Manila Standard - 2020 June 25 - Thursday

Wirecard CEO may be in PH

Duterte OK with 14-day detention Story on A2

Story on A3 VOL. XXXIV • NO. 121 • 3 SECTION 12 PAGES • P18 • THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2020 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

5m more job cuts by yearend Hardest hit sectors: Food service, entertainment and transportation

By Vito Barcelo and Macon Ramos-Araneta

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S MANY as 5 million more workers will lose their jobs before the end of the year, bringing to 9 million the number of workers displaced by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said Wednesday.

In a virtual Senate hearing, Bello estimated that the Philippines could lose about 10 to 15 percent of its workforce.

“Our estimate is that we might lose about more than 4 to 5 million jobs... mostly in the service sector, tourism, and its allied businesses like restaurants, including transportation,” Bello said.

“The vast majority of the industry’s layoffs were in food service, entertainment and transportation,” the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said in a statement.

Data from DOLE show majority of workers that were affected by the pandemic are from the professional and business services sector, which includes lawyers, accountants, engineers and temporary workers, such as laborers, office clerks and packagers.

It also include temporary help workers, typically contracted on a per diem or per-project basis.

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) earlier said the country’s unemployment rate ballooned to a record 17.7 Next page

MORE JOBHUNTERS. In this file photo, jobhunters swarm the 2019 Independence Day Job and Business Fair at the San Andres Gym in Manila. Around 9 million Filipinos could be out of work by end-2020 owing to the coronavirus pandemic, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello said Wednesday. Lino Santos

P355B used up to fight COVID, extra budget eyed

By Vito Barcelo THE Philippines has spent P355 billion to fight the coronavirus pandemic, Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado said Wednesday, adding more funds were needed to address the problem.

He said P247.52 billion of that amount came from pooled savings, while P96.7 billion came from unpro-

grammed appropriations.

“We see more expenses coming because the effect of COVID-19 is persistent,” Avisado said.

He also said the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) would propose a P4.3-trillion national budget for 2021 to equip the government against the pandemic.

That is higher by 5 percent compared to

this year’s warchest, and the proposal would be submitted to President Rodrigo Duterte by mid-August at the latest, Avisado said.

“All of this is still in line with the national government’s priorities and our desire to precisely combat this pandemic,” Avisado said in a virtual press briefing.

Having more control over funding is also why Malacañang said Wednesday Next page

COVID-19 PH AT A GLANCE

(AS OF 4 PM JUNE 24)

32,295

470 NEW

TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES

357

1,204

18

8,656

214

DEATHS

RECOVERIES

FRESH

NEW

NEW

OFW trust fund dwindling, may last only ‘til 2021

By Rey E. Requejo THE trust fund for overseas Filipino workers could be depleted by the end of 2021 if the current pandemic response continues, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) chief Hans Cacdac said Wednesday.

In a Senate hearing, Cacdac said the Next page

PH cases breach 32,000 mark, pooled sample tests under review THE number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in the Philippines breached the 32,000 mark on Wednesday after the Department of Health (DOH) reported 470 more infections — 357 “fresh” or newly validated and 113 reported “late” — bringing the total to 32,295.

Total recoveries also rose to 8,656 after 214 more patients recovered from the respiratory illness.

The death toll climbed to 1,204 with 18 new fatalities.

This marks the 14th straight day of

MANILA’S 449TH. Manila Mayor Francisco ‘Isko’ Domagoso (center) chats with Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna-Pangan (left) and Manila

over 200 new recoveries.

On Tuesday, the Philippines recorded its highest number of new cases in a single day at 1,150 as well as the highest number of fresh cases at 789.

Among the fresh cases, 159 are from Metro Manila, 141 are from Region VII, while the remaining 57 are spread out across the country.

The Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday said that the pooled testing of samples for COVID-19 is now undergoing an ethics review by the Single Next page

Police District Director Brig. Gen. Rolando Fernandez Miranda at the foot of the Rajah Sulayman statute before the wreath-laying ceremony marking the City of Manila’s 449th foundation day on Wednesday. Norman Cruz

UV Express, jeeps back next week Cimatu gets all UTILITY Vehicle (UV) Express units and traditional jeepneys will be allowed to ply routes in Metro Manila starting next week, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) chairman Martin Delgra said on Wednesday.

