Manila Standard - 2020 June 16 - Tuesday

NCR remains under GCQ

By Joyce Pangco Panares and Willie Casas

W

HILE Metro Manila and other areas will remain under general community quarantine (GCQ) until June 30, President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday night placed Cebu City under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) starting today, June 16.

"The increasing number of new cases and widespread community transmission in majority of barangays in the city, as well as consistent case doubling time of less than seven (7) days and significant increase in critical care utilization against critical care capacity were the reasons cited why Cebu City reverted back to ECQ,"

VOL. XXXIV • NO. 112 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 2020 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

List of areas now under GCQ or ECQ Under GCQ • Metro Manila (NCR) • Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Santiago City (Region II) • Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Tarlac, Olongapo City (Region III) • Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon, and Occidental Mindoro (Region IV-A) • Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental, Siquijor, Mandaue City, and LapuLapu City (Region VII) • Davao City and Zamboanga City (Mindanao)

Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said. (See list on left column — Ed.) "We are easing quarantine restrictions to manage the economy. Hindi ko kayo mapipigilan lumabas (I cannot stop you from going out)," Duterte said.

This developed as the Philippines on Monday reported its highest number of new recoveries from the COVID-19 pandemic in a single day at 298 — even as its total confirmed infections reached 26,420 ahead of the expected adjustments of quarantine measures.

The total recoveries stood at 6,252, while the death toll rose by 10 to 1,098.

It was the fifth straight day that the new recoveries numbered more than 240.

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Under ECQ • Cebu City

Under Modified ECQ • Talisay City (Cebu) • The rest of the country remains under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) until June 30.

COVID-19 PH AT A GLANCE

(AS OF 4 PM JUNE 15)

26,420

490

1,098

10

6,252

298

TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES

DEATHS

RECOVERIES

NEW

NEW

PGH chief backtracks on 2nd wave

By Macon Ramos-Araneta THE medical director of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) on Monday sounded the alarm on a possible second wave of coronavirus cases that could overwhelm hospital wards across the country, but later said a memo he sent out to his staff that was leaked online could merely be attributed to increased testing for COVID-19.

PGH chief Dr. Gap Legaspi issued a statement after his memo on the hospital's

NEW

situation was leaked on Viber and other online platforms.

"Wards 5th 1, 3, 4 are almost full. We have 8 referrals from outside waiting to be admitted. We are trying to manage it without opening Ward 2 but if needed we have to. MICU SICU and CENICU also getting filled soon," the message on Viber read.

It also said it “could be the 2nd wave that we are anticipating” and that hospital staff will have to adjust and await for further instructions.

GOING HOME. Around 150 stranded Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Manila “All departments please be on standby avail of the free ride to their home cities of Davao and General Santos through the Next page

• Europe reopens borders, Beijing battles new coronavirus outbreak

Rappler exec faces 6 yrs. in jail for libel

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BRUSSELS—A raft of European Union nations reopened their borders to fellow Europeans on Monday after months of coronavirus curbs, but China was battling a new outbreak that has stoked fears of a second wave.

All indoor sports and entertainment venues were shut down in China's capital on Monday as authorities raced to contain a coronavirus outbreak linked to a wholesale food market, with some neighbourhoods placed under complete lockdown.

Tens of thousands of people were also targeted in a massive test and trace programme, as the number of cases from the new Beijing cluster increased to 79.

The outbreak came after China had largely brought the virus under control following its emergence in a central Chinese city late last year, highlighting the enduring dangers for the rest of the world about a second wave of the pandemic.

Indoor sports and entertainment

WORLD ROUNDUP

By Willie Casas, Vito Barcelo, Rio N. Araja, Macon RamosAraneta and Maricel V. Cruz JOURNALIST Maria Ressa was convicted Monday of cyber libel and faces up to six years behind bars in a case that watchdogs say marks a dangerous erosion of press freedom under President Rodrigo Duterte.

Ressa, 56, and her news site Rappler have been the target of a series of criminal charges and probes after publishing stories critical of Duterte's policies, including his drug war that has killed thousands.

On Monday, the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 46 convicted Ressa and former Rappler researcher-writer Reynaldo Santos Jr. in a high-profile verdict handed down as the administration came under increasing fire for targeting its critics.

Judge Rainelda Estacio-Montesa sentenced Ressa, chief executive officer

Philippine Coast Guard ship Gabriela Silang on Monday, as authorities diligently applied coronavirus protocols even to the passengers children. Norman Cruz

CONVICTED. Rappler CEO Maria Ressa and former researcher-writer Reynaldo Santos Jr. (right) meet the press after being found guilty of cyber libel by the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 46 on Monday. Norman Cruz

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Gas up P1.25 per liter, diesel at P1.10 today

NEW AMBIENCE.

In this handout photo by the City of Manila's Public Information Office, customers are seated far apart in one of the restaurants to reopen shop since government eased restictions on dining under the community quarantine to stem the coronavirus. In Makati City, one woman finds herself alone in a popular burger restaurant as well (inset). Ey Acasio

By Alena Mae S. Flores THE country’s oil firms have raised pump prices by P1.25 per liter for gasoline, P1.10 per liter for diesel, and P0.75 per liter for kerosene effective 6 a.m. Tuesday.

Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp., PTT Philippines, Seaoil Philippines, PetroGazz and Cleanfuel issued separate advisories of their latest price hikes. Other Next page

Veteran actress Lilia Dizon, 92

By Nickie Wang POST-WAR actress Lilia Dizon, the mother of actors Christopher and Lara Melissa de Leon, died Monday morning. She was 92.

The death of the veteran actress was confirmed by her daughter Toni

Abad and granddaughter Lotlot de Leon via social media posts.

“The angels are rejoicing! Mom is now worshiping our Lord Jesus Christ not by faith, but by sight.

She is now with our father God in heaven. No more pain, no more Next page

Lilia Dizon in her youth (left) and in her later years.

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News

TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 2020

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

’Terror bill for our well-being’

By Maricel V. Cruz

He said the nation should always be vigilant against terrorism and anticipate what the terrorists were planning to do.

“Fighting terrorism is not a theoretical exercise that we can discuss without letup forever without real-world consequences,” Cayetano said.

“It is an is ever-evolving issue that all countries—not just the Philippines—are grappling with right now.”

Cayetano says it is not just governments that are adapting to terrorism but the terrorists as well.

“Every time we have a new law, new

weapons or effective approaches and strategies against terrorism, the enemy also evolves: becoming fiercer, more determined and innovative in their efforts to destroy and kill people,” Cayetano said.

“This means that we can never let our guard down—not against overreach by government or the acts of terrorists. These two objectives should not be mutually exclusive. With more trust and less politics, I am confident that we can have both.”

Cayetano says the Anti-Terrorism bill that Congress approved and sent to President Rodrigo Duterte is not intended to stifle dissent and suppress activism. Its

NCR...

wanted to be placed under the general community quarantine from June 16 until the end of the month: Quezon province, Abra, Apayao, Caraga and Lanao del Sur. The following areas, meanwhile, wanted to be placed under the modified general community quarantine or the most relaxed type of community quarantine: Pangasinan, Angeles City, Nueva Ecija, Zambales, Pampanga, Cavite and Cebu.

The LGUs of Dagupan City, Batanes, Davao de Oro, Davao del Norte, Davao Occidental, Davao Oriental and Davao

del Sur appealed for the "de-escalation" of the prevailing community quarantine protocols in their respective jurisdictions, Roque said.

He said the government's inter-agency task force on pandemic response met on Monday to discuss the appeals ahead of the President’s expected announcement.

“The IATF is still discussing these appeals,” Roque said.

"When the President makes an announcement later, the decision and recommendation of the IATF on these appeals will also be announced.”

T

HE Anti-Terrorism bill recently passed by Congress will result in the improved well-being and safety of the majority of the population, Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano said Monday.

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Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said Cebu City had appealed to be placed under the stricter modified enhanced community quarantine from the prevailing general community quarantine.

The Department of Health earlier said that Cebu City was a hot spot for the COVID-19 outbreak.

Roque said the following areas

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venues across Beijing have been ordered to close, the municipal party committee said at a press conference Monday.

City official Xu Ying told reporters that all areas must "strengthen public space disinfection and temporarily close sports and recreation indoor facilities", as well as increasing temperature checks and forbidding non-residents from entering communities.

Earlier on Monday health officials reported 49 new coronavirus cases nationwide, including 36 more in Beijing where a cluster linked to the Xinfadi market in the south of the city has fuelled fears of a second wave of infections.

Authorities have locked down 21 housing estates near Xinfadi and another market, Yuquandong in the capital's northwestern Haidian district, where cases linked to the Xinfadi cluster have also been discovered.

Officials said that they were in the process of testing more than 90,000 people living in the locked-down communities for the virus.

They said 200,000 people had visited the Xinfadi market since May 30, and they were trying to trace and test all of them, including going door-to-door.

Over 8,000 workers from the market have been tested and sent to centralised quarantine facilities.

As caseloads have declined in recent weeks across many parts of Europe, governments have been keen to ease painful lockdowns that have saved lives but devastated economies and wearied confined populations.

Belgium, France, Germany, Greece and Ukraine were among those lifting border restrictions on Monday, while shops and outdoor attractions in England were set to welcome their first customers since March and in Paris cafes and restaurants were allowed to fully reopen.

Rappler...

"We're desperate about tourists, we need them and we want them. If we don't have the people, how will we survive," says Michalis Drosos, who works in a souvenir shop in Fira, capital of the Greek island of Santorini.

However, the pandemic is gathering pace in Latin America, and Iran and India have reported worrying increases in deaths and infections -- adding to concern over challenges the world will face in the long fight against COVID-19.

China, where the virus emerged late last year, was the first country to implement extreme restrictions on movement early this year, forcing local transmission down to near-zero as the crisis hammered the rest of the world.

More than 430,000 people worldwide have died from COVID-19, nearly halfway through a year in which countless lives have been upended and the global economy ravaged by the crisis.

The United States -- by far the hardest-hit country with more than 115,700 recorded fatalities -- on Sunday reported its lowest 24-hour death toll since its infection rate peaked in midApril.

President Donald Trump's administration has noted that some states have seen new flare-ups, but insists there will be no shutdown of the economy even if a new wave arises.

But stock markets tumbled again on Monday on fears that an upsurge of infections could put the brakes on the easing of lockdowns and dash hopes of economic recovery.

The Middle East's worst-hit country, Iran, reported an uptick on Sunday, recording more than 100 new virus deaths in a single day for the first time in two months.

Surging infections in India have highlighted the precarious state of its healthcare system, and more than 1,000 new cases are being reported each day in the capital alone.

Mortuaries in New Delhi are overflowing with bodies and cemeteries and crematorium staff say they cannot

keep up with the backlog of victims.

There have also been two new outbreaks in Rome, with 109 infections including five deaths diagnosed at a hospital and 15 cases detected at a building inhabited by squatters.

"It means the virus hasn't lost its infectiousness, it isn't weakening... we shouldn't let down our guard," World Health Organization deputy director Ranieri Guerra told journalists.

"Such micro-outbreaks were inevitable, but they are limited in time and space. And today we have the tools to intercept them and confine them."

Despite fears over fresh clusters, many countries are making moves towards semi-normality.

In Paris, restaurant and cafe owners were cheering after the government said they could once again open their dining rooms, three months after being shut to blunt the coronavirus outbreak.

Until now, restaurants in and around the capital could only serve clients on outdoor terraces, even though eateries in the rest of the country opened fully earlier this month.

"It's going to be a party," Stephane Manigold, owner of four Paris restaurants, including the two-starred Maison Rostang, told AFP. In England, thousands of nonessential retailers such as bookshops and electronics outlets will be welcoming their first customers since halting in-store business in late March.

Drive-in cinemas, safari parks and the outdoor parts of zoos will also be able to reopen, while places of worship are also set to swing open their doors again for individual prayer.

Egypt says it will open its doors for tourists to beach resorts in July, and Peru's Machu Picchu will also reopen next month, although it will sharply reduce the number of daily visitors.

And top-level football continues its return in Europe with the English Premier League making its long-awaited comeback this week, days after Spain's La Liga. AFP

target is terrorism and not activism.

Earlier, Cayetano said the bill, when enacted into law, “will save many lives” that otherwise would be lost to terrorist attacks on communities and other soft targets.

Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker Mujiv Hataman on Monday slammed the warrantless arrest of two Moro traders by Manila policemen who accused them of being drug traffickers.

Hataman, who represents Basilan in the House of Representatives, said Saadudin Alawiya and Abdullah Maute were arrested without a court order on June 12.

DOH targets to test 110m Pinoys end-July

By Willie Casas THE Department of Health (DOH) hopes that 1.5 percent of the population of 110 million Filipinos will be tested for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by the end of July, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said Monday.

During a Malacanang briefing, Vergeire said that the Philippines has a rated testing capacity of almost 50,000 tests daily as 59 COVID-19 testing laboratories are already operational.

Vergeire acknowledged, however, that the actual daily testing capacity differs from rated capacity because of some "operational issues" in the laboratories.

“We are hitting an average of 10,500 to 11,000 [tests] a day for output,” she said in a mix of Filipino and English.

“We hope this will hold steady until the end of July so we can have tested 1.5 percent of the population.”

The target 1.5 percent of the population is equivalent to 1.65 million individuals. As of June 13, the number of cumulative unique individuals tested by the DOH was 468,681. Vergeire said that to narrow the gap between the actual and rated testing capacity, the DOH is employing different measures.

Vergeire said that additional subsectors—composed of other front liners such as barangay health emergency response teams and social workers, and other vulnerable persons such as the pregnant—were included in the DOH's expanded testing guidelines.

"Expectedly, there will be an increase in the samples that will be submitted to our laboratories," she said.

The accreditation of more COVID-19 testing laboratories is also ongoing, she added. At present, there is a backlog of about 2,200 cases with the laboratories, Vergeire said. She added that she was optimistic that these “late cases” would be eliminated soon.

Meanwhile, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) said Manila Doctors Hospital will begin a randomized, double-blind, placebocontrolled trial on the use of melatonin—a commonly available and inexpensive sleep-aid supplement—to enhance the immune response of COVID-19 patents.

worked in so many countries around the world, I have been shot at and threatened but never this kind of death by a thousand cuts," she said.

Monday's verdict decided a trial that stemmed from a businessman's 2017 complaint over a Rappler story five years earlier about his alleged ties to a thenjudge on the nation's top court.

Ressa, who Time magazine named as a Person of the Year in 2018, did not write the article and government investigators initially dismissed the businessman's allegation.

But state prosecutors later filed charges against her and Reynaldo Santos, the former Rappler journalist who wrote it, under a controversial cyber crime statute aimed at online offenses such as stalking and child pornography.

Santos was also found guilty on Monday and allowed to remain free on bail.

Duterte's government has said the case is not politically motivated and that authorities must enforce the law, even against journalists.

But rights groups and press advocates say the libel charge along with a series of tax cases against Rappler, and a government move to strip the news site of its license, amount to state harassment.

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) described the conviction as a “dark day.”

In a statement posted on Facebook, NUJP said the conviction of Ressa and Santos killed freedom of speech and of the press. but journalists will not be cowed.

“This is a dark day not only for independent Philippine media but for all Filipinos. The verdict basically kills freedom of speech and of the press,” NUJP said.

“But we will not be cowed. We will continue to stand our ground against all attempts to suppress our freedoms,” NUJP also said.

"Ressa... and the Rappler team are being singled out for their critical reporting of the Duterte administration," Amnesty International said.

"With this latest assault on independent media, the human rights record of the Philippines continues its free fall."

Human Rights Watch said the case "will reverberate not just in the Philippines, but in many countries that long considered the country a robust environment for media freedom.”

The Philippines has fallen in the Reporters Without Borders press freedom

index to 136 out of 180 nations and territories.

Ressa's verdict comes just over a month after government regulators forced off the air ABS-CBN, the nation's top broadcaster, following years of threats by Duterte to shut down the network.

