Manila Standard - 2020 June 23 - Tuesday

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Gov’t eyes jeep phaseout Palace: Only if modern jeepneys, buses enough to serve public

By Vito Barcelo and Willie Casas

O

LD jeepneys may never be allowed to operate again, even as buses and modern jeepneys returned to service in some parts of Metro Manila amid the general community quarantine (GCQ), the Palace said Monday.

“I don’t think jeepneys can come back if we have enough means of transportation,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque said.

He said the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) is conducting an assessment to see if Metro Manila would have enough transportation if traditional jeepneys were phased out.

“The modern jeepneys will be supplemented by 3,600 buses to ferry commuters who had been inconvenienced by the lack of public transportation,” Roque said in a televised press briefing.

The operation of modern jeepneys on 15 routes in Metro Manila is in response to the need for mass transportation in Metro Manila, he said.

Cayetano vows to make execs pay for late aid

By Maricel V. Cruz OFFICIALS who made it difficult for people to get government assistance during the COVID-19 crisis will be made to pay, House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano warned Monday.

“The question to the Social Welfare department is simple: How and when can we get the best assistance in the fastest way? We will hold accountable bureaucrats who simply can't deliver,” Cayetano said. “The bureaucrats who made the process difficult—they should be held accountable.”

Cayetano issued the warning as the House began its investigation into the slow distribution of government cash aid to the poor by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Cayetano said in his opening statement that at least four DSWD regional directors were guilty of causing delays in the distribution of cash aid under the government's social amelioration program (SAP).

Benefits under the SAP, he said, should

VOL. XXXIV • NO. 119 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2020 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

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FUTURE OF JEEPS? A conductor checks the temperature of passengers inside a modern jeepney as it plies its route along Leon Guinto street in Manila on Monday.

Meanwhile, a driver shows how to use a Beep card for fare payment (inset) inside another modern jeepney along Panay Avenue in Quezon City. Modern electric jeepneys and buses have been allowed by the government to resume operations in selected routes to serve commuters starting June 22, while contactless payment is among the safety protocols implemented in public transport amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Norman Cruz with PNA

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COVID-19 PH AT A GLANCE

(AS OF 4 PM JUNE 22)

30,682

630 NEW

TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES

467

1,177

8

FRESH

DEATHS

NEW

8,143

250

RECOVERIES

NEW

Philhealth chief: COA can’t find graft

By Willie Casas and Vito Barcelo

Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), its president and chief executive officer Ricardo Morales said Monday.

"Recently, we got an opinion from the A RECENT Commission on Audit (COA) COA telling us that they could not find, they opinion is proof that there is no corruption or could not substantiate this (reported) P154Next page large-scale collusion to defraud the Philippine

PH virus cases now at 30,682

By Willie Casas, Vito Barcelo, Macon Ramos-Araneta and Rey E. Requejo THE Department of Health (DOH) on Monday reported 630 more cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)— 467 “fresh” or newly validated and 163 reported late—bringing the total to 30,682.

The DOH also announced that total recoveries rose to 8,143 after 250 more patients recovered from the respiratory disease, while the death toll climbed to

1,177 with eight new fatalities.

This marks the fifth straight day of at least 400 fresh cases and 12th consecutive day of over 200 new recoveries.

Among the fresh cases, 149 are from Metro Manila, 164 are from Region VII or Central Visayas, one is a repatriate, while the remaining 153 are spread out across the country.

Among the late cases, 25 are from Metro Manila, 93 are from Region VII, while the 45 other patients came from various areas nationwide.

The DOH said the number of health Next page

Oil prices up again; Gas by P1.05

By Alena Mae S. Flores THE oil companies raised pump prices by P1.05 per liter of gasoline, P0.85 per liter of diesel and P0.30 per liter of kerosene effective at 6 a.m. today, Tuesday.

“Petron will implement the following price increases effective 6 a.m. on June 23: P1.05 per liter of gasoline, P0.85 per liter of diesel and P0.30 per liter of kerosene.

These reflect the [price] movements in the international oil market,” Petron Corp. said in its advisory.

Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp., PTT Philippines, Seaoil Philippines and PetroGazz also announced price increases.

World oil prices have been in a continuing upswing in recent weeks.

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• Pandemic still accelerating, S. Korea fights 2nd wave DUBAI—The novel coronavirus pandemic is still accelerating and its effects will be felt for decades, the World Health Organization’s director-general told an online conference on Monday.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual health forum organised by Dubai authorities that the greatest threat facing the world is not the virus itself, but “the lack of global solidarity and global leadership.”

“We cannot defeat this pandemic with a divided world,”

he said.

“The politicization of the pandemic has exacerbated it. None of us is safe until all of us are safe.”

Meanwhile, health officials in South Korea believe the country is going through a second wave of coronavirus, despite recording relatively low numbers.

The country had been a success story in dealing with COVID-19, but now expects the pandemic to continue for Next page months, the BBC reported.

WORLD ROUNDUP

DFA says no policy to appease China, chides critics BURNING GAS. Heavy traffic returns to the Guadalupe area in Makati City—minus buses and other public utility vehicles—on Monday as Metro Manila entered its 100th day under quarantine owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. CNN Philippines photo

FOREIGN Affairs Secretary Teodoro "Appeasement? No. In fact, you Locsin Jr. on Monday rejected the claim are looking at the opposite of appeaseof the critics of the Duterte administra- ment," Locsin told ANC. tion that it has adopted a policy of apHe also denied that the reported peasement in dealing with China. presence of three US aircraft carriers

in the disputed South China Sea was linked to President Rodrigo Duterte's decision to keep a troop-deployment agreement with Washington.

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TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2020

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

News

P42m in drugs nabbed in raids A The agency said the first buy-bust launched with the Quezon City Police District took place beside a gasoline station on Mindanao Avenue, in Barangay Bagong Pag-Asa, around 1:45 a.m. Sunday and resulted in the arrest of three drug suspects: Datu Boy Nasser, Norhana

Nasser and Said Ampakay.

Seized from them were two transparent plastic packs containing suspected shabu worth P6.8 million, buy-bust money and a Mitsubishi Montero.

In a follow-up operation around 8 a.m. in Barangay San Bartolome in No-

valiches, police arrested the suspects' alleged suppliers—Kenneth Maclan, Dennis Roque, Harold Villasana and Carlito Biglang-awa—and seized shabu worth P8.84 million, drug materials, firearms and explosives.

A Chinese national, Tuan Xi Yuan, was arrested in a buy-bust operation in Barangay Dampalit, Malabon City. She yielded P27.2 million worth of shabu, a mobile phone and buy-bust money.

Meanwhile, Customs agents at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport intercepted a smuggled shipment of kush marijuana worth P3.1 million at the Central Mail Exchange Center in Pasay City.

Gov’t...

motorcycle taxis like Angkas.

“The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases will come out with guidelines for pillion riding in private motorcycles,” he said.

Earlier, the IBON Foundation said thousands of small public utility jeepney (PUJ) drivers have lost as much as P78,000 each from three months of lockdown, during which they were not allowed to operate.

IBON also said the government was exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic to keep small drivers and operators off the road to speed up its jeepney phaseout program.

The government suspended mass transport, including jeepneys, when it declared an enhanced community quarantines (ECQ) in Luzon then in other parts of the country in mid-March. Quarantine measures have since eased to GCQ in many areas and public transport has resumed in phases, but jeepneys are still prohibited from operating.

The foundation said there are an esti-

mated 55,000 to 70,000 jeepney drivers in Metro Manila.

Under an LTFRB memo on public transport guidelines in GCQ areas, only modern jeepneys and traditional jeepneys under a corporation or cooperative are allowed to operate.

This leaves out small jeepney operators and drivers who, unlike big or corporate fleet operators, can ill-afford the costly P1.6 million to P2.2 million for modernized units, or steep fees and requirements to form a cooperative. They are even less able after three months of lost incomes and depleted savings, IBON said.

IBON's perspective was echoed by the Gabriela Women’s Party, which accused the government of using the COVID-19 pandemic to phase out traditional jeepneys.

Some 70,000 jeepney drivers stand to lose their routes in Metro Manila alone as modern PUVs control key thoroughfares starting June 22, Gabriela said.

Meanwhile, provincial bus operators asked the government to give them a fuel

discount and to test their drivers and conductors for COVID-19 free of charge, to help them recover from the months-long lockdown.

In an interview with Dobol B sa News TV, Alex Yague, executive director of the Provincial Bus Operators Association of the Philippines said they are ready to resume operation but they need the help of the government.

“We're ready to operate again, but we are asking the authorities to test our drivers and conductors at no cost,” he said in Filipino.

The bus operators are also asking the government to allow them to drop off passengers at their terminals in Metro Manila instead of unloading them in an integrated bus terminal in Bocaue, Bulacan.

Yague said disallowing provincial buses from entering Metro Manila would force their passengers to get off at the Philippine Arena, take another ride to Monumento, and a third right to Makati.

Keeping passengers on the same bus ride, would reduce the chances of infection, he added.

make, there will be inefficiencies, but I can assure you there is no group of people colluding with each other to defraud PhilHealth in this scale reported," he said, referring to news reports first published last year.

Morales was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte to PhilHealth in June 2019.

But last week, Roque said he would reveal “new anomalies” in PhilHealth, slamming the leadership for their supposed failure to go after corrupt officials.

In reaction, Morales said Roque is welcome to find a replacement for him if he thinks the current leadership cannot implement the Universal Health Care Law. Under the UHC, all Filipino citizens are automatically enrolled into the National Health Insurance Program controlled financially by Philhealth — those who have the capacity to pay as direct contributors, and the indigents and senior citizens as indirect contributors and as sponsored by the government.

On Saturday, Roque told Morales in a Palace briefing to be careful with his words and to just implement the law.

Morales said he has no issues with Roque, as the retired military general downplayed their exchange through the media.

"Well, Secretary Roque and I, we all serve the same boss -- the Filipino and the President. Let's say we're on a different frequency, but pointing at the same direction," he added.

As for Duque, Roque said: “I don’t have any idea that somebody is aspiring to be Secretary of Health at this time of pandemic. No matter how ambitious you are, it’s really a difficult job right now.”

The spokesman was responding to Sen. Richard Gordon’s assertion that some people are interested to take the place of Duque.

Th DOH secretary and other health officials are facing an investigation by the Office of the Ombudsman for alleged irregularities in the agency’s COVID-19 response.

World...

Lockdowns imposed to halt the spread of the virus have caused crippling economic damage, but the WHO says the pandemic still poses a major threat.

“The pandemic is still accelerating,” Tedros told the virtual conference.

“We know that the pandemic is much more than a health crisis, it is an economic crisis, a social crisis, and in many countries a political crisis,” he said.

“Its effects will be felt for decades to come.”

A vaccine remains months off at best despite several trials, while scientists are still discovering more about the virus, its symptoms and the extent to which it may have spread before being identified.

Earlier on Monday, the city of Daejeon, south of the capital, announced it would ban gatherings in public spaces such as museums and libraries after a number of small virus clusters were discovered.

The mayor of Seoul also warned that the capital may have to return to strict social distancing, should cases top 30 on average over the next three days and the bed occupancy rate of the city's hospitals exceeds 70%.

South Korea has managed to avoid locking down the country and has instead relied on voluntary social distancing measures alongside an aggressive track, trace and test strategy to combat the virus.

A total of 280 people have died since the country reported its first case on January 20. Overall, more than 12,000 infections have been recorded and it is thought that currently there remain 1,277 active cases in the country. AFP

UTHORITIES on Sunday seized more than P42 million worth of suspected illegal drugs and arrested eight suspects, including a Chinese national, in three separate operations in Quezon City and Malabon, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency said Monday.

From A1

Traditional jeepneys are at the bottom of the government’s hierarchy of public transportation and would be deployed only if the supply of buses and modern jeepneys would still be insufficient to meet public demand, as will be determined by the LTFRB, the spokesman said.

Roque also disputed a statement from IBON Foundation that the traditional jeepneys are safer during a pandemic because droplets can stay longer in closed spaces, such as in modern jeepneys.

He pointed out that there is a higher chance of transmission in traditional jeepneys, where the passengers are seated facing each other, compared to when they are all seated facing one direction. Roque added that there is physical distancing in modern jeepneys.

Meanwhile, the Palace official said motorcycle back-riding will be allowed only for private motorcycles and not for

Philhealth...

From A1

billion loss in the financial statements submitted by PhilHealth from 2013 to 2017. In effect, it's not true that P154 billion is missing," Morales said.

This developed as Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque denied allegations he was interested in Morales' post, saying it would be a “demotion” on his part.

Roque and Morales had traded barbs last week over the Philhealth chief's call to delay the full implementation of the Universal Healthcare Law (UHC), as the government could not collect enough revenue amid the pandemic.

Roque, who co-authored the UHC when he was still a lawmaker, said Philhealth is losing money due to corruption, and that halting the implementation of the UHC is unlawful.

Before returning as Duterte’s spokesman, Roque also filed in February a graft complaint against PhilHealth officials for their alleged inaction on a scam involving the issuance of fake premium receipts to overseas Filipino workers.

Meanwhile, Roque said nobody wants the position of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, who is under investigation by the Office of the Ombudsman due to his alleged poor handling of the country's coronavirus crisis.

The spokesman said he has no information on whether individuals are eyeing the top post of the Department of Health, since it is now the most difficult government position because of the COVID-19 crisis.

During a virtual briefing on Monday, Morales responded to corruption allegations made against him and officials of PhilHealth. He said during the Laging Handa briefing the government firm's issues were already present before he took office.

"We have inefficiencies, wrong filing of documents, forms that were mistakenly filled up, but no syndicate or group of people colluding to defraud the corporation at that scale," added the former Army general.

"With the volume of transactions we

Gas...

From A1

Before the latest price increases, the total year-to-date adjustments stood at a net decrease of P6.72 per liter of gasoline, P9.99 per liter of diesel and P13.69 per liter of kerosene.

Petron, meanwhile, had started implementing the additional 10-percent tax on crude and petroleum products, as provided in Executive Order 113, in some of its stations starting June 20.

Pilipinas Shell also implemented the additional 10- percent import duty on diesel in some of its stations last week.

Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi has ordered the Oil Industry Management Bureau to ensure the proper implementation of the additional 10-percent duty.

Malacañang issued the EO on May 2, which imposed the additional 10 percent import tax on petroleum products to boost

government resources and help finance programs aimed at easing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Upon the release of EO 113, our Oil Industry Management Bureau immediately met with industry stakeholders to discuss the way forward, including their strict compliance with the EO’s guidelines,” Cusi said.

The Energy department says the additional tax is expected to be reflected in the price adjustments, but only after the oil companies had exhausted the inventories that were purchased before EO 113 took effect.