This was after Malacañang said Wednesday UV Express vans have a higher chance of resuming operations compared to the traditional public utility jeepneys or PUJs. During the virtual meeting of the

powers vs. virus

House Committee on Metro Manila Development on Wednesday, lawmakers pressed Delgra and the LTFRB to give an exact date when traditional jeepneys and UV Express units may return to the streets.

They are still banned from operating in the National Capital Region owing to the coronavirus lockdown.

“Next week for both UV and traditional jeepneys,” Delgra told the lawmakers, without providing an exact

ALL the actions to be taken by Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu in leading the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in Cebu City will be treated as the acts of President Rodrigo Duterte, Malacañang said Wednesday.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque says Cimatu, whom the President had assigned to oversee the

Next page

Next page

MODEL MASKS. The Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Textile

Research Institute has developed the REwear (Re-useable, Washable, Re-wearable) Face Masks brand of cloth masks as a quick response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The World Health Organization has endorsed masks like REwear that conform to its recommendations.

DOST-PTRI photo

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THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2020

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US facing ‘critical’ coronavirus surge W

ASHINGTON — Coronavirus infections are surging across large parts of the United States, the top US infectious disease expert has warned, as the death toll in Latin America passed 100,000.

The developments highlighted how far away the world remains from ending the pandemic, six months into a crisis that has claimed over 475,000 lives and devastated the global economy.

Even in Europe, which has been loosening travel restrictions following a brutal few months when it was the epicentre of the pandemic, there have been major setbacks.

Germany on Tuesday reimposed lockdowns on more than 600,000 people following a cluster of infections at a

OFW...

From A1 P18.8 billion OWWA fund from OFW contributions could go down to P10 billion by the end of this year to cover the costs of the COVID-19 response.

So far, the agency has spent P1.1 billion on hotels for returning OFWs (P784 million), food (P132 million), and transportation (P46 million). Of this sum, P915 million came from the trust fund while P152 million came from OWWA’s emergency repatriation fund.

OWWA spent around P29,000 per person for the 28,000 OFWs who were billeted at hotels. OWWA also provided food assistance to 70,000 overseas Filipinos and t 70,000 seafarers stuck in the country due to the lockdown in March.

At the same time, a Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) official on Wednesday said the agency’s P1 billion fund intended to assist OFWs could “run out” by August if repatriation efforts entailing chartering of flights continue due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The DFA has already spent 66 percent of its “assistance-to-nationals” fund, DFA Undersecretary Sarah Arriola told the Senate Committee on Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development.

“Our funds will run out by the end of August... The fund is not just for COVID-19,” she said. “We did not foresee that there will be COVID-19 so we are overspending.”

Arriola said the DFA is looking to bring home some 167,000 OFWs, of whom, more than 158,000 are working in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Cimatu...

From A1 COVID-19 situation in Cebu City, is free to exercise “all powers” to slow the spread of the virus as the cases in the city have exceeded 4,000.

But Cimatu would have to notify the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases or ATF-EID on the actions to be taken there.

“The mandate really is to do everything that can be done to avoid a spike in the cases in Cebu City and to manage the number of new cases being reported from the City,” Roque told ABS-CBN’s Headstart.

Meanwhile, as Cebu City struggles to contain the rising number of COVID-19 cases, the rest of the province is waging another battle to correct the misimpression that the health crisis is just as bad there.

As of Tuesday, the city had 4,160 confirmed infections while the province recorded a much lower number of 883—a distinction Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia said should be made clear.

“It’s just the impression that [people] can’t differentiate,” Garcia told ABS-CBN News shortly before Duterte tapped Cimatu to help fix the situation in Cebu City.

PH...

From A1 Joint Research Ethics Board.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said pooled testing refers to the process of grouping different samples together to maximize laboratory capacity.

Vergeire said the ethics review will help identify the appropriate number of specimens for pooled testing and which laboratories are capable of performing such tests.