Both Rappler and ABS-CBN have reported extensively on Duterte's antidrugs campaign in which police have gunned down alleged dealers and users in operations condemned by rights groups.

Some of the crackdown's highestprofile critics have wound up behind bars, including Senator Leila de Lima, who is serving three years in jail on drug charges she insists were fabricated to silence her.

In 2018, Duterte denounced Rappler as a "fake news outlet" and subsequently banned Ressa and her colleagues from his public engagements.

The small courtroom of Branch 46 accommodated only the defendants, the complainant, one lawyer from each of the firms representing them, and three reporters.

Keng, the businessman who filed the complaint, earlier demanded P50 million in damages from Rappler.

announced that “additional cost on EO 113 will be implemented on a per station From A1 basis starting June 17 as acknowledged by Department of Energy.” oil companies are expected to follow suit.

Executive Order 113 imposes an additional This is the sixth successive weekly increase 10 percent duty on all crude petroleum oil for diesel and kerosene and the second and refined petroleum products, to augment consecutive weekly increase for gasoline. government resources and finance programs Meanwhile, Pilipinas Shell also and measures to mitigate the effects of the

coronavirus pandemic “and launch the country towards recovery and rehabilitation.”

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

It will also increase LPG by P1.82 per liter, jet fuel by P0.55 per liter, and fuel oil

by P0.66 per liter.

On June 9, oil companies also implemented an price oil price hike of P1.75 per liter for gasoline, P1.10 per liter for diesel and P1 per liter for kerosene.

Prior to Tuesday’s oil price hike, total yearto-date adjustments led to a net decrease of P7.97 per liter for gasoline, P11.09 per liter for diesel, and P14.44 per liter for kerosene.

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of Rappler, and Santos to six months and a day to up to six years in jail over charges filed by businessman Wilfredo Keng in a case that tested the eight-year-old AntiCybercrime Law. They were allowed to post bail pending an appeal and ordered to pay P200,000 in moral damages and another P200,000 in exemplary damages.

The case stemmed from an article published by the news site in 2012 that cites an "intelligence report" that allegedly linked Keng, the private complainant, to human trafficking and drug smuggling.

Keng denied the allegations and sued Ressa and Santos for cyber libel.

The conviction of the former CNN journalist was the culmination of a case that has drawn international concern.

It was not immediately clear how long she would actually have to serve if the conviction becomes final.

"We are going to stand up against any kind of attacks against press freedom," Ressa told journalists after the conviction in Manila.

"I began as a reporter in 1986 and I have

Gas...

‘ABS’ probe zeroes in on use of PDRs

By Maricel V. Cruz ONE of the authors of a bill proposing the renewal of the franchise of the shuttered ABS-CBN suggested a congressional inquiry into the Philippine Depositary Receipts of the other broadcasting networks.

At the joint hearing of the House committee on legislative franchises and the committee on good government and public accountability on ABS-CBN’s bid for a fresh 25-year franchise, Nueva Ecija Rep. Micaela Violago said the chamber must also probe the other networks’ PDRs. Her suggestion came after Bulacan Rep. Jose Antonio Sy-Alvarado said the PDRs submitted by GMA-7 were “similar” to those of ABS-CBN's.

Earlier in the hearing, Sy-Alvarado, head of the good- government and public accountability committee, said only GMA-7 had so far submitted copies of its PDRs. "Chairman Alvarado earlier said that all the PDRs of all major broadcasting companies are almost the same as GMA and ABS-CBN. The only difference is the price," Violago said.

That prompted her to say that, "in aid of legislation, in the near future hopefully, maybe we can also investigate the PDRs of other broadcasting companies the way we investigate the PDRs of ABS-CBN."

PGH...

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for further instructions. Will also reassess the pace and extent of our resumption activities. Please inform all your staff to be on standby,” the leaked memo added.

In a statement issued in answer to several media queries, including from the Standard, Legaspi confirmed the leaked memo that said several PGH wards were almost full of coronavirus patients.

He said it was an internal memo that was "inadvertently shared."

"From the onset, an increasing trend of admission was seen, peaking at 172 patients by end of April, and as the [modified enhanced community quarantine] was implemented, a downward trend was observed by midMay,” Legaspi said.

“With an average in-patient census of 75 a day being sustained over several days, we closed Ward 2 two weeks go," he added.

Legaspi said PGH initially committed 130 beds for COVID-19 patients who were distributed to 11 areas in the hospital, including Wards 1, 2, 3 and 4.

This allowed them to redistribute their personnel to tend to non-COVID patients.

"However, in the last few days, we experienced more patient admissions and [fewer] discharges,” he said.

“The buffer beds we would have wanted to maintain to make for a smooth transfer of patients from other hospitals were dwindling. Hence, the possibility of opening up Ward 2 again was brought up with the advisory board on June 14, 2020," he said.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire earlier denied that the PGH is running out of beds for patients despite the leaked memo.

Veteran...

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tears, no more suffering. She left us at exactly 8:20 this morning,” Toni said in her Facebook post.

Meanwhile, Lotlot took to Instagram to express her grief over the death of their family’s matriarch. She posted a series of their family photos and videos with Lilia recounting everything about her from her “smile and laughter to her beautiful voice.”

Similarly, Christopher's wife, Sandy Andolong, gave a heartwarming tribute to Lilia by saying that she's grateful to have her as her mother-in-law.

Born Claire Strauss in 1928, Lilia started her career in showbiz after World War II. She was 15 when she began performing as a singer at Lotus Theater.

At 16, she was discovered by writerdirector Susana de Guzman.

Lilia first appeared in the movie Probinsiyana in 1946. It was a film topbilled by Jose Padilla, Jr. and Carmen Rosales. Thereafter, she starred in a number of movies under LVN Pictures such as Bathaluman (1952), Kandilerong Pilak (1954), and The Moise Padilla Story (1961), which starred Joseph Estrada and Leopoldo Salcedo. The film became the Philippine entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 34th Academy Awards.

At 17, Lilia married LVN director and actor Gil de Leon, with whom she had three children—Pinky, Christopher, and Lara Melissa. She later remarried to Antonio Abad and had two kids—Toni and Corazon.

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TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 2020

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IN BRIEF Bertiz III named as TESDA Director PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has appointed former ACTS OFW Rep. Aniceto Bertiz III as Deputy Director-General of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, replacing the late Gladys Rosales.

Bertiz took his oath of office Monday morning before TESDA Director-General Secretary Isidro ‘Sid’ Lapeña.

“We are grateful for the trust bestowed by the President,” Bertiz said in a statement Monday.

“We are humbled by the task before us at TESDA under Secretary Lapeña’s leadership, considering the huge number of Filipinos, including returning migrant workers, separated from their jobs on account of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Bertiz said. Vito Barcelo

Smuggled ‘ecstasy’ pills seized at NAIA

WELCOME HOME. The Foreign Affairs Department started the week with full energy as it welcomed home 668 Filipino seafarers of Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines who arrived back-to-back via Air Europa flights.

Allow resumption of provincial buses—Solon BICOLANO lawmaker Elizaldy S. Co (Ako Bicol partylist) on Monday, June 15, appealed to the national government to allow the immediate resumption of provincial bus services to bring home stranded Filipinos subject to clearcut health, transport and quarantine protocols.

In a statement, Co implored the InterAgency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), the departments of health, transportation and interior and local government and various local government units to come up with a set of unified guidelines to facilitate resumption of provincial bus operations.

Without public transportation, Co said thousands of Filipinos and overseas workers can’t return home and join their families in the provinces. Aside from congestion and higher risk of infection, inability to return home is a primary cause of depression and anxiety especially for OFWs, he said.

“With all due respect, the national government and LGUs must discuss, agree and lay down clearcut guidelines for bus operators and commuters. The goal is to allow stranded Filipinos to ride provincial buses while minimizing risks of potential COVID-19 infection,” the solon said.

Citing his personal experience in bringing home stranded construction workers and Bicolano students from UP Los Banos, Co said such effort entails a lot of coordination between national and local government agencies. “It’s difficult, but not impossible,” he said.

Due to lack of public transportation, the solon lamented that some Filipino workers die without ever seeing their loved ones. “It doesn’t have to be this way. I’m sure we can all agree on a set of clear, systematic and non-redundant guidelines. We owe it to our kababayans,” he said.

Gov’t agencies must unite to help LSIs—Go

By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Maricel V. Cruz

S

ENATOR Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go urged concerned government agencies to work together to assist Locally Stranded Individuals (LSIs) who are looking for ways to get home to their provinces amid the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

Go issued the appeal even as Deputy Speaker and Camarines Sur Rep, Luis Raymund Villafuerte has filed the Balik Probinsiya bill, to fastrack the implementation of President Duterte’s Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-Asa program.

In filing House Bill (HB) 6970,

Villafuerte is banking on public investments and incentives as the linchpin of a two-pronged approach to encourage people who have migrated to the heavily congested National Capital Region (NCR) to return to their home provinces and for those who have opted to stay put in

their cities or municipalities to remain there instead of relocating to Metro Manila in search of jobs or better livelihood opportunities.

“The flip side of urban congestion came to the fore amid the global health emergency as Metro Manila, which is the world’s 15th most densely populated city—according to data from the CityMayorsStatistics, a global source for urban statistics—easily became Covid-19’s epicenter in the country, accounting for 68 percentor almost 7 out of every 10 infections,” said Villafuerte, representative of Camarines Sur's Second District.

SMOKED. A smoked fish worker

at Barangay Sapa 3 in Rosario, Cavite dries his fish products under the sun before proceeding to smoke them out as protection against the Covid-19. JR Josue

THE Department of Agrarian Reform is now implementing a technology-based visitor’s access portal system to continually cater to its clientele.

Secretary John Castriciones said the initiative is in direct response to the impacts of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) through the implementation of a visitor’s access portal system (VAPS) and access portal system (APS) to ensure that social distancing measures are observed by the agency while performing its duty to assist and inform the public on their agrarian reform-related concerns under the new normal safety protocols.

“Aside from keeping the public and employees safe, the DAR aims to utilize and integrate technology in the regular workflow of the department, ensure greater productivity and connectivity between and among offices, and establish a more technologicallyadept workforce as the new norm,” he said.

A VAPS terminal is a system allowing a representative from the agency's Public Assistance and Information Center, on behalf of the clienteles visiting the DAR to inquire about their DAR-related cases, may communicate via voice or video call with the DAR frontline offices.

On the other hand, the APS terminal serves as a supplement to landline phones.

Rio N. Araja

By Rey E. Requejo

failed to scrutinize the bidders' contentious reputations.

Makabayan bloc member and Bayan Muna Representative Carlos Zarate has been questioning the reputation of Joint Venture Idemia Identity and Security France and FMC Research Solutions Inc., for being dubious before winning

the lowest bid for the procurement of supply, installation, support and maintenance of the Automated Biometric Identification System for the said project.

A source, meanwhile, supported Rep. Zarate's claims and alleged the PSA for failing to scrutinize Idemia, who won the ABIS bid amounting to P683 Mil-

lion, with Bid Reference No. Public Bidding No. 2019-08.

The source noted that PSA chief, Undersecretary Claire Dennis Mapa, had already informed JV Idemia first week of April, 2020, that they won the bid without releasing an official Notice of Award for this procurement.

‘Stop issuing unfair remarks vs. ASPAP’ 'IT'S about time everyone worked together instead of making unfair remarks.'

This sums up the statement made by Accredited Service Providers Association of PAGCOR (ASPAP) spokesman Margarita Gutierrez. “I just wish people will use this time to unite and help one another.”

Gutierrez expressed disappointment over comments circulating about Pogo Service Providers’ tax payments.

This comes after certain personalities called on the Bureau of Internal Revenue to go after PSPs for additional taxes and focus on tracking down illegal offshore gaming operators instead of placing the

DAR uses tech-based visitor portal system

Probe of overpriced fertilizer sought

Makabayan bloc solon questions ‘dubious’ bidder for National ID System THE proposed National Identification System, deemed to be an effective resort for the distribution of government’s emergency subsidy to Filipinos during this COVID-19 crisis, was seen marred with inconsistencies and anomalies when the program's chief implementor, Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA),

CUSTOMS agents at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport seized smuggled shipment of ecstasy pills worth P9 million at a warehouse in Pasay City.

The 5,205 ecstasy pills were found concealed in a paper shredder shipped from the United Kingdom and consigned to an individual in Pasig City.

Elements of the Bureau of Customs-NAIA under the supervision of district collector Carmelita Talusan made the seizure in close coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and NAIA Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group last Monday.

Customs personnel assigned at DHL warehouse discovered the prohibited drugs while conducting document check and physical examination of the package after having observed apparent inconsistencies in details.

The seized drugs were turned over to PDEA for further investigation and prosecution of the consignee and those involved in the illegal importation for violation of the Dangerous Drugs Act in relation to the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA).

Authorities said ecstasy is a dangerous party drug that killed five people during a rave party four years ago in Pasay City.

Joel E. Zurbano

burden on online sellers and retailers.

The ASPAP spokesperson appealed to the public to get the correct facts first on how PSPs go about settling its tax payments before saying anything, adding that the group dutifully pay regulatory fees as well as the corporate and withholding tax of their workers.

“People should get their facts straight and study the laws involved before making comments as our industry is as essential as the others in terms of revenue generation,” said Gutierrez. “Members of our organization are paying the correct taxes to government as pre-requisite to resuming operations. It is unfair to put us down without knowing the real story.

RESCUE BOATS. Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso checks the new rescue boat project of the Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office after the regular Monday flag raising ceremony at the Manila City Hall in June 15, 2020. Norman Cruz

AN umbrella group of agricultural stakeholders on Monday urged the Senate to investigate the allegedly overpriced P1.8 billion fertilizer supply contracts funded under an emergency stimulus program meant to minimize the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on farmers.

Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) chairman Rosendo So said farmers themselves have complained that the Department of Agriculture's supply contract for urea fertilizer was grossly disadvantageous to the government as the price per bag was way higher than the average retail price of P850.

The DA has allocated P5.69 billion for the procurement of urea fertilizer at P1,000 per bag under its stimulus program Ahon Lahat, Pagkaing Sapat Kontra Covid-19 (ALPAS sa Covid-19).

The DA already bid 1.7m bags at Php995/bag, way above the prevailing retail price.

"A negotiated bidding should even be lower than retail price, mas mababa pa dapat ito sa P850/bag" So lamented.

"Fertilizer bought by farmers themselves fetch for only Php830 to Php850/ bag. This shows that the purchase of these urea fertilizer by the DA Central Office was utterly disadvantageous to the government and to our farmers; especially now when we need all the funds available to survive this pandemic," So said.

LGUs

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

A4

TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 2020

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

P25m food, other items seized in raid

By Jess Malabanan CLARK FREEPORT—Some P25 million worth of smuggled poultry meat and other food items from China and other unidentified nations were seized by government authorities led by the Bureau of Customs Port of Clark after a huge warehouse in Baragay Anunas, Angeles City was raided last weekend.

"The seized items are believed to have been smuggled into the country because of a ban on importing poultry products from a number of countries except the United States, Canada, and Australia,” said Port of Clark District Collector lawyer Ruby Claudia Alameda.

• Alameda did nt name the other countries from which the smuggled goods came.

• She said these imported goods should pass stringent requirements and tests by the Customs and other regulatory government agencies.

The raid, Alameda said, was conducted by virtue of Letter of Authority 06-10-041-2020 and Mission Order 06-10-2020- 086 both issued by the BoC against Jimgold M. Tan, alleged owner of the warehouse.

Alameda said the operations against erring businessmen was in line with the BoC mandate to eliminate fraud and curb smuggling and most importantly ensure safety and health of our consumers with the present threat of bird flu.

The raiding team was composed of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Services and the National Bureau of Investigation—Special Action Unit with support from the Philippine Coast Guard, and the local police headed by Colonel Joyce Patrick Sangalang.