The projections based on the oil companies’ inventory reports indicated that the added costs might be included beginning the third week of June, or June 14 to 20.

Prior the latest price increases, the total year-to-date adjustments stood at a net decrease of P6.72 per liter of gasoline, P9.99 per liter of diesel and P13.69 per liter of kerosene.

From A1

Head of the Korea Centers for Disease Control (KCDC), Jung Eun-kyeong, said the first wave lasted up until April.

Yet since May, clusters of new cases have grown, including outbreaks at nightclubs in the capital, Seoul.

Between those periods, daily confirmed cases had fallen from nearly a thousand to zero infections recorded for three days in a row.

Officials on Monday said that over the last 24 hours, 17 new infections had been recorded, from different clusters in large offices and warehouses.

Dr Jeong said the recent resurgence had led her to conclude that the country was in the grip of a second wave of the virus, and that she expected it to continue.

Until now, the KCDC had said that South Korea's first wave had never really ended.

But Dr Jeong said it was now clear that a holiday weekend in early May marked the beginning of a new wave of infections focused in the greater Seoul area, which had previously seen only a few cases.

The WHO warned last week of a new and dangerous phase of the coronavirus pandemic, with people tiring of lockdowns despite the disease’s rapid spread.

The COVID-19 illness, which has now killed more than 465,000 people and infected almost nine million worldwide, is surging in the Americas and parts of Asia, even as Europe starts to ease restrictive measures.

PH...

From A1

workers infected rose by 253 last week, while newly recovered health workers were at 396 from June 14 to 20. COVIDrelated deaths remained at 33.

The department said there are 854 active cases among health workers.

Of those infected since the start of the outbreak, 1,126 are nurses, 811 are doctors, 212 are nursing assistants, 122 are medical technologists, 62 are radiologic technologists, 45 are midwives, 33 are respiratory therapists and 21 are pharmacists.

Also infected were 201 administrative staff, 94 utility staff, 49 dietary staff, 35 drivers, 29 barangay health workers, 19 security guards and 12 caregivers.

Still, fewer health workers are testing positive for COVID-19, the DOH said.

Meanwhile, confirmed COVID-19 cases among Filipinos abroad breached the 8,300 mark on Monday, with 2,160 cases in the Middle East and Europe. The Department of Foreign Affairs reported 10 new fatalities.

The shipment from California was falsely declared as “Chocolate, Green Tea, Shirts, Black Tea,” but when Customs examiners checked the parcel they found four packs of kush marijuana.

The authorities refused to identify the owner of the shipment, but they said the package was consigned to a person living in Marikina City.

Kush marijuana is still considered illegal in the Philippines, and its importation is punishable by life imprisonment.

The seized shipment was turned over to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency at the NAIA Customs House in Pasay City for further profiling and case buildup.

The DFA also said on Monday a total of 353 remains of overseas Filipino workers who died of various causes in Saudi Arabia are up for disposition.

Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Adnan Alonto said 107 of them died due to COVID-19.

Malacañang over the weekend said Filipinos who died due to COVID-19 will be buried in Saudi Arabia, while those who died of other causes will be repatriated to the Philippines.

Alonto said the delay in the repatriation of the remains was due to travel restrictions imposed to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Despite the rising number of infections, the Palace said the situation was improving because of the lower fatality rate and the higher recovery rate.

Palace spokesman Harry Roque said had the government not enforced the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in the country, hundreds of thousands of people could have died due to the disease.

Roque said the country’s doubling rate of coronavirus cases has slowed down to seven days while the critical care utilization rate is around 35 percent.

DFA...

From A1

The deployment of the vessels carrying 60 aircraft each was the first US Navy deployment to the Pacific since 2017, according to a CNN report. The dispatch is likely intended to send a message to China that despite the coronavirus pandemic, the US military will maintain a strong presence in the region, according to the analysts quoted by The Japan Times.

Locsin also said the amount of financial compensation for the 22 crew members of the fishing boat Gem-Vir 1, which

Solon: House ABS hearings a ’fishing expedition’

By Maricel V. Cruz A PARTY-LIST lawmaker on Monday labelled the ongoing deliberations on ABS-CBN franchise a "fishing expedition," even as he urged fellow House members to finally deliberate and vote on issues tackled in previous seven hearings.

Buhay party-list Rep. Lito Atienza, in a virtual media forum, criticized the way the hearings were conducted by the House committees on legislative franchises and good government and public accountability.

He said anti-ABS-CBN lawmakers could not even present evidence to support their claims.

"I cannot think of any descriptive, accurate, apt word for what is going on more than brow-beating, because the resource persons are considered guilty, prove yourselves innocent. They cannot even present evidence to prosecute; they even demand record from the accused or suspect," Atienza said.

"This is a fishing expedition, more than a hearing," he added.

Atienza said he was concerned that the conduct of the hearing has become an "inquisition, interrogation and investigation."

Cayetano...

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not be delayed and the requirements should be simple so that beneficiaries will be able to access the help quickly.

“How many are guilty? You make people who are hard up return several times because of the requirements you demand. So far I’ve identified four regional directors. Others performed well. I think you already removed one,” he said, addressing DSWD officials.

Cayetano and several House leaders filed a resolution calling for an investigation, and identifying a slew of problems at the DSWD, the most serious of which was the 30 steps that need to be followed before a beneficiary can actually receive cash assistance.

The resolution also said the DSWD acted arbitrarily when it based its “restrictive” master list of target recipients on the 2015 national census, causing discrepancies between national government data and those of local government units, which were more up to date.

The DSWD, the resolution added, failed to coordinate closely with local executives in the distribution of assistance.

The House committees on good government and public accountability and on public accounts started their investigation Monday.

“Given the failure of DSWD officials to consider suggestions from both House leaders and LGU executives on how to hasten the process of accrediting beneficiaries and subsequently releasing the subsidies to them, the SAP had expectedly encountered speed bumps along the way, with the first tranche due in April received by recipient-households as late as last month,” said Deputy Speaker Luis Ray Villafuerte, the lead author of the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act. “In fact, the SAP distribution has been so held up to the point that the DSWD started distributing the second tranche only in mid-June,” Villafuerte said.

Meanwhile, House Deputy Majority Leader and Bagong Henerasyon Rep. Bernadette Herrera urged the government to maintain an updated database of the country’s poorest families to allow quick and effective distribution of financial aid to them during crisis situations.

Having such a database would prevent unnecessary delays in the distribution of cash assistance to poor families, she said.

One of the reasons cited for the delay in SAP distribution was the identification of beneficiaries qualified for the program, which provides P5,000 to P8,000 in cash assistance to around 18 million poor families affected by the coronavirus lockdown, Herrera said.

“We look forward to seeing a national database system of qualified beneficiaries of the emergency cash subsidy, particularly those who belong to poorest families, to ensure that the implementation of future programs of this kind will be smoother and more efficient,” she said.

was rammed and sunk by a Chinese vessel in the West Philippines Sea last year, had yet to be determined by the Department of Justice.

“We did a separate investigation, the two countries, and we had the same conclusion that the Chinese vessel was at fault, and the compensation is still to be determined by the Justice department,” Locsin said.

He says the Department of Foreign Affairs has been filing a diplomatic protest with China each time there is transgression, incursion and even suspicion of Chinese activity that the agency considers inimical to the Philippines’ interest.

Rey E. Requejo

News Meat producers air concern over ‘wrong DA info’ A GROUP of meat manufacturers has expressed alarm over what it called a well-orchestrated but subtle attempt by vested groups to provoke a crisis and destabilize the economy by spreading false or misleading information and blame the Department of Agriculture for it.

In a letter sent to Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar on June 18, the Philippine Association of Meat Processors Inc. said such groups have been lobbying with the DA and politicians to ban the importation of meat products and have gone all-out to the media to present their demands.

PAMPI said the vested groups of poultry producers were criticizing the importation of raw materials which in the first place has enabled members of PAMPI to produce processed meat products that fed millions of Filipinos during the enhanced community quarantine period.

"In our case, we present our position to the proper regulatory agencies such as the Bureau of Animal Industry, the National Meat Inspection Service or the Food and Drug Administration as the case may be. But when our case is sustained as in the case of the MDM importation, we hear malicious insinuations of graft allegedly in connivance with regulatory officials," PAMPI president Felix O. Tiukinhoy Jr. said in the letter.

TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2020

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Judges deplore attacks vs. courts

By Rey E. Requejo

T

HE Philippine Judges Association on Monday denounced what it described as “virulent attacks” and criticisms hurled against the courts, judges and the judiciary following a Manila City regional trial court judgment finding Rappler executive editor Maria Ressa and former researcher Reynaldo Santos Jr. guilty of cyberlibel.

In a statement issued by the PJA through its president Judge Felix P. Reyes, the judges lamented that “for the past several days, the Philippine judiciary as a whole, has been the recipient of virulent attacks from the public.”

“Some of the assaults went to the edge of portraying that the ‘rule of law in the Philippines is broken and democracy is under threat,” the PJA president said.

“The PJA is saddened by how the judiciary is being dragged and vilified

just because a decision was rendered in a manner not acceptable to the parties therein. The attacks on the judiciary as so vicious that they may lead to the public losing faith and respect in our judicial system,” Reyes added.

The judges explained that courts settle controversies on the basis of facts and law.

“The facts are established by evidence and the law is applied to the facts established. When a party loses the case, there are remedies available under the law,” the group said.

Last week, Manila City RTC Judge Reinelda Estacio Montesa convicted

Ressa and Santos of cyberlibel and sentenced each of them to six months up to six years in prison.

Ressa and Santos were also ordered to pay complainant-businessman Wilfredo Keng the amount of P400,000 as moral and exemplary damages.

Since the handing down of the verdict last June 15, Judge Montesa, the trial courts, and the judiciary as a whole have been subject of various criticisms.

In its statement, Rappler slammed the RTC’s decision, saying it “sets a dangerous precedent not only for journalists but for everyone online.”

IN BRIEF Antipolo City becomes Rizal’s official capital PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has signed into law a bill, officially transferring the capital and seat of government of Rizal province to Antipolo City from Pasig City.

From Pasig, the capital of Rizal province is now Antipolo City, after President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11475 which established that Antipolo City as the new provincial government center of Rizal, This means that all provincial offices will be transferred and established in Antipolo City.

The measure was signed by Duterte last June 19 but made public only Monday.

Pasig City is actually has been a part of Metro Manila for over 40 years ago, but it continued to be recognized as the official capital and seat of government of Rizal province.

Solon to IATF: Discard PNP travel pass

BI deports seven Chinese fugitives

By Maricel V. Cruz THE inter-agency task force against Covid-19 has been urged on Monday to do away with the travel pass required to be issued by the Philippine National Police to travelers in quarantine areas.

Quezon City Rep. Precious Hipolito Castelo said the PNP travel pass has no “probative value” in terms of a person’s health and thus only adds to burden and anxiety of travelers, especially overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and locally stranded individuals (LSIs).

"The medical certificate issued by the Department of Health (DoH) should be enough to prove that an individual is healthy to travel and that he has been found negative of Covid-19," she said.

Castelo said local government units receiving OFWs and LSIs should demand the presentation of a DOH health clearance instead of a travel pass.

“By not requiring the OFWs and LSIs to secure police travel pass, we lighten the burden they carry during the crisis brought by the pandemic,” she added.

It would also lead to faster processing of permits for necessary journeys currently made difficult or impossible by existing restrictions to contain the spread of Covid-19, she said.

“Many of our people are complaining about having a hard time or not being able to move from one place to another even if they have valid reasons to do so because of the many safety protocols imposed by the government.

Removing an unnecessary one from the long list of protocols can be very helpful for travelers especially the most hard-hit by the outbreak,” she said.

A3

RAPID TESTS FOR MEDIA. Health workers from the Manila Health Department conducted Covid-19 rapid tests for

photojournalist-members of the Manila Police District Press Corps, who later showed their certificates after testing negative. The test were held inside the Manila City Hall in on 22 June 2020.

Kanlaon Volcano’s condition ‘abnormal’—Phivolcs

By Rio N. Araja THE Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology on Monday warned the public that Kanlaon Volcano in the island of Negros is "at an abnormal condition and has entered a period of unrest."

Kanlaon Volcano has been under Alert Level 1 status since March 11.

This means that the volcano is under an abnormal condition, and there is a possibility of sudden and hazardous stream-driven eruption or phreatic eruptions.

Phivolcs Director Renato Solidum urged the public not to panic but be

vigilant.

"Local government units and the public are reminded that entry into the 4-km. radius Permanent Danger Zone is prohibited. Phivolcs is closely monitoring Kanlaon, and any new development will be relayed to all concerned," he said.

At least 136 volcanic earthquakes of tectonic origin have been recorded on the western flanks in the last 24 hours.

White steam-laden plumes to as high as 200 meters also rose before drifting southwest.

Sulfur dioxide emission was measured at an average of 438 tons per day on June 13.

"Ground deformation data from continuous GPS measurements indicate a slight deflation of the lower slopes but inflation on the mid slopes since April 2020. These parameters indicate that hydrothermal or magmatic activity is occurring beneath the edifice," Phivolcs said.

Solidum said the earthquakes recorded in Kanlaon Volcano for the past 24 hours are not destructive.

"The recorded earthquake events, although felt, are not destructive. The earthquakes are caused by movement of a fault in the lower slopes of the volcano. These do not indicate magma movement yet," he said.

THE Bureau of Immigration deported seven Chinese nationals for being fugitives from justice and working in the country without the appropriate permits and visas.

Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said the aliens were deported aboard two separate flights of China Southern Airlines bound for Xiamen that departed from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

Expelled from the country and banned from returning were identified as Yong Li, Li Jia, Ye Bin,and Wang Xuening, who are fugitives wanted for economic crimes in China while Xu Xiansheng, Gong Yaan and Xie Yuhong were deported for engaging in unauthorized black sand mining operations here.

“They were all sent home pursuant to deportation orders issued by our Board of Commissioners which also directed that they be placed in our blacklist,” according to BI port operations chief Grifton Medina. Vito Barcelo

NBI starts probe of online rape threat vs. Sharon’s daughter Frankie

By Willie Casas THE National Bureau of Investigation said on Monday it has started its investigation on the rape threat against Frankie Pangilinan, daughter of celebrity Sharon Cuneta and Senator Francis Pangilinan.

“May directive sa amin si OIC ng NBI (Eric Distor) para tingnan ‘yung issue (NBI OIC Eric Distor has di-

rective for us to look into the issue.),” NBI Cybercrime Division chief Victor Lorenzo said in a television interview.

“So far inumpisahan pa lang namin, tinitingnan namin yung kung saan kami mag-uumpisa, ano magiging lead (So far, we’ve just started. We’re looking at where to start and what will be the lead.),” Lorenzo also said.