Over 8,000 OFWs test positive A total of 8,324 Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) were positive for COVID-19 and 508 have died, a Foreign Affairs official said Wednesday.

During a Senate hearing, Undersecretary Sarah Lou Arriola said that as of June 23,

slaughterhouse, while world men’s tennis number one Novak Djokovic tested positive after hosting an exhibition tournament in the Balkans.

In the United States, White House advisor Anthony Fauci warned the next two weeks would be “critical to our ability to address... surgings” in Florida, Texas and other states.

The United States has already recorded more deaths than any other nation, with nearly 800 more fatalities on Tuesday taking its toll past 121,000.

However President Donald Trump, whose handling of the crisis has been widely criticised as erratic, is determined to fast-track efforts to restore normality.

He continued to stoke controversy on Tuesday, doubling down on weekend comments he wanted to slow testing because so many confirmed infections made the United States look bad.

“I don’t kid,” Trump said, after a White House official described his initial comments as just a joke.

In Johannesburg, South Africa will roll out the continent’s first coronavirus vaccine trial this week, the university leading the pilot said Tuesday, as the country grapples with the highest number of cases in Africa.

The vaccine, developed by the Oxford Jenner Institute, is already being evaluated in Britain, where 4,000 participants have signed up for the trial.

South Africa has set out to vaccinate 2,000 people with the vaccine known as ChAdOx1 nCoV-19. Fifty of the candidates have HIV. “We began screening participants for the South African Oxford 1 COVID-19 vaccine trial last week, and the first participants will be vaccinated this week,” University of Witwatersrand (Wits) vaccinology professor Shabir Madhi told a virtual press conference.

Brazil is planning its own pilot, while the United States is preparing to test another vaccine in a mass trial of up to 30,000 participants.

Plenary vote on ABS-CBN license sought

By Maricel V. Cruz OPPOSITION lawmakers on Wednesday welcomed the Supreme Court’s dismissal of the quo warranto petition filed by Solicitor General Jose Calida against ABS-CBN Corp.

At the same time, the Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives backed the appeal of Buhay Rep. Lito Atienza for the congressional hearings on the franchise renewal of the media giant to be terminated and put to a vote in plenary.

“We welcome this decision of the Supreme Court. We hope Congress will take this as a cue to fast-track the resolution of the bills seeking the renewal

5m...

From A1 percent during the three-month lockdown in Luzon, which translates to 7.3 million jobless Filipinos.

However, Bello said the government has already crafted a recovery plan to spur employment by pushing for the implementation of pending infrastructure projects and the resurgence of the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry.

The full implementation of the government’s Build, Build, Build program and the resumption of other construction activities are expected to reduce the unemployment numbers, Bello said.

He said the DOLE has requested a P40 billion budget from the House of Representatives to finance its recovery programs.

“Job cuts will weaken economic activities... We need to secure jobs,” Bello said.

The DOLE Job Displacement Report said a total of 90,215 employees were displaced from 3,189 establishments from January 2020 to June 21.

The report was based on notices of shutdown and retrenchment submitted by employers to the DOLE regional offices, and doesn’t account for the underground economy jobs or informal sector workers.

Some 91 percent or 2,895 establishments reduced their workforce while the remaining 294 establishments or 9 percent reported permanent closure.

The National Capital Region (NCR) recorded the highest number of displaced workers at 45,046, followed by Calabarzon, 17,805; Central Luzon, 8,107; Cordillera Administrative Region, 5,136; Central Visayas, 3,992; Ilocos Region, 2,581; Northern Mindanao, 2,173; Davao Region, 1,010; Western Visayas, 932; Cagayan Valley, 929; Eastern Visayas, 906; Bicol Region, 520; Caraga Region, 483; Soccsksargen, 357; Mimaropa, 217 and Zamboanga Peninsula, 21.

It said based on the monthly breakdown, the month of June saw the highest number of reporting establishments, equivalent to 57 percent, with 36,086

5,057 OFWs recovered from the respiratory disease, and 2,759 are active cases.

She said the countries in Middle East and Africa accounted for the most number of OFWs who were infected with the virus. They listed 6,194 cases.