Morning Breeze compound better after lockdown THE local City Health Office of Alabang said Monday the coronavirus situation in its Morning Breeze compound, under a two-week lockdown, was now now under control, adding residents who had contracted COVID-19 had shown improving conditions.

Muntinlupa CHO chief Dr. Teresa Tuliao said in a statement the Extreme Localized Community Quarantine (ELCQ) in Morning Breeze had helped improve and control the situation in the compound with only 16 active cases and six recoveries as of June 15.

Tuliao noted that all active cases confined in Ospital ng Muntinlupa were recovering while all probable cases in the compound had tested negative for COVID-19.

During the two-week lockdown, the CHO said it conducted a mass testing and strengthened its isolation strategies and treatment of residents while the local government provided relief food packs to cover all meals and other basic supplies during the effectivity of the lockdown.

Muntinlupa Mayor Jaime Fresnedi ordered an ELCQ in the compound, initially set from June 3 to June 5 but was extended until June 16, 11:59 PM, due to the alarming increase of COVID-19 cases in the community.

The local health office earlier recorded clustering of cases where COVID-19 positive residents live close to each other. Social distancing and strict use of face masks were also not followed, officials said.

SMUGGLED PRODUCTS. Customs Police and Angeles City Police officers headed by Colonel Joyce Patrick Sangalang, get surprised during a raid of a warehouse after discovering it to be full of smuggled meat and poultry products in Angeles City on Friday.

Jess Malabanan

Cops told: Nab, detain drivers helping LSIs

By Ben Moses Ebreo

B

AYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya—Governor Carlos Padilla has ordered the Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group to arrest and put into custody truck drivers and their helpers carrying Locally-Stranded Individuals(LSIs) while plying the national highway in the province.

Padilla also told the PNP-HPG here headed by Captain Michael Bongtayon to impound trucks used for ferrying LSIs for violating the "Bayanihan Act to Heal as One" law.

"The PNP-HPG should also establish a checkpoint in our province to check on the compartments and cargoes of trucks to ensure that no undocumented LSIs will slip through our province,"

he added.

Padilla made the order during Monday's meeting of the Provincial COVID-19 Task Force at the Pasalubong Center in this capital town.

He was responding to a report from the agricultural sector which requested the strict spot checking of trucks plying the national highway in Nueva Vizcaya, hemmed in by the Sierra Madre and the

Caraballo mountains in Cagayan Valley.

Bongtayon, the PNP-HPG provincial officer, confirmed the report, saying trucks had been ferrying undocumented LSIs as their backload for extra income.

"This unscrupulous act has been practiced by truck drivers to earn extra income from the payment of LSIs," he said.

Bongtayon said they were able to arrest previous violators of the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aside from the arrest, truck drivers, helpers and caught LSIs would also be quarantined in the province for an unspecified required period while facing cases in court.

Ombudsman edifice in Manila under lockdown

By Rey E. Requejo EXECUTIVE Judge Carissa Anne Manook-Frondozo on Monday ordered a lockdown of the old Ombudsman Building in Manila that houses several Regional and Metropolitan Trial Courts for 14 days beginning June 15 to June 29.

In a memorandum, Frondozo said "during the said period, no one will be

allowed entry at the premises."

According to her, all the employees holding offices in the building are required to undergo self-quarantine, minimize or avoid contact with the public and do conduct contact tracing of all the persons they have come in contact with at the court premises for the last two weeks.

"Should any person develop symptoms, please report your condition to

your respective Barangay Health Worker and inform her as soon as possible," she said.

Supreme Court's Public Information Chief and Spokesman Brian Keith Hosaka confirmed that the lockdown was ordered after a public prosecutor in Mandaluyong who tested positive for COVID-19 was traced to have gone to the Old Ombudsman Building.

FRONTLINERS RECOGNIZED.

Ilocos Norte Gov. Matthew Manotoc hails COVID-19 frontliners during the celebration of the country's 122nd Independence Day on Friday, recognizing their “painstaking efforts and immense sacrifice” in battling the coronavirus.

The province, according to Manotoc, has been cautious in trying to work for the safety and welfare of its residents.

QUEZON City's Department of Building Official has modified its conventional procedures to adapt to the new normal and help prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Mayor Joy Belmonte said the DBO had devised an online application and appointment systemvfor permit applications and processing to limit public

contact amid the pandemic.

"The innovation is intended to limit the number of people visiting the DBO for the physical submission of building plans and other pertinent documents," she said.

Dale Perral, the department chief, said a permit applicant could secure an appointment, and have his or her permit processed and approved with just a few taps on their electronic gadget through

By Joel E. Zurbano THE Parañaque City government has formed a special team to conduct extensive mass testing and contact tracing following the surge of COVID-19 cases in the city for the past two weeks.

Mayor Edwin Olivarez also tapped city chief health officer Dr. Olga Virtusio to continue the administration of actions against the dreaded disease on a long-term basis.

As of Saturday last, Paranaque had 827 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 547 recoveries and 50 fatalities.

Of the number, 230 or 27. 8 percent active cases.

Barangay San Dionisio still accounts for the most number of coronavirus cases, having a total 132 confirmed cases. Baclaran is the second barangay with highest number of confirmed cases with 90 with 44 active cases.

The streets in Barangay San Dionisio and Baclaran were recently placed under a three-day calibrated lockdown after the city health office reported that about 100 individuals there had been infected.

Olivarez encouraged personnel of the city health office and other frontliners to continue the fight against COVID-19, adding being the leaders of the community, they were essential in making sure constituents were one with the city government in fighting the pandemic.

He said to flatten the curve, expansion of the capacity of the healthcare system in the city and the increase in testing capacity must be prioritized.

Olivarez believed that the battle against COVID-19 was expected to be extended indefinitely—maybe one to two years more.

“The primary goal of the COVID-19 response is to reduce COVID-19 related deaths as well as non-COVID deaths,” according to the mayor, adding the strategy of the city government should be aligned with the national government plan to prevent, detect, isolate, and treat COVID-19.

He said contact tracing and surveillance had very important roles in fighting the disease.

Aside from the existing task force, Virtusio formed a new group of health personnel that would solely be engaged in widespread testing and contact tracing and quarantine of suspect, probable or confirmed COVID-19 cases, on an individual, neighborhood or community level.

He expressed appreciation to the barangay chairmen and councilmen and dedicated frontliners who are until now committed to protect their respective areas against COVID-19.

IN BRIEF Cavite COVID-19 cases on the plunge CAVITE Gov. Jonvic Remulla has acknowledged the collaborative efforts between residents of the åprovince and the Inter-Agency Task Force in reducing the number of coronavirus infections and deaths in the area, with only 434 cases reported as of June 4.

Remulla said the death toll had only increased by two in the last five weeks.

Meanwhile, the number coding in Cavite is suspended beginning June 15, and curfew hour is adjusted as well from 8 p.m. to 4:30 a.m.

New mall policy will take effect June 22, 2020.

For those stranded and want to return to Cavite or leave Cavite, they will need a travel pass and a certificate of good health from the LGU. Ben Chavez

Rizal TODAS get relief packs

QC modifies online application system for building permits

By Rio N. Araja

Parañaque forms virus test teams

dbo-af.quezoncity.gov.ph.

Moreover, she said, as an added safety measure, building plans and documents that are required to be physically submitted would undergo disinfection procedures using germicidal ultraviolet light or UV-C spectrum.

"No document shall be received without undergoing the said disinfection procedure,” she added.

As part of DBO’s quasi-judicial func-

tions, all complaints pertaining to possible violations of the National Building Code of the Philippines or Presidential Decree 1096 are now subject to summary procedures similar to the summary rules of the Rules of Court.

“After the necessary ocular inspections are conducted, concerned parties will be required to submit their respective Position Papers. Thereafter, the issues shall be resolved accordingly,” she said.

THE Rizal Provincial Government, led by Acting Gov. Jhun Rhey San Juan, has continued distributing relief goods for tricycle drivers and operators, this time in Cainta, a first class municipality.

San Juan said this was intended to meet the needs of tricycle drivers whom he described as also Frontliners who deliver riders to their entrances or markets.

Cainta Mayor Kit Nieto was also present and distributed relief goods.

San Juan, Board member Ross Glenn Gongora and Nieto distributed at least 4,000 relief packs to the tricycle drivers and operators association.

Up to 40,000 more relief goods were previously distributed in the towns of San Mateo, Montalban, Pililia, Jalajala and Taytay, officials said. Ben Chavez

Opinion A dangerous turn for democracy differ. The ideas that may be expressed under this freedom are confined not only to those that are conventional or acceptable to the majority. To be truly meaningful, freedom of speech and of the press should allow and even encourage the articulation of the unorthodox view, though it be hostile to or derided by others; or though such view ‘induces a condition of unrest, creates dissatisfaction with conditions as they are, or even stirs people to anger.’ To paraphrase Justice Holmes, it is freedom for the thought that we hate, no less than for the thought that agrees with us.”

On the freedom of the press: “Much has been written on the philosophical basis of press freedom as part of the larger right of free discussion and expression.

Its practical importance, though, is more easily grasped. It is the chief source of information on current affairs. It is the most pervasive and perhaps most powerful vehicle of opinion on public questions. It is the instrument by which citizens keep their government informed of their needs, their aspirations and their grievances. It is the sharpest weapon in the fight to keep government responsible and efficient. Without a vigilant press, the mistakes of every administration would go uncorrected and its abuses unexposed.”

Clearly, there are valid limitations to free speech, such as the restraint on speech that can cause immediate and real harm and punishment of libelous remarks, among others. However, the Supreme Court has consistently put a remarkably high bar for such restraint and punishment. There is the clear and present danger test and the determination of malicious speech in the case of slander or libel. This should not change even with the emergency of digital technology and the internet.

Judge Rainelda Estacio-Montesa in her decision said, “The right to free speech and freedom of the press cannot and should not be used as a shield against accountability.

The law sets out parameters for this accountability.” Ironic as it may sound, while the conviction seems to demand accountability from journalists on a supposed offense of cyber libel, the very decision itself removed the public’s opportunity to demand accountability from the greater and more powerful authority of government through the courageous press.

With this decision, we step into a new era on free press and speech. The judiciary has led the country to a dangerous turn not just for these freedoms but also for democracy. We must be resolute in resisting and fighting this, for the glorious past when the courts were the last bastions of these freedoms and for the future for the survival of our democracy.

EAGLE EYES

TONY LA VIÑA WHILE the cyberlibel convictions of Rappler Executive Editor Maria Ressa and researcher Rey Santos are pending finality, this decision has become the worst decision on our great freedoms of press and speech (because we are all publishers now through our social media). Our long line of jurisprudence on these rights from 1918 in U.S. v. Bustos to 2008 in Chavez v. Gonzales, including the martial law years, has always upheld these freedoms and for good reason.

With this decision, we step into a new era on free press and speech.

In the very early case of U.S. v. Bustos (G.R. No. L-12592, March 8, 1918), Justice Malcolm, writing for the Court, liberally established the guarantees of freedom of speech and of the press in a Philippine society dominated by Americans and was existing merely under an Organic Act. “The interest of society and the maintenance of good government demand a full discussion of public affairs. Completely liberty to comment on the conduct of public men is a scalpel in the case of free speech.

The sharp incision of its probe relieves the abscesses of officialdom. Men in public life may suffer under a hostile and an unjust accusation; the wound can be assuaged with the balm of a clear conscience . . . It is a duty which everyone owes to society or to the State to assist in the investigation of any alleged misconduct. It is further the duty of all who know of any official dereliction on the part of a magistrate or the wrongful act of any public officer to bring the facts to the notice of those whose duty it is to inquire into and punish them. In the words of Mr. Justice Gayner, who contributed so largely to the law of libel. ‘The people are not obliged to speak of the conduct of their officials in whispers or with bated breath in a free government, but only in a despotism.’”

A little less than a hundred years later, Chavez v. Gonzales (decided in 2008), with Chief Justice Reynato Puno writing for the court, eloquently traces the essence of such freedoms.

On the freedom of speech: “The right belongs as well—if not more—to those who question, who do not conform, who

Facebook page: deantonylavs Twitter: tonylavs

Bring back all public transport now ABOUT TOWN

ERNESTO M. HILARIO CAN we revive the Philippine economy without bringing back all the various modes of public transport that we had before COVID-19?

Economic recovery, after all, will depend on all sectors working at full throttle as before, if not at feverish pace, and you cannot do that if workers in both private and public sectors cannot find the means to go to their jobs.

We therefore fully support the call of the business sector, among them the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), to bring back public transportation, as many workers continue to have little to no means of getting a ride to work in areas under the current general community quarantine or GCQ. According to the group, the government “should allow the operation of mass public transportation including buses and jeepneys” but with strict adherence to the highest standards in health and safety.

At the same time, it said, the government should look into more sustainable transportation modes and open more and wider pedestrian and bike lanes within the year.

Sen. Ralph Recto thinks along the same line.

He wants the immediate return of jeepneys and other public utility vehicles (PUVs) with the required health protocols in place, because the lack of adequate public transportation is detrimental to efforts to reduce joblessness and shore up the economy.

But more than this, the lawmaker suggests that the government subsidize their operations since it now subsidizes the MRT to the tune of P6 billion this year.

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) is also asking the government to work toward implementing people-centered and sustainable transportation policies, as the country eases itself out of the community quarantine and toward a post-coronavirus world.

“To alleviate the already dire situation of Filipino workers who are struggling to make ends meet, the commission calls on the government to ensure the operation of a sufficient number of public transportation,” the CHR said in a recent statement.

We fully agree with their recommendations.

At the same time, we support the joint initiative of the Department of Transportation

(DOTr) and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to put up bike lanes along the whole length of Edsa and other major thoroughfares.

This is actually a long overdue move. A few cities in Metro Manila, such as Marikina, have already put up their own bike lanes. This has enhanced the mobility of their residents, apart from reducing pollution levels.

The government should also look into more sustainable transportation modes.

An earlier proposal was for sidewalks to be expanded and shared by pedestrians and bicycles. But this was turned down as impractical as pedestrians and cyclists simply cannot co-exist; they would encroach on each other's space and jeopardize their safety.

The DOTr and MMDA said they would start construction of the bike lanes last Saturday, June 13 amid the growing number of cyclists as COVID-19 quarantine and health protocols resulted in a shortage of public transportation units and options.

The CHR approves of the bike lanes as well: "As people are already adopting alternative and non-motorized modes of transportation such as biking, the government must provide short and long-term interventions to protect bikers during their commute,” the agency said.

Another thing, urban planner, architect Jun Palafox, has also suggested putting up an overhead covered pedestrian walkway as one other alternative to traffic congestion along Edsa.

Makati City has pioneered in the use of these pedestrian walkways in the Central Business District, and has proven its worth in facilitating movement of people within the area. This can be built in phases, perhaps with private sector support, as business establishments can put up advertising materials there.

Community-led public safety system

In the wake of the recent murder of George Floyd by cops in Minneapolis, the City Council has unanimously voted to disband its police force and replace it with a community-led public safety system.

TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 2020

B1

Adelle Chua, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

EDITORIAL

I

Department of Pain

F there were a Department of Pain—an agency dedicated to inflicting the greatest amount of discomfort on ordinary working people—it would certainly have no shortage of officials to run it.

For example, there is a cockalorum in Congress who is pushing for a tax on digital services. To make up for the loss of revenue once the government cuts corporate income taxes to 25 percent and “to soothe the pain inflicted by COVID-19 on businesses,” this lawmaker wants to turn the tax screws on subscriptions to video and music streaming services and ads on social media sites. He also wants to make online sales platforms withholding tax agents for the government.

He proposes to call these measures a “Netflix tax,” a “Facebook ad tax,” and a “Lazada tax.”

But it is a little odd to hear this lawmaker complain about the loss of government revenue, since he was a vocal supporter of the Tax Reform and Acceleration and Inclusion or TRAIN Act or TRAIN, which mandates the cut in corporate taxes to spur investments and economic growth. If he did not worry at the time he signed the TRAIN law about the loss of government revenue, why should he do so now?

