot wait for the hiring of professional or untrained contact tracers.

Health and population volunteers can do the job, and, as anticipated in the JMC, with support for the hazardous work they do, and through appropriate logistical support from national agencies and local governments.” Jimbo Gulle

‘Kalabasa’ for Araneta City frontliners J. AMADO Araneta Foundation (JAAF), the social arm of Araneta City, has provided additional nourishment to all frontliners of the City of Firsts to keep them healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Close to 1,000 security, sanitation, and maintenance personnel received squashes and vitamin boosters – all donated to JAAF – last May 31 and June 1 as a gratitude for their relentless effort on keeping Araneta City safe and secured.

The vegetables came from pharmacist Kay Jonatas of the Kalabasa Project, which helps squash farmers in Nueva Ecija to have their produce sold during the crisis.

The vitamin-booster juice drinks were donated by Theresa Vialu and family.

Kalabasa Project aims to promote a sustainable Philippines where farmers are given due compensation and more opportunities to easily bring their produce to consumers’ plates. It was featured in JAAF’s #LivingHeroes – a series of stories regarding ordinary people with extraordinary hearts shown during the pandemic – on Facebook last May 21.

Diane Romero, JAAF executive director, said: “It’s a win-win situation for us.

We are able to take part in the Kalabasa Project’s mission to help squash producers, and at the same time, provide something valuable to reward and safeguard the health of Araneta City frontliners.

“This initiative has allowed us to reach out to a lot of people in these challenging times.”

TALK HELPS. Speech pathologist Sheryl Wong does teletherapy using communications boards translated into different Filipino languages, including Hiligaynon (inset).

Speech pathology for virus patients P10.8m for NV pupils

‘SQUASH’ THE VIRUS. Araneta City frontliners show the squash fruits from pharmacist Kay Jonatas of the Kalabasa Project, which helps squash farmers in Nueva Ecija to sell their produce during the coronavirus crisis.

ONE of the problems hospitals face in the battle against COVID-19 is the difficulty in communicating with patients especially those who are intubated.

To help address this difficulty, the speech-language pathology volunteers of Operation Smile Philippines (OSP), in partnership with the Speech-language pathologist of Cebu (SOC) and Siwala Pampangueña, followed the lead of the Philippine Association of Speech Pathologists-Alternative Augmentative Communication Special Interest Group (PASP AAC-SIG) and came up with a speech communication board for the medical staff and the COVID-19 patients.

This way, the medical front liners can exchange messages with the patient and properly assist them on their needs.

Operation Smile, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing comprehensive care to children and young adults with cleft lip and cleft palate deformities, shifted its efforts towards frontliners and COVID-19 patients as the world deals with the pandemic.

Communication Boards or “comm boards” are picture-laden boards featuring functional words used by individuals who have difficulty speaking because of physical limitations.

The boards have words such as “pain,” “yes/no,” “hungry,” “thirsty,” and others that can convey the needs of the patient directly.

The speech pathology volunteers from Cebu, Davao, Pampanga, and Manila have distributed over 300 kits of communication boards to several hospitals.

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya—The provincial government has allocated P10.8 million for the implementation of the Learning Continuity Plan for Vizcayano Learners(LCPVL) of the Department of Education(DepEd).

Governor Carlos Padilla said the fund, sourced from the Special Education Fund, was part of the preparation for the New Normal in education system due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our basic education learners will be assisted and provided with the necessary learning equipment and channels to continue their learning process,” he said.

The LCPVL will be using the modular learning system using applicable social media platforms and mass media networks, among others.

Padilla said that with the PLGU assistance, DepEd would be able to fund the acquisition of 67 Smart TVs, digital cameras for blogging, 30 units Desk Top Computers, 25 Laptops, wireless microphones, 1,600 transistor radios and funding of radio block time fees and communication allowance for teachers, among others. Ben Moses Ebreo

Opinion Baron and Ressa, on press freedom EAGLE EYES

TONY LA VIÑA HANDS down, two of the best and most important commencement speeches delivered in this unique graduation season were by globally recognized journalists, Washington Post Executive Editor Martin Baron and our very own, my good friend, Rappler CEO and Executive Editor Maria Ressa. Baron addressed Harvard University graduates while Ressa was commencement speaker at her alma mater Princeton University.

In his speech, Baron went straight to the heart of why free speech is central to democracy and good governance: “Facts and truth are matters of life and death. Misinformation, disinformation, delusions and deceit can kill.”

These are wise and courageous words.

“Here is what can move us forward: Science and medicine. Study and knowledge.

Expertise and reason. In other words, fact and truth.”

“I want to tell you why free expression by all of us and an independent press, imperfect though we may be, is essential to getting at the truth. And why we must hold government to account. And hold other powerful interests to account as well.”

He quotes the famous jurist and champion of free speech, Justice Hugo Black who once said: “The press was protected so that it could bare the secrets of government and inform the people.”

Baron argues that every one of us has a stake in free expression: “You want to be free to express your views.

You should be free to hear the views of others, the same or different. You want to be free to watch any movie. To read any book. To listen to any lyrics. You should be free to say what you know is true without threat of government reprisal.”

“And you should acknowledge this if you value these freedoms that come with democracy: Democracy cannot exist without a free and independent press. It never has.”

Baron then criticized leaders who, desiring and accumulating more power for themselves, attack an independent press and destroy free expression as well. Citing many examples, he lamented that much of the world is on that worrisome path, with efforts in the United States to demonize, delegitimize and

dehumanize the press giving license to other governments to do the same—and to do even worse. This is illustrated by the fact that 250 journalists worldwide were sitting in prison, including for accusations of “false news,” which, according to Baron, is “a charge virtually unheard-of only seven years earlier.”

In his Harvard commencement speech, Baron highlights “the courageous Maria Ressa,” whom he described as battling government harassment for years on other fronts.

According to Baron: “By the end of last year, she had posted bail eight times. Her real violation? She brought scrutiny to the president.”

In her speech to Princeton graduates, Ressa describes her experience and that of her colleagues: “For the last four years, Rappler and I have been under constant attack by our own government. The weaponization of the law followed the exponential attacks on social media, which acted like fertilizer, tearing down our reputation, inciting to hate, and paving the way for my detention and arrests (that’s with an s). I’ve posted bail eight times so I could keep working, and Rappler and I have paid more in bail and bonds than Imelda Marcos, who’s been convicted in at least four countries.”

These charges, including one on cyberlibel which decision will be handed down next week, are not trivial. Ressa acknowledges this in her speech, mentioning that lawyer Amal Clooney has pointed out that the cumulative penalty for these politically-motivated charges is more than 100 years in prison.

But Ressa is not intimidated: “The lesson I learned? You don’t know who you are until you’re tested, until you fight for what you believe in. That defines who you are.”

“Embrace your fear. Imagine what you’re most afraid of, touch it and hold it so that you rob it of its power.”

“I admit that it took me more than a month to defang the fear of jail. I hated that the baton was passed to me at this moment in time, but I also knew I wasn’t going to drop it.”

“That’s where courage comes from.”

Ressa had other counsel to Princton’s graduates: “Finally, beware the mob. This is the worst of human nature, and social media mobs have become the norm. Know that lies laced with anger and hate spread fastest on social media, forming lynch mobs. Switch out of thinking fast to thinking slow. Slow down and think.”

“Know that no matter how much of a superstar you are, you cannot accomplish anything meaningful alone.”

“Build and strengthen your community.

Rappler builds communities of action. I just hope it’s enough to protect our democracy.”

Wise and courageous words from two great journalists. I echo them.

Facebook page: deantonylavs Twitter: tonylavs

Business bloc takes stand vs. anti-terror bill ABOUT TOWN

ERNESTO M. HILARIO NOT surprisingly, nor unexpectedly, the business sector, or at least a part of it, has openly expressed objections to the passage by Congress of a draconian anti-terrorism bill.

It's about time.

In a statement issued on June 5, eight business groups voiced "in the strongest possible terms" their opposition to the enactment of House Bill 6875 or the proposed Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, passed by the House of Representatives last week.

The groups said "current threats to national security" do not require new legislation as they are already "well addressed" by existing laws and policies.

"And the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 is highly divisive—because it poses a clear and present danger to human rights enshrined in our Constitution—at a time when our nation needs to come together as one," they pointed out.

Those who signed the statement are: Bishops-Businessmen's Conference for Human Development; Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines; Investment House Association of the Philippines; Judicial Reform Initiative; Management Association of the Philippines; Makati Business Club; Philippine Business for Education; and the Subdivision and Housing Developers Association Incorporated.

Their statement reads in part: "We are all suffering and fighting for survival: businesses are closing down, people are losing their jobs, those who still have jobs find it impossible to find safe transportation to work, our children are going hungry and the continuity of their education is under threat. We need to come together, united around a set of relief and recovery measures that will help us come out of this pandemic a stronger and more resilient nation."

The business groups also called for both national leaders and the private sector to

focus on developing policies that would address "multiple socio-economic shocks," strengthen the country's health systems, and improve the investment climate to create more jobs, especially with thousands of overseas Filipino workers returning home.

I fully agree with the sentiments of this particular bloc of the business sector. Will the Duterte government listen to what that they are saying?

Where are the other big groups that also stand to suffer from an unstable political, economic and social situation?

In any event, we must also ask: Where are the other big business groups that also stand to suffer from an unstable political, economic and social situation once the proposed law goes into effect?

UN calls out PH on "widespread" human rights abuses Our business sector is on the right track in pointing out that the anti-terrorism bill "poses a clear and present danger to human rights enshrined in our Constitution."

What they should have probably said instead is that the proposed anti-terrorism law would further worsen the already dismal human rights situation in this country.

A report released by U.N. Human Rights Office last week upbraided the Philippines for “serious human rights violations,” including killings, arbitrary detentions, and the “vilification of dissent.”

The report, mandated by a UN Human Rights Council resolution, said many of the human rights concerns it has documented have been there long before, but have become more acute in recent years.

The global human rights body noted what it described as the “widespread and systemat-

TUESDAY, JUNE 9, 2020

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Adelle Chua, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

EDITORIAL

P

Terror in our hearts

ERHAPS if Senate President Vicente Sotto III had thought about it for a moment longer, he would not have blurted out that the new anti-terrorism bill that Congress rushed to pass would negate the need for martial law.

approved by the House of Representatives, would endanger our basic rights and freedoms.

While the bill is promoted as one that would strengthen the government’s ability fight and catch terrorists, these same provisions can be used to arrest and detain anyone who expresses legitimate dissent.

For checks and balances, are we simply to put our faith in a council made up of the President’s loyal and trusted men?

Presumably, he thought this was a good thing, given the country’s distrust of one-man rule enforced by the military and state police, which left millions of Filipinos traumatized during the dark period of our history that began in 1972.

Sotto should remember this period well.

After all, he composed one of the iconic anthems celebrating the ouster of a dictator in 1986 and the restoration of democracy that followed.

How is it, then, that this same person would believe that those of us who lived under the yoke of a dictatorship would welcome a bill that gives the President all the coercive power he needs without even having to go to Congress to declare martial law?

Human rights advocates argue that the anti-terrorism bill that originated in the Senate and that was adopted and

The bill, for example, would allow an Anti-Terror Council (ATC), made up of top Cabinet officials, to authorize arrests of people it suspects as being terrorists—a function that should be the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts.

Such suspects may be arrested and detained without a warrant, as long as it is authorized by the ATC. The power of the ATC recalls the Star Chamber in England, which became synonymous with social and political oppression through the arbitrary use and abuse of the power it wielded, before it was abolished in 1641.

The historical abuses of the Star Chamber, in fact, led the United States to adopt the Fifth Amendment to its Constitution, which guaranteed a suspect’s rights to due process and against self incrimination.