"Tinitingnan na namin, kino-

collate na namin 'yung mga information, tama nga yung sinabi niyo, baka puwedeng i-invoke niya na identity theft or na-compromise lang 'yung account niya, kaya dino-document na namin," Lorenzo said on a separate interview on Dobol B sa News TV on Monday.

During the weekend, Cuneta said she would do whatever it takes to find the netizen and sue him for threatening to

NEW MOBILE PATROL CARS.

The Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc. turned over 20 mobile patrol vehicles to the Manila Police District on Monday.

Mayor Isko Moreno said that the donated patrol cars would help strengthen the police visibility and speed up the response time of police within the city. Norman Cruz

rape her daughter Frankie.

Frankie is known for starting the #HijaAko hashtag in response to TV and radio personality Ben Tulfo telling women to be "careful with the way you dress up" to avoid "inviting" rapists.

Frankie stirred a debate on social media on #HijaAko, an online movement to end victim-blaming in cases of sexual violence and harassment.

Du30 to join virtual Asean summit MALACAÑANG announced on Monday that President Rodrigo Duterte will participate in the virtual 36th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit which will be held on Friday, June 26.

Palace spokesman Harry Roque said to expect that the President will be "busy" for the summit that will be held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Ito po ay talagang a big event for all the countries of ASEAN, at magaganap po ito itong linggong ito.

So busy po si Presidente sa ASEAN Summit," Roque said.

(This is a big event for all countries of ASEAN this week. The President will be busy for the ASEAN Summit.)

The 36th ASEAN Summit was originally scheduled on June 27-28 in Vietnam from June 27 to June 28 but was postponed due to the pandemic.

Last April, Southeast Asian leaders held a special online summit to discuss the region's response to the pandemic, where Duterte said all countries should be given fair and easy access to potential coronavirus treatments and vaccines.

LGUs

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

A4

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2020

Controversy surrounds Didipio Mine

By Abe Almirol (Conclusion) “SINCE commencing commercial operations in 2013, the Didipio Mine has spent approximately P39.5 billion (US$790 million). That includes development expenditure for our host and neighboring communities, community investment projects, payments to national or local suppliers and contractors, government taxes and employee wages,” a statement

by OceanaGold Philippines claimed.

Of this expenditure, 96 percent (P38.3 billion) was paid to employees, government and businesses through salaries, taxes and procurement while P1.2 billion was spent for community development, the statement further explained.

But Nueva Vizcaya Governor Carlos M. Padilla believes the gains of 25 years of mining in his province is nothing compared to the destruction it caused.

“Let us not forget the human rights violations committed against our brothers and sisters, the pollution of the rivers due to chemicals, and the drying up of pump wells where we get our drinking water,” Padilla said in a statement.

The younger generation of Didipio residents disputed the governor’s point of view. In her Facebook page, Lenilee Ananayo, an employee of the company’s Community Relations Office, disagreed with the facts presented by Gov. Padilla.

Ananayo quoted a statement released by the local group Coalition of Communities for Sustainable Development, enumerating 20 points raised in response to the sentiments aired by anti-mining advocates like Gov. Padilla.

“The company has complied with all the regulations of the Mines and Geoscience Bureau. The company is also guided by globally accepted responsible mining principles. That is why MGB wrote a letter giving provisional permit to operate, which was not respected by the LGUs who opted to support an illegal blockade that crippled the Didipio mine,” Ananayo argued.

“The renewal of the FTAA of OceanaGold will certainly help boost economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic most specifically here in Didipio. When normal operation of the mine resumes, temporarily laid-off employees will be back to their jobs, not only Didipio locals but also employees from other places,” says Kimberly Guimbangan, a young entrepreneur who use to work with a contractor inside Didipio mine.

“Temporarily suspended projects will also resume, such as the road concreting as this will provide easier access down to Solano & Bambang, and also down to Quirino province. It will be a great relief for all specially for farmers so we can now transport our agricultural products easily,” Guimbangan added.

But the older generation of residents in Didipio prefer traditional living in their swidden farms and small-scale mines. Majority of the members of the group called Didipio Earth-Savers Multipurpose Association (DESAMA) and other groups against large-scale mining are older folks.

The election in May 2018 of Barangay Chairman Ireneo Bobbola, a traditional small-scale miner, turned the local government unit’s stand against the renewal of the FTAA. Didipio’s potential economic value could be computed by multiplying the current metal prices and the measured and indicated reserves of the mine—1.38 million ounces of Gold, 2.85 million ounces of Silver and 170,000 tons of Copper, the sum of which has an estimated valued of US$3.45 billion.

STILL PRETTY. Taal Volcano’s famed Crater Lake remains hauntingly beautiful, five months after its phreatic eruption last January 12, in this photo taken last Sunday. Benjamin Chavez

P’que village officials report illegal clinics

By Joel E. Zurbano

M

ULTINATIONAL Village officials in Parañaque City on Monday urged law enforcement agencies to conduct another inspection at the subdivision following intelligence reports that there were more illegal Chinese medical clinics in the area.

“If there are more illegal Chinese clinics or hospitals inside Multinational Village, let us raid and finish (them) off now,” said Arnel Gacutan, president of Multinational Village Homeowners Association Inc. (MVHAI).

Local authorities raided last Saturday the second illegal clinic in the subdivision reportedly being used to treat and test coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients, mostly Chinese nationals.

Chinese national Yongchun Cai, 51, manager of the establishment, was arrested but he refused to cooperate with police investigators, police sources said.

Agents of the National Bureau of Inves-

tigation-Task Force Against Illegal Drugs raided another clinic inside a house on Timothy Street, also in Multinational Village on May 29.

Arrested during the first raid were Liang Junshai, Pingqiang Long, Yanyun Jiang, and Tang Hong Shan.

Gacutan said the MVHAI was respecting the NBI’s jurisdiction over the case.

He explained that the association had no authority to pursue a separate investigation and deferred to the authorities as to the disposition of the case.

“We do not want to meddle or usurp jurisdiction from our duly constituted authorities, but we are actively cooperating

By Rio N. Araja QUEZON City Mayor Joy Belmonte has ordered city hall employees who worked during the enhanced community quarantine to undergo a swab test for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) from June 22 to June 26 inside the city hall compound.

“We will maximize all available resources within the bounds of the guidelines issued by the national government,” she said.

But she gave the personnel who would be found COVID-19 positive the assurance that time spent under quarantine would not be deducted from their sick leave.

She was referring to the guidelines released by ex-councilor Joseph Juico, project head of the city’s COVID-19 communitybased testing, citing among those to be prioritized are employees who have been involved in special amelioration program payouts and packing of relief.

While the city government would want to test all of its employees for COVID-19, she said the amended guidelines of the InterAgency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases had discouraged it to avoid the depletion of available test kits and testing resources.

“We will prioritize those who reported for work under the enhanced community quarantine since they have the higher chance (of contracting the disease) due to their possible exposure to the virus,” she added.

After that, employees of the other departments who have not been on-duty during the lockdown would be tested subject to the availability of test kits.

The city government identified city hall employees who were physically present during the enhanced community quarantine as those from the Office of the City Mayor, Office of the City

IN BRIEF Bacoor farm school reopens

SENATOR Cynthia Villar, advocate of urban gardening, re-opened the Villar SIPAG Farm School Bacoor and resumed training for agricrops production after it stopped its operation last March due to quarantine restrictions.

Villar, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food and director of the Villar Social Institute for Poverty Alleviation and Governance (Villar SIPAG), built farm schools in Las Pinas and San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan to promote agriculture in urban areas.

The first Villar SIPAG farm school inaugurated in 2015 is in a 4-hectare lot in the boundary of Las Piñas City and Bacoor.

The San Jose Del Monte Farm School, which opened in October 2016, sits in a 4-hectare land in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan.

Both schools have training areas, dormitories, farm houses and kitchen areas.

Also featured are vermi-composting facilities, kitchen waste composting facilities, greenhouses, spaces for livestock production aquaculture and cacao plantation under coconut trees.

Times were when training programs on Agri-Crops Production were held three times a year in both farms.

Macon Ramos-Araneta

Isabela orders mandatory tests

BED ASSIST. Vivant Corporation

and its subsidiaries are helping local government units address the needs of communities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The company helped set-up the COVID-19 response centers of Cebu City and Bantayan, Cebu by providing beds and mattresses (inset), and also gave rice, canned goods, personal protective equipment (PPE) suits and masks, medicines, medical supplies, and hygiene kits.

CAUAYAN CITY—The Provincial Government of Isabela has issued a memorandum ordering all Overseas Filipino Workers returning to the province to undergo the mandatory Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction test.

Gov. Rodito Albano 3rd said the issuance of Memorandum 2020-2 would ensure that each OFW returnee was free the deadly coronavirus disease 2019.

Lawyer Elizabeth Binag, Isabela provincial information officer, said the issuance of the memorandum by the governor was in response to reported OFWs who turned positive of the virus after they have arrived, some of them have mingled with relatives and friends, in the province.

“Although these OFW returnees have already been swab tested with negative results, they are still mandated to be brought to testing areas for their RTPCR tests,” Albano said.

For more than a month the province of Isabela has not recorded any report of COVID-19 infection until the arrival of locally stranded individuals and OFWs. Brenda Jocson

QC private subd. street on ‘lockdown’ THE Quezon City government has placed a portion of a street within a private subdivision on special concern lockdown after recording six active cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Assistant city administrator for operations Alberto Kimpo said a part of King Christian Street in Kingspoint Subdivision, Barangay Bagbag was put under special concern lockdown after one active case infected three persons in the same household and two more households in the area.

“We have to enforce special concern lockdown so as to avoid the virus from spreading to other streets,” he said.

At least 59 families with a total population of 243 reside in the area.

Dr. Rolly Cruz, head of the city health department’s Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit, said the distribution of case investigation forms began Tuesday.

“After that, we will conduct polymerase chain reaction testing on Wednesday until Friday on those who need them based on our assessment,” he said.

To date, four areas in Quezon City remained under special concern lockdown including Kaingin Bukid in Barangay Apolonio Samson, portions of Ermin Garcia Street and Imperial Street in Barangay E. Rodriguez, and the upper half of Calle 29 in Barangay Libis. Rio N. Araja

with them,” he said.

A week after the NBI raid, city police station commander Col. Robin Sarmiento issued a statement confirming that there was a possibility there are more underground Chinese clinics in Parañaque because there were many Chinese nationals who reside in the city.

This prompted Mayor Edwin Olivarez to instruct Sarmiento to launch an immediate operation against the establishment.

Residents informed Olivarez that several Chinese nationals were seen frequently entering the commercial buildings, rented homes and condo units in the village.

According to Gacutan, they have recorded about 3,500 Chinese nationals residing in the subdivision since December last year. Majority of the Chinese are employees of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators or POGOs. However, the foreigners are now only about 1,200 after they were stranded in their respective countries after the national government imposed a nationwide lockdown last March.

Swab test for City Hall employees

Manila police get 20 new patrol cars

By Willie Casas THE Federation of Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (FFCCCII) on Monday turned over 20 new police vehicles to the Manila Police District (MPD).

The new police vehicles—Toyota Vios units—were turned over during the flag-raising ceremony led by Manila City Mayor Francisco ‘Isko’ Domagoso at the Kartilya ng Katipunan.

With these vehicles, the Mayor said police visibility would be improved and response time against criminal activities would be more swift in the nation’s capital.

The vehicles were received by Domagoso as well as Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna-Pangan, MPD chief Rolando Miranda and National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Debold Sinas.

“These will greatly improve our police visibility. Reaction time will be swift. The vehicles will be deployed strategically in our precincts and stations,” Domagoso said during the flag raising ceremony.

“We will deploy one patrol car each for the MPD’s 11 stations to improve our police visibility,” he said.

Aside from the 20 Toyota Vios units, Domagoso said the MPD would also receive six tactical vehicles for its Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) personnel from the FFCCCII. FFCCCII officials who were present during the turnover ceremony were the organization’s president Dr. Henry Lim Bon Liong, vice presidents Dr. Cecile De Pedro and Victor Lim, honorary president Robin Sy, secretary general Dr. Fernando Gan and board member Nelson Guevarra.

TREE PLANTING. Renewable energy provider SN Aboitiz Power-Benguet (SNAP-

Benguet) overcame COVID-19 associated challenges to conclude successful tree planting activities in celebration of World Environment Month. Through its partnership with Tinongdan Indigenous Peoples Organization Inc. (TINPO), SNAP-Benguet facilitated tree planting activities in Camaya, Binga, and Tinongdan in Itogon, Benguet.

Opinion One hundred days of ineptitude EAGLE EYES

TONY LA VIÑA THIS week, Filipinos would have been locked down for a hundred days now in their homes, villages, cities, provinces, and islands. Some would cite March 15 as the day the first community quarantine was imposed on Metro Manila, making Sunday June 21 as the 100th day; others recall March 17 when a Luzon-wide and effective nationwide quarantine was announced, making Tuesday June 23, as the 100th day.

Nonetheless, regardless of how you count the days, everyone would agree that these have been difficult, challenging days.

God help us if the next days would be like this again.

There have been bright spots in the Duterte administration’s response to COVID-19. I supported at the beginning the overall decision to impose a general lockdown in the country. I supported the priority given to provide social amelioration subsidies to the most affected Filipinos.

Thankfully, the private sector and citizen organizations, including activist groups, also stepped up to the plate.

I acknowledge that individuals in government have done well. For example, Dr. Edsel Salvaña has been a consistent scientific voice in the COVID-19 Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases Resolutions.

Doctors Tony Leachon and Ted Herbosa have provided good advice to the IATF, even if the former was unceremoniously removed as adviser for speaking the truth.

The UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team has been a great resource.

Dr. Maria Rosario S. Vergeire, Health Undersecretary, has been a paragon of steady calm in her daily briefings. Early in the crisis, until he was removed, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles also gave excellent, informative briefings. Fortunately, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque is doing a good job in that challenging role.

On the economic challenges, the work of Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez, assisted by young officials of great integrity like Assistant Secretary Tony Lambino, and Acting NEDA Director General Karl Chua, whom I know to be an adaptive and imaginative leader, gives us a fighting chance.

Local government leaders have mostly risen up to the occasion. Outstanding work is being done, among others, by Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto, Marikina Mayor Marcy Teodoro, Makati Mayor Abby Binay, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, and Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong. Governors

Kaka Bag-ao of Dinagat Islands and Jurdin Jesus Romualdo of Camiguin are also doing excellent jobs in dealing with COVID-119, illustrating that island-based strategies in an archipelago are obviously successful approaches to a pandemic problem.

The best performer in government is hands down Vice-President Leni Robredo.

Raising her own funds and working mainly with volunteers, she has provided practical and effective solutions to the challenges brought by the pandemic. She has assisted frontliners—providing among others PPEs, transportation services, and even rooming facilities where needed. She has also assisted locally stranded individuals and helped them get home.