His second rationale —“to soothe the pain inflicted by COVID-19 on businesses”—is pure balderdash. How specifically will a tax on streaming services or online merchants benefit say, restaurants that have closed down because of a nearly three-month lock-

down? Or barbershops and salons that have only been able to reopen now? Or musicians who have been unable to perform live because of quarantine restrictions?

Please get that knee off our necks.

In the last three months, we have seen so many impositions attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of them are justified; this one is clearly not. Rather, it is a bald-faced excuse to gain easy money for the government, without offering anything in return to those being taxed.

In the end, this lawmaker’s taxes will be paid, not by the corporations that provide digital services, but by us, their customers.

How does that soothe the pain?

Also in the running for the Department of Pain are Finance officials who are chafing at the bit to cash in on the “bonanza” that online sellers are said to be realizing as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown. Never mind that most of these sellers are smalltime entrepreneurs trying to get by selling homemade baked goods, clothes or trinkets

on social media. These Finance officials insist that anyone selling things online register and pay a tax—imposing an unwarranted burden on fledgling ventures that might not even last.

Senate Majority Leader Miguel Zubiri on Sunday proposed to "heavily" impose taxes on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) instead of small-time online sellers.

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri is right on the nose when he says the move by the Bureau of Internal Revenue is “not only insensitive but totally unnecessary.”

"First of all, many of these online sellers are trying to survive during this time of a pandemic and to harass them on their last means of income is heartless to say the least," he said.

He suggests, not without cause, that the taxman go after the online gambling hubs that this government has wooed and protected—and which owed at least P27 billion in unpaid tax liabilities in 2019. You’d have to harass a whole lot of Facebook sellers to scare up that amount of cash.

Finally, we could also see a lateral move to a Department of Pain for a Cabinet secretary whose expertise it is to blame his subordinates for his failure to swiftly and effectively deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

President Duterte likes to say he wants a comfortable life for all Filipinos. We agree, but at this point, forget comfort— please get that knee off our necks.

Jeepneys and Jesus AS I write this column, we’re still waiting for the President to tell us the fate of Metro Manila for the second half of the month. Will we remain under GCQ, maybe even graduate to MGCQ, or—perish the thought!—slide back to MECQ or even ECQ? The statistics aren’t encouraging. Today we hit over 500 fresh new cases of infection, compared to less than 200 just a couple of weeks ago. The UP research group that’s been tracking the numbers from DOH tells us that we haven’t flattened the curve yet, even after you wash away the statistical effects of additional testing and delayed reporting. *** As a result, people are growing more and more skeptical of the Department of Health, the lead agency of the IATF. Perhaps this is just the fault of a weak health system that the current Health Secretary inherited, as I’ve said before. Or perhaps the blame lies with some of his subordinates, as he hasn’t been shy about claiming. But regardless of the reason, the way he’s now doing his job is coming under a lot of attack.

It hasn’t helped that someone as respected as former DICT Undersecretary Eliseo Rio is now disclosing on Facebook that his resignation was accepted—five months later—because he opposed the way the DOHled IATF proposes to handle the intractable problem of contact tracing. I invited Rio 20 years ago to join the board of a telecoms company I was helping to manage, and I have no reason to doubt his capability or his integrity.

Rio contends that he submitted a strategy for contract tracing that was endorsed through his boss, DICT Secretary Honasan and IATF chief implementor Galvez, both of them former military officers like him.

His plan was straightforward: set up a data warehouse to process contact tracing data from all government sources as well as what he implied is a wide range out there of available mobile apps, together with a dashboard to monitor progress.

Getting data from every app available— that makes a whole lot of sense. But instead, the task force opted to go with a single application, #StaySafe, which to date According to the veto-proof resolution, the city council will begin a year-long process of engaging "with every willing community member in Minneapolis" to develop a new public safety model.

"The murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, by Minneapolis police officers is a tragedy that shows that no amount of reforms will prevent lethal violence and abuse by some members of the Police Department against members of our community, especially Black people and people of color," five council members wrote in the resolution.

"We acknowledge that the current system is not reformable—that we would like to end the current policing system as we know it," another council member said.

The council declared it would create a "transformative new model" of public safety in the city. The "Future of Community Safety Work Group" will include staff from city departments,

and the economy will just take longer and slower to recover.

I’ve already discussed before how open-ventilated jeepneys are still viable even under quarantine: with plastic partitions, boxes to handle paper money, even passenger logbooks for contact tracing purposes. Now a friend who used to work at Citibank has come up with another bright idea: Companies, especially the smaller ones, can hire jeepneys to serve as dedicated employee shuttles. This will require a lot of route rearrangements and re-permitting, but it can be done.

From the way he fast-tracked the planned Bulacan mega-airport as well as those EDSA refurbishments, the Transportation Secretary has shown he can move really quick when he puts his mind to it. We hope he decides to put this whole jeepney (and tricycle) issue on the front burner, if only for the sake of sparing the President the hostility of a substantial community of commuters, drivers and operators. As in golf, unforced errors are supposed to be avoided. *** My last appeal, again to the increasingly unpopular IATF, is to finally open up our churches to all the faithful (albeit at 50 percent capacity only, and with all the prescribed precautions). One hour at Mass in an openly ventilated church is certainly safer than one whole day at work in an air-conditioned office with a lot of social interaction. And if you’ll claim that worship isn’t as essential as work, you’re offending the 90-plus percent of Filipinos who’re Catholic, not to mention those belonging to other churches.

Last week I resumed my participation in one of the lay ministries of our local church, and even with an attendance of only ten, it was a joy for me. Catholics believe that physically taking the Host into the mouth joins them in full communion with Christ on His Cross. Accommodating this Sacrament, even just for one hour a week, is not too much to ask on behalf of that 90 percent.

FORMATION

GARY OLIVAR has just a million users. Waiting around for that number to hit all 100 million Filipinos—now that doesn’t make sense.

And we’re not talking here yet about how this application performs in terms of user friendliness or data collection, reliability and accessibility.

Someone had better explain this IATF decision to the public, and soon. It’s been

One hour at Mass in an openly ventilated church is certainly safer than one whole day at work in an airconditioned office with a lot of social interaction. nearly a week since Rio went public. The longer we have to wait for a response, the more suspicious we’re entitled to become. *** Here’s another issue on which the bright boys at the task force seem to have fallen asleep: the continuing prohibition of public utility jeepneys (PUJs) from our roads.

I’ve already complained in earlier columns about why it doesn’t make sense to prohibit jeepneys from feeding commuter traffic to, say, the newly reopened and refurbished MRT and dedicated bus lanes along EDSA. Without passengers delivered by those jeepneys, transport backlogs will remain, people can’t get to work,

including the offices of violence prevention and civil rights.

Although the city mayor said he does not endorse the full abolition of the police, he supported "massive structural reform to revise a structurally racist system."

The concept of community policing is not new as it had been discussed in the Philippine National Police as far back as 2003 during the Arroyo administration. Its main proponent was then Police Deputy Director General Ricardo F. de Leon, now retired and head of the Philippine Public Safety College. He wrote a book, "Community Policing—Pathway to Good Governance" that came out in 2005.

It proposed concrete steps to make the PNP truly live up to its mission "to serve and protect" rather than a thorough overhaul of the police force as in the Minneapolis case. But more on this later.

Readers can write me at gbolivar1952@ yahoo.com.

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Leave online sellers alone

Recovery curves

EVERYMAN Public transport and social distancing

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TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 2020

CESAR BARRIOQUINTO, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Another black man slain, stokes US tension, debate WASHINGTON ―The fatal shooting of a black man by a white police officer in Atlanta has poured more fuel on the raging US debate over racism, prompting another round of street protests and the resignation of the southern city’s police chief.

The death of 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks was ruled a homicide by the county medical examiner’s office on Sunday, a day after the Wendy’s restaurant where he died was set on fire and hundreds of people marched to denounce the killing.

His deadly encounter with police on Friday drew expressions of outrage, shock and dismay in a country deeply shaken by civil unrest since the May 25 police killing in Minneapolis, Minnesota of George Floyd, an unarmed black man.

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced at a news conference Saturday that Police Chief Erika Shields had decided to step down.

“I do not believe this was a justified use of deadly force,” Bottoms said.

The officer who shot Brooks—identified as Garrett Rolfe—has been dismissed.

Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said his office would decide whether to lay criminal charges against Rolfe by mid-week, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

James Clyburn, an African-American member of Congress from South Carolina, said he was incensed by the killing.

“This did not call for lethal force.

And I don’t know what’s in the culture that would make this guy do that. It has got to be the culture. It’s got to be the system,” he said, speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Clyburn is among the lawmakers debating how to reform a judicial system seen by critics as stacked against poor and minority citizens and which has proved stubbornly resistant to change. AFP

‘AREN’T WE HEROES?’ Nurses stage a flashmob protest over contracts, wages, precarious employment, and job rights on June 15 at the Piazza del Popolo in Rome, as Italy eases its lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of the COVID-19 infection. The placard reads ‘Not only duties, but also rights for us nurses! Aren’t we heroes anymore?’ AFP

China to handle HK security cases

H

ONG KONG ― China will have jurisdiction over “some extremely rare” national security cases in Hong Kong, a senior official said Monday as Beijing prepares to unveil its new anti-subversion law for the semi-autonomous business hub.

The revelation comes just three days ahead of a major meeting of the country’s top lawmaking body. Beijing has signalled the new law—which will bypass the city’s legislature—needs to be passed quickly following a year of prodemocracy protests.

Deng Zhonghua, deputy head of China’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, said enforcing the national security law would largely fall to Hong Kong’s local authorities and police.

“However, the central authorities

should also reserve jurisdiction over some extremely rare cases when an offence takes place in Hong Kong and poses a serious threat to China’s national security,” Deng said.

Under a “One Country, Two Systems” agreement ahead of the handover

by Britain, China said it would let Hong Kong maintain certain liberties and autonomy until 2047, including legislative and judicial independence.

But Deng’s comments are the first time a Beijing official has made clear

that mainland authorities will have jurisdiction over some national security cases once the law is passed.

Hong Kong was rocked by months of huge and often violent pro-democracy protests last year.

In response Beijing has announced plans to impose the new law covering subversion, secession, terrorism and foreign influence.

Beijing says the law will return stability and leave political freedoms intact, and that Hong Kong’s legislature has failed to pass its own national security laws over the years.

But opponents—including many Western nations—fear it will bring mainland-style political oppression, given how anti-subversion laws are routinely used to crush dissent in authoritarian China.

They also fear it will start the erosion of Hong Kong’s legislative and judicial autonomy, the bedrock of the city’s success as a major international business hub.

Beijing’s rubber-stamp parliament has previously said the law will allow mainland security agencies to publicly operate in Hong Kong for the first time.

Deng gave further details on Monday.

“Both the central government and the Hong Kong government need to set up an organisation dedicated to safeguard national security,” he said in a speech to the semi-official Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies thinktank.

Central authorities, he added, would help “supervise and instruct” local authorities on enforcing national security. AFP

Australian PM ‘concerned’ over Aussie actor on China death row SYDNEY―Australia’s prime minister expressed concern Monday after an Australian man was sentenced to death, in a case that could further inflame tensions between Beijing and Canberra.

A Chinese court revealed on Saturday that Karm Gilespie, a Sydneybased actor turned investment coach, had been condemned to death earlier in the week on drug smuggling charges —after being held secretly in jail for seven years.

The sentence raised worries it could add to increasingly troubled diplomatic and trade relations between Australia and China, its biggest trade partner.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australian authorities were aware of the arrest and had been in touch with their Chinese counterparts on multiple occasions over his case.

“I and the government are very sad and concerned that an Australian citizen, Mr Karm Gilespie has been sentenced to death in China,” he said.

Chinese state media said Gilespie, in his mid-fifties, was arrested on New Year’s eve in 2013 at Guangzhou Baiyun Airport, northwest of Hong Kong, with more than 7.5 kilograms (16 pounds) of methamphetamine in his checked luggage.

His arrest was not made public and friends told Australian media they had been confounded by his sudden disappearance.

Gilespie’s family issued a statement Monday asking his acquaintances to “refrain from speculating on his current circumstances, which we do not believe assists his case.” AFP

HK Disneyland reopens Thursday

HONG KONG―Hong Kong’s Disneyland will reopen its doors on Thursday following nearly five months of closure, the park said Monday, in a fresh boost for a city that has largely managed to defeat the coronavirus.

Visitors will need to sign health declarations, submit to regular temperature checks and wear masks at all times unless eating, the park said in a statement on Monday.

It is just the second Disneyland around the world to resume services during the pandemic after Shanghai turned its lights and rides back on last month.

Tokyo and Paris remain closed while the company’s flagship park in California is eyeing a July reopening.

Hong Kong was one of the first places to record coronavirus infections after the disease first emerged in central China, morphing into a global pandemic and enveloping much of the world in a recession.

But the finance hub has since managed to largely halt local transmission with just over 1,100 infections and four deaths.

All overseas passengers are screened at the airport and quarantined by authorities if found to be infected—on top of a mandatory 14-day home quarantine for arrivals. AFP

Russian verdict on ex-marine spy trial

SCHOOL’S BACK. Students sit in a classroom of the Petri primary school in Dortmund, western Germany, on June 15 amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. From June 15, all children of primary school age in the German western federal state of North RhineWestphalia will once again be attending regular daily classes until the summer holidays. The distance rules and compulsory mouthguards are no longer applicable. AFP

Britain’s Johnson, EU chiefs seek Brexit talks reboot BRUSSELS, Belgium ― British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will meet EU chiefs by video link Monday to try to breathe new life into stalled post-Brexit trade talks, with both sides entrenched in long-held positions.

The conference with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and European Council chief Charles Michel will review progress in the talks on future EU-UK relations.

It is the first time Johnson has personally taken part in the talks which began in March, just weeks after Britain left the European Union on January 31 after 47 years in the European project.

While expectations are low for the long-planned meeting, the unpredictable Johnson, who has recently recovered from a bout with the coronavirus, has EU negotiators on the lookout for

any potential surprises.

Britain and the EU have held four rounds of talks on how to organise their ties after December 31, when the UK leaves the single market and stops adhering to Brussels’ rules after an 11-month transition.

So far they have achieved little, giving Monday’s meeting added significance. London and Brussels have already agreed to intensify negotiations, with mainly in-person talks through July and August.

Talks between EU negotiator Michel Barnier and his British counterpart David Frost have mostly taken place virtually due to the coronavirus outbreak.

“So far we haven’t had actual negotiations, just an exchange of views,” an EU diplomat told AFP. “It’s a battle of strategies at this point.”

On Friday, Britain formally declared that it would not seek to extend the postBrexit transition by one or two years, something it could have done according to the terms of the divorce deal Johnson signed last year.

The same intractable issues have hampered the talks since the start.

Britain has firmly rejected calls by the EU that it commit to European standards overseen by EU law to keep open access to the single market—something Brussels says would maintain a “level playing field”.

“We cannot accept the UK’s attempts to cherry-pick parts of our single market benefits,” Barnier said in a speech on Thursday.

“It is looking to pick and choose the most attractive elements of the single market —without the obligations,” he added. AFP

Stockholm peace body: nuclear powers modernizing, arms control outlook ‘bleak’ STOCKHOLM—Nuclear powers continue to modernise their arsenals, researchers said Monday, warning that tensions were rising and the outlook for arms control was “bleak”.

“The loss of key channels of communication between Russia and the USA... could potentially lead to a new nuclear arms race,” said Shannon Kile, director of the nuclear arms control programme at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) and co-author of the report.

Russia and the US account for more

IN BRIEF

than 90 percent of the world’s nuclear weapons.

Kile was referring to the future of the New START treaty between the US and Russia, which is set to expire in February 2021.

It is the final nuclear deal still in force between the two superpowers, aimed at maintaining their nuclear arsenals below Cold War levels.