She also told senators that repatriation is continuing. At present, there were 54,736 Filipino migrant workers who returned to the country through chartered flights.

The cost of repatriation was depleting DFA funds, she said.

Angeles market closed down The Angeles City government locked down the entire Pampang Public Market here after a 21-year-old vendor reportedly died of COVID-19 Wednesday.

“All vendors and stall owners were ordered to close their stores to pave the way for health authorities to disinfect the entire market, which will be closed until further

of franchise to operate of ABS-CBN,” Zarate said, adding that he believes the House committees on legislative franchises, and good government and public accountability have already conducted extensive hearings on the matter.

Given this, Zarate said he sees no reason for Congress to deny the ABS-CBN a franchise to operate.

Reps. France Castro of ACT-Teachers and Arlene Brosas of Gabriela shared similar views.

“The black magic of the solicitor general did not work with the Supreme Court’s decision to dismiss the quo warranto petition that Solicitor General Jose Calida filed against ABS-CBN

Corporation,” said Castro.

Castro said she believes the radiobroadcasting network did not violate any law that would warrant a denial of a fresh 25-year franchise to operate.

Rep. Arlene Brosas of the Gabriela Women’s Party said the dismissal of the quo warranto petition should signal Congress to finally vote on pending bills calling for the renewal the ABS-CBN franchise. “We urge our fellow lawmakers to heed the call of the Filipino people to renew the ABS-CBN franchise,” she said.

ABS-CBN Corp. was ordered to stop operations after its legislative franchise expired on May 4.

workers displaced.

This is followed by the month of February with 371 reporting establishments (12 percent), covering 30,712 displaced workers nationwide.

In terms of major industry groups, most displaced workers were from the sectors of administrative and support service (31 percent or 28,192) and manufacturing (11 percent or 10,260).

Meanwhile, it said that a total of 104,163 establishments covering 2,824,992 workers are implementing flexible work arrangements (FWAs) and temporary closure (TC).

Of the number, a total of 23,855 establishments with 990,176 workers have implemented FWAs. A total of 82,086 establishments with 1,954,419 workers resorted to temporary closures.

Earlier, the DOLE said it is ready to assist workers who have lost their jobs due to retrenchment and closure of their companies.

It ensures that separation benefits are provided to affected employees and can also facilitate employment in available vacancies in the labor market.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III, meanwhile, said the government should augment the budget earmarked by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) for its Covid-19 Assistance to Restart Enterprises (CARES) program aimed at helping micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

Sotto said the P1 billion budget for the program is not enough to help MSMEs jumpstart their businesses following the economic downturn that they suffered when most provinces of the country were placed under strict quarantines in a bid to contain the spread of COVID-19.

He said small and medium companies are just starting to resume operations, with most if not all of them operating at 30 to 50 percent.

“They suffered huge income losses when their businesses were shut down for more than two months. It is the responsibility of the government to help them recover from their meltdowns,” Sotto said.

The DTI’s CARES loan facility aims to help MSMEs by providing loans

ranging from P10,000 to P200,000 for micro enterprises and up to P500,000 for small enterprises. The loan is channeled thru the agency’s financing arm SB Corp.

The program was launched in midMay. Barely a month after the program opened, the SBC announced it was suspending loan applications as it has already breached its funding capacity of P1 billion.

Sotto said the application period was too short.

“Many MSMEs were still in the process of assessing their income losses and have yet to determine the amount of funding assistance they needed to restart their businesses. The one-month application period was too short for them to have availed of the government loan. The DTI should reopen the application period to allow more small and medium businesses to apply,” Sotto said.

Data from the DTI show there are over 1 million business establishments in the country, of which, 99.52 percent or 998,342 are MSMEs. Most of these MSMEs are located in the National Capital Region, Central Luzon and Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) regions.

Sotto said the Department of Budget and Managementcan tap the Executive’s COVID emergency response budget for the needed extra funds.

Also on Wednesday, Senator Imee Marcos said advisories issued by DOLE should be changed immediately to resolve the floating status of employees who continue to face the COVID-19 pandemic without any income.