While recognizing individual efforts, it must be said that these last one hundred days have not been good for the country— and not just because of the virus, which is not the fault of the Duterte administration, but because of the ineptitude of government.

The misery of our people resulting from the coronavirus pandemic and the government’s flawed response to it is unprecedented. In a special Social Weather Stations (SWS) COVID-19 Mobile Phone Survey, conducted from May 4-10, 2020 among working-age Filipinos, SWS found 83 percent of respondents saying their quality of life got worse (termed by SWS as “Losers”), versus 10 percent saying it was the same (“Unchanged”), and only 6 percent saying it got better (“Gainers”), compared to a year ago. It should be noted that this drop in quality of life is nationwide with all-time low figures compared to previous surveys, according to SWS, in all regions from Luzon to Mindanao and with people from all classes affected (even as the poorer one is, the bigger the negative impact) The ineptitude of government is illustrated most in the failure, even after a 100 days, to put up an effective testing and contact tracing apparatus. This has made all our sacrifices in locking down pointless, ensuring second and future waves of infections.

This ineptitude is also clear in the government’s failure to provide transportation services to bring essential workers to work and make sure stranded Filipinos would be able to get home. The death of Michelle Silvertino, stranded in Pasay, is directly attributable to this. Her face will be the lasting image of the Duterte era.

Finally, we see the ineptitude of government at the highest levels of leadership— the President, the Secretary of Health, and the retired generals, in charge of the overall response of the country. They are blaming others for their failures, have imposed a militaristic approach on a health problem, and have guaranteed a divided, angry, and miserable country.

God help us if the next one hundred days would be like this again.

Facebook page: deantonylavs Twitter: tonylavs

‘Disruptive’ entrepreneur launches all-in app ABOUT TOWN

ERNESTO M. HILARIO WHAT business theory now refers to as "disruptive innovation" means change that creates a new market and value network and eventually disrupts an existing market and value network by displacing established market-leading firms and products.

Ceazar Cortez Fradejas is not by any means a newcomer in Philippine business, having taken part in a number of entrepreneurial ventures after finishing college at the National University.

He is the Philippines operations manager of Sun and Sun Group, a Singapore-based company with diversified investment interests, including property development, with emphasis on integrated lifestyle communities, and asset and fund management. The company has also branched out into infrastructure, mining, media, energy, shipping and environmental protection.

Fradejas is in fact a disruptive innovator as his latest project, Florence.com.ph Corporation, a tech company, seeks to capture a big slice of the market with a bundled app that gives users convenient access to various products and services.

Why Florence.com.ph Corporation?

The original concept was to open an online shop selling the Florence 4-in-1 supplement, which contains four nutrients essential for beauty and wellness: glutathione (skin whitening); collagen (anti-aging), garcinia cambogia (slimming); and mangosteen (anti-oxidant).

The 4-in-1 supplement was specially formulated and clinically tested and approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It is also halal-certified and is the company's fastest-selling product. It has received a Seal of Quality Excellence by the 18th Q Asia Quality Excellence Awards for 2019-2020.

Because of high demand for the product, Fradejas and his team re-engineered Florence. com.ph Corporation as a one-stop shop to serve the growing needs of its customers.

The Florence App is designed to create more economic opportunities, enhance financial freedom and stability, and share wealth and knowledge for those who become members of the Florence Club All-Access, the businessman explained.

TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2020

B1

Adelle Chua, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

EDITORIAL

W

Difficult to love

E are almost certain that when a worldrenowned diva recently exclaimed—with an expletive to emphasize her point—that the Philippines is so difficult to love, she didn't have workers specifically in mind.

in Cabuyao City, Laguna; the murder of a union organizer in June 2019, and the killing of a union leader in November 2019, also in Cabuyao.

Yet Filipino workers could very well adopt her observation, given the lack of proper pay and protection they receive as a matter of course.

Once again, the Philippines made the list of 10 worst countries for working people, joining the likes of Bangladesh, Brazil, Egypt, Honduras, India, Kazakhstan, Turkey and Zimbabwe, according to the 2020 global rights index of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).

In the Philippines, union members are particularly at risk of violence, intimidation and murder, the ITUC said in its report. “In a context of extreme state violence and suppression of civil liberties, employers’ tactics to label unions as ‘subversive organizations’ in a process commonly known as “red-tagging,” exposed their members to violence and repression,” the ITUC said.

“In 2019, an increasing number of trade unionists were arrested in their homes and charged on dubious grounds, such as illegal possession of firearms, which had been planted by security forces,” the report continued.

The ITUC then went on to identify several instances of violence against workers, including the violent dispersal of a strike in July 2019 by a condiment company’s plant

The Philippines made the list of 10 worst countries for working people.

The ITUC also took note of the establishment of Joint Industrial Peace and Concern Offices, which it says were used to spy on trade unions and militant labor groups in the name of combating communist infiltration of the labor force in industrial zones.

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) said it was not surprised by the country’s inclusion in the list of worst countries for working people, saying “the writing is clearly on the wall.”

"When we consider the actual circumstances on the ground, the current state of labor relations policy during the quarantine allowing wage reductions and suspending

labor rights inspections, the anti-labor and the anti-consumer program of our economic managers to raise anew excise taxes and opposing security of tenure, as well as the dangerous political slide towards authoritarianism evidenced by passage of the anti-terror bill, we see the handwriting clearly on the wall," the TUCP statement said. "There remains unresolved assassinations, allegedly labor-related disappearances, various repressions, red-tagging, and wanton attacks on workers and workers' fundamental rights that make the current environment dangerous and difficult for workers.”

As if this weren't enough, a study conducted in January this year by the e-commerce company Picodi found that the Philippines is also one of the worst countries to live for minimum wage earners because food costs take up so much of their take-home pay.

While the company noted a 3.2 percent increase in the minimum wage from last year, food prices eat up a significant portion—up to 62 percent--of the compensation that minimum wage earners took home, which is far from ideal. This ranked the Philippines at No. 51 out of 54 countries in terms of the ratio of food prices to the minimum wage.

The results of these studies—and the everyday experiences of millions of Filipinos at toil away for employers that don't even bother to compensate them properly—give credence, indeed, to the observation that this is a country that is difficult to love, especially if you are a worker.

I Ressa my case The recent conviction of Rappler’s Maria Ressa for cyber-libel has upset the usual suspects.

But even from the likes of them, it was a really low blow for St. Scholastica’s resident NDFin-chief Sister Mary John to scold the lady judge behind the verdict as being unworthy of her diploma from that school.

Abroad, Mrs George “Amal” Clooney weighed in from the Soros crowd, but I won’t hold it too much against her because I remember that she also took former President Arroyo’s illegal detention case to international court years ago.

The Ressa case is now being conflated with the cancellation of ABS-CBN’s franchise as the latest example of the death of press freedom “by a thousand cuts,” as the latest Ressa documentary breathlessly claims. But the facts of both cases are pretty straightforward: in the case of ABS-CBN, they just waited too long to apply for renewal even though the deadline was staring them in the face for ages.

It’s only when you read about both cases from the yellows and reds that you think the country is going to hell in a Davao handbasket.

In Ressa’s case, the verdict is dozens of pages long and meticulously argued. So far the only credible criticism I’ve seen is that the case should have been covered by a more recent one-year prescription period rather than the older 12-year period. It’s a technical issue that lawyers will dance around. Of course, the yellows invoking that technicality were up in arms before when, say, Meilou Sereno was kicked out of the Supreme Court on a quo warranto case that rested largely on technicalities.

For those who prefer substance, I offer the following couple of takeaways: One, the context for Ressa’s libelous piece was its publication as part of a larger campaign, nearly ten years ago, to destroy the reputation of former Chief Justice Corona in order to bring about his impeachment, but which

line monitoring; and e-wallet.

The latest version of Florence App contains new and enhanced features, according to the businessman. These include improvements in overall app performance; minor bugs fixes; and better graphical user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices through graphical icons and audio indicator instead of text-based user interfaces, typed command labels or text navigation.

It gives users Through the Florence App, members can convenient access to make use of an easy and convenient money transfer service; pay bills online; make airline various products and and hotel bookings wherever they are; avail of services. convenient e-loading of mobile phones; and get in touch with secure and reliable courier services.

There's more. Members can also estabThe app is downloadable for free at the lish linkages with major industries and supply company website and at Google Play. It is chains such as malls, restaurants, insurance, car compatible with Android phones and will dealers, media, and manufacturing firms, among others, through the Affiliate Alliance Program. soon be available for iOS (iPhone) users.

The app can refer users to a multi-media/ With the Florence App, users can build a sustainable business by monitoring daily fi- digital creative and production group that can nancial activities anytime, anywhere. They develop advertising, events, and promotional can also manage, control and organize the net- materials for both members and non-members.

Through the Florence Ministry of Giving and work marketing business.

The Florence App contains everything its Social Engagement Program (SEP), memneeded to successfully manage online market- bers can assist people in need during calamities ing operations, including customizable mem- and emergencies.

Fradejas revealed that already in the pipeline bership features. Its key features are an interactive dashboard; profile management; down are more services in the months ahead.

FORMATION

GARY OLIVAR ended up in his fatal heart attack. The main blame for that death rests, not with Ressa, but with the autistic anomaly Pnoy.

Two, Ressa as well as ABS-CBN owner

The facts are pretty straightforward.

Gabby Lopez have been pilloried for their foreign citizenships. This should prompt us to remove the Constitutional restriction on foreign ownership of mass media. In today’s interconnected world, what should matter is the content of any media product, not the passport of its producer. There were a lot more Filipinos complicit in the Corona lynching than there were foreigners. They are, if anything, even more liable. *** Moving on to everyone’s favorite topic these days: health, shelter, and rice were the key issues on our minds in the midst of the pandemic during the second quarter, according to my media guru friend Eero Brillantes. His company, BluePrint PH, uses big data analytics imported from Singapore to scour literally hundreds of millions of public social media data points—from posts to shares to mood icons—for insights into the public pulse.

One, specialized services for members engaged in stocks and commodities trading.

Members can earn extra rewards by using their e-wallets. The rewards can be converted into value points and directed to the user's e-wallets.

Two, cryptocurrency exchange. The app provides members with a unique platform where they can purchase cryptocurrencies from their e-wallets or vice versa. It also offers members the chance to earn more rewards and cashbacks.

Three, forex services to members, who can change money from their e-wallets to other currencies or vice versa.

And four, e-commerce services. This unique e-commerce platform is a shopping hub for selling products and services worldwide. It is open to all manufacturers, but this service is exclusively for members only.

Fradejas is optimistic that the one-stop-shop Florence app offered by Florence.com.ph Corporation, where he is the founder, president and CEO, will definitely be a game-changer.

In fact, Google Play has already given the app a five-star rating, proof positive, he says, that they're on the right track in offering the public an all-in platform that not only offers utmost convenience but will also be indispensable during the new normal in the post-pandemic era.

Over the last quarter, out of half a billion data points mined, more than 300 million points concerned health issues. Eero says many of our people expressed anger over the mistreatment of health frontliners, while positive feelings were evoked by stories of their sacrifices as well as perceived good performance by various mayors.

The second key issue, housing, was also influenced by the widespread experience of enforced stay-at-home under the lockdown.

Across over a hundred million data points, the housing issue usually came up in conjunction with work, family and security concerns. It was also concentrated in Metro Manila, where the severity of lockdown was most widely felt within this densely populated area.

Rice was the third key issue, with over 50 million data points, as government at all levels sought to address the social impact of the lockdown by distributing food packs containing rice during the first weeks of the crisis. Eero opines that the rice issue “represents a rare combination of national concern, local leadership, and an essential aspect of the Filipino identity.”

Eero scanned a total of 11 issues over the period, including peace and order, rice, health, unemployment, housing, small business, education, utilities, OFWs, access to information, public transportation. This whole new approach to taking the public pulse addresses the usual concerns about bias in traditional sampling-based surveys by bypassing the samples and going straight to the population itself.

With everybody online these days, combined with today’s computing power, it’s a technology advance that promises to change the way democratic governance, as well as private commerce, is conducted.

Readers can write me at gbolivar1952@yahoo.com.

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World

TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2020

JIMBO OWEN GULLE, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Britain declares deadly stabbing spree ‘terrorism’ READING—British police said Sunday they were treating a stabbing spree in which a lone assailant killed three people in a park filled with families and friends in Reading as “terrorism”.

The police said three people were also seriously injured and a 25-year-old resident of the historic town 60 kilometres (35 miles) west of London was detained.

Local and counter-terror police made no reference to reports that the man was a Libyan refugee who has been granted asylum in Britain.

Footage showed what appeared to be a large number of counter-terror police performing a controlled explosion at the suspect’s presumed residence shortly after the Saturday evening attack.

“This morning, I can formally confirm that this has been declared a terrorist incident,” counter-terror police chief Neil Basu said.

“Although the motivation for this heinous act is far from certain, Counter

Terrorism Policing South East has taken on responsibility for leading this investigation.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was “appalled and sickened” by the bloodshed at Forbury Gardens—a popular park situated next to the ruins of the 12th-century Reading Abbey.

“If there are lessons that we need to learn about how we handle such cases, about how we handle events leading up to such cases, then we will learn those lessons, and we will not hesitate to take action when necessary,” Johnson said in televised comments.

A Black Lives Matter protest took place at the park earlier but police said there was no indication the two were linked.

“We had all left by the time this happened,” the Reading BLM event organiser Nieema Hassan said.

Britain’s terror alert level was kept at “substantial”—the third highest on a five-point scale. AFP

RED HOT. The Pacaya volcano, seen from Rodeo village in San Vicente

Pacaya municipality about 45 km south of Guatemala City, erupts on June 20 (Saturday). AFP

Brazil virus toll at 50k; Spain reopens

R

IO DE JANEIRO — Brazil registered its 50,000th death from the coronavirus outbreak on Sunday, underlining Latin America’s desperate struggle to contain the disease, as Europe’s gradual emergence from lockdown was marked by Spain reopening its borders.

Brazil is the second worst-affected country behind the United States, and the spread of COVID-19 is accelerating across Latin America, with Mexico, Peru and Chile also hard-hit as death tolls soar and healthcare facilities are pushed toward collapse.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who has been fiercely criticized for comparing the virus to a “little flu,” argues the economic impact of shutdowns is often worse than the virus itself.

But Mexico City has delayed reopen-

ing markets, restaurants, malls, hotels and places of worship, with the country now recording over 20,000 COVID-19 deaths.

Highlighting the region’s woes, Peru passed 8,000 deaths on Sunday despite preparing to reopen shopping malls on Monday.

In contrast, primary and secondary school children will return to class in France on Monday, and cinemas and theaters will also reopen.