“Discussions to extend New START or to negotiate a new treaty made no progress in 2019,” the SIPRI researchers noted.

At the same time, nuclear powers continue to modernise their weapons while China and India are increasing the size of their arsenals.

“China is in the middle of a significant modernisation of its nuclear arsenal. It is developing a so-called nuclear triad for the first time, made up of new land- and sea-based missiles and nuclear-capable aircraft,” SIPRI said.

The country has repeatedly rejected Washington’s insistence that it join any future nuclear arms reduction talks.

The number of nuclear warheads declined in the past year.

At the start of 2020, the United States, Russia, Britain, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea together had 13,400 nuclear arms, according to SIPRI’s estimates, 465 fewer than at the start of 2019.

The decline was attributed mainly to the United States and Russia.

While the future of the New START treaty remains uncertain, Washington and Moscow have continued to respect their obligations under the accord.AFP

MOSCOW―A Russian court on Monday (Tuesday in Manila) will deliver a verdict in the trial of former US marine Paul Whelan who risks up to 20 years in prison on an espionage charge.

The hearing at Moscow City Court is due to start at 0800 GMT. The trial has been held behind closed doors because Whelan is accused of seeking to obtain state secrets.

The 50-year-old has been held in a Moscow prison since he was arrested in December 2018.

He has maintained his innocence, saying he was framed and comparing himself to the hapless comedy character Mr Bean.

“Russia thought they caught James Bond on a spy mission, in reality they abducted Mr Bean on holiday,” he said.

Whelan says he was detained on a visit to Moscow to attend a wedding when he took a USB drive from an acquaintance thinking it contained holiday photographs.

The prosecution has asked the judge to sentence Whelan to 18 years in a strictregime penal colony, just short of the 20 years maximum term for the charge.

The trial comes during an exceptional chill in US and Russia relations and has further exacerbated tensions. AFP

Taiwan to meet global bike need

TAICHUNG, Taiwan ― Deserted streets, cabin fever and worries over COVIDenabling commutes in Europe and America have sent demand for bikes into high gear -- with factories in Taiwan racing to push out new units and scrambling to find parts.

The deadly virus has sparked a global recession and hammered many industries, but it is boom time in the bike world and a major bonus for Taiwan, which is a leading bicycle producer and has managed to avoid mass lockdowns by defeating the coronavirus early on.

At Giant, the world’s largest bike company, it has been a dizzying few months, according to CEO Bonnie Tu. “We saw what happened and then we reacted quickly,” Tu told AFP in an interview last week at their new headquarters in the industrial city of Taichung.

“We mobilise our companies, including our factories and sales company... in order to meet the consumer demand.”

The orders have kept on coming, with reports of empty bike racks at dealers and long waits for resupply across Europe and North America. AFP

Business China’s May factory output climbed again in May—data BEIJING―China’s factory output rose again in May, while official data Monday also showed retail sales improved further after collapsing at the start of the year but officials warned the country faced a rocky recovery as it emerges from the coronavirus crisis.

The world’s number two economy has been hammered by the disease, with strict lockdown measures to contain it causing the first recession in decades during January-March.

Industrial production expanded 4.4 percent last month, the Bureau for National Statistics (NBS) said, up from 3.9 percent in April, which was the first increase this year.

The reading was slightly short of the five percent forecast in a Bloomberg survey but is a sharp improvement on the 13.5-percent collapse in the first two months of the year.

Retail sales remained in negative territory, shrinking 2.8 percent in May, and while it was also worse than the expected two percent estimated, it was much better than the 7.5-percent contraction suffered in April.

Consumer spending is increasingly crucial for the Chinese economy as leaders look to transition it from one driven by investment and exports, and has taken on more importance with overseas markets battered by the virus.

But sluggish spending indicates people are still anxious about returning to their normal lives.

Jiang Yuan, deputy director of the industry department at the NBS, noted Monday that the recovery of some industries and products weakened in May, adding that “the external environment is complex, and the stable operation of the industrial economy still faces many difficulties and uncertainties.”

China’s property market saw improvement, with new home sales jumping 9.7 percent on year in May owing to pent-up demand.

But fixed-asset investments shrunk 6.3 percent on-year in January-May― slightly more than the six percent forecast―having plunged 10.3 percent in the first four months. AFP

BP to take up to $17.5-b hit on pandemic, revisits plans LONDON―British energy giant BP said Monday that it will take a hit of up to $17.5 billion in the second quarter as “sustained” coronavirus fallout ravages global oil demand.

The company, fresh from outlining plans to ax almost 10,000 jobs on COVID-19 fallout, said in a statement that it will suffer a negative impact of between $13 billion and $17.5 billion (11.4 billion euros and 15.3 billion euros) in non-cash impairments and write-offs.

BP also cut its long-term oil price forecast after the deadly virus outbreak slammed the brakes on the global economy and hurt oil prices this year.

“With the COVID-19 pandemic having continued during the second quarter of 2020, BP now sees the prospect of the pandemic having an enduring impact on the global economy, with the potential for weaker demand for energy for a sustained period,” BP said, adding the virus was set to accelerate a transition to lower carbon energy.

The group continued: “BP has revised its long-term price assumptions, lowering them and extending the period covered to 2050.

“As part of its long-term strategic planning, and in the context of its continuing focus on capital discipline, BP is also reviewing its intent to develop some of its exploration intangible assets.

“These actions will lead to non-cash impairment charges and write-offs in the second quarter, estimated to be in an aggregate range of $13 billion to $17.5 billion post-tax.”

BP chief executive Bernard Looney warned that the COVID-19 pandemic “increasingly looks as if it will have an enduring economic impact.”

“So, we have reset our price outlook to reflect that impact... We are also reviewing our development plans.

“All that will result in a significant charge in our upcoming results, but I am confident that these difficult decisions... will better enable us to compete through the energy transition.” AFP

B3

TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 2020 || extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market sinks; BPI, JG Summit drop

T

HE stock market tumbled Monday on profit taking along with the rest of Asia, on fears of a second wave of virus infections around the world that could put the brakes on the easing of lockdowns and a budding economic recovery.

Florida, reported their highest-ever daily case totals, while Rome and Tokyo have also seen fresh spikes.

“It means the virus hasn’t lost its infectiousness, it isn’t weakening... we shouldn’t let down our guard,” World Health Organization deputy director Ranieri Guerra told Italian journalists.

AxiCorp’s Stephen Innes said in a The Philippine Stock Exchange Index United States too. plummeted 312.42 points, or 4.8 percent, The worrying figures will provide a test note: “Falling infection rates have proto 6,163.82 on a value turnover of P7.8 for stock markets, which have soared up vided investors the confidence that the billion. Losers overwhelmed gainers, 178 to 50 percent from their March troughs lockdown approach was working, allowto 39, with 29 issues unchanged. thanks to the lifting of stay-at-home or- ing equity investors to look forward to Bank of the Philippine Islands, the ders and trillions of dollars of stimulus 2021 as impressive monetary and fiscal policy provide a post-pandemic bridge.” third-biggest lender in terms of assets, and central bank backstopping.

“However, rising new daily COfell 7.4 percent to P68.10, while conBeijing has carried out mass testing glomerate JG Summit Holdings Inc.of and locked down several neighbor- VID-19 cases in two of the three most the Gokongwei Group dropped 6.2 per- hoods after 79 cases were linked to populous states in the US will test that cent to P61. a single wholesale food market in the resolve.”

Tokyo tumbled 3.5 percent and Seoul BDO Unibank Inc., the largest bank, capital. City official Li Junjie said Mondeclined 5.7 percent to P99, while GT day that cases had also been found at sank 4.8 percent, while Hong Kong, Sydney, Singapore, Mumbai and Bangkok Capital Holdings Inc. of the Ty Group another market. also shed 5.7 percent to P462.

The city has raced to quash the new were all down more than two percent.

Shanghai was off one percent as data The rest of Asian equities also sank outbreak, closing the affected markets, Monday While European nations press deploying paramilitary police and put- showed Chinese industrial output conahead with their reopening after months ting nearby housing estates under lock- tinued to improve slowly in May but crucial retail sales slipped on-year again, of strict shutdowns, there are signs that down. the deadly disease is coming back in That came as more than a dozen US suggesting consumers were still nervous China and seeing a resurgence in the states, including populous Texas and about going to the shops. With AFP

PSEi June 15, 2020 TOP GAINERS

TOP LOSERS

MOST ACTIVE

LOCKDOWN RELIEF. Passengers walk in a platform as they arrive with a train scheduled for essential service workers after the government eased a nationwide lockdown imposed as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus, at the Churchgate railway station in Mumbai on June 15, 2020. AFP

English shops, outdoor attractions reopen as coronavirus lockdown eased

By Joe Jackson LONDON―Various stores and outdoor attractions in England are set to open Monday for the first time in nearly three months, as the government continues to ease its coronavirus lockdown.

Thousands of non-essential retailers such as bookstores and electronics outlets hope to welcome their first customers since halting in-store business in late March.

Leisure sites such as drive-in cinemas, safari parks and the outdoor parts of zoos will now be able to reopen, while places of worship are also set to swing open their doors again for individual prayer.

All sites will need to comply with social distancing rules requiring people to keep at least two meters (six feet) apart and advising them to wear face coverings such as masks or scarves when indoors.

Meanwhile, the coverings will be compulsory on public transport across England from Monday, with operators allowed to bar travel to those not wearing them.

“I know people are anxious,” finance minister Rishi Sunak said Sunday as he encouraged shopping to help kickstart an economy seeing unprecedented declines.

“It’s a slightly different experience... but it is a safe environment and we should all be able to go out knowing that we should be able to shop in confidence,” he told Sky News.

‘Adapt’ Non-essential shops in Northern Ireland reopened Friday, but Scotland and Wales have not yet decided when to follow suit, as Britain’s devolved governments lift restrictions at different speeds.

The non-essential retail sector employs 1.3 million

people and contributes ￡46.6 billion ($58.4 billion, 52 billion euros) to the British economy annually, according to the finance ministry, and its restart is viewed as economically vital.

Streets have been cleaned, footpaths widened and hand-sanitizing stations installed in London’s West End commercial district ahead of Monday.

But Jace Tyrrell, CEO of New West End Company, a partnership of 600 British and international operators in the area, predicted it will be “quite some time until we get back to normal.”

“Retailers are going to have to adapt,” she told AFP. Britain has been among the worsthit countries by the pandemic, with the number of suspected and confirmed COVID-19 deaths passing 50,000 last week, according to official statistics.

The government’s less comprehensive rolling daily death count of those who have tested positive for the virus stands at nearly 42,000.

Despite the grim tolls, the transmission rate has dropped dramatically since the pandemic’s peak in Britain in early April.

But the lockdown that helped turn that tide shrank the economy by one-fifth that month, official data showed Friday, stoking fears of a painful recession.

The OECD last week predicted the British economy was on course to shrink by more than 11 percent in 2020 because of COVID-19.

Customers, some wearing face masks or coverings as a precautionary measure against COVID-19, queue to enter a Nike store in London on June 15, 2020 as some non-essential retailers reopen from their coronavirus shutdown. Various stores and outdoor attractions in England are set to open Monday for the first time in nearly three months, as the government continues to ease its coronavirus lockdown.

AFP

‘Margin for maneuver’ Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has faced heavy criticism over his handling of the crisis, has set out a phased lifting of restrictions.

Outdoor markets and car showrooms reopened at the start of the month, when some younger children also returned to schools.

But his government drew ridicule last week after conceding it could not deliver on a plan to have all primary school children back for a month before the summer holidays. AFP

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

B4

TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 2020

ECOP bucks bill cutting work week to 35 hours THE Employers Confederation of the Philippines expressed its opposition to House Bill No. 309 or the 35-hour workweek bill that calls for a shorter working week to promote productivity, ease traffic congestion in Metro Manila and strengthen the Philippine economy.

ECOP said it was particularly concerned about the same rate of pay to be given to the employee in a 48-hour working week and in a 35-hour working week.

“This will have the effect of increasing a worker’s daily wage rate even without the approval of the Regional Tripartite Wage Productivity Board which is mandated by law to be responsible for setting minimum wages and promoting productivity improvement programs,” said ECOP governor and chair of labor and social policy group Antonio Abad Jr. The bill proposed to institute a 35hour working week for employees in the private sector as an alternative work arrangement from the current 48-hour work week or 40-hour work week.

Employers may implement the scheme upon the request of their employees or on a voluntary basis based on terms and conditions both may have agreed upon.

The bill states that, “the employer shall ensure that the employees under a thirty-five hour working week scheme shall receive a rate of pay, including overtime, night shift differential and other similar monetary benefits not lower than those provided in applicable laws, and collective bargaining agreements.”

Abad said the passage of this bill would not only result in an encroachment upon the authority of the RTWPB to determine the minimum wage of a particular region, but would also have an adverse impact of increasing the cost of doing business and would be particularly injurious to micro, small and medium enterprises as it effectively increases the rate of an employee’s daily wages.

He said another cause for concern for ECOP is the issue on the payment of overtime. ECOP clarified that under the Labor Code, any work done beyond 8 hours should be considered as overtime work which is based from a 48 or 40-hour work week scheme.

Under House Bill No. 309, any work done beyond 8 hours is already considered as overtime work without taking into account the reduced work week of 35-hours. Othel V. Campos

Business

May sales dropped 84.6% after 99.5% slump in April

By Othel V. Campos

V

EHICLE sales declined 85 percent to 4,788 units in May from the 99.5-percent slump in April amid the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon, two industry groups said Monday.

The Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. and the Truck Manufacturers Association said in a joint report sales on a month-onmonth basis jumped 3,500 percent from 133 units sold in April when most dealerships were closed.

CAMPI president Rommel Gutierrez said the industry anticipated the monthon-month increase coming from the lowest sales performance recorded in

April followed by the easing of community quarantine and lockdown restrictions placed over Luzon in May. “While May figures are still way below the industry’s monthly average sales performance, we welcome any positive signs of recovery amid the pandemic and this season of new normal where dealerships have resumed operations at a reduced level and stringent safety protocols are being implemented

at all times,” Gutierrez noted.

Data showed that on a year-on-year basis, the May 2020 sales were down by 84.6 percent from 30,998 units sold in May 2019.

Passenger car sales plunged 84.7 percent in May to 1,359 units from 9,053 units a year ago while commercial vehicle sales dived 84.5 percent to 3,399 from 21,945 units.

Total vehicle sales in the first five months also plummeted by 51.1 percent to 69,463 units from 142,195 units sold in 2019.

Passenger cars sold from January to May 2020 hit 19,201 units, down by 55.2 percent from 42,886 units in the same period last year.

Sales of commercial vehicles also went down to 50,262 units from 99,299 units.

BPI VOLUNTEERS. Bank of the Philippine Islands volunteer groups engage in various bayanihan activities, helping fellow frontliners overcome some of their most pressing challenges. BPI Foundation executive director Owen Cammayo says volunteerism is a big part of BPI and extending support to fellow front liners makes volunteering extra special for its employees. Through BPI Foundation’s employee volunteerism program called Bayanihan Para sa Inang Bayan, several BPI volunteer groups nationwide are given opportunities to contribute more personally to the growth of their communities and the conservation of the environment.

NLEX opens expressway from Caloocan to Navotas

By Darwin G. Amojelar NLEX Corp. on Monday opened a new elevated expressway between Caloocan City and Navotas City to motorists that will drastically cut travel time from Port Area to North Luzon Expressway.

“By bringing NLEX closer to the country’s central shipping gateway, we expect to speed up transport of goods as well as increased economic activities in Metro Manila and North and Central Luzon regions,”NLEX president and general manager Luigi Bautista said.

The new 2.6-kilometer NLEX Harbor Link section features the new Caloocan interchange (with on and off ramps along Grace Park), the new Malabon Exit (with off ramp on Dagat-Dagatan

Avenue) and the new Navotas Interchange (with on and off ramps on North Bay Boulevard South).