“Six months is too long for employees to be on floating status without pay during an economic crisis. Employees feel that their patience is being pushed to the point that they would just resign, so that their employers can void tenure and need not pay the separation benefits due for every year of service,” Marcos said.

Labor advisories 9 and 17 allow companies to modify work arrangements and adjust wages and wage-related benefits for up to six months as remedial measures while community quarantines are in place.

notice,” said an insider at the City Hall.

The victim’s family, including his parents, were brought to Jose B. Lingad Memorial Regional Hospital in City of San Fernando for COVID 19 rapid testing.

Dr. Froilan Canlas, Rafael Lazatin Memorial Medical Center (RLMMC) officer-in-charge, said the deceased was from Barangay Pampang, and was initially diagnosed with diabetes. – Jess Malabanan

7 UP Diliman frontliners test positive Seven frontliners at Kanlungang Palma and the University of the Philippines Health Service (UPHS) tested positive for COVID-19, a university bulletin said Tuesday.

The bulletin said the patients have been isolated while their close contacts have been traced by the UPHS and the Public Health Unit.

UV...

From A1 date. “For Monday [June 29] some UV routes [will be opened], and then followed by the traditional jeepneys.”

He said the LTFRB was following a hierarchy in gradually allowing different modes of public transportation to operate, after the government suspended their operations following the declaration of an enhanced community quarantine in Metro Manila.

“As to hierarchy, what we’re saying is we have preference for PUVs with bigger capacities that can take passengers from point A to point B,” Delgra said.

As of Monday, operations of the two Metro Manila train lines (MRT and LRT), city buses, and modern jeepneys have been allowed.

Duterte OK with 14-day detention in anti-terror bill

By Vito Barcelo MALACAÑANG said Wednesday a provision in the anti-terror bill that would require a 14-day pre-trial detention of suspected terrorists does not pose a problem to President Rodrigo Duterte.

“The President does not see this provision on detention of terror suspects under the proposed law as a violation of the Constitution,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque told ANC. “He does not feel that the 14-day period is actually a violation of the Constitutional provision that a warrant of arrest can only be issued by a judge because the law does not change that constitutional rule,” Roque said.

He says it is still the court that will issue a warrant of arrest against a suspect or acquire jurisdiction over him.

Several groups strongly oppose the anti-terror bill because of a provision allowing warrantless arrests.

But Roque, a lawyer and a University of the Philippines instructor, says it is still the court that will decide if a person belongs to a terrorist organization.

“In fact, we have to file a petition with the Court of Appeals and not just with the regional trial court,” he said.

Roque says the rules of court on warrantless arrests will continue to be applicable.

Under the proposed measure, the Anti-Terror Council could order the arrest of a suspected terrorist and his detention for 14 days, which could be extended by another 10 days without so much as a charge filed against him.

“After the pre-trial detention of 14 days, extended for another 10 days, and notice has to be given to the nearest judge, it is the court that will issue the warrant of arrest for the purpose of actually arresting him [the suspect] or for the purpose of the court acquiring jurisdiction over the person of the accused,” Roque said.

He said it was up to the President if he would sign the bill.

P355b...

From A1 the President must extend his emergency powers to address the pandemic despite the Philippines’ being in “good shape” for its COVID-19 response.

“We would need to have emergency powers again because it takes forever to comply with the Procurement Act for purposes of emergency medical purchases,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque said in a television interview.

“The most important power we can no longer exercise is the purchase of medical-related materials, and so far I think we’re in good shape.”

The Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, which gives Duterte temporary emergency powers to fight COVID-19, expires on June 25.

Roque said Duterte’s emergency powers were necessary to allow the government to augment the medical supplies for the treatment of COVID-19, and to supervise some private hospitals that were attending to the needs of infected individuals.

He said the Philippines had already received one million personal protective equipment out of the eight million it placed a bid for, while the ventilators that the government had ordered were already being distributed to hospitals.

The Finance department last week said the government planned to raise up to P400 billion from borrowings to help finance the Philippines’ recovery from the pandemic.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin Diokno earlier said the Philippines needed fresh funds to spur job creation.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said unlike the PUJs, which have seats that make passengers face one another, UV Express vans let passengers face one direction, which minimizes the risk of COVID-19 infections.