One cinema in Paris opened just

after midnight to mark the occasion, with audiences cheering the opening credits.

“We booked immediately. It’s not our usual schedule, but it will create a nice memory after these difficult weeks,” one cinema-goer named Loriane told AFP. On Sunday, traffic flowed again across the Spain-France border in a watershed moment for the millions of businesses and workers across Europe who have suffered from the economic downturn.

“We wanted to be in Spain for the sun, the beach, tapas, and I’m already wearing my swimsuit under my clothes,” said Frenchwoman Sylvia Faust, who crossed into Spain with her 17-year-old daughter.

Spain welcomes tourists Clusters have also emerged in the Palestinian territories, Morocco and Iran,

where officials have now registered more than 100 deaths a day for three days running.

Beijing is also battling a new outbreak of over 200 cases.

The authorities have taken more than two million test samples and banned imports of chicken from an American producer, suspecting the virus could have been in contaminated food.

COVID-19 has now killed more than 465,000 people and infected almost nine million worldwide.

Although the spread has slowed in Europe, it remains the worst-affected continent, with more than 2.5 million cases.

Spain has been among Europe’s hardest-hit nations, but on Sunday it lifted a slew of restrictions in a bid to get its tourism industry back up and running. AFP

Ex-Trump aide Bolton: Nokor’s Kim ‘laughing at US president’

IN BRIEF Millions of leaflets to rain on S. Korea

SEOUL—North Korea has millions of propaganda leaflets ready to send to the South by an aerial armada of balloons, it said Monday, heightening its rhetoric against Seoul after blowing up a liaison office.

In recent weeks Pyongyang has issued a series of vitriolic condemnations of Seoul over anti-North leaflets, which defectors based in the South send across the border—usually attached to balloons or floated in bottles.

The North says it will have nothing more to do with Seoul, and last week blew up a liaison office on its side of the border that symbolised inter-Korean rapprochement, while threatening to bolster its military presence in and near the Demilitarized Zone.

Analysts say Pyonygang has been conducting a series of staged provocations aimed at forcing concessions from Seoul and Washington with nuclear talks at a standstill.

Ostensibly the source of its anger is the leaflets which it says insult the dignity of its leadership—a reference to leader Kim Jong Un. It is preparing to retaliate with its “largest-ever distribution of leaflets against the enemy”, the official Korean Central News Agency reported Monday. AFP

Russia war parade

‘DIE-IN’ PROTEST. An activist from the Extinction Rebellion movement’s Red Bridage walks past other activists staging a “die-in” as they demonstrate for climate justice in a parade titled “Discobedience” in Berlin’s Neukoelln district on June 21. AFP

With ties in balance, EU, China hold tense summit BRUSSELS, Belgium —Chinese leaders and senior EU officials hold a video summit Monday with tensions rising over new tariffs targeting Chinese firms and European disquiet at Beijing’s assertiveness on the world stage.

The heads of the EU’s main institutions will discuss the coronavirus with top Chinese leaders, after Brussels infuriated Beijing by accusing it of a campaign of disinformation around the pandemic.

The EU will be represented by Euro-

pean Council President Charles Michel and European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen.

Premier Li Keqiang will be the main Chinese representative and President Xi Jinping is also expected to make a video statement.

China and the EU both say they want to strengthen ties, but the relationship is tangled in a thicket of disagreements on topics ranging from trade and investment rules to human rights and national security.

Beijing’s ambassador to the EU Manila said last week that Monday’s talks andard were a chance to make relations TODAY “more productive and substantive by seizing opportunities and adNOTICE dressing challenges”.

But he rapped Brussels over Notice is hereby given that JG JINMEN LEISURES CORPORATION with office address at plans for tougher rules for heav100 Don A. Roces Avenue, Brgy, Obrero, Quezon ily subsidised foreign companies, City is applying for registration with the Board of Investments (BOI) as a New Operator of Tourist which would particularly target Accommodation Facility under the Special Laws Chinese firms, saying the EU Tourism - Hotel (Citadines Roces) with a capacity of was not practising the openness it 185 rooms on a Non-Pioneer status, with project site located at 100 Don A. Roces Avenue, Brgy, Obrero, preached to others.

Quezon City.

US President Donald Trump Any person with valid objection/s on the abovehas pursued a bruising trade war mentioned project may file his/her objection in with China, and warned last week writing, under oath, with the BOI within three (3) days from the date of this publication. of “complete decoupling” while suggesting the novel coronavirus (SGD.) ANGELITA F. ARCELLANA Director is sometimes called “Kung Flu”, Infrastructure and Services Industries Service in a jibe at China.

The EU has taken a more bal(MS-JUNE 23, 2020)

anced approach, characterising China as a “systemic rival” and competitor but also as a partner on some issues. The bloc’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has urged a hard-headed approach.

At talks with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last week, Borrell proposed a dialogue with Washington aimed at forging a common trans-Atlantic front against Beijing—though he has also stressed the EU must pursue its own interests and not simply toe the American line.

Human rights The bloc has sought to challenge China on human rights issues such as Tibet and Hong Kong, where European capitals are extremely concerned about Beijing’s proposed new security law.

On Friday, the EU demanded the immediate release of a Chinese human rights lawyer jailed for “inciting subversion of state power” after penning an open letter calling for constitutional reforms.

But while such calls have occasionally irritated Beijing, they have done nothing to alter China’s course and it is not expected to budge on Monday.

Cui Hongjian of the China Institute of International Studies said officials would defend their position on Hong Kong and explain the need for the new law—as Foreign Minister Wang Yi did in recent talks with EU counterparts. AFP

WASHINGTON — Former US nationahead of key vote al security advisor John Bolton said MOSCOW—Thousands of Russian Sunday he thinks North Korean leader troops will march in Moscow on WednesKim Jong Un “gets a huge laugh” over day as President Vladimir Putin brushes US counterpart Donald Trump’s peroff virus fears to host a World War II comception of their relationship. memoration ahead of a crucial vote on his Bolton spoke to ABC News for rule. his first interview ahead of the TuesThe military display in Red Square to mark 75 years since the Soviet victory day release of his tell-all book, which in World War II had been scheduled for contains many damning allegations May 9 but the Kremlin postponed it citing against Trump. requests from veterans, as coronavirus When journalist Martha Raddatz cases shot up. asked if Trump “really believes Kim Putin rescheduled the event as soon as Jong Un loves him,” Bolton replied he lockdown measures eased, keen to move could see no other explanation. on from an outbreak that has hit his coun“I think Kim Jong Un gets a huge try hard. laugh out of this,” Bolton said. “These With more than 8,000 recorded fatalities and around 580,000 confirmed COletters that the president has shown to VID-19 infections, Russia has the panthe press... are written by some funcdemic’s third largest caseload after the tionary in the North Korean Workers United States and Brazil.

Party agitprop office.

The parade coincides with the anniver“And yet, the president has looked at sary of the first post-war parade on Red them as evidence of this deep friendship,” Square, which saw Soviet troops throw he said, adding that friendship does not down Nazi standards in front of the Lenin amount to international diplomacy. mausoleum on June 24, 1945.

Bolton also said he does not considIt comes just a week ahead of a national er Trump to be fit for office and hopes vote on constitutional amendments that would allow Putin, in power since 2000, he is a one-term president. to reset his term-limit clock to zero and “I hope (history) will remember him stay in the Kremlin until 2036. AFP as a one-term president who didn’t plunge the country irretrievably into a downward spiral we can’t recall from.

Hundreds nabbed We can get over one term,” he said. at virus protest Bolton added that he will vote for THE HAGUE—Dutch police on Sunday neither Trump nor Democrat Joe charged on horseback and fired water Biden in the November presidential cannon to disperse protesters said to be elections. Instead, he will “figure out frustrated with the government’s coroa conservative Republican to write in” navirus policies, arresting hundreds after CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK on the ballot. skirmishes broke out.

Trump’s administration had sought Hundreds of people gathered in the city to halt publication of Bolton’s book, centre, many carrying placards or holding but a US judge refused Saturday to hands, to demonstrate against measures including the 1.5 metre social distancing rule. block its release, saying it was too late Acting mayor Johan Remkes had inifor a restraining order. tially barred the protest but later agreed to ‘Last straw’ a time-limited demonstration.

“The Room Where it Happened” is The city’s top official did not just ban the Bolton’s portrait of 17 months up close demonstration because of coronavirus meawith Trump until he was fired last Sepsures, the ANP national news agency said. tember.

Remkes “feared disorder because police In his interview, Bolton said he had had information that groups of troublemakresigned, noting that the “last straw” ers, among them football supporters would take part in the demonstration”, it added. for him was when Trump invited the Police said the protest was peaceful unTaliban to Camp David during Afghan til a group of football fans clashed with peace negotiations. riot police at the nearby Central Station, Bolton’s book, which Trump dethrowing stones and bottles. scribes as “fiction,” describes the Officers later surrounded dozens of president “pleading” with Chinese demonstrators who refused to leave the President Xi Jinping during trade nenearby Malieveld grounds, a few hundred gotiations to boost the US president’s metres (yards) from the station. AFP chances of re-election.AFP

Business Wirecard says missing $2.1-b trust accounts ‘do not exist’ FRANKFURT AM MAIN, Germany—Shooting-star German payments provider Wirecard on Monday admitted 1.9 billion euros that auditors say are missing from its accounts likely “do not exist,” fueling fraud suspicions that saw its CEO resign.

The group withdrew preliminary results for 2019 and the first quarter of this year as well as financial targets for 2025, and said: “Potential effects on the annual financial accounts of previous years cannot be excluded.”

The scandal marks a stunning fall from grace for the Bavarian start-up, set up in 1999 and once seen as a darling of the fintech scene owing to the global increase in electronic payments.

Wirecard’s revelation followed the resignation of the company’s founder and chief executive Markus Braun on Friday after the firm was hit with fresh fraud allegations that have left it struggling for survival.

Auditors Ernst & Young said on Thursday that 1.9 billion euros ($2.1 billion) were missing from Wirecard’s accounts, and Braun resigned the next day.

“The Management Board of Wirecard assesses on the basis of further examination that there is a prevailing likelihood that the bank trust account balances in the amount of 1.9 billion EUR do not exist,” the Wirecard statement said.

“The company previously assumed that these trust accounts have been established for the benefit of the company in connection with the so called Third Party Acquiring business and has reported them as an asset in its financial accounts.”

From humble beginnings processing payments for porn and gambling sites, the firm entered Germany’s prestigious DAX 30 index with great fanfare in 2018 after elbowing out traditional lender Commerzbank.

But since then Wirecard has been dogged by a series of articles in the Financial Times alleging accounting irregularities in its Asian operations.

On Sunday, the Philippines central bank said that none of the missing $2.1 billion had entered the Philippine financial system. The names of two of the country’s biggest banks—BDO and BPI—were used to try to mislead eventual investigators, it added.

Both BDO and BPI have said that Wirecard was neither a client nor a business partner, the central bank said.

They informed Ernst & Young that documents attesting to the presence of the supposed funds were “spurious,” the central bank added.

The company’s four board members—including Braun—have been under investigation since early June

by Munich prosecutors for “market manipulation,” and Wirecard’s headquarters were searched as part of the probe. AFP

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TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2020 || extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market up slightly; SM Prime climbs

S

hare prices rose slightly Monday in cautious trading, with investors keeping a nervous eye on a spike in virus infections in the local front and around the world.

Tokyo lost 0.2 percent and Shanghai ended down 0.1 percent, while Seoul shed 0.7 percent and Wellington dropped 0.9 percent. Bangkok and Jakarta were also down, with Sydney flat.

But Mumbai rose along with Taipei The Philippine Stock Exchange In- port, though observers say an equities and Singapore. dex added 32.36 points, or 0.5 percent, rally from their March trough may have US investors were spooked Friday to 6,347.43 on a value turnover of P7.3 been overcooked. when Apple said it would shut some billion. Losers, however, beat gainers, But after enjoying a broadly positive stores it had recently reopened because 113 to 87, with 47 issues unchanged. week, traders turned cautious on news of new cases.

Newly-listed MerryMart Consumer of a worrying jump in fresh cases in At the same time, though, European Corp., the fast-rising supermarket chain several US states including California, countries are slowly emerging from owned by businessman Edgar Sia II, Texas and Florida, while China, Austra- their economy-sapping lockdowns, with surged 22 percent to P3.60, while SM lia, Germany and Japan are also battling Spain opening its borders, welcoming Prime Holdings Inc. of the Sy Group, new outbreaks. flights, while schools, cinemas and theadvanced 2.4 percent to P32.20.

That comes after the World Health Or- aters reopened in France.

Universal Robina Corp. of the Go- ganization last week warned of a “new “Global stocks are finding support (in) kongwei Group, the biggest snack food and dangerous phase” of the pandemic, that for now, rising daily COVID-19 casmaker, climbed 2.3 percent to P132.50, with people tiring of lockdowns despite es are staying local and failing to have while DMCI Holdings Inc. of the Con- the disease’s accelerating spread. a global impact. So investors can take sunji Group, increased 2.1 percent to Hong Kong dipped 0.7 percent fol- some solace in that,” said Stephen Innes P4.33. lowing reports that China will set up a at AxiCorp.

The rest of Asian markets mostly fell “national security agency” in the city “What is vital for the economy is Monday, while Europe pressed ahead to oversee a controversial security law, whether governments reimpose widewith the easing of lockdown measures. which is said to override any existing sweeping lockdowns. With the overA wall of cash from governments legislation in the city. The bill has raised all count low globally, that’s unlikely, and central banks around the world also fears it will end the financial hub’s lim- whereas proximity or soft lockdowns continues to provide much-needed sup- ited freedoms. like in Beijing is more likely.” AFP

PSEi June 22, 2020 TOP GAINERS

TOP LOSERS

MOST ACTIVE

REOPENED BORDER. People enjoy a day out at the beach in Roses on June 21, 2020. Traffic flowed again across Spain’s border with France as the last of the strict Spanish coronavirus restrictions introduced in March were eased. AFP

Lufthansa readies backup plans amid opposition to $10.1-b rescue package FRANKFURT—German airline group Lufthansa says it has backup plans ready in case shareholders reject a nine-billion-euro ($10.1 billion) pandemic rescue plan agreed with the state.

Like rival airlines, Lufthansa was plunged into crisis after efforts to contain the coronavirus brought air travel to a near standstill for several months this year.

“If the shareholder meeting does not give its approval for the federal government’s stabilization measures, we have made extensive preparations,” chief executive Carsten Spohr said in a letter sent to employees Sunday and seen by AFP. Investors are to meet Thursday to sign off on the rescue that was hammered out in arduous talks with Berlin and which would see

the government climb aboard with a 20-percent stake and an option on five percent more.