It lengthens the existing Harbor Link— the 2.42-km Segment 9 from NLEX Interchange to Barangay Karuhatan, Valenzuela City and the 5.65-km Segment 10 from Karuhatan to the new Caloocan Interchange in Grace Park C3/5th Ave. Public Works Secretary Mark Villar said the expanded NLEX Harbor Link would boost the government’s traffic decongestion efforts in Metro Manila and other major thoroughfares.

“This will be an alternative route between Quezon City and Manila. From the Mindanao Toll Plaza, motorists may now reach the Port Area in Manila in about 15 to 20 minutes,” he said.

The high-impact project is a part of the EDSA decongestion program which is one of the key elements of the Duterte administration’s “Build, Build, Build” program.

It is envisioned to improve the road sector’s network and eventually upgrade Luzon’s supply chain. Around 30,000 motorists are expected to benefit from the project per day.

The new section will introduce an alternative route for motorists, especially truckers, currently affected by traffic choke points along Quezon Ave., EDSA and A. Bonifacio in Manila. Cargo trucks will enjoy 24/7 access as there is no truck ban along NLEX. Faster travel means quicker turnaround times for commercial vehicles and unhampered delivery of essential goods to Metro Manila.

S&P Global assigns ‘BBB+’ rating to PLDT’s planned US dollar notes

WILDLIFE CONSERVATION. Fermin Edillon of Davao Light (left) assists a veterinary team after a hawksbill turtle was discovered in a fishing accident. For Edillon and his team at AboitizPower distribution unit Davao Light, their energy is directed toward the pawikans, or sea turtles, as they spearhead the activities at the Aboitiz Cleanergy Park in Davao. The park, located at the coastal area of Punta Dumalag, serves as a sanctuary for the pawikans and also for dozens of rare bird species that are able to thrive in a safe and secure environment.

S&P Global Ratings assigned a ‘BBB+’ long-term issue rating to PLDT Inc.’s proposed issuance of US dollar-denominated senior unsecured notes.

“The issue rating is subject to our review of the final issuance documentation,” the credit rating agency said.

Proceeds are expected to refinance debt maturing in 2020 and 2021, prepay outstanding loans and partially finance capital expenditure.

PLDT did not provide any details on the proposed notes.

“We equalize the rating on PLDT’s proposed senior unsecured notes with the issuer credit rating on the company.

This is because we do not view PLDT’s capital structure as having material structural or contractual subordination risks,” S&P said.

“At end-March this year, PLDT’s capital structure consists of P205.3 billion of debt [excluding lease obli-

gations]. All debt is unsecured, and about 40 percent of debt is held at the subsidiaries’ level. This is below the 50-percent priority debt ratio threshold, over which we consider senior unsecured lenders at the parent level may be disadvantaged in the event of financial stress,” S&P said.

“In our view, PLDT has limited rating headroom at the ‘BBB+’ level. We expect the company’s capital expenditure to remain elevated over the next few years,” it said.

The company set a P60-billion plus capital expenditure this year, 25 percent lower than the original P83-billion capex due to COVID-19 pandemic.

PLDT’s capex this year will be used to improve network coverage and capacity to support higher mobile data traffic and last-mile connectivity for home broadband services.

Darwin G. Amojelar

PSE INDEX CLOSING Monday, June 15, 2020

312.42 points

TOTAL VOLUME

1,006,978,224

TOTAL TRADES TOTAL VALUE

132,379 7,760,935,796.99

ADVANCES

6,163.82

39

DECLINES UNCHANGED

178 29

F oreign e xchange r ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • MONDAY, JUNE 15, 2020

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

49.9350

Japan

Yen

0.009312

0.4650

UK

Pound

1.251900

62.5136

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.129027

6.4430

Switzerland

Franc

1.050200

52.4417

Canada

Dollar

0.734808

36.6926

Singapore

Dollar

0.717618

35.8343

Australia

Dollar

0.682300

34.0707

Bahrain

Dinar

2.655267

132.590

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266560

13.3107

Brunei

Dollar

0.715052

35.7061

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000071

0.0035

Thailand

Baht

0.032300

1.6129

UAE

Dirham

0.272264

13.5955

Euro

Euro

1.124400

56.1469

Korea

Won

0.000831

0.0415

China

Yuan

0.141125

7.0471

India

Rupee

0.013150

0.6566

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.234302

11.6999

New Zealand

Dollar

0.643100

32.1132

Taiwan

Dollar

0.033751

1.6854 Source: BSP

IN BRIEF Liquidity expanded 16.2% in April—BSP DOMESTIC liquidity or the money supply circulating in the financial system expanded 16.2 percent in April, while bank loans increased at a slower rate from the previous month because of the constrained economic activity following the Luzon-wide lockdown.

Preliminary data show that domestic liquidity or MR expanded by 16.2 percent year-on-year to about P13.6 trillion in April.

This was faster than the 13.3-percent expansion in March. On a month-on-month seasonally-adjusted basis, M3 increased by 3.7 percent.

“Demand for credit remained the principal driver of money supply growth. Domestic claims rose by 15.0 percent in April from 11.9 percent in March due mainly to the sustained growth in credit to the private sector,” the BSP said in a statement.

Outstanding loans of universal and commercial banks, net of reverse repurchase placements with the BSP, managed to grow 12.7 percent in April, slower than the 13.6-percent expansion in March. On a month-on-month seasonally-adjusted basis, commercial bank loans net of RRPs grew by 0.7 percent. Julito G. Rada

MerryMart’s stock surges 50% on debut MERRYMART Consumer Corp., the fast rising supermarket chain owned Edgar Sia II, hit the ceiling on its market debut at the Philippine Stock Exchange Monday.

The share price of MerryMart, the first company to conduct an initial public offering this year, jumped from its initial public offering price of P1 by 50 percent to P1.50 at the opening bell until the market closed.

MerryMart which raised P1.6 billion from the IPO braved the market despite the global market decline brought about by the new coronavirus pandemic.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said the IPO and listing of MerryMart amid the coronavirus pandemic signaled strong trust and confidence in an early and strong recovery of the Philippine economy from the global health crisis.

Dominguez said the IPO of the MerryMart retail chain was a good sign for the country’s economic recovery as it “represents an opportunity for investors to participate in the strong growth we anticipate in the coming period.”

It also “presents us a glimpse of the coming sunrise” for the country that is now starting to bounce back from the economic fallout from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, he said.

Jenniffer B. Austria

BDO warns against fake social media sellers BDO Unibank cautioned clients who shop online against fake sellers, saying some scammers pretend to be page administrators of online shops and bait victims with attractive deals.

“They lure interested buyers in social media and messaging app communities, and urge them into making a deposit immediately to seal the deal. After getting the payment, they become unreachable,” the bank said.

Other fake social media sellers post “PM is key,” which means buyers should send them a private message to know the product’s price and other details. BDO said this tactic is a red flag and against the law. Republic Act No. 7394 or the Consumer Act as well as RA No. 7581 require all sellers to display product prices explicitly.

Non-compliance, according to the Department of Trade and Industry, can result in a fine from P5,000 to P2 million and may face maximum imprisonment of 15 years. Consumers may report vendors, online or otherwise, who violate this law to the DTI. “With the new normal driving more people to shop online, BDO reminds its clients to be wary of vendors they negotiate with on social media. While not all are scammers, some are—so it’s urgently crucial to stay vigilant and get to know them well before sending them money,” the bank said.

Renewable energy share in PH power generation hit a new low of 21% in 2019—NREB

By Alena Mae S. Flores

THE share of renewable energy in the Philippine power generation mix hit a new low of 21 percent last year, prompting the National Renewable Energy Board to call for a review of the program.

NREB chairperson Monalisa Dimalanta said during a virtual forum on Ac-

celerating the Philippines’ Renewable Energy Transition: Emerging Policy Developments & Lessons Learned from Vietnam that capacity addition from RE generation was also way behind the target of 15,000 megawatts by 2030.

“When RE act was passed back in 2008, renewable energy already accounted for less than 40 percent, around 35 to 40 percent of our energy mix. So

that was our starting point. We counted from 35 to 40 percent to further grow the share of renewable energy by the passage of the RE Act,” Dimalanta said.

Based on NREB figures, RE captured 25.64 percent of the generation mix in 2014, before it went down to 25.44 percent in 2015 and 24.21 percent in 2016.

The share of RE in the mix improved slightly to 24.57 percent in 2017 but again

declined to 23.38 percent in 2018 before going down to 21 percent last year.

Additional capacity from RE from 2009 to 2019 reached 2,196.34 MW, of which the bulk came from solar, bringing the total capacity from RE to only 7,600 MW, below the 15,000 MW target by 2030.

“So from what we have in 2010, which was when the NREP [Nation-

al Renewable Energy Program] was passed, 5,438 MW in capacity in 2010, the target was to triple that to 15,000 MW…allocated along the resources that has been identified by the act,” the official said.

“Apart from the capacity we have not realized, it’s the share in the mix that keeps on dwindling that makes us pause,” Dimalanta said.

Sports

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

TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 2020

Johnston: Royal Ascot lacks special feel this year

Eumir Felix Marcial is torn between turning pro and staying as an amateur, but his decision to accept an offer can happen anytime, even after the Olympics.

So promises to do better after setbacks WESLEY So will try to bounce back after experiencing a series of setbacks from the 10 tournaments he has joined this year.

He said he will study hard and be better in his upcoming games.

So vowed to do this after bowing to Fabiano Caruana in the semifinals of the 2020 Clutch Chess International online tournament.

World no. 1 Magnus Carlsen eventually won the crown after he outpointed Car uana, 9.5-8.5, following a 31-move win in the last match of their 12-game series.

The last match, the second clutch game of Round 2, was worth three points and so was Game 11.

“My plans are the same as every other professional. Study hard and hope your business starts up again. Because of COVID-19, I lost ten tournaments so far this year,” said So in an interview with the Manila Standard.

Caruana took the lead following the first clutch game of the second round after he won Game 11 in 40 moves of a Sicilian Defense.

The white-playing Caruana was a pawn up and had a strong position throughout.

He forced Carlsen to quit after Caruana took control of the queenside with his knight and rook.

In the second clutch game (Game 12), Carlsen took control of the center and got Caruana in trouble with a pawn exchange in the 16th moves.

Caruana then gave up his queen on the 19th move, and Carlsen found the winning lines afterwards.

Carlsen went on to claim $75,000 for the win. Peter Atencio

Marcial vows to focus on Olympic gold goal

By Peter Atencio

N

ATIONAL boxer Eumir Felix Marcial won’t let anything distract him from his ongoing preparations for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics—not even his bid to to turn professional and the offers coming his way.

“Isa lang ang tinitiyak ko sa lahat, na ako ay lalaban sa Olympics at ibubuhos ang hanggang huling patak ng aking dugo at pawis makuha lang natin ang inaasam na Olympic gold,” said the 24-year-old Marcial in a statement.

While Marcial is training on his own during the ongoing lockdown to control the coronavirus pandemic, he is studying proposals being given him since he qualified for the Olympiad last Match.

To get a better understanding of the deals, he has asked lawyer Clint Aranas to help him handle his business affairs.

“Sa lahat ng nag-alok sa akin ng promotional at managerial deals, tinitiyak ko po na hinding-hindi po kayo naging

‘distraction’ sa paghahanda ko. Sa katunayan, isa kayo sa mga dahilan para mas maging pursigido ako na manalo sa Olympic qualifier,” remarked Marcial.

Marcial has not yet made a final decision if he will accept any professional offers.

“Hanggang ngayon ay patuloy pa po ang aking pagsusuri sa mga alok at mga posibleng kahihinatnan nito sakali man na pumasok ako sa professional boxing,” said Marcial.

Aranas said Marcial is torn between turning pro and staying as an amateur, but his decision to accept an offer can happen anytime, even after the Olympics.

“Sa una, naging makatotohanan po

ako sa kanila sa pagsabi na nais ko muna tutukan ang pagkampanya sa Olympics.

Ngunit kasabay pa din nito ay ang ginawa kong masusing pag-aaral sa mga nasabing offers,” added Marcial.

Marcial heaved a sigh of relief after the Philippine Sports Commission allowed him to continue receiving his allowance as an Olympic qualifier even if he turns professional.

The assurance came from commissioner Ramon Fernandez and deputy executive directory Guillermo Iroy.

“Until he signs that contract, I suppose, pro na siya,” said Fernandez.

The Alliance of Boxing Associations in the Philippines was elated to hear about the agency’s decision.

“I am happy for Eumir. Now, there is no more hindrance for his desire to turn professional. We wish him the best and if Eumir is willing and able when the Olympics come around, we will gladly welcome him to the line-up,” said ABAP president Ricky Vargas.

LONDON—Stripped of its immaculately-dressed crowd and with reduced prize money due to the coronavirus pandemic, it may be hard to feel “Royal Ascot is as special this year” record-breaking trainer Mark Johnston told AFP. The 60-year-old Scot has experienced the virus at close quarters, having suffered from it himself, being laid up for a fortnight and “completely out of it for five days”.

Johnston, who in 2018 became the most successful British trainer in terms of all-time winners, says Royal Ascot is going to have a strange feel about it when it gets underway on Tuesday.

“It is hard to feel it is as special this year,” he told AFP by phone.

“It is not the same. What makes Ascot special as a trainer is it is a world shop window.

“I had a runner in my second season (1988) and raced every year at Ascot prior to 1995 without a single winner but you felt the importance of being there for the owners.

“Many a time I looked at the prize money and felt it was not equal to the competition you are up against.

“However, I always said we treat it differently as a race meeting to any others.”

Johnston said even if prize money historically was less than at other meetings, winning a race at Ascot carried a rare cachet.

“It is very important for owners to have runners there for re-sale and breeding value,” he said.

“Ascot carries a significant premium.

“This year the prize money is even worse although there is no alternative this time so that has to be a positive for it.”

Johnston usually has a plethora of runners, especially in the handicaps, but this year he is being conservative.

“Does it (Royal Ascot) have attraction for me? I have mixed feelings about it,” he said.

“My team will be depleted in numbers as I am simply not going to throw darts at a board this year like I might do when it is the usual Royal Ascot.” AFP

US-based duathlete joins AFP Mary Pauline “Pawie” Fornea

Ultimate Tennis Showdown debuts with Sniper triumph BIOT—With new rules and new formats, Patrick Mouratoglou, the coach of Serena Williams, unveiled his Ultimate Tennis Showdown tournament in the south of France on Sunday.

Targeting a younger audience, the players were alloted nicknames such as the ‘Sniper, ‘Underdog’, ‘Rebel’ and ‘Artist’ and its ambitious host hopes he can launch a parallel circuit to the ATP. Whether it catches on or not remains to be seen but the ‘Sniper’, better known as Australia’s Alexei Popyrin, went down as the first match winner beating the ‘Underdog’ Elliot Benchetrit, the world 208.

The matches pan out very differently to the way tennis is traditionally scored, with four quarters, noisy countdowns, timeouts, and even bonus cards to prolong a service game.

Even the commentators are visible on a mini-screen.

There will be 50 matches in total over five weekends of tennis where every player faces each other before a round-

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robin final of six.

Although he was absent this weekend, world number three Dominic Thiem is the highest-ranked player.

Stefanos Tsitsipas, Matteo Berrettini and David Goffin, who are all in the world top 10, are also involved.

Dustin Brown, dubbed the ‘Artist’ for his serve-and-volley style, also featured at the weekend.

The tournament package is sold over the internet and organisers are hoping to sign up 50,000 subscribers, paying between 10 and 12 euros to watch the action.

There is also potential income from paying fans, but Sunday’s action took place behind closed doors due to the coronavirus restrictions.

With the professional tour on ice since the middle of March, the event at the Mouratoglou academy near Nice at least gives players the chance to stay match sharp.