But he says both the UV Express vans and the PUJs will be tapped if the current modes of public transportation are not enough to send commuters to their destinations.

“It’s the convenience of the riding public that is being considered. But I think the UV Express vans stand a better chance [of being allowed] than jeepneys,” Roque told ABS-CBN’s Headstart.

But he noted the LTFRB should have a decision on PUJs “within the month.”

Earlier, Roque said the PUJs may no longer be allowed to resume operations if other modes of public transport would be enough to service commuters.

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THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2020

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‘Wirecard scammer may be in PH’

By Rey E. Requejo

J

USTICE Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Wednesday said a dismissed official of payments company Wirecard may still be in the Philippines.

Citing records from the Bureau of Immigration, Guevarra disclosed that Jan Marsalek, former COO of Wirecard, arrived in the country on March 3 and left on March 5.

"However, there are some indications that he may have returned recently and may still be here," Guevarra said in a text message to reporters.

According to the Justice Secretary, he has ordered the Bureau of Immigration to investigate the former Wirecard executive.

Guevarra also said he has directed National Bureau of Investigation to investigate certain personalities allegedly involved in the Wirecard case, in which 1.9 billion euros or

USD 2.1 billion was reportedly have gone missing.

The NBI will coordinate with the Anti-Money Laundering Council in the initial phase of the investigation, he said.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin Diokno earlier said the missing $2.1 billion did not enter the Philippine financial system.

Two Philippine banks, BDO Unibank and Bank of the Philippine Islands, have denied involvement with Wirecard, both saying they have determined that documents claiming

Wirecard was a client of theirs were false.

"The international financial scandal used the names of two of the country's biggest banks—BDO and BPI—in an attempt to cover the perpetrators attack," Diokno said.

Markus Braun, Wirecard's CEO, has since resigned and been arrested on suspicion of market manipulation.

The payments provider has also admitted that the 1.9 billion euros missing from its accounts likely "do not exist."

Defer online sellers listup, BIR urged

CELEBRATING ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST. A woman takes a video during the motorcade of San Juan City's patron saint, St.

John the Baptist, along A. Luna Street in San Juan City on Wednesday, June 24, 2020. This year's traditional splashing of water along the city streets was prohibited by the local government due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The same celebration was held in General Trias, Cavite. PNA/JR Josue

TACLOBAN CITY—The Philippine Red Cross-Southern Leyte chapter and local government of Maasin City opened its safe quarantine facility for returning local stranded individuals through the first Red Cross 143 COVID-19 Skills Camp.

“What makes this quarantine facility

By Orlan Mauricio

MALOLOS CITY—The controversial chest X-ray requirement and Complete Blood Count tests before a medical certificate is issued to an individual applying for a Travel Authority here was ordered stopped by City Mayor Gilbert Gatchalian.

The order came as the Malolos City Council passed on Tuesday a unanimous resolution ordering City Health Officer Dr. Victor Batanes to stop the collection of P100 for the medical certificate and another P400 being charged by a private laboratory clinic that corners all referrals from Batanes.

On Monday, City Councilor Atty.

Dennis San Diego delivered a privilege speech condemning the racket on the medical certificate based on an expose of

unique, aside from the camp setting, is that during the 14-day quarantine, the dwellers will undergo various skills training,” said Jonas Maco, Red Cross Southern Leyte chapter president.

“Philippine Red Cross is doing isolation installation of tents but only in Southern Leyte that we have regular programs offered for them not to be

Gov’t worker sacked for ‘tickling’ THE Supreme Court has sustained a ruling of the Civil Service Commission ordering the dismissal from government service of a close-in cameraman of Presidential Broadcasting Staff-Radio TV Malacanang (PBS-RTVM) for tickling the knee of his female co-worker, which the high court found be indecent and unprofessional.

In a 13-page decision dated February 26 but only released to the media this week, the SC's Second Division also upheld the CSC's decision forfeiting the retirement benefits of the respondent as well as perpetual disqualification from reemployment in any government agency.