But with shareholders representing just 38 percent of Lufthansa’s capital registered to participate in the meeting, two-thirds backing will be needed to approve the plan rather than a simply majority if turnout were higher.

‘Avoid insolvency’ Rail industry tycoon and German billionaire Heinz-Hermann Thiele has in recent weeks built up a 15-percent stake in Lufthansa, making him the group’s largest single shareholder and raising fears he could block the government deal.

Thiele told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung daily last week that his grab for shares was “not a signal that I will vote against any-

thing,” but added that “not all the possibilities were exhausted” in bosses’ talks with Berlin.

Economy Minister Peter Altmaier and Finance Minister Olaf Scholz are to meet with Thiele and Lufthansa representatives for lastditch talks later on Monday, sources told AFP. Thiele in particular objects to the state taking a stake in Lufthansa, and has pointed out that Air France-KLM received state aid in the form of loans rather than government shareholdings.

If Lufthansa’s shareholders reject the rescue package, the group— which also includes Swiss, Austrian and Brussels Airlines—could be forced to launch insolvency proceedings.

Spohr said the company would continue to “discuss options with

the government” until the very last moment and vowed to do everything necessary to avoid grounding the fleet again.

“Our goal of course remains to avoid insolvency and all its consequences,” Spohr wrote in the letter, adding that he felt a “great responsibility” towards Lufthansa’s 138,000 employees.

To ease some of the uncertainty, Spohr said Lufthansa was taking the unprecedented step of paying employees their June salaries several days early.

Shares in Lufthansa were down 5.5 percent at 9.61 euros at around 0930 GMT on Monday, the first day the firm was trading on the mid-sized MDax index after coronavirus-related losses edged it out of the prestigious DAX 30. AFP

London airport reopens after 3 months as restrictions ease

By Dmitry Zaks LONDON―London City Airport received its first commercial flight in nearly three months Sunday as Britain moved another step closer to fully emerging from its coronavirus lockdown on July 4.

The gateway to the once-bustling Canary Warf and City financial districts welcomed a short flight from the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea. The small turboprop plane’s landing and quick departure for its return leg was the only one scheduled―but officials could hardly sound more pleased.

“This clear early demand from our passengers to get back to flying is really encouraging,” airport chief executive Robert Sinclair said.

Initial routes will be domestic because of international travel restrictions and only a handful of destinations will be served in the first weeks.

London businesses are also unhappy with the government’s divisive decision to impose 14-day quarantines on most people arriving in Britain.

“Both blanket Foreign Office advice not to travel abroad and the mandatory two-week quarantine for all arrivals into the UK should be limited to the highest risk countries,” the London First busi-

ness lobby said on the airport’s website.

Heathrow and London’s smaller Gatwick and Stansted airports remained partially open throughout the crisis.

Two-meter battle Britain’s official death toll of 42,632 is Europe’s highest and third globally behind the United States and Brazil.

But health officials lowered the alert level to three on a five-point scale on Friday―a signal the government needed to take a more business-friendly approach.

British pubs and restaurants are most upset about a requirement for people to stay two meters (six feet) apart in public.

Business owners complain the restriction means they cannot seat enough people to make a profit.

The measure is also partially blamed for the government’s inability to reopen schools before the summer break.

British newspapers and business figures have been waging a war against it for weeks.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson― his approval ratings dropping as the economic toll of the health disaster climbs―is expected Tuesday to give the formal go-ahead for pubs and restaurants to start seating clients on July 4.

Some hair salons have also started taking bookings for July in anticipation.

But most will be watching to see what he has to say about the two-meter requirement―an issue that some critics view as emblematic of Johnson’s incongruous response to the crisis.

The Telegraph newspaper said Johnson will announce a “one meter plus” rule that allows people everywhere to stand closer together if they wear masks.

Public anger “There are all sorts of mitigations that can be put in place to be physically closer than two meters but not have the transmission of the virus or the risk of spreading the coronavirus,” Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the BBC. But public frustration at the government’s response to the crisis is becoming clear.

A YouGov poll showed Johnson’s approval rating slipping into negative territory for the first time since he took over last July.

Surveys show that not everyone wants an immediate end to restrictions, but the list of grievances appears to be on the rise.

“How can it be that it looks like we are going to end up with a higher death toll, a longer lockdown and a worse economic hit? How does that happen?” a Sky News presenter asked Hancock on a popular Sunday politics show. AFP

Passengers arrive at an airport in the United Kingdom on June 15, 2020 as Easyjet resumes flights for the first time since the March coronavirus lockdown. AFP

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

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TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2020

Largest bicycle producer plans manufacturing facility in PH

By Othel V. Campos THE Department of Trade and Industry is wooing the world’s largest bicycle manufacturer to invest in the Philippines and meet the rising demand for zero-emission mobility in the country.

Trade Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo said the agency was holding talks with Giant Manufacturing Company based in Taiwan.

“Initial discussions from last year continue to provide a good lead to investments. From what we have discussed so far, they said they are interested,” Rodolfo said.

The department is monitoring the domestic demand for the bicycles and its strong growth trajectory, which is expected to accelerate once Congress approves the bill protecting bicycle users.

“If we see good indications of growing demand for bicycles, we can reposition production towards the domestic market,” Rodolfo disclosed.

Giant is the world’s largest bike manufacturer by revenue which has factories in Taiwan, China and the Netherlands. The company sells bikes under its own name and toll manufactures them for other major brands.

Senator Pia Cayetano earlier filed Senate Bill No. 1518 or the Safe Pathways Act to protect cyclists on the streets. The bill proposes the creation of linked bicycle lanes and emergency pathways to form a network of routes that will bring people safely to essential destinations especially in times of emergency situations, where transportation can be a problem.

Rodolfo said the bill would not only promote healthy living with the proposed creation of bicycle lanes, but would also attract investments from bicycle and related companies.

“We would like to add a twist to that bill. We hope investors will find it interesting to sustain a bicycle market in the Philippines,” he said.

Several bicycle manufacturers and exporters currently operate in economic zones in Cavite and Laguna. One of them, Shimano (Philippines) Inc., a subsidiary of Shimano Singapore Inc., started operating in 2015 from its plant in Tanauan, Batangas.

Business

Prime Metroline of Razon invests P1.5b in solar farm stand-alone power source or combined with other forms of power generation and storage are the future of power genRIME Metroline eration both in terms of reliability and Infrastructure cost,” Razon, chairman of Prime Infra, Holdings Corp. (Prime said in a statement.

The agreement enables SPTC, owned Infra) of businessman by young businessman and president Enrique Razon said Monday Leandro Leviste, to expand the Concepit signed an agreement with cion solar farm to up to 200 megawatts.

Prime Infra will also jointly develop Solar Philippines to invest with Solar Philippines two other solar P1.5 billion for a 50-percent projects serving the Luzon and Visayas grids. stake in Solar Philippines The parties said the solar projects, Tarlac Corp., the owner of totaling 800 MW in advanced stages of the largest solar farm in the development, represent the largest solar project joint venture established in the Philippines.

“We are pleased to join forces with country.

The transaction is the first step toone of the leading solar power developers in the country. Renewables as a wards Prime Infra building its power

By Alena Mae S. Flores

P

generation portfolio in the Philippines, adding to its strategic gas-fired asset in Iraq which has been operating since February.

“We believe that partnerships are key to be competitive in the power business. We are honored to partner with the most entrepreneurial infrastructure conglomerate in the Philippines and look forward to building value together for many years to come,” Leviste said.

The Concepcion solar farm is one of the largest greenfield and renewable energy power plants to begin construction and achieve commercial operations under the Duterte administration.

The project supports the Department of Energy’s push to accelerate the adoption of renewable energy in the Philippines.

COMPLIANT BUSINESSES.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez (second from left) expresses satisfaction over the high compliance of establishments at Glorietta in Makati City with the minimum health protocols enforced by InterAgency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases. Lopez on June 20 led a surprise post-audit inspection of barbershops and dine-in restaurants at Glorietta.

With Lopez are (from left) Makati Mayor Abigail Binay, Interior Undersecretary Marjorie Jalosjos, and National Task Force against COVID-19 chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr.

BPI to raise P3b from COVID bond issue due 2022

By Julito G. Rada BANK of the Philippine Islands, the third-largest lender in terms of assets, expects to raise at least P3 billion from the issuance of COVID Action Response Bonds due 2022, the country’s first peso-denominated bonds to be issued as a direct response to the pandemic.

BPI said in a disclosure to the stock exchange Monday the bonds would be available from June 22 until July 17.

The issue and listing date of the CARE Bonds are set on Aug. 7, 2020.

The bank and the joint lead arrangers may agree to adjust the timing of any of these dates as considered appropriate.

The CARE Bonds is the third tranche of BPI’s P100-billion bond program.

“The proceeds of the CARE bonds will be used to finance and refinance eligible micro, small and medium enterprises under the bank’s sustainable funding framework,” it said.

“MSMEs have been significantly affected by the global pandemic and BPI recognizes that these enterprises, which account for a significant percentage of the country’s employment, are crucial to the growth and recovery of our economy,” the bank said.

It said supporting these businesses would help create a more inclusive society where all Filipinos benefit from the

country’s economic gains.

The CARE Bonds will have a tenor of 1.75 years and an interest rate of 3.05 percent per annum, paid quarterly in arrear, with the minimum investment amount of P1,000,000, with additional increments of P100,000 thereafter.

BPI Capital Corp. and Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corp. Ltd. are the joint lead arrangers of the CARE Bonds.

BPI Capital is sole selling agent, while HSBC is a participating selling agent.

The Securities and Exchange Commission said last week the CARE bonds qualified as social bonds under the ASEAN Social Bonds Standards in the Philippines.

Filinvest eyeing offshore debt market to finance expansion of business units

By Jenniffer B. Austria

FACTORY REOPENING. A worker at La Forge Designs Inc. in Clark Freeport produces lighting fixtures that are exported to several countries. Despite the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, workers at La Forge are happy to return to work as they start to adapt to the ‘new normal’. Of the 200 employees of La Forge, 100 of them have returned to work since May 16.

CONGLOMERATE Filinvest Development Corp. plans to tap the offshore debt market and conduct an equity offering to finance the expansion of core businesses and its diversification to defensive industries.

FDC president Josephine GotianunYap said during the annual stockholders’ meeting via teleconference the company was exploring the possibility of issuing US-denominated bonds given the prevailing attractive offshore debt environment.

It may also revive a previous plan to issue P8 billion in retail bonds, which it deferred following the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine.

“We are considering reviving our bond offering now that the ECQ has been lifted. We are evaluating both peso or US dollar-denominated bonds given

the attractive rates,” Yap said Term and conditions of the issue and the timing and amount were delegated by the board to management.

It said the proceeds would be used, in part, to finance the capital expenditures budget of P25.7 billion for 2020. To boost shareholder value, the conglomerate is also keen on an equity offering not only to support the expansion of its subsidiaries but also unlock its untapped value.

“Providing liquidity and marketability in FDC’s shares will no doubt redound to the benefit of all its stakeholders. We are awaiting the right timing for such an offering,” Yap said. FDC’s public float is at 10.8 percent.

Meanwhile, Yap said the company would continue with diversification to defensive industries while concentrating on building its recurring income base.

PSE INDEX CLOSING Monday, June 22, 2020

32.36 points

TOTAL VOLUME

1,212,361,869

TOTAL TRADES TOTAL VALUE

116,754 7,325,421,085.97

ADVANCES

6,347.43

87

DECLINES UNCHANGED

113 47

F oreign e xchange r ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • MONDAY, JUNE 22, 2020

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

50.1520

Japan

Yen

0.009365

0.4697

UK

Pound

1.235900

61.9829

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.129029

6.4711

Switzerland

Franc

1.051746

52.7472

Canada

Dollar

0.734592

36.8413

Singapore

Dollar

0.715512

35.8844

Australia

Dollar

0.682000

34.2037

Bahrain

Dinar

2.655337

133.170

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266667

13.3739

Brunei

Dollar

0.712962

35.7565

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000071

0.0036

Thailand

Baht

0.032258

1.6178

UAE

Dirham

0.272272

13.6550

Euro

Euro

1.118300

56.0850

Korea

Won

0.000825

0.0414

China

Yuan

0.141437

7.0933

India

Rupee

0.013113

0.6576

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.234467

11.7590

New Zealand

Dollar

0.639300

32.0622

Taiwan

Dollar

0.033802

1.6952 Source: BSP

IN BRIEF GCash reports 700% growth in transactions

GLOBE Fintech Innovations Inc. (Mynt), the operator of GCash, said Monday transactions surged 700 percent in May from a year ago as demand for digital finance soared amid the global health situation.

Bank cash-in, which includes Instapay and online payments to Google, Apple, Lazada and other merchants, jumped by 700 percent in May compared to the same period last year.

“The pandemic has forced all of us to adopt digital solutions such as GCash to protect us from contracting the virus.

The steady uptrend on transactions using GCash shows that Filipinos are now being more dependent on digital solutions and they prefer to use the GCash platform to pay for these services,” said Martha Sazon, GCash president and chief executive.

“GCash is empowering Filipinos to do more with less through our bestin-class platform. Through GCash, we are helping stir up economic activity by bringing merchants and consumers closer, at least digitally,” Sazon said.

Darwin G. Amojelar

A Brown confirms plan to build LNG terminal

A BROWN Company Inc. said it remains committed to building an integrated floating liquefied natural gas storage and regasification terminal and the 506-megawatt floating natural gasfired power plant project in Barangay Simlong, Batangas City.

The company announced its acquisition of 99.995 percent of the outstanding capital of Vires Energy Corp. owned

by Argo Group Pte. Ltd. of Singapore for P50.2 million.

“The acquisition of Vires Energy reflects our confidence in the role of natural gas in providing for a clean and costeffective energy source. We are excited to push the project forward,” A Brown chairman Walter Brown said in a statement Monday.

VEC will build the necessary infrastructure to allow the importation of LNG as early as 2022. The project will have a floating storage and regasification unit terminal in Batangas Bay and will deliver natural gas through a pipeline to supply existing and new natural gas-fired power plants.

Alena Mae S. Flores

Malayan Insurance covers delivery riders

MALAYAN Insurance Co. Inc. provided personal accident insurance to 300 delivery riders, giving them peace of mind as they service customers’ delivery needs during this time of virus uncertainty.

Under the partnership with Keri Delivery Inc., Malayan Insurance provided an initial 300 delivery riders with accident protection as the two-wheelers perform their frontline service for food establishments, small businesses and families with delivery transactions in June.

Keri Delivery riders are covered by as much as P500,000 per single incident. This means a coverage of more than P150 million for all 300 riders. The Yuchengco-led Malayan Insurance has been providing nonlife insurance protection since 1930, celebrating its 90th anniversary this 2020.