“You will not find a player ready to play five sets,” said French star Richard Gasquet. AFP

FILIPINA duathlon athlete Mary Pauline “Pawie” Fornea, who recently graduated two engineering courses with honors at United States Naval Academy, will be joining the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Fornea is determined to enter the Philippine Navy after her graduation last month with a Bachelor of Science Degree majoring in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering and Robotics and Controls Engineering, with flying honors.

Fornea recently teamed up with Monica Torres, Doy Commendador and Efrain Inigo for the mixed relay and won the bronze. Previous to the mixed relay, Torres won the gold for the women’s individual and Joey de los Reyes won the silver for the men’s individual.

These national athletes, together

with Fornea, are members of the Standard Insurance Duathlon Team, headed by its Group Chairman Judes Echauz.

The 26-years-old national athlete thanked Standard Insurance for its continued support right from the start when she entered the Philippine Navy as part of the Philippine Navy-Standard Insurance Cycling Team.

Fornea also thanked her cycling and duathlon coach Bernie Llantada, who also coaches the PN-Standard Insurance women’s cycling team, and her USNA running coach Karen Boyle.

Being a sponsored athlete, she vowed to advance her training through the combination of indoor and outdoor practice sessions in compliance with the quarantine protocols and procedures imposed by the national government.

UAAP execs to talk about league’s future THE University Athletic Association of the Philippines will lay its cards on the table in its guesting in the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum webcast edition this Tuesday (June 16).

UAAP Executive Director Atty. Rebo Saguisag and UAAP President Emmanuel Fernandez of last

season host Ateneo will serve as the guests in the 10:00 a.m. session to discuss the steps to be taken by the country’s premier collegiate league in the face of the massive effects brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The weekly Forum is presented by San Miguel Corp., Go For Gold, Amelie Hotel, Braska Restaurant, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.

Powered by Smart, the session will be shown live via the PSA Facebook page f b.com / PhilippineSportswritersAssociation and likewise to be shared on Radyo Pilipinas 2 facebook page.

UAAP Executive Director Atty. Rebo Saguisag (left) and UAAP President Emmanuel Fernandez

Sports Marcelo takes knee as Madrid returns with win over Eibar MADRID—Marcelo celebrated by taking a knee as Real Madrid returned from three months away following the coronavirus suspension by beating Eibar 3-1 on Sunday.

After scoring Madrid’s third goal in the 37th minute, Marcelo dropped onto his left knee and raised his clinched right fist into the air, apparently in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Madrid’s win may have come at a cost as Eden Hazard and Sergio Ramos were both substituted early in the second half and were seen with ice packs strapped to them while sitting in the stands.

Hazard was making his first start since February and his ice pack appeared to be around his troublesome right ankle, which he injured in November and February, before undergoing surgery in March.

“We knew Eden would lack a bit of rhythm playing the whole game,” coach Zinedine Zidane said.

“He played well for an hour, he took a knock which was a scare but at halftime he said he was fine. He is happy with what he has done and we are happy with him.”

Madrid’s win means they reduce the gap behind league leaders Barcelona back to two points after the Catalans thrashed Real Mallorca 4-0 on Saturday.

Madrid struck in the fourth minute after a superb strike from Toni Kroos before Ramos tucked away Hazard’s pass on the counter-attack.

Eibar pulled one back in the second half through Pedro Bigas but never found the second to make Madrid nervous, despite a brief spell of pressure.

Before going off, Hazard was busy, the Belgian involved in all three goals.

His weaving run through midfield led to Kroos’ shot and it was his effort that was cleared out to Marcelo, who drove into the corner.

After a miserable opening season in Spain, it was a bright start for Hazard, who could now redeem himself by playing a crucial role in the run-in, if he can stay injury-free.

Perhaps even more impressive though was Karim Benzema, who linked up brilliantly with Hazard and was unfortunate not to get the goal an excellent all-round performance deserved.

Gareth Bale started on the bench but came on and could start against Valencia on Thursday. AFP

Watford’s Deeney: There’s 1 gay player in every team LONDON—Watford striker Troy Deeney believes there is probably “one gay player in every football team.”

Deeney suspects gay footballers are worried about the scrutiny that would follow if they reveal their sexuality while still playing.

But the 31-year-old claims one top player coming out would lead to others following their lead.

Talking on the BBC’s Grounded with Louis Theroux podcast, Deeney said: “I would go on record saying that there is probably one gay or bi-person in every football team. They’re there, they are 100 percent there.

“I think people that are gay or from that community definitely are very worried about having to shoulder the responsibility of being the first. I think once the first comes out, there would be loads.

“If he come out and said it, I genuinely believe you would get in the first week at least 100 people that went ‘me too’. Just because they don’t want to be the face of it.”

Former Norwich and Nottingham Forest striker Justin Fashanu, who declared he was gay in 1990 and died in 1998, remains the only openly gay male footballer in British history.

Despite acknowledging some players would fear criticism, Deeney, who is preparing for the Premier League’s return on June 17, believes the current era is a good time for sportsmen to declare if they are gay.

“I think there is now a bigger platform than ever to be a gay athlete of any nature,” he said.

“I also wonder, why people finish football, rugby, whatever the sport it might be, and then go ‘I am gay’... I feel like it must be a real heavy load to carry throughout all your whole sporting career.” AFP

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TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 2020 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Berger wins at Colonial in PGA return W ASHINGTON—Daniel Berger parred the first playoff hole Sunday to defeat Collin Morikawa and capture the Charles Schwab Challenge, the first US PGA event in three months after a coronavirus pandemic shutdown.

Berger went over the green with his approach at the par-4 17th in the playoff, chipped inches from the cup and tapped in, then watched Morikawa lip out from three feet on the left edge to deliver the emotional victory at Colonial Country Club.

It marked the biggest moment in Berger’s fightback from a left wrist injury that threatened his career.

“This is one of the greatest days of my life, from where I’ve been and where I’ve come from,” Berger said. “It has been a long year and a half. I’m happy to be here.”

The victory, which came with no

spectators on the course, was the third career US PGA title for Berger, whose wins at the 2016 and 2017 St. Jude Classics also came on the second weekend of June.

It was a level the 27-year-old Floridian feared he might not attain again after his injury.

“It’s just a range of emotions,” said Berger. “I’ve grinded so hard the last two months -- just to be in this position.

I’m glad all the hard work paid off.

“I came back stronger than I ever have before, and I wanted it more than I ever have before. It means

more than it ever did before.”

Morikawa, who found the rough twice in the playoff before chipping to three feet, shook his head and said, “Just hit a bad putt.”

“It’s going to sting for a little bit,” he added. “But we’ll make it out and move on to next week.”

Morikawa also missed left on a birdie putt from just inside six feet at 18 to settle for a spot in the playoff.

Berger closed with a 10-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole in regulation to fire a four-under par 66 in the final round at Fort Worth, Texas, to match Morikawa after 72 holes on 15-under 265.

Britain’s Justin Rose and Americans Xander Schauffele, Jason Kokrak and Bryson DeChambeau shared third on 266 with US stars Bubba Wat-

son and Patrick Reed another shot back.

In the final regulation holes, Morikawa made a stunning birdie putt from just inside 50 feet at the par-4 14th to match Schauffele for the lead at 15-under.

At 15, Schauffele blasted out of a fairway bunker and rolled into water left of the green, then made a 31-foot bogey putt to fall only one back.

Schauffele followed by sinking a 25-foot birdie putt at the par-3 16th but missed the playoff by missing a three-foot par putt at 17, the ball rolling around the edge and out, and coming up just short from 24 feet on a birdie putt at 18.

“I’m playing really good golf,” said Schauffele. “There’s no reason to do what I’m doing.”

Schauffele lost for the fourth time after leading a PGA event through 54 holes. AFP

NorthPort owner chides Ateneo coach

Daniel Berger of the United States takes a selfie as he celebrates with the Leonard Trophy after defeating Collin Morikawa of the United States in a playoff during the final round of the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. AFP

Djokovic cries at his Belgrade event BELGRADE—-Emotional Novak Djokovic broke down in tears in front of an enthusiastic home crowd in Belgrade after he failed to make the final in the first leg of his Balkans charity tennis tournament on Sunday.

“I am not crying because I missed the finals. I am just overwhelmed by emotion because this reminds me of my childhood,” the world number one told 4,000 fans packed into the Novak Tennis Centre on the banks of the Danube.

“It’s been an emotional few days and I want to thank everyone who supported the event and made it happen.”

To a standing ovation, the 33-year-old added: “I love you all and thank you so much for coming.”

Third-ranked Dominic Thiem, number seven Alexander Zverev and Grigor Dimitrov, the world 19, also took part in the Adria Tour event that got underway on Saturday.

The four headline stars were joined by Serbian ATP players —Viktor Troicki, Filip Krajinovic and Dusan Lajovic.

Two big surprises marked the first day—Djokovic lost to Krajinovic in three sets and Dimitrov went down in two against late call-up Nikola Milojevic.

Djokovic’s win against Zverev on Sunday was not enough to secure him a place in the final which saw Thiem defeat Krajinovic 4-3, 2-4, 4-2.

No-go Montenegro The event had suffered an embarrassing setback on Saturday when the planned Montenegro leg of the four-nation tour was cancelled over coronavirus protocol rules.

Montenegro was due to be the third stop on June 27 and 28 after Croatia and before the conclusion in Bosnia.

But organizers said the visit to the neighbouring country was called off when it became apparent Serbia did not match strict health requirements.

Meanwhile, asked to comment on social distancing measures during the Belgrade weekend, which witnessed packed stands, Djokovic said that both Serbia and the region had been relatively successful in containing the virus.

“Of course you can criticise, you can also say this is dangerous or not, but it’s not up to me to make the calls what is health-wise right or wrong,” he told reporters, stressing he was acting in line with recommendations of the Serbian government. AFP

Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic gives a speach after the final match between Austrian tennis player Dominic Thiem and Serbian tennis player Filip Krajinovic at the Adria Tour, Novak Djokovic’s Balkans charity tennis tournament in Belgrade. The ATP and WTA Tours have been suspended since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic and will not resume at least until the end of July 2020. AFP

The new varsity

FREE THROW SHOOTER NATHANIEL DELA CRUZ AGAINST the backdrop of growing esports popularity worldwide and here in the Philippines—the National Collegiate Athletic Association announced it is considering including esports soon in its roster of annual sporting events.

The oldest collegiate association in the country embracing the new—this is, in many ways, a promising conflation.

But first, I can feel the collective groan of those who disapprove playing computer games, just as I am reminded of something I am sure is very familiar to those who grew up in the era of computer games: Kaka-computer mo yan!

Be it being unwell or other misfortunes, trust your skeptical parent to blame it on your penchant for playing computer games. This is a timeless quip —you could be in the early 90s playing Super Mario or currently hunkered in front of your mobile phone playing Mobile Legends, and this bite-size sermon remains a favorite go-to by captious parents who admonish against the

NORTHPORT owner and Deputy Speaker Mikee Romero (1Pacman Partylist) is the latest among the growing list of officials and coaches critical to the statements of Gilas Pilipinas program director Tab Baldwin.

Since Baldwin is only a guest in the country, Romero said on Sunday that the coach should not say anything that will distort Philippine basketball history particularly that of Philippine Basketball Association which is the oldest professional league in Asia.

“The PBA has been very successful since the beginning so he can’t destroy our history in basketball,” said the former league chairman. “Despite this pandemic, Rep. Mikee Romero the PBA will continue to grow and sustain its popularity among Filipinos because we love the game, we love the PBA.” “As a guest in the country, he has no right to question the format, much more the integrity of the league and its officials,” added Romero.

Baldwin earned the ire of PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial when he said during a video podcast that it was a ‘big mistake’ to use just one import in the pro league that has already a rich tradition, among them the rivalries of Crispa-Toyota, San Miguel Beer vs Alaska and of late the Manila Clasico between crowd-darling Ginebra and Magnolia.

Marcial is scheduled to meet his technical staff today to discuss the possible penalties the league will slap on Baldwin who is also listed as one of the assistant coaches of TNT KaTropa.

Like NLEX coach Yeng Guiao and Basketball Coaches Association of the Philippines President Louie Gonzalez, Romero also took offense on Baldwin remarks particularly the “tactical immaturity” of local coaches and that foreign players get more fouls than the locals.

“For me it sounds like racism,” said Romero. “While he helped steer Ateneo to UAAP championships, he’s not entitled to underestimate the capabilities of our local coaches.”

ills of computer games with zeal.

The script remains the same for those who still think the same of computer games—an addiction, a villain, a bane, the root cause of poor eyesight, soreness in virtually any part of the body, cough, colds, or flu, dizziness, violent tendencies, bad grades, deteriorating social life.

One way or another, playing computer games is always to blame.

Many people frown upon this popular past time probably because of the belief that computer games dull the mind, that it encourages students to be lazy and lose interest in schooling. Parents don’t like that—not here in the Philippines where it is important to go to school and do good scholastic work.

But is that the case today? Has playing computer games deterred students from becoming good students?

Ask the graduating class of 2020 how many among them are legit gamers (regardless of whether they are good or not) may it be PC, console, or mobile phone.

If those who said ‘yes’ are here to mark the completion of their scholastic mission, it goes to show that gamers can be good students, too,—and quite possibly, good enough to be a student-athlete de-

serving of all the perks and privileges provided a member of the varsity team.

The marriage of academe and video games is not surprising. For years, schools have allowed computer technology to enhance the way teaching is deployed and learning is experienced.

Researchers even developed video games that optimize learning, supported by data that proves how video games develop essential skills and competencies. They call it the ‘gamification of education’. However, some aspects of computer technology still remain unwelcome in the academic landscape, and that includes commercial video games.

But if esports officially becomes a varsity event—to the protestation and condemnation of many, that’s for sure—this is perhaps a good time to start discarding obsolete stereotypes about computer games and gamers and embracing new realities in this everchanging world.

And whether they are deliberate about it or not, this move by the NCAA opening its doors to esports is, in itself, a positive statement on key social issues relevant in our world today: inclusion amidst diversity, acceptance, and equal opportunity.

In a time when people are hurt, angry, and indignant because of the continued prevalence of prejudice and stereotypes and the failure to make our shared lives inclusive with equal opportunities for all—school leaders now have the chance to positively influence how students will see and understand the world. Schools can guide students in the right direction as they build their own worldview based on their actual experiences in environments and conditions that influence them strongly.

If we want to promote inclusion, let’s make room for new competitions so that more students can participate. If we want to break stereotypes, let us extend the invitation to engage in a collegiate competition to those oftentimes marginalized because they neither subscribe to nor fit the traditional notions of the athlete archetype and thus perceived as weak, uncoordinated, and clumsy, and build them a platform where they can showcase their own brand of competitive excellence and show that they can be just as intense, just as focused, and just as driven as athletes playing traditional sports.

Let’s use sports. Let’s speak the language many understand.

Entertainment Entertainment

Nickie Wang Wang, Editor TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 2020 nickie.standard@gmail.com nickie.standard@gmail.com

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ABS-CBN TVplus rollout follows gov’t mandate

Broadcasters like ABSCBN are enjoined to have expedient migration from analog to digital broadcasting by 2023.

MILLIONS of Filipinos today enjoy a clearer television viewing with better sound via the ABS-CBN TVplus, which was rolled out in response to the government’s mandate to shift from analog to digital terrestrial broadcasting.

“The sale of the TVplus boxes is in compliance with the directive of NTC to migrate our broadcast to digital,” said ABS-CBN president and CEO Carlo Katigbak at the House of Representatives’ panel hearing on the network’s franchise renewal on Thursday.

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT)

No room for complacency DESPITE being one of the more popular love teams in local showbiz, Daniel Padilla and Kathryn Bernardo don’t want to feel relaxed. Though the entertainment business had a little pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they don’t want to lose steam by sitting pretty.

Currently, it holds the distinction as the In an online interview, Daniel ad- second highest-grossing Filipino film. mits that he doesn’t want to compla“With the film’s commercial succent when it comes to dealing with cess, it became more challenging and their career. satisfying at the same time. As I’ve “KathNiel has been here for 11 years said, it’s not easy. We really have to now and even if people say we’re al- work hard. There should be variety in ready a tried and tested screen tandem, the storylines or else, the public will still the doubt is there as to until when get tired of us.” the public will support us,” he avers.