The new terror bill enables the authorities to sidestep these rights through the simple expedience of declaring someone—say, a political opponent—a “suspected terrorist.”

The bill also exempts law enforcement agents from any liability for wrongful arrests or failure to bring an arrested person to court within the prescribed time.

“Suspected terrorists” may be detained without charges for up to 24 days.

But the Senate president is adamant that the Human Security Act of 2007, which the bill seeks to replace, is one of the weakest in the world. He offers no detailed analysis of why he says this is so, or even any evidence that it is true.

Even assuming for the sake of argument that this is true, does that justify passing a law that makes it easy for the government to abuse its power and curtail our civil liberties? What is to stop the government from wrongly designating any political opponent or critic a “terrorist”? For checks and balances, are we simply to put our faith in a council made up of the President’s loyal and trusted men? The prospect strikes terror in our hearts.

Anti-terror FIRST off, welcome back to the world of print, Manila Standard! *** Anytime this week, the President is expected to sign into law the new Anti-Terrorism Bill, SB 1083/HB 6875, which he certified as urgent and therefore passed both houses of Congress by hefty margins.

The bill has raised howls of protest, not just predictably from the CPP-NPA and its front organizations in the NDF, but also from guileless quarters who’re concerned about government overreach and infringement of rights. These protestants might be reassured that the House version tags as terrorists only those suspected of committing the following acts: Intended to cause death or serious physical injury to another Intended to cause extensive damage to a government facility or to public and private property Intended to damage critical infrastructure, such as…telecoms, water and energy supply, emergency services, fuel supply, banking, transportation, radio and television Develop, possess, acquire, transport or use deadly explosive weapons Release dangerous substances, or cause fires and floods…to intimidate the public, government, or any international organizations.

Note that the bill does NOT target “advocacy, protest, dissent, stoppage of work, industrial or mass actions, other similar exercises of civil and political rights.” *** Some critics object to the idea of being targeted based simply on “suspicion.” They seem to ignore—perhaps wilfully—that any law enforcement effort by definition starts with suspicion. How else do you single out one person from everybody else?

What’s important is that the suspect thereafter enjoys due process as he goes through the mill of justice. There are no substantive objections to the anti-terror bill on this ground. For example, if one objects to lengthening the allowed detention period without being charged, from 14 to 21

ic killing of thousands of alleged drug suspects,” as well as the alleged killings of many human rights activists over the past five years.

The report said that since the Philippine government launched its campaign against illegal drugs in 2016, official figures indicate that at least 8,663 people have been killed.

Human rights groups, however, insist that the death toll is much higher.

The U.N. Human Rights Office has also documented that, between 2015 and 2019, at least 248 human rights defenders, legal professionals, journalists and trade unionists have been killed

FORMATION

GARY OLIVAR days, it should be noted that other countries in our region allow even longer detention periods, in one case up to two years, extendible.

The terror tag would not be around to be potentially abused, if there were no terrorists to begin with that need to be tagged. It’s just that simple.

In fact, other critics have stopped criticizing the bill itself, preferring to claim instead that while the bill may be acceptable on its face, what’s bothersome is the potential for abuse by government in the execution of the law.

This is understandable. It can be conceded that the PNP and some other government agencies charged with enforcing the law and administering justice have had their share of scalawags and screws-ups.

They may still be works in progress. But if we extend this reasoning, we might as well close down the BIR and Customs too because of persistent problems with corruption and under-collection.

Some government functions are too important to be judged solely by the misconduct of a few. Taxation is one such. Certainly fighting terrorism has to be just as vital. *** In fact, what needs to be asked is why, up to now, fighting terrorism is still so impor-

because of their work.

The report emphasized that given the failure of domestic mechanisms to ensure accountability, there is a need for “independent, impartial, credible investigations” into all allegations of serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.

Malacañang has chosen to dismiss the UN report and says the recommendations of the international body are unenforceable in the country. But if the Philippine government has nothing to hide, why obstruct UN efforts to get to the bottom of this issue?

tant for us. To some extent, the problem has already been resolved, such as through the successful reintegration of the Muslim separatists in the MILF and MNLF. But even there, terror groups like the Abu Sayyaf and other local cut-outs of the international jihadist movement persist.

The overhang that has blighted legitimate social protest in this country for half a century is the intransigence of the CPP-NPANDF. The CPP has been legalized for many years now, the old Anti-Subversion Law repealed. NDF-affiliated party-listers in the dozens now abound in Congress. Duterte even flirted early in his term with the admission of NDF leaders into his very Cabinet.

And yet the NPA still roams the countryside, very much alive and well. They may just be a bunch of extortionists by now, “roving rebels” to use Mao-speak. Or they may still be true to their Maoist roots and its remaining guru holed up in the Netherlands. Does it matter? It’s their behavior, their violence directed at legal authority, their killing of men in uniform never mind civilians caught in the crossfire—that’s the only thing that matters.

The NDF cannot go around pleading for human rights when the CPP ideology scorns the concept as “bourgeois law.” The NPA cannot deny that they’ve already been branded as terrorists by the US, the EU, and the UN. The whole lot of them cannot claim to be champions of the people in the face of an uprising against them by parents whose children—none of them over the age of consent—were taken away by recruiters for the NPA’s “child soldiers.” *** The onus in anti-terror is not on government. The onus falls instead on legitimate civil society, to rid its ranks of these violent people and their comrades who shield them in the “parliamentary struggle.” The terror tag would not be around to be potentially abused, if there were no terrorists to begin with that need to be tagged. It’s just that simple.

Readers can write me at gbolivar1952@ yahoo.com.

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Europe joins global wave of protests

M

ADRID—Calling for racial justice, protesters rallied across Europe Sunday, joining a wave of demonstrations sparked by the death of African American George Floyd at the hands of US police.

A video of the incident with Floyd pleading for his life in Minneapolis as a white police officer knelt on his neck has sparked protests worldwide, even as countries continue to discourage large gatherings to curb the coronavirus pandemic.

Several thousand people massed outside the US embassy in Madrid, shouting "I can't breathe", Floyd's last words, and demanding justice.

"Racism knows no borders," said Leinisa Seemdo, a 26-year-old Spanish

translator from Cape Verde. "In all the countries where I have lived, I have experienced discrimination because of the colour of my skin."

Rome's Piazza del Popolo ("People's Plaza") fell silent for eight minutes— roughly the time the policeman pressed his knee on Floyd's neck—as thousands of people took a knee in memory of Floyd, their fists in the air.

"We can't breathe," shouted the crowd, after the collective silence.

"It's really hard to live here," said Senegalese migrant Morikeba Samate, 32, one of the thousands to have arrived in Italy after risking the perilous crossing across the Mediterranean.

Opposition to that wave of migration buoyed the far-right in Italy and elsewhere in Europe.

Floyd's death last month has unleashed the most serious and widespread civil unrest in the United States since Martin Luther King was assassinated in 1968.

The police officer, Derek Chauvin, has been charged with second-degree murder while three fellow officers face lesser charges.

More than 1,000 people on Sunday

also gathered at a Black Lives Matter protest near the US embassy in Budapest.

Hungarian reggae singer G Ras told cheering protesters: "If we want to live in a better world, we need to radically change the way we live."

Almost 4,000 attended two similar events in the Netherlands, while thousands marched in cities across Britain.

Hip-hop artist Stormzy joined protesters marching for a second day running in London despite a ban against large gatherings during the coronavirus.

For the second day running, some demonstrators scuffled with police near Downing Street. There were also clashes outside the US embassy. AFP

SK court to rule on Samsung warrant

EURO PROTEST. A protester wearing a face mask attends a rally in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement in the center of Sofia, Bulgaria on June 6, as part of a weekend of rallies worldwide against racism and police brutality in the wake of the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man killed while apprehended by police in Minneapolis, US. AFP

Silence is ‘complicity,’ say many white protestors NEW YORK—As massive crowds take over streets across the United States in support of black lives, "white silence is violence" has become a recurring theme, a push to spread awareness that discrimination in a country built on racism extends far beyond police brutality.

The recent police killing of a black man, George Floyd, in Minneapolis and the protests it triggered have revived long-simmering criticisms over the historic complacency of white Americans towards the systemic racism undergirding their lifestyles.

Krista Knight, a playwright who protested this weekend in Manhattan, was among the many demonstrators wielding signs with slogans like "complicity" to indicate their solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.

It's the first time the white 36-yearold has marched for the cause, but stay-

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Please be informed that the following personnel named indicated below are no longer connected with MIDMAC Manpower Services & Placement Corporation Manila, Philippines effective APRIL 15, 2020. Any transactions entered into by these persons for and in behalf of MIDMAC Manpower Services & Placement Corporation effective APRIL 15, 2020 and onwards will no longer be entertained and honored by the Company.

POSITION

1. JESUSA C. ROSETE

Senior Marketing Specialist

2. JOSIE D. EDAÑO

Recruitment Specialist

3. AMER D. HADJI NOOR Director for Overseas Marketing & Business Development (MS-JUN. 9, 2020)

WASHINGTON―Tropical Storm Cristobal made landfall in southeast Louisiana on Sunday, bringing strong winds, heavy rains and the threat of damaging storm surges, the US National Hurricane Center said.

The storm hit at 2200 GMT along the southeast coast of the state, the NHC said, with maximum sustained winds of 50 miles per hour (80 kilometers per hour).

A nearby island off the coast of Mississippi recorded gusts of 64 mph.

US President Donald Trump said he would be signing an emergency declaration for Louisiana, freeing up federal aid.

The NHC issued a storm surge warning —meaning "a danger of life-threatening inundation"—for the area from the mouth of the Mississippi River to Ocean Springs, Mississippi, about 90 miles away. AFP

NEW YORK—After online fury and intense criticism from many New York Times staffers, the paper's editorial page head has resigned in controversy after publishing an op-ed by a US senator who urged military force against protestors nationwide.

James Bennet—the editorial page editor since May 2016—faced intense backlash after initially defending the column headlined "Send in The Military" by Republican US Senator Tom Cotton.

The hardline op-ed—which Bennet initially defended as an example of the newspaper's commitment to ideological diversity—was met with both internal and external outrage.

Cotton's essay encouraged an "overwhelming show of force to disperse, detain and ultimately deter lawbreakers" as anti-racism protests rage across the United States. AFP

Standard

NAMES OF PERSONNEL

Louisiana landfall for storm Cristobal

NYT editor resigns after op-ed backlash

Minneapolis dads vow dismantling of police force WASHINGTON—Councilors in the US city of Minneapolis pledged late Sunday to dismantle and rebuild the police department, after the death in custody of George Floyd sparked nationwide protests about racism in law enforcement, pushing the issue onto the national political agenda.

Floyd was killed on May 25 when white Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee on the unarmed black man's neck for nearly nine minutes. Chauvin has been charged with second-degree murder and is to appear in court Monday.

"We committed to dismantling policing as we know it in the city of Minneapolis and to rebuild with our community a new model of public safety that actually keeps our community safe," Council President Lisa Bender told CNN, after a majority of councilors committed to the effort.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, however, is against getting rid of the department, and the head of the city's powerful police union, Bob Kroll, appeared on stage last year with President Donald Trump.

The vow by the majority of councilors came a day after Frey was booed at and asked to leave a "Defund the Police" rally. He later told AFP he supported "massive structural reform to revise this structurally racist system" but not "abolishing the entire police department."

Bystander video of the incident— which captured Floyd calling for his mother and saying he could not breathe—has sparked two weeks of mostly peaceful demonstrations across the country.

On Sunday, protesters in cities including Washington, New York and Winter Park, Florida, began focusing their outrage over the death of the unarmed Floyd into demands for police reform and social justice.

Mitt Romney, a Republican senator from Utah, joined a group of Christian protesters marching toward the White House. He tweeted photos of himself in the procession, along with the simple caption, "Black Lives Matter." AFP

IN BRIEF

ONLY THREE PERSONNEL

ing home "is like sending the message that I don't care."