Keri Delivery president Alvin Villegas said the company cares for its riders and that concern for their riders’ welfare is what sets them apart from other motorcycle delivery service companies operating in the country.

MORE Power investigates alleged ‘sabotage’ causing electricity disruptions in Iloilo City MORE Electric and Power Corp. said it is investigating the possible “sabotage” of its distribution facilities that led to the extended unscheduled power interruptions in Iloilo City over the weekend.

MORE said it received reports at 9:59 p.m. on Saturday of alleged “mysterious” loose connections along the primary wire traversing Q. Abeto Street, Mandurriao across Iloilo Supermart leading to trip offs

of the Mandurriao Feeder 4.

“Although we are still waiting for the official confirmation of our response team regarding the possible sabotage of our electricity network, we hope you will accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience you’ve experienced due to this incident,” the company said in a statement to customers.

“We know how it is important at this time of the pandemic to have a stable power sup-

ply and this failure to better serve you was a frustration to us all. Thank you for your patience and your faith in us to arrest this problem while we enlisted the help of several additional specialists to take appropriate action and serve you better and more efficiently,” the new distributor of Iloilo said.

MORE Power Response Teams initiated the restoration of power on the affected area but trip offs occurred even more at

the same area shortly after.

The company’s RT reports said an immediate re-investigation of the affected area showed loose connections in various points in the immediate network.

MORE Power said the restoration efforts also went futile because of another set of mysterious successive tripping, which the company deems as an attack against the electrical system.

MORE Power’s finding showed that the causes of abnormalities were detached primary line from pin insulator near J7 Hotel; overheated connector near The Mango Tree Restaurant; damaged suspension insulator along Oñate De Leon Street; damaged primary line conductor across Chicken Sari-Sari and damaged suspension insulator and primary jumper/dropping wire near McDonald’s Megaworld.Alena Mae S. Flores

Sports

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

TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2020

C1

PSC, Cebu execs arrange Didal’s skate practice venue

By Peter Atencio

SEA Games gold medalist Margielyn Didal will now be able to cross over from Cebu City to Lapu Lapu City to do her workouts and practice sessions at the Hoops Dome Arena in Humay Huma Road.

POC chief wants athletes’ allowances restored in full T

HE House of Representatives will do its best to restore the full cash allowances given to national athletes and coaches.

People sit on a hill overlooking Dodger Stadium on what was supposed to be Major League Baseball’s opening day, now postponed due to the coronavirus, in Los Angeles, California.

Major League Baseball and its players union remained in a standoff Thursday after a face-to-face meeting between commissioner Rob Manfred and union executive director Tony Clark. AFP

Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, who is also a congressman of the 8th District of Cavite, said this some three weeks after the board of the Philippine Sports Commission decided to cut the athletes’ pay in half by next month.

Tolentino said he is seeking the help of Congress through the extension of the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act. Lawmakers are working on passing new legislation that would grant President Rodrigo Duterte additional special powers for the soon to be revived measure.

This will allow the President the authority to use government funds to give the second tranche of cash aid to low-income families and health workers a special risk allowance, while adding national athletes and coaches in the

Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino

list of beneficiaries.

Republic Act 11469, or the first Bayanihan Act which expired last June 6, did not include national athletes and coaches when it was passed.

“We will try to return it (full allowance) in the extension of the Bayanihan Act,” said Tolentino, who spoke on the occasion of announcements related to Tuesday’s Olympic Day Celebration and a Zoom web conference with Philippine Olympian Association members Ste-

phen Fernandez, Akiko Thomson-Guevarra and Jhessie Lacuna, along with POC secretary general Ed Gastanes.

He added that he is doing this in his capacity as a member of Congress.

An allocation meant for national athletes and coaches, which amounted to between P500 million to P700 million was reportedly redirected from the National Sports Development Fund to the government’s coronavirus response fund.

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation remitted only P9 million to the PSC this month, its lowest in years.

Prior to this, PAGCOR remitted P150.75 million to the PSC on March 31, 2020, from the corporation’s February earnings.

PSC chairman William Ramirez said the cutbacks could take place until December, explaining that once the NSDF reaches a comfortable level again, financial assistance will be restored to the present rate.

Meanwhile, despite the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic, sports officials worldwide are still keen on celebrating Olympic Day. Peter Atencio

WHILE Cebu City is undergoing strict lockdown measures, efforts are being done by authorities to keep to 2019 Southeast Asian Games gold medalist Margielyn Didal in good shape.

Commissioner Ramon Fernandez said the Philippine Sports Commission is now coordinating with local government units and the Philippine National Police to make this happen.

“Nag-ECQ ang Cebu City, mayroon na sana siyang mapapag-praktisan,” said Fernandez.

The PSC commissioner said he has asked Lapu Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan and Region 7 officials of the PNP for their assistance.

Following coordination efforts with PNP Region 7 Director General Albert Ferro, Didal will now be able to cross over from Cebu City to Lapu Lapu City to do her workouts and practice sessions at the Hoops Dome Arena in Humay Huma Road.

“That area is under a General Community Quarantine. She can practice there,” added Fernandez.

Fernandez learned about the plight of the world no. 14 Didal after she claimed the women’s division honors of the Asian Skateboarding Championships 2020 Lockdown 5 Video Competition last week.

During the competition, she outscored 13 other skaters from around the world in ruling the online contest.

Didal, who is seeking qualification to the Tokyo Olympics, topped with a score of 8.5 points, while Japanese rival Yurin Fujji tallied 7.5.

Her fellow Cebuano Motic Panugalinog, who is from Inayawan, claimed the gold in the men’s division, with an overall score of 8.92.

40 MLB staff, UCBL committed to stage 5th season players test positive for COVID-19 LOS ANGELES—Major League Baseball saw 40 players and staff members test positive for COVID-19 in the past week, USA Today reported on Sunday as talks on how to get a 2020 season underway dragged on.

The newspaper cited two sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, saying the coronavirus cases had ramped up the urgency of negotiations between owners and players on a framework for starting a season that was originally scheduled to begin in March.

The MLB Players Association postponed a vote on Sunday on whether to accept or reject MLB’s proposal for a 60-game season with players receiving full prorated salaries.

Negotiations had dragged on for weeks as MLB sought not only to prorate salaries based on the number of games played, but also to pay only a percentage of those salaries—something players said they would not accept.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred thought he’d gotten past that stumbling block on Wednesday after hammering out a potential “framework” for an agreement with union chief Tony Clark that paid full prorated salaries for a 60game season.

But the players countered, asking for 70 games.

USA Today reported that Manfred emailed Clark on Sunday saying that the uptick in COVID-19 cases, and the resulting closure of spring training facilities in Florida and Arizona, meant that 70 games would not be possible and even 60 would be difficult.

It was not clear how the coronavirus cases might impact MLB’s plans to play its games in teams’ home ballparks without fans. AFP

UNIVERSITIES and Colleges Basketball League President Franklin Evidente said yesterday that they are committed to stage the league’s fifth season either late this year or early next year amid the global economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

“We are continually planning and exploring ways to restart our league under the new normal,” said the amiable chief executive. “Whether it will be late this year or early 2021, the UCBL is committed to open our Season 5 on national television.”

Evidente said they have studied thoroughly the guidelines crafted by members of the Inter-Agency Task Force and the league is fully supporting the protocols for the safety of everybody concerned.

“Aside from commitment and patience, discipline and cooperation of all sectors in these trying times are very important if the country is to beat the

virus that has put almost everything on hold the past three months.

There are so many challenges right now but the league is confident that with everyone’s cooperation, our nation will overcome this health crisis,” said Evidente.

Though saddened that one member school may not be able to take part in Season 5, Evidente said they are in constant communication with other member-schools since the suspension of classes in early March.

He said all other schools have maintained their teams and have in fact engaged in online drills and workouts to keep their players in shape.

“This shows the continuing commitment of the UCBL member schools in preserving sports as an equally valuable component of education besides academics,” said Evidente.

Aside from reigning champion Diliman College, other members are in-

UCBL League President Franklin Evidente

augural champion Centro Escolar Uni- Batangas, National College of Business versity, Olivarez College, University of Administration and Philippine ChrisBatangas, Lyceum of the Philippines- tian College-Dasmarinas.

ONE Championship returns with ONE Hero Series

Hua Fung Teh, Group President of ONE Championship

ONE Championship sprung back to action over the weekend as it held two shows in a controlled, audience-free venue in Shanghai, China—ONE Hero Series 13 on 20 June and ONE Hero Series 14 on June 21.

The events were a big step in the promotion’s return as they take the necessary measures to ensure that The Home Of Martial Arts resumes in the safest way possible.

“We at ONE Championship are delighted to once again host the world’s most exciting martial arts events. I would like to personally thank all the fans for their continued support for our organization and our athletes,” Hua Fung Teh, Group President of ONE Championship, said.

“Shanghai served as the perfect backdrop for the prestigious ONE Hero Series, which aims to showcase the absolute best in rising young martial arts talent from China.”

The ONE executive also ensured concerned parties that the strictest health measures were implemented in holding the two shows.

“By enforcing strict safety and sanitary measures,

we made sure to prioritize the health and well-being of everyone who made these back-to-back events a huge success,” Hua fung said.

“As a result, ONE Hero Series was able to share the very best of martial arts with the world, showcasing the power of the human spirit.”

In the featured bout of OHS 13, Ze Lang Zha Xi collected his second straight win in the promotion after beating the debuting “The Little Monster” Liang Hui by unanimous decision as he improved to 3-1 in the organization and upping his overall record to 13-4-1.

The next day, Xu Liu outworked “The Young King” Zhao Xiao Yu in their ONE Super Series kickboxing bout to take a unanimous decision win, his first under the promotion as he improved to 24-6 professionally.

The shows displayed some of the finest Chinese martial artists and veteran athletes from The Home Of Martial Arts, including “The Dragon King” Fu Qing Nan and “The Great Sage” Wei Zi Qin in kickboxing and Zhang Ze Hao, Wang Zhen, and Li Zhe in mixed martial arts.

Catch all the ONE Championship action by downloading the ONE Super App for free.

Sports

C2

TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2020 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Dimitrov tests positive for COVID-19 P ARIS—Grigor Dimitrov said on Sunday he has tested positive for coronavirus after pulling out of an exhibition tournament which also featured world number one Novak Djokovic.

“I want to reach out and let my fans and friends know that I tested positive back in Monaco for Covid-19,” world number 19 Dimitrov wrote on Instagram.

“I am so sorry for any harm I might have caused. I am back home now and recovering.”

Last weekend, Dimitrov, 29, took part in the Adria Tour event in Belgrade with Djokovic, world number three Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev, ranked seven.

He also played in the second leg of the Balkans tournament in Zadar on Croatia’s Adriatic coast on Saturday.

However, he withdrew after losing to Borna Coric, complaining of feeling unwell.

Later on Sunday, the final between

Djokovic and Russia’s Andrey Rublev was immediately cancelled as a precaution.

“This is the best possible decision. We have to take care about security of all involved,” former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic, the tournament director of the Zadar event, said in remarks quoted by local media.

“Those who were in contact with Grigor will be tested. I tested by chance three days ago and I’m negative.”

Zverev and former US Open winner Marin Cilic were also in the Croatia line-up.

“I want to make sure anyone who has been in contact with me during these past days gets tested and takes the necessary precautions,” added Dimitrov.

Noose on stall of black racer angers NASCAR WASHINGTON—NASCAR said Sunday night that a noose was found in the garage stall of black driver Bubba Wallace at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama, and they have launched a probe of the “heinous” act.

Wallace is the only black driver who races full-time in NASCAR’s top Cup series.

“Late this afternoon, NASCAR was made aware that a noose was found in the garage stall of the 43 team,” the popular stock car series said in a statement.

“We are angry and outraged and cannot state strongly enough how seriously we take this heinous act. We have launched an immediate investigation and will do everything we can to identify the person(s) responsible and eliminate them from the sport.

“As we have stated unequivocally, there is no place for racism in NASCAR and this act only strengthens our resolve to make the sport open and welcoming to all.”

Wallace, who has been outspoken about racial injustice in the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis police custody on May 25, commented on the incident in a statement posted on Twitter, saying he was “incredibly saddened” by the “despicable act of racism.”

“This will not break me,” Wallace said. “I will not give in, nor will I back down.”

Wallace was a strong advocate for NASCAR’s decision to ban the Confederate flag from its properties on June 10.

The Confederate flag has been a staple at NASCAR tracks, particularly in the sport’s southern US heartland that includes Talladega in Alabama.

But it remains a symbol of slavery and racism for many.

Sunday’s race, which was to be NASCAR’s first with fans since the coronavirus pandemic erupted, was postponed until Monday by thunderstorms.

Before the heavy weather moved in, a small plane flew above the track trailing a giant Confederate flag and a second banner that read “Defund NASCAR” —its message widely spread on social media.

NASCAR executive vice president Steve O’Donnell was quick to condemn the display on Twitter, where he posted a picture of black and white hands clasped. AFP

FREE THROW SHOOTER

‘Novak took news very hard’ Djokovic’s brother Djordje, who is the overall tournament director, told Sportske Novosti daily paper online edition: “Novak? He took this news very hard. We undertook all the measures prescribed by the governments of Serbia and Croatia.”

Bulgarian Dimitrov is a former world number three who was the ATP Tour Finals champion in 2017, one of his eight career titles.

The Adria Tour, organised to fill the gap in the virus-hit tennis calendar which has been on ice since mid-March, played out to a daily crowd of 4,000 fans at Djokovic’s tennis centre on the banks of the Danube in Belgrade last week.

Dimitrov, Djokovic and Thiem, as well as the other players, were then seen partying at a packed Belgrade night spot.

Thiem has since travelled to the south of France to play in another exhibition tournament, the Ultimate Tennis Show-

down in Nice.

On Sunday, tournament chief Patrick Mouratoglou, the coach of Serena Williams, tweeted a picture of Thiem undergoing a coronavirus test at the event being staged at his tennis academy.

The Adria Tour had already suffered an embarrassing setback when the planned Montenegro leg of the four-nation tournament 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 Montenegro had to be called off when it became apparent Serbia did not match strict health requirements.

Meanwhile, asked to comment on social distancing measures during the Belgrade leg, Djokovic said both Serbia and the region had been relatively successful in containing the virus. AFP

Bulgarian tennis player Grigor Dimitrov returns the ball to Austrian tennis player Dominic Thiem during their single match at the Adria Tour, Novak Djokovic’s Balkans charity tennis tournament in Belgrade. Dimitrov, the world No. 19, announced on June 21, 2020 that he had contracted the COVID-19 (the novel coronavirus), a week after taking part in the “Adria Tour”, organized by Novak Djokovic in Belgrade, and where he had rubbed shoulders with several high-ranking tennis players including the world’s number one Serbian. AFP

Closing birdie binge lifts Simpson WASHINGTON—Webb Simpson, the 2012 US Open champion, birdied five of the last seven holes in a Sunday shootout to capture the RBC Heritage for his seventh career US PGA crown.