The administrative case stemmed from an administrative complaint filed by his co-worker for sexual harassment or grave misconduct in 2013.

The complainant, who is a contractual employee of PBS-RTVM, alleged

DOJ asks NBI to monitor ‘malicious’ infos online JUSTICE Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Wednesday ordered the National Bureau of Investigation to set up a system to monitor what it considered “unfounded” and “malicious” information circulating in social media.

Guevarra made the order even as he assured that the Department of Justice is willing to extend assistance to Vice President Ma. Leonor “Leni” Robredo in investigating the fake news claiming that she sent spoiled hot meals to frontliners of a hospital in Quezon City.

“Today we are asking the NBI to establish a system of monitoring the spread of false and malicious information in social media, establishing the source, determining if there's a pattern, habit, or scheme, and taking the appropriate steps to preserve evidence of wrongful behavior for possible prosecution in the future,” Guevarra said in a text message to reporters. Rey E. Requejo

FLAG carrier Philippine Airlines on Wednesday announced that it will be mounting special flights between Manila and Bacolod on June 26 and 29, and on July 3 to serve locally stranded individuals.

In a statement, the PAL management said the three 'sweeper flights' will cater LSI passengers residing in Bacolod and Negros Occidental, and individuals described as Authorized Persons Outside Residence.

PAL reminded the passengers that a valid government- issued identification cards with address is required upon check-in.

Passengers are also requested to bring a valid Travel Authority and Medical Certificate, to comply with the current local government unit restrictions. Joel E. Zurbano

Exorbitant CBC, X-ray fees in Malolos stopped QCPO relieves 15 operatives Manila Standard published last June 20.

The story went viral and had more than 36,000 views barely an hour after it was posted on the Facebook page of a local tabloid, MetroNEWS Bulacan, the oldest Malolos-based English weekly circulating in the province. The Standard expose reached 110,110 views in 24-hours and as of yesterday, continues to trend with more than 121,234 as of 5pm.

Netizens who aired their rants and expletives against the requirement where mostly those who paid P400 to the Ma. Trinity Laboratory & Diagnostic Center but were not issued any official receipt. They are now more vocal and are demanding a refund of the 500peso fee they paid.

The chest X-ray and CBC test were made mandatory by Dr. Batanes who

admitted during the inquiry at the City Council that it was his ‘judgement call’ although it was pointed out vividly by San Diego that the Department of Health algorithym does not require those tests before a travel pass is issued.

Mayor Gatchalian also stopped the payment of fees for the medical certificates similarly required before a ‘Clearance’ is given to local returningto-work employees and workers. Some 150 to 200 applicants for both travel pass and clearance are processed daily by the Malolos City Police since May 8.

The inquiry on the medical certificate, that rakes in an estimated P50,000 to P80,000 daily to the private laboratory, will resume today headed by Councilor Kirk Nicolas who heads the Committee on Health.

Red Cross, Maasin City launch skills camp as quarantine facility

By Ronald O. Reyes

IN BRIEF

PAL to mount special Manila-Bacolod flights

By Maricel V. Cruz A HOUSE leader on Wednesday urged the Bureau of Internal Revenue to defer the enforcement of its memorandum circular requiring online sellers to register their business and pay income and other taxes.

In filing House Resolution 994, Quezon City Rep. Precious Castelo urges the House of Representatives to express its collective sense to urge the BIR to defer the implementation of its Revenue Memorandum Circular 60-2020.

“It is undeniable that community quarantine restrictions imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic have incidentally caused an e-commerce boom, as many businesses have shifted from traditional or face-to-face selling to online or digital selling."

Castelo, assistant majority leader, said aside from established businesses, the pandemic has given rise to a new breed of thousands of small entrepreneurs—residents of subdivisions who cater to their neighbors, their community and nearby villages.

“They offer to sell and delivery anything their communities need, from eggs, meat, bread, vegetables, rice, disinfectant, face masks, other medical supplies and food products, to ultraviolet lamps. They even sell furniture, office equipment and school supplies,” she said.

Castelo said that such online businesses are flourishing because people are afraid to go out of their homes for fear of getting infected by the coronavirus.