"Silence is indicating complicity," she said.

The Black Lives Matter movement was founded in 2013 in response to the acquittal of the white man who shot dead Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old black youth, in Florida.

Since then, it has grown rapidly worldwide, founding dozens of chapters and organizing disruptions to draw attention to systemic ills—often ignored by white Americans, who are statistically affected the least by such issues—including police brutality, as well as housing, education and healthcare disparities.

The movement fueled a growing consciousness and organizing framework for years, building some of the forces necessary to foster the current explosion of protests.

SEOUL­—The heir to South Korea's Samsung empire appeared in court Monday as judges deliberate on whether to detain him over a controversial merger of two business units seen as a key step to his succession.

Lee Jae-yong, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics, is already being re-tried on charges of bribery, embezzlement and other offences in connection with a corruption scandal that brought down former South Korean president Park Geunhye. Dressed in a dark suit and wearing a face mask due to the coronavirus, Lee appeared grim-faced as he entered the Seoul courthouse on Monday without answering questions from reporters.

Monday's proceedings are separate from his ongoing retrial, but add to the difficulties for the Samsung group, by far the biggest of the family-controlled conglomerates, or chaebols, that dominate business in the world's 12th-largest economy. AFP

And according to Candace McCoy— a criminologist at the City University of New York who has written on protest tactics—"one of the major differences in these protests, compared to others in the past 30 years, is the significant percentage of white people protesting on behalf of equal rights for black people."

She compares this mobilization to the demonstrations for civil rights of the 1960s, in particular the August 28, 1963 "March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom" spearheaded by Martin Luther King Jr. Even Barack Obama has noticed a BUENOS AIRES—Argentina's Feddifference: It's "a far more representaeral Intelligence Agency (AFI) has tive cross-section of America out on the called for an investigation into former streets peacefully protesting, who felt president Mauricio Macri for allegedly moved to do something because of the spying on more than 400 journalists, a injustices that they had seen," the forsource told AFP on Sunday. mer president said during a recent digiDozens of foreign journalists, intal town hall. AFP cluding several representing AFP, apCYAN MAGENTA BLACK peared on a YELLOW list of people to be investigated in relation to the G20 and World Trade Organization (WTO) summits held in Buenos Aires in recent years.

"The complaint was lodged on Friday and tomorrow (Monday) all the evidence will be presented," the official source told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Around 100 academics, businesspeople and prominent figures from civil society also appeared on the list.

The documents relating to the case were found in three dossiers named "2017", "G20 Journalists" and "Miscellaneous," in a safe in the office of the AFI's former director of counterintelligence.

Buenos Aires hosted the 11th WTO Ministerial Conference in 2017 and the 13th G20 Summit a year later.

"The investigation into the journalists was straightforward. They dug up information from social media and that way built an ideological and political profile," said the source.

The complaint was lodged by Cristina Caamano, who has been tasked by center-left President Alberto Fernandez to carry out an audit of AFI as part of a reorganization process.

According to the complaint, the profile information included "political preferences, social media posts, sympathy for feminist groups, or political and/or cultural content among others."

The comments included whether or not "they were critical of the current COP YOGA. Members of the Bangladesh police attend a yoga session to boost the immune system government" of Macri, who held office of police personnel during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic in Dhaka on July 8. AFP from 2015-2019. AFP

Raps for spying on 400 journos for ex-prez Macri

Business

B3

TUESDAY, JUNE 9, 2020 || extrastory2000@gmail.com

Stock market advances 0.8% Security Bank, GT Capital rise

T

HE stock market rose Monday after a blockbuster US jobs report fanned optimism about the economic recovery from the coronavirus crisis.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index added 48.87 points, or 0.8 percent, to 6,514 on a value turnover of P9.6 billion. Gainers overwhelmed losers, 157 to 58, with 35 issues unchanged.

Security Bank Corp., the sixth-biggest lender in terms of assets, jumped 8.8 percent to P111.50, while GT Capital Holdings Inc. of the Ty Group advanced 6.8 percent to P512.50.

BDO Unibank Inc., the largest bank, increased 6.1 percent to P107, while Alliance Global Group Inc. of tycoon Andrew Tan climbed 6.1 percent to P7.50.

The rest of Asian markets rose Monday, while a decision to extend production cuts provided fresh support to oil prices.

As countries continue to ease lockdown measures and with trillions of dollars in stimulus and central bank support pledged, equities across the planet have surged since hitting a trough in March.

And the release of data Friday showing a staggering 2.5 million US jobs were created in May—compared with an expected loss of more than eight million—added to the optimism, pushing the Nasdaq and the S&P 500 on Wall Street to within spitting distance of record highs.

Canada also reported a surprise increase in employment, confounding forecasts for a big drop.

“While there are still significant uncertainties over the COVID-19 impact on corporate earnings, investors are encouraged by the reopening of economies that is likely to lead to a rebound in profitability later this year,” said Iyad Abu Hweij of Allied Investment Partners PJSC. Tokyo rose more than one percent, while Wellington surged more than three percent after New Zealand officials reported no active cases of COVID-19 for the first time since the pandemic began and said the country was free of the disease, adding that restrictions would be lifted.

Hong Kong and Seoul each added 0.1 percent, Shanghai closed up 0.2 percent, while Mumbai, Taipei and Singapore jumped more than one percent, with Jakarta three percent higher.

Bangkok was also higher, while Sydney was closed for a holiday.

“In a year of almost unmitigated di-

TOP GAINERS

IN RECESSION. People walk across Shibuya crossing in Tokyo on June 8, 2020. Japanese growth figures were better than initially feared in the first quarter, according to official data published on Monday, but the world’s third-top economy was still mired deep in recession. AFP

TOP LOSERS

saster, the May jobs report was a pleasant surprise,” said David Kelly of JP Morgan Asset Management.

Jason Wong at BNZ markets added: “The data are consistent with activity indicators that show a recovery in activity as US lockdowns eased, following the big hole in the economy in April, and give increased confidence that activity is on a clear path upward from here as restrictions have eased further.”

As Latin America experiences a spike in infections and deaths, Europe continues to reopen to some semblance of normality, providing a much-needed boost to the shattered tourism industry.

Adding to the positive sentiment was news that major oil producers had agreed to extend output cuts of almost 10 million barrels a day for another month through to the end of July.

The deal, which had been expected, provided further support to crude prices, which have surged over the past two months thanks to the cuts and the easing of lockdowns that has boosted demand. AFP

Japan’s growth figures better than feared TOKYO, Japan—Japanese growth figures were better than initially feared in the first quarter, according to official data published on Monday, but the world’s third-top economy was still mired deep in recession.

Gross domestic product contracted by 0.6 percent in the January-March period compared to the previous quarter. Authorities had initially reported a 0.9-percent contraction.

Economists had expected the revision, with the market forecasting a 0.5-percent contraction.

The figures confirmed that Japan was suffering its first recession—defined as two consecutive quarters of contraction—since 2015.

A tax hike and typhoons hit Japan hard in the fourth quarter of 2019, sparking a 1.9-percent contraction compared to the previous period—even before the coronavirus pandemic battered the economy both in Japan and worldwide.

Japan has been hit less hard than most advanced economies by the coronavirus, with just over 17,000 cases in the whole country and around 900 deaths.

However, authorities urged people to stay indoors for several weeks at the height of the outbreak in Japan, which affected the capital and economic powerhouse Tokyo the most.

Most analysts believe that Japan’s economy will suffer further in the coming months as the effects of the restrictions on economic activity feed into the figures.

Japan’s household spending, meanwhile, recorded its worst drop in nearly two decades in April, government data showed Friday, as the world’s thirdlargest economy reels from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Spending fell 11.1 percent from a year earlier, with a sales tax hike last year adding to woes, according to data released by the internal affairs ministry.

The figure was largely in line with market expectations of a 12.75-percent drop, and marked the seventh straight month of declines since the government hiked the sales tax in October.

“The new coronavirus is having a serious impact on the economy including spending by individuals,” chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters at a regular briefing.

“We think it is necessary for us to return to regular economic activities step by step while taking counter-infection measures, as businesses are trying to survive the current situation,” added Suga, the top government spokesman.

The April drop was partly attributed to declines in spending on transport and telecommunications, as well as on leisure activities.

It is the worst decline since comparable data became available in 2001.

The latest figures come after official data last month confirmed Japan dived into its first recession since 2015, shrinking by 0.9 percent in JanuaryMarch as it wrestles with the fallout from the coronavirus. AFP

Oil production finally resumes in key Libya field—NOC TRIPOLI, Libya—The Libyan National Oil Corp. said Sunday production had resumed at Al-Sharara oil field, the country’s largest, which had been shut months ago by the forces of strongman Khalifa Haftar.

Al-Sharara, about 900 kilometers (560 miles) south of Tripoli, produces 315,000 barrels per day— nearly one third of Libya’s crude output—but is frequently attacked and blocked by militias.

In January, valves at a pumping station were closed forcing a halt in production at Al-Sharara and costing the treasury more than $5.2 billion, the National Oil Corp. said.

It came as forces of Haftar, who is based in the east of Libya, was pushing an offensive he had launched in April last year to seize the capital Tripoli from the UN-recognized government.

A statement from NOC said the company “confirms the return of production at the Sharara oil field in south of the country, after

lengthy negotiations by the NOC to reopen the Hamada valve, which had been illegally closed last January.”

The National Oil Company said that production will resume at a capacity of 30,000 barrels of oil per day until it reaches full capacity within 90 days, due to damage sustained from the shutdown.

“We hope that the restart of production at the Sharara oil field will be a first step to reviving the Libyan oil and gas sector and preventing an economic collapse in Libya in these difficult times,” NOC chairman Mutafa Sanalla was quoted as saying in the statement.

Oil exports are the source of almost all state revenue in Libya, which has the biggest proven reserves of crude in Africa.

Al-Sharara is run by the Akakus company, a joint venture between NOC, Spanish oil giant Repsol, France’s Total, Austria’s OMV and Norway’s Stateoil.

Sunday’s announcement came as

Fed weighs reopening economy, jobless rate WASHINGTON—The Federal Reserve will meet next week for the first time since US states began easing shutdowns imposed to stop the coronavirus pandemic, unexpectedly boosting employment numbers after two months of massive layoffs.

The world’s largest economy added 2.5 million jobs and the unemployment rate fell in May, according to the Labor Department, even as COVID-19 remains a threat to daily life.

The Fed moved swiftly and aggressively as soon as the pandemic struck, even before businesses were shut down nationwide, as the policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) slashed its key lending rate to zero in March.

The central bank also rolled out trillions of dollars in liquidity to support battered markets, and provide lending to large and medium businesses as well as state and local governments.

And Fed chair Jerome Powell has vowed to do more, if necessary.

President Donald Trump who is counting on a solid economic recovery to boost his chances of winning a second term in November, cheered the better-than-expected job numbers.

But despite the unexpected good news the economy remains in trouble and BBVA’s chief US economist Nathaniel Karp does not expect the FOMC to waver from its stance any time soon.

“While there are some early signs that the worst part of the crisis has passed, we expect that the Fed will reaffirm its commitment to doing whatever it takes while also reflecting on how the committee is viewing the current crisis,” he said.

The virus itself remains a real threat, with cases continuing to climb in the United States, home to the world’s worst outbreak with more than 108,000 dead—meaning life and commerce are not yet back to normal.

Powell has warned of the dire state of the US economy, and said economic data in the April-June quarter “will be very, very bad”—potentially falling 20 to 30 percent.

“There will be a big decline in economic activity, big increase in unemployment,” he said in a CBS interview last month.