Daniel could still remember those L o o k i n g times when he back, it was in got bashed for 2011 when they being Kathryn’s first got paired love team. The in the defunct latter was fresh youth- or iented from the sucshow Growing cess of Mara Up. After that, Clara while he they’ve starred was just starting in numerous hit to build a name projects until they for himself. became one of the “Yes! That’s most in-demand the first time screen pairings in when I got really the ‘biz. bashed. Kathryn Considerwas originally ing the length of paired with Altime that they’re bie Casino. Peotogether, it’s still ple questioned a challenge for why for her next them to keep show, the manKathNiel relevant agement chose to the public. me to be her “I’ve appeared partner,” DJ rewith Kathryn calls. in numerous roDeter mined, mantic movies STURDY TANDEM. KathNiel is one of the this didn’t and soap operas. top love teams ruling TV ratings and the box dampen DJ’s The challenge office today. spirits. It even there is to almotivated him ways come up with something fresh to prove his detractors wrong. for the viewers.”

“Instead of getting affected, I exertDJ revealed that many doubted if their ed extra efforts to improve in my craft.

2018 movie The How’s of Us would still As a newcomer, I had to show them click. He said many questioned their that I’ve got what it takes and I’m worbankability. People asked if the project thy to be Kathryn’s new screen partwould still make money considering ner. The rest, as they say, is history.” that they’ve done almost everything KathNiel’s next potboiler is Afon the screen. Fortunately, The How’s ter Forever, production temporarily of Us turned out to be a mammoth hit. stopped because of COVID-19 crisis. ***** In a recent Instagram post, Liza Soberano officially shed light on the cancellation of her soap opera Make It With You opposite Enrique Gil.

Liza Soberano’s heart goes out to the avid fans of ‘Make It With You’ who will no longer see the ending of the top-rating series.

“I am heartbroken to confirm the news that our show will no longer resume on air,” she says.

“We were still asked to go back taping but most of the cast members, including myself hesitated. For one, considering that the COVID-19 situation here in the Philippines is far from contained, there are many risks in place for me (and everyone involved) given my history of having a weak immune system.”

The decision didn’t come from her solely.

“I consulted my family, my managers, and the team and we all came to an agreement that it might be for the best to not continue with the show anymore. Apart from the cast members’ hesitation, there are other factors as well why the show will not air anymore.”

Liza is just sad primarily for the viewers. She apologized to the fans of the primetime show since they will no longer be able to give them the ending they deserve.

released the country’s framework for the Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcasting (DTT) Migration Plan in the Digital TV Summit 2017, enjoining broadcasters like ABS-CBN to have expedient migration from analog to digital broadcasting by 2023.

TVplus has partnered with government agencies such as the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), and the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) to disseminate relevant

Robi’s got new investment

All-around talent Robi Domingo is the newest ambassador of PPHI), the First Home Buyer Brand of Century Properties Group and Mitsubishi Corporation.

TV and SocMed star tapped as ambassador of PHirst Park Homes; to lead digital project launch

P

HIRST Park Homes, Inc. (PPHI), the First Home Buyer Brand of Century Properties Group and Mitsubishi Corporation, will hold its first Digital Project Launch on June 20 with its new brand ambassador, the multi-talented artist Robi Domingo.

Domingo will lead the digital launch of the company’s sixth horizontal community project in Nasugbu, Batangas through a watch party on PPHI’s official Facebook page.

“Robi very much embodies what the brand is all about. He is young, relatable, smart, and a good role model to young professionals who are looking to buy a first home with good value for money,” says Loren Sales, the company’s Vice President of Customer Management Group.

“Robi has high aspirations to succeed in his career and achieve financial independence. He is not just a brand ambassador but also a proud PHirst homeown-

Default” and press “OK” • If an “Input Password” APPEARS on the screen, enter “0-0-0-0” on the dialogue box and select “YES” to confirm the Factory Default.

• If an “Input Password” DOES NOT APPEAR on the screen, just select “YES” to confirm the Factory Default.

• Choose “Auto Search” or “Auto Scan” then press “OK” • Wait for the auto scan to be completed or until “Search Completed” appears on the screen then press “OK” or “Exit”

er and can inspire other young people to take the first major step into home ownership,” Sales adds.

In turn, the 30-year-old TV host says that he is very excited and honored as PHirst Park Homes’ new brand ambassador and homeowner. He feels genuinely excited because this is the first time that he will be acquiring a house.

“For me, owning a home is a sign of maturity; it gives you a glimpse of one’s priorities in life. Sure, a person of means can buy whatever he wants like cars, watches, etc., but a wiser person would acquire properties that will appreciate in value in the long run. With PHirst Park Homes, you hit two birds

The television host will lead the digital launch of PPHI’s sixth horizontal community project in Nasugbu, Batangas through a watch party on Facebook.

Rescan your digital TV box now GMA Network urges Filipinos to rescan their digital TV boxes to continue enjoying clearer and more colorful reception of GMA’s channels.

In addition to a further improved viewing experience of the flagship Kapuso channel GMA Network and the country’s leading news channel GMA News TV, Kapuso viewers can start catching the newest Kapuso channel Heart of Asia upon rescanning.

To rescan, just follow these simple steps: • Press “Menu” and go to “Settings” • Under “Installation”, press “Factory

information to the public via its INFOplus feature. Just by pressing the red button on the TVplus remote, viewers get to see real-time updates on traffic, weather, or disasters flashed on the screen without the need for an internet connection.

TVplus viewers also have access to the built-in emergency warning broadcast system (EWBS) that will show warning messages and safety alerts during times of disasters. This service was used during the MMDA earthquake drill in 2015.

ABS-CBN has sold 8.9 million TVplus units as of November 2019.

• Search for GMA, GMA News TV, and Heart of Asia using the remote control’s up and down buttons Digital TV users will also need to rescan while cable and satellite subscribers need not.

For more information, contact 84628177 or 8982 -7777 local 7046 from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. or email signalreception@gmanetwork.com. For further information, visit facebook.com/ gmatvsignal or log on to www.gmanetwork.com/digitalhowto.

with one stone. It is both a necessity and a dream-come-true – a home with a touch of luxury in a close-knit community. I can already feel a sense of fulfillment because I can see that it’s a great investment,” Domingo says.

The new PPHI community in Batangas is located just 1.5 hours from Manila, 15 minutes from Tagaytay’s city center and 42 minutes ahead of the beaches of Nasugbu. Aside from its naturally cooler weather, fresh air, and scenic environment, the property offers PPHI’s signature 4Cs: Complete and well-provisioned homes with a perimeter fence and gate, Conceptive amenities including an outdoor cinema, Connected living through WiFi zones and a shuttle service, and a Convenient and simplified selling and buying experience.

“I feel so lucky to have this property in Batulao because I am quite a lakwatsero and I am fond of adventures.

This new PPHI project will be a hub of adventures because of its proximity to Tagaytay and Nasugbu. I can’t help but imagine myself bringing my hot bowl of Bulalo inside my home after a long day of diving in Batangas,” he shares.

Ahead of Batulao, PHirst Park Homes has launched five projects that cover a total of 91 hectares and 8,799 units valued at Php14.4 billion. They are the 26-hectare PHirst Park Homes Tanza (Cavite), the 20-hectare PHirst Park Homes Lipa (Batangas), the 18-hectare PHirst Park Homes San Pablo (Laguna); 11-hectare PHirst Park Homes Pandi (Bulacan); and 9-hectare PHirst Park Homes Calamba (Laguna).

Developments and construction in all PPHI projects have resumed in May after complying with all government protocols. To know more about the PPHI projects and latest announcements, visit Facebook.com/ PhirstParkHomesOfficialPage.

Life

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

C4

HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT

TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 2020

STAND UP:

Sports nutritionist advises against prolonged sitting

By Jess Ferrer

Y

Certified sports nutritionist John Joseph Ogacion encourages individuals sitting for a long period of time to take movement breaks.

DEFINED “as your body’s reaction to a foreign substance or allergen,” an allergy, Fatima Johanna Santos-Ocampo, MD of the Section of Allergology and Immunology at Makati Medical Center says, “occurs when certain parts of an individual’s immune system are activated against substances it considers as harmful, even if it isn’t.”

Dr. Santos-Ocampo adds that allergic reactions depend on a person’s genetic makeup.

“What is considered an allergen by one person may not be an allergen to another. Once you’re exposed to these, your immune system reacts in a number of ways: some [are] minor (itchy rashes on the skin, sneezing, runny or stuffy nose, watery eyes) [and] others more life-threatening (nausea or vomiting, chest tightness, shortness of breath, loss of consciousness).”

Despite the available information, experts remain baffled by allergies.

Often discovered in childhood, they vary from person to person and some may overcome this when they get older.

Allergies are mostly genetic, or passed down from parent to child, but it doesn’t mean that the manifestations would be identical.

“Just because your father was allergic to shrimp doesn’t necessarily mean you are too. You may be allergic to another type of food or to another type of substance with a completely different type of presentation from your parent,” clarifies Dr. Santos-Ocampo.

The first step to dealing with an allergy, experts assert, is proper evaluation of the patient’s history. One thing that may be overlooked is the possibility that the patient’s symptoms may not be due to an allergy at all. An allergy specialist is trained to take a proper history to first determine whether the condition is likely an allergy or not.

Second, the information from the patient together with a thorough physical exam is key to unravel the possible culprit/s. This initial evaluation will help both the doctor and patient decide if a particular test is needed, and if so, which one will be most suitable for the patient. Most commonly, a skin prick test and intradermal test is done in the specialist’s clinic.

In the more common skin prick test,

OU should be standing up for this. That is if you have been sitting for too long.

Prolonged sitting, especially in workplaces where it is the most practical position to get the job the done, has long been a health concern what with its link to heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and obesity.

The World Health Organization said 31 percent of individuals 15 years or older are physically inactive, and approximately 3.2 million deaths per year are attributed to this unhealthy lifestyle behavior. Physical inactivity, in fact, was defined as a pandemic in 2012.

Now that many are working from home as a way to deal with COVID-19 pandemic, prolonged sitting poses danger to more.

An article published on the United States National Center for Biotechnology Information website said “the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic will not be realized for some time.”

But given the life-altering changes to people’s daily lives around the world, “we hypothesize this crisis has the potential to further impact and accelerate physical inactivity and sedentary behavior pandemic we have been confronted with, and failing to address, for a number of years.”

Again, if you’ve been sitting for quite some time, maybe you should stand up now.

In addition to chronic diseases, prolonged sitting can also cause joint and muscle pains like stiff neck and shoulders, especially if a person is hunched over their keyboard endlessly typing.

Hip and back pain are also common since sitting can cause the hip flexor muscle to shorten and a poor sitting posture can put tension on the spine.

John Joseph Ogacion, a strength and conditioning coach, physical therapist, and certified sports nutritionist from a premier fitness center suggests individuals, especially home-bound workers, to find ways to move more often.

He promotes movement breaks, stretching, and engaging in hobbies or activities that require a person to stand up and move, even just a little.

For those movement breaks, Ogacion suggests these four workouts—with instructions—ideal for individuals idle for a long time.

Dead bug—Lie on your back with your arms at shoulder level raised toward the ceiling. Bring your legs up into tabletop position (knees bent 90 de-

DANGER AT THE DESK. Defined as a pandemic in 2012 because of its link to diseases and death, physical inactivity such as prolonged sitting is expected by experts to affect more individuals now that many people are staying at home due to COVID-19 pandemic. grees and stacked over your hips). Slowly extend your right leg out straight, while simultaneously dropping your left arm overhead. Keep both a few inches from the ground. Bring your arm and leg back to the starting position. Repeat on the other side, extending your left leg and your right arm. That’s one rep. Continue alternating for 20 reps total.

Planking—Get on all fours with your toes on the ground, shoulder-width apart. Place your forearms flat on the floor in front of you with your elbows directly below your shoulders. Keep your core tight so your body is in a straight line from head to toe. Squeeze your thighs and butt. Keep your neck and spine in a comfortable, neutral position. Hold for 30 seconds.

Single-leg bridges—Lie flat on your back. Bend your knees and place your feet flat on the floor about a foot or so away from your butt. Rest your arms at your sides on the floor. Lift your right leg in the air toward the ceiling, keep-

ing your foot flexed. Push through your left foot to lift your glutes, hips, and back off the ground. Slowly lower back down, keeping your right leg in the air.

Repeat for 12 reps, then switch legs.

Bodyweight squats—Stand with your feet slightly wider than hipwidth apart. Holding a kettlebell with both hands at your chest (you can also use a dumbbell). Bend at your knees and hips to lower your butt toward the ground, as if you’re sitting in a chair. Go as low as you can, then push through heels to stand back up. Make sure your knees don’t go past your ankles. Repeat for 15 reps.

Ogacion works at Sante Fitness Lab, a fitness and sports performance training center that offers holistic training programs, as well as innovative recovery and sports rehabilitation. SFL boasts complete top of the line equipment for cardio, strength, speed, and agility, as well as expert programming and coaching.

tiny drops of allergens are placed on the patient’s forearms or on the back, and each drop is introduced into the skin with a pricking device.

According to Dr. Santos-Ocampo, “the appearance of a red and itchy swelling on the part of the skin where the allergen droplet was pricked is common if you’re allergic to that allergen.” Called a wheal, this red bump manifests within 15 minutes after the skin was pricked, and usually subsides in a short while.

Meanwhile, during an intradermal test, a tiny amount of the allergen is injected into the patient’s skin. This may be recommended to determine environmental and drug allergies.

Before taking either test, the attending physician will inquire about the patient’s lifestyle, family medical history, and any medications they are currently taking.

“Over-the-counter antihistamines need to be discontinued as these may interfere with the results of the test while the decision to temporarily stop taking your prescription medicines needs to be discussed with your doctors,” Dr. Santos-Ocampo points out.

The need to do a particular method of skin test is not limited by age especially since allergies can crop up at any age. In- Allergologist Dr. Fatima Johanna Santos-Ocampo explains that allergic reactions to foreign substances depend on a person’s genetic makeup. stead, the type of test, its timing, and the interpretation of its results must be carefully discussed with one’s allergologist.

Bear in mind that a negative skin test result alone might not necessarily mean TELEHEALTH service KonsultaMD brings toTelehealth gether 30 telemedicine doctors in its app to offer a person is absolutely not allergic to a service certain substance, in the same way that unlimited video consultations until June 22.

KonsultaMD a positive result alone is not enough to To avail of the service, customers need to offers conclude that they are truly allergic to customers download the KonsultaMD app and choose that substance. unlimited from four available plans which cost from P15 “Ultimately, a doctor’s diagnosis video per week to P150 per month. Customers can takes into account not just a patient’s consultation then book an appointment with their preferred test result but his or her symptoms, with 30 Department of Health volunteer doctor and medical history, and response to treatvolunteer consult for free. doctors. ment,” explains Dr. Santos-Ocampo.

Aside from the DOH volunteers, members Once it’s identified what an individual may also engage in teleconsultation with a liis allergic to, their doctor will design a censed KonsultaMD doctor anytime via voice plan for them to best deal with it. It could or video, depending on their chosen subscripbe as simple as avoiding the specific altion. They may also request e-prescription lergen to addressing the symptoms with and e-laboratory. medication and lifestyle changes.

Global Telehealth, Inc. is a joint venture “If you can identify what you’re albetween 917Ventures, a corporate incubator lergic to, you will be in the best position wholly-owned by Globe Telecom, and Salud to manage the symptoms, and in a lot of Interactiva, one of the oldest telehealth cominstances, avoid them completely,” says panies in the world with 22 years of experiDr. Santos-Ocampo. ence in telemedicine.

What you need to know about allergy

Telehealth offers video consultation with DOH volunteer doctors