The 34-year-old American fired a bogey-free seven-under par 64 to finish 72 holes on a tournament record 22-under 262 at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

It was the second triumph of the year for Simpson, who won at Phoenix in February, and it came after a storm delay of two hours and 47 minutes left players racing to finish before darkness.

“It was a crazy day,” Simpson said.

“I’m speechless right now.”

Simpson, set to jump from ninth to fifth in the world rankings, made four birdie putts from beyond 10 feet and twoputted from 41 feet at the par-5 15th in an epic closing run.

“It was a long day on the golf course,” Simpson said. “I didn’t get it going until 12 and then it got going and I felt confident.

“I’m amazed I’m standing here right now.”

Mexico’s Abraham Ancer, seeking his

first US PGA crown, was second on 263 after a 65, coming up short on a 37-foot birdie putt at 18 to force a playoff.

“I probably had my best ball-striking week of my career,” Ancer said. “It was awesome.”

American Daniel Berger, who won last week at Colonial, shared third with Britain’s Tyrrell Hatton on 264, with Spain’s Sergio Garcia and Chile’s Joaquin Niemann fifth on 265 and US four-time major winner Brooks Koepka seventh on 266.

The Heritage, whose prior 72-hole record was 264 by Brian Gay in 2009, was rescheduled from a typical April slot as the tour’s second comeback event from a three-month coronavirus pandemic shutdown. It was played without spectators, except for those in course-adjacent backyards.

Simpson sank a 10-foot birdie putt at the par-4 12th and a 22-footer for birdie at 13 to grab a share of the lead at 19-under with Hatton and Ancer.

After tap-ins to par 14 and birdie 15, Simpson shared the lead with Ancer and Berger, who chipped in from 38 feet to birdie the par-3 17th.

Simpson reclaimed the lead alone with a 14-foot birdie putt at 16, then sank an 18-footer at 17 for his fifth birdie in six holes to reach 22-under.

He closed with a par at 18, leaving only Ancer as the final threat in the twilight drama.

Webb Simpson of the United States celebrates with the trophy and the plaid jacket after winning during the final round of the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. AFP

The medium is the message

It is not surprising that everyone is NATHANIEL excited but anxious because, despite DELA CRUZ the best-laid out plans, there is no guarantee everything will go smoothly NBA basketball has been put on hold for especially with the threat of COVID-19 quite a long time already, for the sake of still looming.

When some of the players made it caution and due diligence required of a professional league making the effort public their intention not to play not to protect players, employees, and fans because of the COVID-19 pandemic but because they see sitting out the season as from COVID-19.

When plans have been made to a means to protest racism in the United restart the season, many players have States, it is not surprising that this matter expressed their excitement to return to caught fire and engaged many people.

Professional basketball players trying play. It is not surprising that fans are just as excited, eagerly anticipating to involve themselves in resolving an the time they can finally watch NBA important race-related social issue speaks games once again —live, preferably, or about how they are invested not just in over broadcast channels, should it be their professional success, but also in the welfare and wellbeing of the citizens, the only viable option.

It is not surprising that this buoyed the the community, and the country. This hopes of employees fervently wishing to is commendable. NBA Commissioner return to work because it means having Adam Silver is supporting players who the means to provide for themselves and do not wish to play.

What I noticed following this news their families.

It is not surprising that stakeholders is that somewhere along the way, the involved in the business side of the NBA conversation veered towards divisiveness, felt some sense of relief with the news which is ironic since unity is one of the because this helps them in the effort to things this protest is hoping to inspire.

I think here’s where everything went push back the financial backlash from sideways: arguing which side in the issue having to put the season on hold.

of refusing to play is right or wrong.

This is inflammatory because there is no wrong answer in this scenario; there is, however, the distinction of which is good and which is better.

For many years now, I have seen how the NBA embraced wholeheartedly their role as a partner in addressing social issues. Now I am curious if NBA players think the league is not doing enough, or if the league—with its very high viewership from the regular season to the Finals—is not enough of an influencer that players are devising other ways to convey their commentary on social issues.

While I understand and find merit in the opposing views, I firmly believe that NBA players should play basketball once the season restarts, not because basketball distracts us from social issues; on the contrary, playing basketball especially in the NBA means being part of the effort in raising and spreading awareness on important social issues.

The NBA has always been an active citizen when it comes to taking part in social issues. We see players wearing statement apparel during games. We see them in the community with the full

backing and support of the NBA doing real efforts to influence positive change as a response to recurring and long-standing social issues. We see NBA leveraging its popularity and reach for the sake of influencing social issues positively.

I think it is ill-advised to trivialize or dismiss the NBA as ‘just basketball’, and thus non-essential in times like this when the United States is in distress. The NBA is a platform, and those looking for one so that they can make a statement can use basketball to reach a large audience listening to what the NBA and NBA players want to say.

Joining marches is good; you have a big crowd listening to you. Using social media to speak out and be heard and help influence opinion and policy is good; you have a bigger crowd listening to you. But if you are an NBA player, you have an even bigger crowd you can direct your message to, without having to sacrifice your paycheck (NBA players not playing will not be paid their salary) and your slot in the team. Isn’t this better?

Refusing to play basketball is a statement, just as playing basketball in a league that has long supported racial equality and social justice is.

Ryu So-yeon

Korean Ryu wins on return, donates $206K purse to charity PARIS—Former world number one Ryu So-yeon hung on for a one-shot victory on the Korean tour on Sunday and then donated her entire purse of over $200,000 to coronavirus charities.

Ryu, who makes a habit of donating her winnings to charity, shot a par 72 in the final round of the Korean Open to hold off Kim Hyo-joo, and then announced she was giving away her 250 million won ($206,270) winnings.

“I thought of donating since last night,” 29-year-old Ryu said, according to local media.

“Before the awards ceremony, I called my mom. I told her that I’m going to make the announcement so don’t get too surprised. She was just as happy as I was.

“Since this tournament has a lot of meaning to me and I thought that I may be able to play better if I had a positive goal, I came up with it last night.”

Ryu, a two-time major winner, had not played since February 16 when she finished tied for 34th in the Australian Open, the last event before the LPGA Tour was shut down by the coronavirus pandemic.

“All the competitions KLPGA golfers are currently playing are like a bonus for us,” the Korean LPGA quoted her as saying in an Instagram post.

“We only have to come and hit the ball, but a lot of people are continuing to struggle. This donation is going towards funding COVID-19 recovery.”

Ryu has donated prize money to good causes before.

After her last victory in the United States, at the Meijer Classic in 2018, she gave $100,000, one third of her first-place cheque, to a food programme run by the tournament’s title sponsor, a supermarket chain.

Earlier this year, she donated half the money she made at the Vic Open to help those who suffered as a result of the Australian bushfires.

She finished second and the gift was more than $45,000.

On Sunday, the LPGA, which plans to resume in Ohio at the end of July, tweeted its congratulations to Ryu. On Instagram, Ryu thanked, among others, her caddy, a local university student. Caddies normally can expect a percentage of a golfer’s tournament winnings. AFP

NCAA execs to discuss future of league at PSA Forum IT’S the turn of the National Collegiate Athletic Association to discuss its next step moving forward in the webcast edition of the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum this Tuesday (June 23).

NCAA Management Committee chairman Fr. Vic Calvo of host Letran and predecessor Peter Cayco of Arellano University lead the panel of guests appearing in the 10: a.m. weekly session.

The country’s oldest collegiate league earlier announced that only four events will comprise the shortened Season 96 in the aftermath of the current COVID-19 pandemic worldwide.

Letran’s hosting of the 2020-2021 athletic year coincides with the school’s celebration of its 400th year anniversary.

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

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.

Entertainment

Nickie Wang Wang, Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2020 ||

C3

Smart to release another Hyun Bin TVC

‘Talentadong Pinoy’ returns

Comedy Concert Queen embarks on a new journey

Life

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

C4

HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT

TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2020

A

Caring for cancer patients amid COVID-19 pandemic

MONG those constantly reminded to take extra precautionary measures to prevent coronavirus infection are persons living cancer. Patients with active cancer are classified as immune-compromised as their immune systems are often weakened by the disease and its treatments.

Although no systemic reports are available demonstrating higher COVID-19 incidence or asymptomatic infection among persons living with cancer, experts advise taking science-backed, proactive approach to cancer management.

According to MSD Philippines’ cancer advocacy campaign Hope From Within, the risk among cancer patients is based on the type of cancer they have, the type and timing of treatment, underlying health conditions, and the age of the patient.

Talk to your oncologist

“It’s important that all cancer patients and survivors, whether currently in treatment or not, talk with a doctor who understands their situation and medical history,” said the American Cancer Society.

Getting the right information can help ease a cancer patient, survivor, and caregiver’s worries. Instead of going to the clinic, Hope from Within suggests scheduling a consultation with the oncologist via videoconferencing or by phone.

“Remember that the cancer doctor is the only qualified person to make a risk/benefit assessment based on whether one’s case is high priority (the condition is life-threatening or unstable, or the survival rate/improvement in quality of life far outweighs the risks involved); medium priority (the patient’s situation is not critical but further delay could impact health outcomes); or low priority (the condition is

stable enough to justify rescheduling after the pandemic eases or benefits from the treatment are almost non-existent),” Hope From Within said in a statement.

Prepare and plan

Plenty of verified information are now available for every patient and caregiver’s consumption. But the most vital thing they should learn, experts say, is recognizing the symptoms of coronavirus infection, which include fever, cough, sore throat, breathing problems, muscle pain, tiredness, loss of the sense of smell, and impaired sense of taste.

Cancer patients experiencing fever and/or came in contact with someone who has coronavirus must consult their doctor over the phone so they can be advised how and where to proceed.

“The possibility must be considered, and evaluation should not be performed at the oncology center given the risk it may pose to cancer patients and the treatment staff.”

Since caregivers are likewise in danger of contracting coronavirus, acting quickly is of paramount importance. Identify whom to contact, and who else is available to support the patient in place of the caregiver.

Obtain distance assistance

Caregivers may want to consider seeking remote help because of additional precautionary responsibilities and

CANCER AND COVID-19.

Health organizations encourage cancer patients as well as their families and caregivers to equip themselves with the right information from credible sources such as their oncologists on how to manage cancer during the ongoing pandemic.

the current quarantine situation.

Take advantage of online grocery and medicine delivery services, enlist help when updating concerned persons on the status of the patient, and assign another person to contact healthcare providers since cancer centers may have new guidelines concerning the number of visitors and the age of caregivers.

It is imperative that the caregiver is also practicing self-care to help boost their immune system.

ganization must be observed to lower the chances of acquiring the respiratory disease.

Much like everyone else, it is best for patients and caregivers to avoid crowds and practice social distancing from relatives and friends exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms or living in areas where there is continuing incidence of the illness.

Regular and proper hand washing remains one of the best precautions against coronavirus. Cancer patients Incorporate preventive and making hospital visits and treatments are recommended to wear personal prohealthy habits Guidelines of the World Health Or- tective equipment.

The National Foundation for Cancer Research advises to have a sanitizing area dedicated to changing clothes and shoes before walking around the house, and to have separate outfits when going outside and staying in.

In addition, cancer patients must keep in mind the customized recommendations of their oncologists to improve their immune system. These may include having optimum sleep, proper hydration, avoiding tobacco products, and eating a balanced diet rich in protein, fruits, and vegetables which can provide the body with tools to prevent and fight coronavirus infection.

Homegrown wellness FROM the gift that keeps on giving, Mother Nature’s powers are packed and processed in these locally made, natural wellness products that promote health and relaxation.

Boxes of medical grade PPEs, rubbing alcohol, and surface disinfectants donated to Dr. Fabella Memorial Hospital.

Rubbing alcohol brand donates PPEs, disinfectants

Laurin 100 percent CocoMCT (medium chain triglycerides) is a superfood supplement made of coconut oil. It promotes ketone production as immediate energy source, improves brain function and memory, increases fat-burning for weight loss, balances cholesterol level, and protects gut from bacteria and fungi.

Bedrock Home and Body Essentials is a cottage industry that creates and produces functional, friendly, and safe handcrafted products that use natural, raw, and local ingredients.

CocoBody is a brand of earthfriendly handmade natural cosmetics from virgin coconut oil which soothes, moisturizes, cleanses, and heals from head to toe.

Oryspa rice bran products are rich in vitamins E and A, as well as oryzanol, an antioxidant and anti-aging nutrient.

Simoy ng Haraya (whiff of imagiThe brand is the first and the finest maker of rice bran-based health and nation) creates homegrown products beauty care, home, and spa products in with relaxing scents for body, home, and wellness. the country.

Pili Ani’s organic, sustainable, allnatural beauty and wellness products are crafted using rare and exquisite pili and elemi oils made by local artisans. According to the brand, pili oil is rich in antioxidants and essential fatty acids, and aids in the natural healing process of the skin.

These homegrown wellness products are available at Kultura Filipino which now delivers through its You Click We Deliver service. Click the link (https://bit.ly/3aofztw) for the list.

GREEN Cross, Inc., one of the country’s largest producers of rubbing alcohol and bleach, continues to support medical frontliners through its Together We Are Stronger campaign.

In its second round of donation drive, the company turned over 10,000 locally-made, Level 4 medical-grade personal protective equipment to hospitals around the country.

The PPEs were sourced through the Confederation of Wearable Exporters of the Philippines (CONWEP), the group tapped by the Department of Trade and Industry to produce medical-grade protective gear.

Through this partnership, together with the Board of Investments, Department of Health, and Philippine General Hospital, CONWEP developed a prototype that has met the strict requirements of DOH and PGH’s Hospital Infection Control Unit. The prototype’s Level 4 grade is approved for use in high-risk

COVID-19 situations, such as intubation, operating rooms, COVID-19 positive wards, and ICUs. “By sourcing the PPEs from CONWEP members, we are sure that we are providing reliable protection to our medical frontliners. Moreso, we are also helping stimulate local industries amid the ongoing pandemic,” shares Green Cross, Inc. president Michael Co. Along with PPEs, Green Cross donated Frontliner Protection Packages including Green Cross rubbing alcohol and Zonrox bleach for the use of hospital staff and for medical facility disinfection.

Among recipient hospitals are Tondo Medical Center, Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital, Quirino Memorial Medical Center, Bulacan Medical Center, Rizal Provincial Hospital System, Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, Zamboanga City Medical Center, and Southern Philippines Medical Center.

Representatives from Quirino Memorial Medical Center receive the donation from Green Cross, Inc.