While economists were expecting the Labor Department’s jobs report for May to show the unemployment rate rising to around 20 percent from its already horrific level of 14.7 percent in April, instead it declined to a still-awful 13.3 percent as the economy added jobs when states began restarting economic activity. AFP

fighters loyal to the UN-recognized Libyan Government of National Accord kept up a counter-offensive against Haftar’s forces around the strategic coastal city of Sirte.

The central city and home of former dictator Moamer Kadhafi is key for access to Libya’s crucial “oil crescent” in the east, where many oil fields are located.

The US embassy welcomed the resumption of production at AlSharara, hailing it as “a significant step forward” and urging all sides “to reject attempts to militarize the energy sector.”

Libya plunged into chaos after the ouster and killing of Kadhafi in a 2011 NATO-backed uprising, with rival administrations and militias vying for control of the country and its oil wealth.

The situation has been exacerbated by the intervention of foreign powers, with Turkey backing the UN-recognized government and Russia and the United Arab Emirates supporting Haftar. AFP

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

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TUESDAY, JUNE 9, 2020

Meralco announces lower power rates in June

By Alena Mae S. Flores POWER retailer Manila Electric Co. on Monday announced a third straight month of rate reduction on lower generation charges amid sluggish demand from commercial and industrial customers.

Meralco said the overall rate for a typical household dropped

by P0.0216 per kilowatt-hour to P8.7252 per kWh in June from P8.7468 per kWh in May. This is equivalent to a reduction of around P4 in the monthly bill of residential customers consuming an average of 200 kWh. “With three straight months of generation rate reduction, and a total rate decrease of more than P1 per kWh since the start of the year, this month’s total rate is also significantly lower than that of June 2019, which was P10.0918 per kWh. This month’s total rate is also the lowest since February 2018,” the company said in a statement.

Meralco said generation charges decreased by P0.0435 per kWh to P4.3413 per kWh in June from P4.3848 per kWh in May. “Because of the very significant reduction in power demand in its service area during the enhanced community quarantine and modified ECQ period, Meralco invoked the force majeure provision in its power supply agreements for the duration of the lockdown, reducing fixed charges for generation capacity that would have been charged by suppliers,” Meralco said.

The force majeure claim totaled P614 million in June equivalent to customer savings of P0.2208 per kWh, representing reduction in fixed costs from its baseload supply contracts and avoided charges from the temporary suspension of the midmerit supply contracts recently approved by the Energy Regulatory Commission.

“Without the FM claims, generation charge and the total rate would have increased by P0.18 and P0.24, respectively, from last month’s rate.

For the past three months, the savings due to Force Majeure claims totaled around P1.6 billion,” the company said.

Meralco’s PSA charges also decline by P0.0613 per kWh because of the force majeure claim.

Meralco sourced 50.4 percent of its power supply requirements from PSAs.

Business

Business groups push more reform measures B

By Othel V. Campos

USINESS groups on Monday pushed for more reform measures to attract foreign direct investments, ensure job creation and preserve sectors affected hard by the COVID-19 crisis.

The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry asked Congress to pass the Public Service Act, Foreign Investment Act, the Retail Trade Liberalization Act and the Liberalization of the Agriculture sector by August 2020.

“We believe that these represent the most urgent measures that the government must take to ensure that our country and our people, especially the most vulnerable recover from COVID-19

in as quick and sustainable manner as possible,” PCCI president Benedicto Yujuico said during Sulong Pilipinas 2020, an e-conference organized by the Finance Department and the National Economic Development Authority.

Yujuico said the past few months saw the dire needs that should be addressed such as the systems that need to be changed, and the different ways that the government can improve its service to

the public.

The PCCI asked the Agriculture and Trade departments, together with local government units, to set up a system where small farmers can efficiently deliver their produce to food hubs in various cities and provinces.

It also asked the Education Department and the Commission on Higher Education to team up with LGUs and private institutions to provide flexible learning materials, free Wi-Fi connection and access to computers for both students and teachers before the start of the next school year.

Yujuico also highlighted need for the immediate institution of the National ID system and efficient digital connectivity of all government agencies and LGUs to promote financial inclusion and digitalization.

HEDCOR’S SUPPORT. Hedcor,

AboitizPower’s run-of-river hydropower subsidiary, continues to look for ways in assisting host communities in Northern Luzon and Mindanao throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. To help communities recover, Hedcor is remitting P20.1 million of generation shares under Energy Regulations 1-94 policy of the Department of Energy. The ER 1-94 program allows Hedcor’s host communities to get a share of one centavo for every kilowatt-hour (P0.01/kWh) generated

by Hedcor’s facility in the area.

Robinsons Land plans P20-b bond offering in July

By Jenniffer B. Austria ROBINSONS Land Corp., the real estate unit of the Gokongwei Group, plans to issue up to P20 billion in fixed-rate bonds in July.

A registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission showed Robinsons Land would offer P10 billion in fixed-rate bonds, with an oversubscription option for another P10 billion from June 29 to July 10.

The bonds, with tenors of three-years and five years, will be issued and listed with Philippine Dealing & Exchange Corp. on July 17.

The company tapped BDO Capital and Investments Corp., BPI Capital Corp., ChinaBank Capital, First Metro

Investments Corp. and Standard Chartered Bank as joint lead underwriters and book runners of the offering.

The bonds were rated PRS Aaa by Philippine Rating Services Corp. The rating is assigned to long-term debt securities of the highest quality with minimal credit risk.

Robinsons Land plans to use the proceeds from the bond offering to partially fund the capital expenditure budget for calendar years 2020 and 2021, partially repay short-term loans maturing in the second half of calendar year 2020 and fund general corporate purposes.

The documents showed that of the P20-billion expected proceeds, some P11.25 billion would be set aside for project development including con-

struction of commercial centers, office buildings, hotels and resorts, residential and industrial and integrated developments.

About P1.5 billion will be allotted for land acquisitions covering 8.5 hectares in various areas in the country while P6 billion will be used to repay short-term loans. The remaining P1 billion will be for general corporate purposes.

Robinsons Land initially budgeted P27 billion in capital expenditures for 2020 but reduced the amount to P24 billion because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Robinsons Land had 788 hectares of land bank throughout the country as of end-March 2020.

The share price of Robinsons Land rose 4.2 percent Monday to close at P19.

Century Properties registered P290-m profit in first quarter

TESTING CAPACITY. The Bloomberry Cultural Foundation Inc. and Ayala Healthcare Holdings Inc. team up with the Tropical Disease Foundation to increase the country’s COVID-19 testing capacity. Sarci Razon (left) of Solaire Resort and Casino representing BCFI and Fernando Zobel De Ayala, president and chief operating officer of Ayala Corp., lead the launch of the partnership at the Tropical Disease Foundation office.

LISTED property developer Century Properties Group Inc. said Monday net income declined 21 percent in the first quarter to P290 million from P367.8 million in the same period last year.

Century Properties said in a disclosure to the stock exchange first-quarter revenues reached P2.77 billion, down by 2.6 percent from P2.8 billion a year ago.

The group’s affordable housing business and leasing portfolio contributed P173 million or 60 percent to total net income, compared to just P55 million or 14 percent last year.

It said net income contribution from urban vertical projects declined to just P111 million or 38 percent of the total net income from P324 million or 84-percent share last year.

“The lower net income in the first quarter of 2020 was not totally unexpected considering the three major shocks during the period: the Taal erup-

tion in January, the coronavirus pandemic declaration in February and the enhanced community quarantine declared in March, coupled with the company’s beefing up its cash war chest,” said Century Properties chief finance officer and investor relations head Ponciano Carreon Jr. “We managed to sustain the level of our revenues with a more impressive mix with the affordable housing business and leasing portfolio now contributing a combined revenue of P817 million or 29 percent of the pie compared with just P200 million or 13 percent of revenues for same period last year,” he said.

The company’s total assets reached P54.6 billion as of end-March 2020 while interest bearing liabilities went down by P1.4 billion at the end of first quarter, which resulted in healthier balance sheet. Jenniffer B. Austria

PSE INDEX CLOSING Monday, June 8, 2020

48.87 points

TOTAL VOLUME TOTAL TRADES

1,178,291,944 155,400

TOTAL VALUE 9,634,958,043.57 ADVANCES 157

6,514.00

DECLINES 58 UNCHANGED 35

F oreign E xchange R ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • MONDAY, JUNE 8, 2020

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

49.9040

Japan

Yen

0.009125

0.4554

UK

Pound

1.268600

63.3082

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.129032

6.4392

Switzerland

Franc

1.040150

51.9076

Canada

Dollar

0.745657

37.2113

Singapore

Dollar

0.718081

35.8351

Australia

Dollar

0.696900

34.7781

Bahrain

Dinar

2.655196

132.504

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266454

13.2971

Brunei

Dollar

0.715512

35.7069

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000072

0.0036

Thailand

Baht

0.031666

1.5803

UAE

Dirham

0.272264

13.5871

Euro

Euro

1.129800

56.3815

Korea

Won

0.000832

0.0415

China

Yuan

0.141219

7.0474

India

Rupee

0.013235

0.6605

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.234467

11.7008

New Zealand

Dollar

0.651500

32.5125

Taiwan

Dollar

0.033655

1.6795 Source: BSP

IN BRIEF Ayala unit commences Vietnam wind projects AYALA Corp.’s power generation unit, AC Energy, along with UPC Renewables, began the construction of two wind projects in the Mekong Delta of southern Vietnam with an aggregate capacity of 60 megawatts.

The projects will utilize wind turbines from Danish firm Vestas, delivered in different power ratings with site-specific towers. The turbines will feature a record hub height of 162 meters to maximize energy yields on both sites, making them the tallest in Vietnam to date.

“This project features the tallest towers in Vietnam and showcases Vestas’ ability to optimize the value proposition for our client and develop site-specific solutions for all wind sites,” said Clive Turton, Vestas Asia Pacific president.

AC Energy will participate in both projects with a 50-percent voting stake through wholly-owned subsidiary AC Energy Vietnam Investments 2 Pte. Ltd. Alena Mae S. Flores

SMC reopens Alabang southbound entry early SAN Miguel Corp. said Monday it reopened to motorists the Alabang southbound entry of South Luzon Expressway eight days ahead of schedule.

The toll plaza entry was closed on May 28 to enable SLEX contractors to undertake bored piling works for the resumed construction of the Skyway Extension Project.

SMC, through contractor EEI, used two rigs instead of just one to hasten the completion of the bored piling works while maintaining quality. Returning workers also had more leeway to move on the construction site as Metro Manila was still in quarantine.

“We want to assure the motoring public and government that the Skyway Extension Project will be finished at the soonest possible time,” said Ramon Ang, president and chief operating officer of San Miguel.

“This is to demonstrate our commitment to continue to improve our facilities and services—no matter what the situation or circumstance is,” Ang said.

Darwin G. Amojelar

APEC business group lists recommendations THE APEC Business Advisory Council Philippines drew up specific recommendations to address the health and economic impacts of the pandemic during a series of virtual meetings from May until early June 2020.

The council aims to focus on four critical issues: strengthening digital connectivity, ensuring supply chain resilience, promoting open markets for goods and services, and supporting MSMEs. “To a large extent, what we are experiencing at home is also experienced by our neighbors. As COVID-19 threatens long-term economic prospects and the livelihoods of people here and abroad, it is in our best interest to work with our colleagues to mitigate and draft our recovery plans,” said ABAC Philippines member Guillermo Luz. The final discussion in June 2020 would consolidate the recommendations towards laying the groundwork for economic recovery in the region.

The measures include keeping the supply chain and trade in goods and services open particularly for essential products like medicines, medical supplies and devices and food.

Othel V. Campos

Cargo volume decreased by 4.5% in first quarter as COVID-19 hit shipping industry

By Darwin G. Amojelar STATE-RUN Philippine Ports Authority said Monday passenger traffic and cargo volume fell in the first quarter amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019.

Data from PPA showed that total cargo volume reached 56.70 million metric tons from January to March, down

by 4.49 percent from 59.37 million MT registered in the same period last year.

Domestic cargoes dropped 3.26 percent in the first quarter to 25.44 million MT from 26.30 million MT a year ago, while foreign cargoes decreased 5.4 percent to 31.26 million MT from 33.06 million.

The PPA said import cargoes fell 5.8 percent to 23.24 million MT from 24.68 MT, while export cargoes declined 4.4

percent to 8.01 million MT from 8.38 million MT. Container traffic also slowed by 9.5 percent in the first quarter to 1.71 million twenty-foot equivalent units from 1.89 million TEUs in the same period last year.

It said that of the total, domestic containers dropped 7 percent to 728,767 TEUs, while foreign containers retreated by 11.3 percent to 987,476 TEUs.

Meanwhile, passenger traffic slowed down by 8.1 percent in the first quarter to 16.67 million from 18.14 million passengers in the same period last year.

Of the total, disembarked passengers reached 9.11 million and embarked passengers stood at 8.26 million.

Cruise passengers posted a 72-percent decline with 31,344 in the first quarter, compared to 112,246 passengers in the

first quarter of 2019.

Roll-on/roll-off traffic rose 4.8 percent to 1.82 million passengers from 1.73 million passengers last year.

Ship calls rose 1.4 percent to 119,278 vessels in the first quarter from 117,599 vessels in the same period last year. Of the total, domestic ship calls reached 116,938 vessels and foreign ship calls represented 2,340 vessels.

Sports

Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Reuel Vidal, Assistant Editor

TUESDAY, JUNE 9, 2020

Reebok ends pact with CrossFit over CEO’s tweet

There is no need for Olympic weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, who is in Malaysia, and world-champ gymnast Carlos Yulo (inset), who is training in Japan, to go back home to the Philippines for the meantime.

PH athletes abroad must stay put, continue training T

By Peter Atencio

Lionel Messi

Messi fit to play in Barcelona’s 1st tiff back vs Real Mallorca MADRID—Lionel Messi will be fit to play in Barcelona’s first game back against Real Mallorca, despite some “minor tightness” in his right thigh, coach Quique Setien said on Sunday.

Messi trained alone on Saturday at Camp Nou after sitting out the team’s previous two sessions, raising doubts over his involvement in the trip to Mallorca on Saturday.

But when asked whether Messi would be able to play next weekend, Setien told Movistar on Sunday: “Messi is not the only one that has not trained and felt some discomfort.

“It’s what has happened to everyone or practically everyone since they have been back.

“It is some minor tightness and we have it under control. He is doing perfectly and will not have any problem.”

Barcelona said on Friday that Messi should return to full training “in a few days’ time”, but his absence is a concern given the squad have only 10 days to train together before La Liga resumes on Thursday.

Messi has also endured an injuryinterrupted season.

The 32-year-old was out for six weeks between August and September with a calf injury and then at the end of September, he missed another week with a problem in his left thigh.

After regaining fitness, he quickly found form, scoring 24 goals in 31 appearances to help Barcelona sit two points clear at the top of La Liga. AFP

HERE is no need for national athletes training and preparing abroad for the Tokyo Olympics to go home.

They will just have to stay put and continue getting ready from where they are.

Commissioner Celia Kiram said this following the Philippine Sports Commission’s online board meeting last Friday.

This means that weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, pole vaulter EJ Obiena and gymnast Carlos Yulo will just have to stay put in Malaysia, Italy and Japan, respectively, for the meantime.

“Maigi na nandoon sila. Para continuously makakapag-train sila,” said Kiram, who is currently the officer in charge in the PSC, while chairman William Ramirez is not available.

Kiram said the facilities inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in

Willie Marcial

national competitions.

Lockdowns have also been imposed in the three countries, Italy, Malaysia and Japan, to prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

But the facilities that they are in are safe and available for training.

And the continued preparation of the three under safe conditions could keep them from going home for now.

Diaz has been training in Malaysia since January, after travel restrictions were imposed in China, following the initial threat of the pandemic emerged in Wuhan.

Obiena is currently doing fitness training, while in his dormitory in Formia, a seaside town located between Rome and Naples. Italy is one of the hardest coronavirus-hit countries in Europe.

Meanwhile, Yulo continues to train and study while in Tokyo, Japan, which is limiting travel to residents and foreigners alike.

LOS ANGELES—Sports footwear giant Reebok has decided to end its partnership with CrossFit Inc. later this year following an insensitive comment by the fitness organization’s chief executive concerning protests against racial injustice roiling the US. Reebok said Sunday it would make the move once it fulfils its current contract obligation as the title sponsor for the 2020 CrossFit Games.

“Recently, we have been in discussions regarding a new agreement, however, in light of recent events, we have made the decision to end our partnership with CrossFit HQ,” Reebok said in a statement Sunday.

CrossFit chief executive Greg Glassman tweeted, “It’s FLOYD-19” on Saturday after the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation classified racism and discrimination as a public health issue.

Human rights groups expressed outrage at the tweet, calling it insensitive to the current events and the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody on May 25 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Floyd was killed when officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

Chauvin has been charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter, while three other officers have been charged with abetting murder and manslaughter.

Reebok and CrossFit previously signed a deal that named the athletic footwear company as the title sponsor for the CrossFit Games.

Other affiliates like CrossFit Magnus also decided to cut ties with the Washington, DC-based global fitness organization.

“After eight years as a CrossFit affiliate we are ending our affiliation,” CrossFit Magnus spokesman Nick Hurndon wrote in a social media post.

“We will no longer continue to ‘carry your water,’ as it is antithetical to anything we stand for and only serves the continuation of systemic racism.” AFP

France’s last Slam winner Noah blasts white ‘silence’ over racism PARIS—Yannick Noah, the last French winner of a Grand Slam tennis title, on Sunday lashed out at “the silence” of his white compatriots over racism.

Noah said he was concerned that the sportsmen in France condemning police brutality and discrimination in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd in the United States were all black.

The 60-year-old, a son of a Cameroonian father and French mother, saluted the stands taken by fellow tennis players Gael Monfils and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga as well as World Cup winning footballer Kylian Mbappe.

“It’s good that the young people are involved, but what bothers me is that they are all either mixed-race or

SURFING IN THE SKY.

Kitesurfer Julian Krikken practices at the Coussoules beach in Leucate, southern France. AFP

PBA commissioner Marcial to talk about league’s future WHAT lies ahead for the Philippine Basketball Association?

Commissioner Willie Marcial will shed light on the matter as he discusses

Vito Cruz, Manila won’t be available for a long period of time.

This is because many areas inside the RMSC are being used a medical and quarantine facilities for coronaviruspositive patients.

“Hindi muna magagamit ang mga facilities sila sa Ninoy Aquino Stadium at sa Rizal Memorial Coliseum. Ginagamit pa naman bilang quarantine facility,” added Kiram.

The agency was earlier concerned about how they will be able to bring back the three.

That’s after the agency looked into the status of those training abroad for the Tokyo Olympics and other inter-

C1

the future of the country’s no. 1 sports entertainment Tuesday (June 9) in the webcast edition of the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum.

Joining Marcial in the 10:00 a.m. session is PBA deputy commissioner and operations manager Eric Castro as they talk about the league’s all-out campaign to resume its 45th season that was sidetracked by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The weekly For um will be shown live via the PSA Facebook page f b.com/PhilippineSportswritersAssociation.

It will also be shared shared on the facebook page of Radyo Pilipinas 2.

Powered by Smart, the session is presented by San Miguel Corporation, Go For Gold, Amelie Hotel, Braska Restaurant, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.

black,” Noah, who captured the Roland Garros title in 1983, told France 2 television.

“Why? It’s an injustice which should make everyone aware. I am certain that in general police do a very good job but there are bad apples.”

Noah said it was important that white sports stars in France also got involved in protests.

“Yes, because their silence bothers me, but it goes further than that”.

He added: “What reassures me is that we speak quickly enough of injustice. Yes, it happens all the time.

“But there are also now young white people, a young generation who realise that this is their future and they do not want to live in this world.” AFP

Sydney bids for Fury-Wilder rematch SYDNEY—Australian city Sydney has made an audacious bid to host a blockbuster heavyweight rematch between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder, with promoters eyeing Boxing Day for the trilogy superfight.

Promoter Dean Lonergan has tentatively booked Bankwest Stadium in the city’s west for the bout, The Australian reported Monday. Semi-autonomous Chinese city Macau is also in the running.

“I put a proposal to (Top Rank promoter) Bob Arum about six weeks ago by way of email to bring down here the world heavyweight title fight between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury,” Lonergan told the newspaper.

“The day I suggested was December 26 here so we would (broadcast) to the USA on Christmas night.”

Lonergan wasn’t immediately available to confirm the comments.

Following a controversial draw in December 2018, Britain’s Fury, unbeaten as a professional, overpowered American Wilder in Las Vegas in February, beating

Tyson Fury

him in seven rounds.

Wilder has activated the rematch clause in his contract, with a time yet to be fixed after the original date of July 18 was scrapped because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Arum confirmed in a Sky Sports interview at the weekend that Sydney was in the mix, along with Macau.

Both cities have got on top of COVID-19, and appear more likely to allow fans than the US or Britain.

Las Vegas could still host the fight

if spectators are allowed back into venues.

“Our friends in Australia are talking about doing this fight, probably in Sydney. That’s a possibility,” said Arum, who previously promoted ring great Manny’s Pacquiao’s bout against Australian Jeff Horn in Brisbane.

“There are six big casino properties in Macau,” he added. “We’ve talked to them. They’re ready to put up money for the Fury fight against Wilder in November or December.”

Lonergan said Boxing Day would be symbolic, marking 108 years to the day since African-American Jack Johnson was crowned the first black heavyweight champion by beating Tommy Burns in a world title bout in Sydney.

“Jack Johnson was the first AfroAmerican to crack the big time in the US. I think it would be incredibly significant if you did it down here to celebrate what he did all those years ago to chase Tommy Burns down,” he said. AFP

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Manila

Standard Republic of the Philippines Department of Transportation CIVIL AERONAUTICS BOARD

IN RE:

Rationalizing the Rules on the Grant of Designation and Entitlements

IN RE:

Guidelines on the Grant of 20% Discount on Air Fares to Medal of Valor Awardees and their Qualified Dependents in compliance with Republic Act No. 9049 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations

x------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------x RESOLUTION NO. 08 (BM 01-01-20-2020) WHEREAS, Executive Order No. 219, “Establishing the Domestic and International Civil Aviation Liberalization Policy”, signed on 03 January 1995, relaxed or liberalized the entry into and exit from the industry, further promoting competition in the market, by encouraging a minimum of two (2) operators in any given route. It likewise required designation of at least two (2) international carriers as official carriers of the Philippines, and the designation of additional carrier/s, if there remain unutilized frequencies; WHEREAS, the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Executive Order (EO) 2191 was signed on 20 September 2001. Rule II, 1.5 provides: “(T)he designation of an international air carrier under a specific air services agreement (ASA) shall be made by the President upon the recommendation of the Board. The Board shall within three (3) working days from receipt of Designation from the President2, forward a certified true copy of the designation to the Department if Foreign Affairs which shall convey the same to the foreign country concerned, who is a party to an ASA, through Diplomatic Channels, also within the period of 3 working days from its receipt of the copy of the designation. The Department of Foreign Affairs shall upon, receipt of the notice of acceptance of the designation from such foreign country, forward the same to the Board. Upon receipt of the said notice of acceptance of the designation, the Board, shall within the same period, notify the air carrier concerned of the perfection of its designation together with the advice that the air carrier concerned must mount its first flight within a period of six (6) months from the date of its receipt of the said notice of designation”; WHEREAS, Rule II, 1.10 of IRR of Executive Order Nos. 219 and 32, requires air carriers to make good use the designation granted them and operate their approved schedules, as follows: “The Board may, motu proprio, or upon petition by any interested party, for cause and after due notice and hearing, recommend the revocation, amendment or cancellation of an official international carrier ‘s designation, if it is shown that the said international carrier has not operated the approved schedule(s) or service for a continuous period of six (6) months following the date of its designation or stoppage of operation, as the case may be, without any justifiable reason(s) or otherwise upon a finding that the said designation does not benefit the national interest; WHEREAS, entitlements not utilized within a period of six (6) months from the grant or allocation of entitlement from the date of allocation, may be allocated to other official international air carrier(s) designated on the same route or under the same air services agreement; WHEREAS, said “Use It or Lose It Principle” is embodied in Rule II, paragraph 4.2, which provides that, “If a designated official international air carrier cannot service its allocated entitlement within six (6) months from the date of its allocation, together with any other unused entitlements shall, after due notice and hearing, be allocated to other official international air carrier(s) on the same route who apply for the same and is/are fully utilizing their current allocation. This period may be extended only for a maximum period of another six (6) months upon a showing that the total entitlement could not be operated due to unforeseen or unavoidable circumstances or for other reasons which the Board may consider to be satisfactory. The other designated official international air carriers shall have the same period of six (6) months within which to operate the additional allocation, otherwise, the Board may recommend the designation of additional official international air carrier(s) to operate the unused entitlements”; WHEREAS, most of the recently concluded air services agreements (ASA) and confidential memorandum of understanding (CMOU) allows for multiple airline designation and unlimited frequencies/entitlements in a number of routes, designations, and entitlements, hence, oftentimes designated carriers and grantees of entitlements retain the designations and entitlements granted them, even if they are unutilized for a period of six months (or longer), unless another carrier or any interested party causes or files a petition for revocation of designation or re-allocation of entitlements; WHEREAS, the IRR of EO 219 has set limitations on the grant of designation and entitlements to ensure that these resources are put into good use and properly utilized, and to prevent “hoarding” of designation and entitlements to exclude a competitor from the market or on any given route; WHEREAS, one of the main consideration in granting designation and/or entitlements is the capability and readiness of the carrier to operate the routes to which the designation and entitlements are applied for. The air carrier applying for such must have shown or has a concrete plans to immediately operate or to operate at a specific time, a given route. Failure to utilize the designation and operate, barring any causes outside the grantee/designated carrier’s control and/or fault, is a valid ground to motu proprio, or upon petition, after due notice and hearing, revoke a designation and/or re-allocate/revoke the entitlements granted; NOW, THEREFORE, in view of the foregoing, the Board RESOLVED, as it hereby RESOLVES, to adopt the following rules to properly monitor and put to good use designation and entitlements granted to an air carrier: Rationalizing the Rules on the Grant of Designation and Entitlements I. Designation 1.1. The Board may, motu proprio, or upon petition by any interested party, for cause and after due notice and hearing, recommend the revocation, amendment or cancellation of an official international carrier’s designation, if it is shown that the said international carrier has not operated the approved schedule(s) or service for a continuous period of six (6) months following the date of its designation or stoppage of operation, as the case may be, without any justifiable reason(s), for causes beyond its control, or otherwise upon a finding that the said designation does not benefit national interest. Lack of equipment and or crew to operate the entitlements so granted shall not be considered as “causes beyond the designated airlines control”.

Designation may be automatically revoked, amended or cancelled, if the air carrier so designated, fail to report to the Board, the status of its operation or non-operation, 30 days prior to the lapse of the 6-month period mentioned in the immediately preceding paragraph. Failure to make such report within the 30-day period shall be a prima facie proof of the air carrier’s abandonment of its designation.

1.2. An application for designation, under an air services agreement without provisions on capacity entitlements or without available entitlements shall not be covered by the period for revocation provided in the preceding paragraph.

However, where an air carrier is only applying for designation under an air services agreement with provisions on capacity entitlements and where capacity entitlements are available, the period for revocation or cancellation of designation, shall apply if the said air carrier fails to file for allocation and/or re-allocation of entitlements and utilize the same within a period of six months from the grant of designation. The designated carrier, notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 2.1 on the grant of entitlements, shall only be given additional 3 months, from the grant of entitlements, to utilize the same.

1.3. The 6-month period shall be reckoned from the perfection of its designation.

1.4. Designation under a specific Air Services Agreement shall be deemed perfected upon the receipt of the air carrier, so designated, of the Notice of Acceptance of Designation.

The CAB Resolution granting the designation, shall, within three (3) working days, after having been signed by all the Members of the Board, present during the Meeting, be forwarded to the Office of the Secretary of the Department of Transportation3 for approval. Such approval shall thereafter, also within a period of three (3) working days from return, be endorsed/forwarded to the Department of Foreign Affairs, to be officially conveyed, through Diplomatic Channel, to the foreign country to which the air carrier is designated. The Department of Foreign Affairs shall upon, receipt of the notice of acceptance of the designation from such foreign country, forward the same to the Board, within a period of three (3) working days, which shall, within the same period, notify the air carrier concerned of the acceptance of its designation.

II. Entitlements 2.1. The Board may, motu proprio, or upon petition by any interested party, for cause and after due notice and hearing, recommend the revocation and/or re-allocation of entitlements granted to a designated carrier, if the said air carrier cannot service its allocated entitlement within six (6) months from the date of its allocation, together with any other unused entitlements. This period may be extended only for a maximum period of another six (6) months upon a showing that the total entitlement could not be operated due to unforeseen or unavoidable circumstances or for other reasons which the Board may consider to be satisfactory.

Provided, that the air carrier shall have requested for the additional six (6) months, 30 days prior to the lapse of the initial six-month period.

Provided further that, failure to file for an extension of additional six (6) months shall be prima facie proof of the designated carrier’s waiver of its right over the entitlement granted it. The said entitlements shall be deemed automatically revoked and shall revert to the pool of available entitlements.

2.2. Other designated official international air carrier/s or an existing international air carrier, not yet designated, may file a petition for designation and re-allocation of entitlements, if the current grantee fails to utilize its entitlements within a period of six months from the grant.

The new grantee must operate the said entitlements within the period provided for in the immediately preceding paragraph.

2.3. Designated carriers, notwithstanding provisions allowing unlimited capacity entitlements, shall be required to file for the allocation/reallocation of a specific number of seats or frequencies it intends to operate. Failure to operate the entitlements requested and granted, within the period provided in paragraph 2.1 shall be a ground to automatically revoke such entitlements.

The above-stated rules shall effectively amend all other rules and issuances to the contrary.

This regulation shall take effect immediately upon its publication once in a newspaper of general circulation. A copy of these Rules shall be deposited with the University of the Philippines Law Center in compliance with the Revised Administrative Code of 1987.

TUESDAY, JUNE 9, 2020

The Jarvis Garrett foreshadowing

RESOLUTION NO. 29 (BM 02-02-21-2020) WHEREAS, on 22 March 2001, Republic Act No. No. 9049, entitled “An Act Granting Monthly Gratuity and Privileges to an Awardee of the Medal of Valor, Providing Funds Therefor, and for Other Purposes” was signed by then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo; WHEREAS, on 10 December 2019, the Department of Transportation issued Department Memorandum Circular no. 2019-039 to officially effect the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of RA 9049. Said IRR was signed on 31 July 2019;

FREE THROW SHOOTER

WHEREAS, Section 20.11, Rule VI of the aforementioned IRR provides that: “20.11 The Department of Transportation (DOTr), in coordination with the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA), Philippine National Railways (PNR), Mass Rail Transit Authority (MRTA), and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), shall issue the necessary circulars or directives on the following transportation privileges of MOV grantees: “20.11.1 Air and Sea Transportation Privileges – Fare for domestic air, and sea travel, including advanced booking, shall be subject to the 20% discount.”

NOW, THEREFORE, in view of the foregoing, the Board RESOLVED, as it hereby RESOLVES, to ADOPT the following Guidelines on the Grant of 20% Discount on Air Fares to Medal of Valor Awardees and their Qualified Dependents in compliance with Republic Act No. 9049 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations: GUIDELINES REQUIRING DOMESTIC AIRLINES TO APPLY MEDAL OF VALOR DISCOUNT TO MEDAL OF VALOR AWARDEES AND THEIR QUALIFIED DEPENDENTS ON AIR TRANSPORTATION TICKETS x-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------x I. DEFINITION OF TERMS For purposes of application and construction of these Guidelines, the following terms shall have the meanings and definitions specified hereunder.

1.1 Domestic Air Travel – air transportation services provided by domestic air carriers within the Philippines; 1.2 Fare – refers to the price charged by air carriers engaged in air transportation services in consideration for the carriage of a passenger by air. Base Fare is the price of the ticket before taxes and costs for ancillary services are applied.

Regular Fare is any fare that is offered on a regular basis and does not qualify as Promotional Fare. Promotional Fare is fare that is generally lower than a regular fare, essentially low to begin with, sold for a certain period, for a specific number of seats, and are available for travel within a certain period, applied for before, and approved as such, by the Civil Aeronautics Board. Discounted Fares are reduced prices from an amount by which it is normally sold for; 1.3 Grantees – awardees, dependents, heirs and beneficiaries who are recipients of special grants accorded to a Medal of Valor awardee; 1.4 Medal of Valor – highest military honor awarded to military personnel for acts of conspicuous courage, gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty; 1.5 Medal of Valor Awardee – AFP military personnel who is a recipient of a Medal of Valor awarded by the President of the Philippines in recognition for his/her conspicuous courage, gallantry, self-sacrifice and distinctive acts of heroism; 1.6 Medal of Valor Dependent ID Card – a distinct identification card given to qualified dependent/s such as Spouse, Children, or Parents of the Medal of Valor Awardee, issued by the Office of the Adjutant General of the Armed Forces of the Philippines that can be used to avail of the benefits and privileges under the Act and its Rules; 1.7 Medal of Valor Identification Card (MOV ID) – a distinct identification card given to a Model of Valor Awardee issued by the Office of the Adjutant General of the Armed Forces of the Philippines that can be sued to avail the benefits and privileges under the Act and its Rules; II. APPLICABILITY These Guidelines shall be applicable in all domestic flights including those booked via the airline’s website or mobile application, by Medal of Valor (MOV) Awardees and their Qualified Dependents, for the exclusive use of said MOV Awardees and Qualified Dependents.

These Guidelines shall not be applicable to tickets claimed by virtue of sales promotions or techniques which contain promises of gain, such as prizes, as reward for the purchase of a product, or winning in a contest, game, and other similar competitions which involve determination of winner/s.

III. PROCEDURE In availing the discount privileges on tickets for carriage by air purchased directly through the airline’s ticketing office, the airline’s website, or mobile application, the following procedure shall apply: 3.1 The MOV Awardee/MOV Dependent ID Card holder may book a ticket for domestic air travel through the ticketing office and present his/her MOV Identification Card (MOV ID) or MOV Dependent ID Card for the discount to be applied; 3.2 The MOV Awardee/MOV Dependent ID Card holder or his/her authorized representative may likewise book a ticket for domestic air travel through the web or mobile application, and for the discount to apply, the web or mobile application shall receive the guest details of the MOV Awardee/MOV Dependent ID card holder including the date of issue thereof; 3.3 In order to avail of the discount, the MOV Awardee / MOV Dependent ID card holder shall book individually. He/she shall not book together with a group; 3.4 The airline shall apply the 20% discount on the regular base fare. There shall be no double discounts. The privilege shall not be claimed in combination with other discount programs, or incentives under existing laws; 3.5 In accordance with the usual airline procedures, the MOV Awardee/MOV Dependent ID card holder who is holding a confirmed ticket shall be processed at the check-in counter within the check-in deadline. It is the responsibility of the passenger to provide the airline ample time to process the verification procedure stated below; 3.6 For purposes of check-in at the check-in counter, the MOV Awardee/ MOV Dependent ID card holder shall present himself/herself before the check-in counter for verification and shall present the MOV ID issued by the Office of the Adjutant General of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and two (2) governmentissued identification documents, such as but not limited to, driver’s license, voter’s ID, SSS/GSIS ID, PRC card, postal ID;

NATHANIEL DELA CRUZ FOUR years ago, Rhode Island guard Jarvis Garrett returned from a jaw injury wearing a protective mask covering his whole face except the eyes. They called it ‘the Hannibal Lecter mask’ because of the resemblance to the one worn by actor Anthony Hopkins when the cannibalistic serial killer he was portraying was in prison, and rightfully so, for Jarvis Garrett’s mask also possesses the same horrifying appeal.

Garrett’s mask became popular, for a time. After the Rams lost to Oregon in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, the mask became a mere footnote in Rhode Island’s 2016-17 season.

Fast-forward to 2020. The COVID-19 global pandemic is now a huge blow to our way of life. Basketball was put to a screeching halt—from the NBA to playing pickup games in public. Following the ‘new normal’ of wearing face masks when in public and near other people, we can assume that the only safe way to be allowed to play basketball again is if players can play wearing a mask.

Should our situation worsen, expect basketball to go full Jarvis Garrett.

Making basketball players wear full face mask will strike many as outrageous. But it does not mean this idea is without merit. Consider the following: First, basketball attire has evolved through the years as a result of necessity, sports science, and technology. The increase in the number of items found in a basketball player’s wardrobe is because of performance enhancement as well as support and protection, not so much about fashion and personal style (except for those who wear items for show, for the sake of looking good— a goal often unachieved despite dressing up, but I digress).

Think about it this way: it’s either a full face mask in the gym bag today or a cadaver in the body bag very soon. It is not a difficult choice to make.

Second, this is not the first time a face mask will be worn by a basketball player. What will take some getting used to is watching ten basketball players on the court in full face mask and willing yourself not

Any violation of these Guidelines shall be penalized in accordance with the pertinent provisions of R.A. 776.

V. RESERVATION CLAUSE

IN RE:

The Board reserves the right to amend, repeal, or modify these Guidelines in order to fully serve the objectives of R.A. 9049 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations.

Amending CAB Resolution No. 32 (BM 03-05-25-2018) entitled “Rationalizing Capital and Operational Requirements for the Grant of Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity” amended by CAB Resolution No. 72 (BM 08-11-29-2018) x---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------x RESOLUTION NO. 09 (BM 01-01-20-2020)

VI. SEPARABILITY CLAUSE If any section(s) or any part of these Guidelines is declared unconstitutional by a competent authority, the remaining sections or parts thereof shall not be affected thereby.

WHEREAS, currently, the Civil Aeronautics Board is requiring applicants for the issuance of Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) to engage in Agricultural Spraying Services to have a minimum paid-up capitalization of at least Ten Million Pesos (Php 10,000,000.00) to cover the purchase and maintenance of aircraft and other equipment, training of pilots, hiring of personnel, payment of insurance premiums and other administrative expenses; WHEREAS, operators of Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) have significantly lower actual costs for its operation;

VII. EFFECTIVITY These Guidelines shall take effect immediately after its publication in a newspaper of general circulation. A copy of these Guidelines shall be deposited with the University of the Philippines Law Center in compliance with the Revised Administrative Code of 1987.

Adopted 21 February 2020.

MANUEL ANTONIO L. TAMAYO Undersecretary for Aviation and Airports Department of Transportation Alternate Chairman

MANUEL ANTONIO L. TAMAYO Undersecretary for Aviation and Airports Department of Transportation Alternate Chairman

WHEREAS, the current market cost of a drone/RPA ranges around Php 800,000.00 to Php 1,200,000.00 each. The insurance policy for each RPA is offered at an average of Php 20,000.00 per aircraft. Pilot licensing and recruitment are likewise less stringent taking into consideration that operators need only to secure RPA Operator’s License with the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines; NOW, THEREFORE, in view of the foregoing, the Board RESOLVED, as it hereby RESOLVES, to AMEND CAB Resolution No. 32 (BM 03-05-25-2018) entitled “Rationalizing Capital and Operational Requirements for the Grant of Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity” amended by CAB Resolution No. 72 (BM 08-1129-2018) and REDUCE the CAPITALIZATION REQUIREMENT from PHP 10,000,000.00 to Three Million Pesos (PHP 3,000,000.00) for APPLICATIONS FOR THE ISSUANCE OF A CERTIFICATE OF PUBLIC CONVENIENCE AND NECESSITY TO OPERATE AGRICULTURAL SPRAYING SERVICES THROUGH THE USE OF REMOTELY PILOTED AIRCRAFT. Adopted 20 January 2020.

Pasay City, Philippines. x---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------x

LARA VICTORIA O. ESTEVEZ-AUSTRIA Director for Legal Affairs Service Department of Tourism

EDWIN R. ENRILE Undersecretary for Legal and Special Concerns Department of Tourism Alternate Vice-Chairman

Alternate Vice-Chairman

MANUEL ANTONIO L. TAMAYO Undersecretary for Aviation and Airports Department of Transportation Alternate Chairman

JIM C. SYDIONGCO Director General Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines Member

EDWIN R. ENRILE Undersecretary for Legal Affairs Service Department of Tourism Alternate Vice-Chairman

JIM C. SYDIONGCO Director General Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines Member

EDGARDO M. LOPEZ Member

EDMUNDO F. GAMMAD Member

EDGARDO M. LOPEZ Member

JIM C. SYDIONGCO Director General Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines Member

Attested by:

Attested by: JEAN MARIONNE A. BERMUDEZ Acting Board Secretary

EDMUNDO F. GAMMAD Member

JEAN MARIONNE A. BERMUDEZ Acting Board Secretary

Noted:

EDGARDO M. LOPEZ Member

Attested by:

Noted: CARMELO L. ARCILLA Executive Director 1 As mended by EO 32 2 This authority has been delegated to the Secretary of the Department of Transportation through Memorandum Circular No. 230 s. 2006 3 Memorandum Order 230 s. 2006, “ Delegating to the Secretary of Transportation and Communications the Authority to Approve Resolutions of the Civil Aeronautics Board”, delegated to the Secretary of the Department of Transportation. the authority to approve Resolution of the Civil Aeronautics Board, including CAB Resolutions granting designations and entitlements.

(MS-JUN. 9, 2020)

to think of it as some macabre opera.

Last but not least is moral duty.

Let us keep in mind that if and when basketball resumes and a player gets infected, he or she becomes a carrier, who could potentially infect family, friends, and anyone he or she has come in contact with.

Improbable, but not impossible—our mask-wearing norm can extend to playing basketball, and when it does, it will change the game, and there will be a farreaching ripple effect.

Once the pro leagues (NBA, WNBA, PBA) begin requiring players to wear full face mask during games, expect companies producing athletic wear and protective gear to spend money on research and development to fast track production of prototypes.

The goal is to produce the Jarvis Garrett full face mask 2.0, with improved protective features, less uncomfortable, less restricting, and yes, less horrifying to look at.

The mask will become part of the team uniform, and players will wear masks designed to match team color and aesthetics. Graphic artists will have a grand time designing mockups, that’s for sure. This is, after all, unexplored territory.

And it won’t be long before we start seeing branded logos on masks too. A basketball player’s face—especially those belonging to high-profile pros—is valuable real estate. That’s Marketing 101.

Expect this new product to fly off the shelf once sold to the public, and expect consumers to find a way to make this fashionable the same way they made the humble cotton face mask hip when the COVID-19 pandemic required everyone to cover their mouths.

Graffiti artists will start customizing masks. Those who can’t afford can settle for mass-produced or custom-designed decals. Masks will be sold in online shops in different colorways. Pro athletes will sign their masks to give to fans—only after completely sanitizing it first with the help of the team’s medical personnel, and assuming fans are allowed to watch live games once again.

This could be basketball’s brave new world.

But then again, I’m just imagining things, standing behind a padlocked gate and staring at an empty basketball court, wondering when I can play basketball again, when I can watch basketball games again, when basketball will feel normal again.

Republic of the Philippines Department of Transportation CIVIL AERONAUTICS BOARD

IV. VIOLATION & PENALTIES

Pasay City, Philippines. x---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------x

EDMUNDO F. GAMMAD Member

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x---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------x

Pasay City, Philippines. x------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------x

Adopted 20 January 2020.

Sports

Republic of the Philippines Department of Transportation CIVIL AERONAUTICS BOARD

TODAY

CARMELO L. ARCILLA Executive Director

JEAN MARIONNE A. BERMUDEZ Acting Board Secretary Noted: CARMELO L. ARCILLA Executive Director

(MS-JUN. 9, 2020)

(MS-JUN. 9, 2020)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Entertainment

TUESDAY, JUNE 9, 2020

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nickie.standard@gmail.com

Alec Benjamin finally drops debut full-length record AMERICAN singer-songwriter Alec Benjamin releases his debut fulllength studio album titled These Two Windows, a highly anticipated record that features fan favorites and critically acclaimed singles such as “Oh My God,” “Demons,” and “Mind is a Prison,” to name a few.

“Instead of telling stories, I took a look at myself. I thought about how it felt inside my head. The songs are more on-the-nose. You’ll know what I’m thinking,” says Benjamin who also popularized “The Book Of You And I,” “Match In the Rain,” “Jesus In LA,” “I’m Not A Cynic,” “Alamo,” “Must Have Been The Wind,” and “Just Like You.” “There was stress. There was pres-

sure. I thought about giving up. I didn’t stop though. I’m glad I didn’t. I knew the message was too important to me,” he adds.

With his current single “Oh My God” officially charting at Top 40 Radio, the prolific singer-songwriter is on an upward trajectory while amassing over 2 billion streams worldwide. The critically acclaimed artist is hailed as “A Story Teller For The Next Generation” by TIME Magazine. VMAN even notes, “His effortless articulation of his personal experiences and the dexterity with which he weaves those anecdotes into universal narratives makes him a standout star.”

In addition to love from fans and

GMA News continues to be the Philippines’ top online news video publisher while its flagship program 24 Oras has also become the most-viewed local newscast both on Facebook and YouTube.

GMA News bested int’l outlets, ranked among top online news video publishers BASED on the April data from social video analytics Tubular Labs, GMA News set an all-time record with 458.8 million video views on Facebook making GMA Network’s news arm the Philippines’ top online news video publisher.

Likewise on YouTube, GMA News posted 200.8 million video views for the same month.

In contrast, ABS-CBN News only managed to register 368 million and 119 million views on Facebook and YouTube, respectively.

GMA News, being the country’s top online news source, clinched the eighth spot in Tubular Labs’ global leaderboard for Overall Creators in the News and Politics content genre. It even bested inter-

national outlets such as Fox News (No. 11), Al Jazeera (No. 13), CNN (No. 16), NBC News (No. 24), and BBC News (No. 29).

Meanwhile, GMA News’ flagship program 24 Oras began streaming globally on GMA News’ Facebook page and YouTube channel last May 11. Complementing its wide reach via TV broadcast, 24 Oras has also become the most-viewed local newscast both on Facebook and YouTube.

In addition, GMA News and Public Affairs Digital has also been producing online shows amid the COVID-19 crisis. These include the Need To Know explainer series and Quarantined with Howie Severino, which are available on GMA News’ Facebook and YouTube pages.

Heaven Peralejo’s ‘The One’

critics, Benjamin garnered an immense amount of support from other acclaimed musicians and friends, including Billie Eilish, Bryson Tiller, Kevin Abstract, and one of his biggest idols John Mayer among many others.

Over the past year, the celebrated live performer traveled the world on tour selling out his biggest venues to date including massive headline shows across North America, Europe, and Asia. Benjamin’s new era of music follows his internationally acclaimed debut mixtape Narrated For You, which garnered over one million worldwide sales, and included RIAA double platinum-certified smash single “Let Me Down Slowly.”

Benjamin also earned triple-plati-

num certification in Canada; double platinum certification in Australia, Brazil, Finland, Ireland, Netherlands, and Switzerland; a platinum certification in Belgium, Denmark, France, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, China, and Korea; as well as a gold certification in Austria, Germany, Indonesia, and Italy.

Alec Benjamin continued his momentum with “Jesus In LA” which was accompanied by a companion visual that has racked up over 7 million views.

American singer-songwriter Alec Benjamin has gained popularity from his pop songs that depict descriptive stories from his own personal experiences.

ALDEN RICHARDS lauds ‘educational continuity’ campaign S

TUDYING online at home is quite challenging with all the distractions like television and social media. But it definitely has its perks, not only it’s comfortable and convenient, it also enables students to be more responsible when it comes to managing their time.

For Alden Richards, who backs an educational institution’s “Blended Learning” campaign, studying at home while in quarantine will prepare a student for what comes after when the whole pandemic is over.

In his previous interview with Manila Standard, the actor and recording star reminded people of the importance of staying home, physical distancing, and supporting frontliners to beat the coronavirus. He utilizes social media and his influence as a television personality to send important messages across.

The 27-year-old Kapuso has decided to use his social media platforms once more to champion AMA University and Colleges’ educational design that encourages continued learning during these trying times.

“This is a difficult period and marami talagang uncertainties. Pero learning must not stop. May option na ngayon ang students to continue their studies while staying healthy and safe at home with their families,” said the Center-

MULTIMEDIA STAR. For Alden Richards, continued education will help prepare students on what comes after the COVID-19 pandemic is over.

Heaven Peralejo waits patiently for ‘The One’ in new single ‘Ikaw Pala.’

ACTRESS and social media personality Heaven Peralejo finds beauty in waiting to meet the right man for her in a new hopeful track under Star POP “Ikaw Pala,” which she dropped last Friday, June 5.

The romantic song highlights the phase in a woman’s life where she wonders about when she’ll come across the one destined for her. It explores the familiar feeling of being anxious yet hopeful about meeting “the one.”

The comforting track also sends out a heartening reminder that despite moments of loneliness, no one is ever truly alone and love will eventually come around.

Trisha Denise wrote the words

and music of “Ikaw Pala,” with arrangement by Dan Tañedo and production by Star POP head Rox Santos. The song follows Heaven’s debut release under the music label titled “Nahulog Na Puso” in January.

Heaven, a former teen housemate of Pinoy Big Brother: Lucky 7, got her breakout role in last year’s Starla, the comeback television series of Judy Ann Santos, where she played the younger character of the latter. She has also starred in Wansapanataym and MMK. For more details, like StarPOP PH on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ starpopph), and follow it on and Instagram (@starpopph).

stage host who is now the face of AMA’s “educational continuity” campaign.

“Matatapos din itong COVID-19, and continued education will help prepare you for what comes after,” Alden, who has 3.6 million followers on Instagram, carried on.

According to the actor, AMA Uni-

versity and Colleges are fully capable of providing alternative ways of studying as pre-pandemic, its campuses already offered Blended Learning, wherein students had a dynamic mix of classroom-based classes and online modules.

“Backed by its technological expertise

as the country’s pioneer in IT education, AMA is more than ready to implement full-online learning until quarantines are lifted,” AMA said in a statement.

Understanding the risks and apprehensions of students and their parents, AMA University and Colleges will continue its full-online set-up until it is safe for physical classes to resume.

Once that happens, the schools will then shift to a Blended Learning set-up.

The full-online option is now available for new and returning students.

“As an educational institution, we recognize our responsibility in keeping our students as well as our educators safe. The threat of the coronavirus calls for a sustainable and flexible set-up that enables continued learning,” said Dr. Amable R. Aguiluz V, Founder and Chairman of AMA Education System who is considered as the father of IT education in the Philippines.

“Our infrastructure and systems are equipped to accommodate students and ensure that they are able to continue their studies during this challenging time,” Dr. Aguiluz added.

Interested students need to pre-register through the AMA Education System website, www.amaes.edu.ph. Once qualified, students can then enroll in Senior High School, and Bachelor’s Degree Programs in Business, Communication, Engineering, Medicine, Nursing, Allied Health Programs, and Information Technology-based college courses.

Life

Bernadette Lunas, Editor manilastandardlife@gmail.com @manilastandardlife @MStandardLIFE

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HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT

TUESDAY, JUNE 9, 2020

By Nina Anonas, ACBE

T

HIS may not be new to you; but when faced with death-defying challenges, dancers’ antennas are always hyper sensitive toward solving problems.

There’s no time to panic when there are stray nails onstage. One simply changes the blocking and cues their co-dancers with a flick of an eyebrow or an exaggerated eye roll. And when the orchestra pit is carelessly left opened, dancers backstage will automatically warn each other through frantic arm movements.

This was the life prior to COVID-19.

COVID-19 is the mother of all challenges as it forced me to reframe “live” classes with social distancing protocols. The entire dance industry has quietly migrated to doing online classes that recently and thankfully mushroomed, owing to the great need to stay in shape.

I say “quietly” because I have not heard any complaint on how different things are now; just solution-oriented mindsets and discussions on how we can solve our halted training programs, and shows; but that is another big topic altogether.

Let me share with you some tips which I’ve shaped into my “new reality”

The new reality of the new me Nina recommends stretching and other yoga-based exercises to maintain muscle strength, turnout, and balance.

that I hope can help you in forming your own practices in the comfort of your home: 1. Roll with the punches and stay positive. The mind is a powerful weapon against doomsday predictions.

2. Keep in mind that you need to keep a level of fitness so that you can get on with your tasks seamlessly when the quarantine is lifted.

3. Choose an online class that best fits your stamina and skill. Going to one that is difficult and not suited to your cur rent abilit i e s will only frustrate you.

4. Do your grand jetés or your big leaps outside of your home, in the village park, or even Nina Anonas owes her ability to on the street. Jumping, quickly adjust to new situations to her training as a professional dancer. leaping, running, skip-

ping, these lift the spirit. Do them!

5. Support your fellow dancers in isolation over coffee catch-ups in Zoom conferences. Talk about anything and everything.

6. “Marie Kondo” something. I’m sure you have a cleaning/organizing project you’ve always wanted to do but never had the time to do before. I recently “Marie Kondo-ed” my home office. I felt a great sense of accomplishment as I weeded out things that did not spark joy anymore. It’s always good to edit the non-essentials out of your life.

7. I give myself a “barre” daily at 6:00 p.m. These are exercises done holding on to a barre (a metal or wooden handrail), which is now either a chair or a table depending on the height that I require, to warm up my muscles and maintain strength, turnout, and balance. There are no excuses. This cultivates self-discipline.

8. I do stretches and strengthening Pilates- and yoga-based exercises to supplement my “barre.” I love that I use my own body weight in planks. I do at least eight to 12 repetitions of the exercises, depending on how I feel for the day. I also take two- to three-minute breaks between the exercises as the added summer heat can give you a migraine if you’re not careful.

9. I do a daily set of abdominal exercises, mindfully doing them in smooth, controlled movements. I pay close attention to form, lengthening through

the spine, and stabilizing the pelvis.

10. For foot articulation, I use a Theraband, so I can pointe and flex with some resistance. Spending too much time seated and sedentary in front of the computer can cause water retention.

11. I watch many livestreamed West End or Broadway shows which are stress-relieving.

12. Practice healthy food choices.

Keep off the complex sugars as they tend to depress you after consuming them. Water is your best friend.

Now is the best time to be open to all kinds of inspiration, experiment with the unchartered frontier of isolated exercise routines, and still be creative in the process. It’s a call to be the new architects of a changing face of the arts. If our art form was already ephemeral from the start, this is the time to find more concrete solutions to packaging that ephemerality into a shiny, irresistible box, without re-inventing age-old standards.

About the author: A former soloist at Ballet Philippines and a principal dancer at the Manila Metropolis Ballet, Nina Anonas is currently the chairperson of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, School of Design and Arts’ Bachelor of Performing Arts in Dance Program.

She is a Ballet Conservatoire Accredited Lecturer and International Examiner.

Keep in mind that you need to keep a level of fitness even while in quarantine.

Protecting the elderly with vaccine AS COUNTRIES concentrate their efforts toward battling the COVID-19 pandemic, health authorities are also emphasizing the need to continue immunization programs despite these circumstances.

Experts assert maintaining high immunization rates across all age groups is essential to protect the population, owing to vaccines’ capability to prevent and control the emergence or re-emergence of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, polio, and pneumonia, among others.

Without immunization services, susceptible age groups specifically children and the elderly will be most at risk of exposure to a number of other deadly diseases apart from COVID-19.

Senior citizens, 60 years old and above, in particular, are highly vulnerable due to their weakened immune systems and pre-existing health conditions. They have a greater likelihood of

acquiring illnesses including pneumonia and influenza.

Pneumonia infects the lungs and is most commonly caused by bacteria called Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcal pneumonia). Pneumonia inflames the air sacs of the lungs, filling them with fluid or pus, and thus causing fever, chills, cough with phlegm, and difficulty in breathing.

One of the ways to protect the elderly from pneumonia is through vaccination.

Vaccination or immunization is among the greatest triumphs in medical history, proven to save 2 to 3 million lives a year or five lives a day. Vaccination prevents and controls infectious diseases and, in some cases, may even eliminate diseases altogether (such is the case of smallpox).

According to experts, when at least 95 percent of a community is vaccinated, complete elimination of diseases

is possible. In fact, through vaccination, the Philippines has managed to eliminate polio in the year 2000, and neonatal tetanus in 2017.

However in recent years, the Philippines has experienced a sharp decline in vaccination rate from 87 percent in 2016 to 68 percent in 2019, which then resulted in the re-emergence of measles and polio cases.

In light of the COVID-19 situation, the World Health Organization has provided guidelines for national immunization programs, which are considered by the Department of Health in its recent interim guidelines for immunization services amid COVID-19.

These guidelines emphasize that immunization is a core service which must not be compromised while battling COVID-19. According to the DOH guidelines, immunization services should be continued as long as COV-

Immunization program in Lanao del Norte observes proper physical distancing. (Photo courtesy of Richard Tan)

Health workers in Tagbilaran, Bohol conduct house-to-house visits to provide immunization services to vulnerable age groups such as senior citizens. (Photo courtesy of Arlene Banzon)

ID-19 response measures allow, and if areas are at low risk.

Proper hand washing and disinfection must be practiced after every patient. Social distancing must be observed among patients and health care workers. Vaccination services must also be administered in disinfected and well-ventilated areas.

In the event that immunization services are not feasible and must be delayed, healthcare workers must have a list of patients who missed their vaccination.

Catch-up vaccination activities will be put in place when the situation allows.

Maintaining or delaying immunization services will also depend on the situation in each community, the risk of outbreaks, and the burden of vaccinepreventable diseases in these areas.

With the interim guidelines in place,

regions in the country have already made strategic plans and implementation of the government’s free immunization services in communities for easier access, convenience, and safety.

DOH Centers for Health Development in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, together with their partners in the government, have already started adapting strategies such as house-to-house visits for the vaccination of children, pregnant women, and the elderly while strictly observing community quarantine guidelines.

Vaccination services are also being continued in some local healthcare facilities or in identified fixed immunization sites while practicing social distancing, proper hygiene and disinfection, and overall safety.