“Because of Covid-19, there was and there is still is a great demand for food and other products delivered to your doorsteps. Neighborhood entrepreneurs are filling such demand,” Castelo said.

“In fact, it is these community sellers who started catering to people who chose to stay home. The established businesses like restaurants and fastfood chains are just starting to catch up,” she said.

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that the respondent sat beside her in the office while she was watching the noon time television show Eat Bulaga and when he suddenly tickled her right knee and also "held her" causing her to hit her left elbow in a cabinet when she freed herself.

According to the complainant, the incident made her cry but that instead of apologizing he even taunted her by saying "oh umiyak ka daw."

The respondent admitted he touched the knee of the complainant, but he reasoned out that it was intended as a joke and done without malice considering that they are in a group while watching a noontime show.

The respondent also claimed that the simultaneous filing of similar complaints by two other female co-workers indicated a concerted action on the part of the female employees to harass and inconvenience him. Rey E. Requejo

bored and enjoy while staying at the safe quarantine facility,” he added.

Maco also thanked Maasin City Mayor Nacional Mercado, partner agencies, Diocese of Maasin, and benefactors for their support in opening the camp at the Danao Forest Park, some 15 kilometers away from the city.

According to Maco, the skills camp

had complied with the health protocols set by the Department of Health.

During their 14-day stay, camp residents learned free lessons on volunteer management orientation course, psycho-social support program, hygiene promotion, proper handwashing and COVID-19 prevention, forest tree planting, and emergency first aid training.

By Rio N. Araja THE Quezon City Police District on Wednesday relieved 15 of its operatives for the escape of six Chinese detainees from Camp Karingal.

Brig. Gen. Ronnie Montejo, QCPD director, said the 15 police officers, who were assigned at the District Mobile Force Battalion, were disarmed and would face charges of violation of Article 224 of the Revised Penal Code or the evasion through negligence.

The policemen would also be slapped with administrative case.

Montejo identified the six Chinese nationals as Zhang Yi Xin, Ludong Jin, Song Qicheng, Lu Yinliang, Huang Yong Qiao and Chen Bin. The Chinese men were among the 342 foreign nationals who were arrested by the Bureau of Immigration in December 2019 for working without permit and visa at a Philippine offshore gaming operator.

Authorities were able to re-arrest the six escapees in Barangay Krus ng Ligas on Tuesday night.

The six foreigners were spotted standing near a creek along Mapagkumbaba Street corner Fulgencio Street.

Police discovered the six Chinese nationals were missing during an evening headcount last June 22.

FOOD FOR DRIVERS.

About 300 drivers plying the DivisoriaPritil route in Tondo, Manila receive food packages from members of the Manila Police District and the Brixton Fire Volunteers on Wednesday.

Norman Cruz

LGUs

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

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LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2020

Construction site in BGC in ‘localized lockdown’ THE Taguig City government placed a construction site in Bonifacio Global City under ‘localized lockdown’ after six workers were tested positive for coronavirus disease while others have Zika virus, typhoid and dengue.

“To properly care for the workers and prevent an outbreak in the area, a construction site in BGC will be placed under a localized lockdown from June 23 until July 7, based on the recommendation of the Safe City Task Force,” the city’s public information office stated in its advisory.

The local government decided to withhold the details of the construction site, the name of its developer and the affected workers “to protect their rights to privacy and avoid unnecessary and undue harm to all the parties involved.”

During the 15-day lockdown, all employees will be closely monitored, and no one will be allowed to enter or leave the construction site.

On June 18, the City’s Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Unit (CEDSU) investigated a report of possible grouping of indi viduals with symptoms of fever in a construction site.

Of the 27 suspected cases, at least six construction workers have tested positive for COVID-19.

Based on the evaluation of their work environment, some workers were also tested for dengue, typhoid and the Zika virus.

The Taguig City Police and BGC security personnel cordoned off and secured the site.

Mayor Lino Edgardo Cayetano assured that the city government had taken all the necessary measures to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus, and to ensure that the city was a safe place to live and do business in.

Joel E. Zurbano

IN BRIEF Las Piñas records 275 recoveries IN LAS Pñas City, Mayor Imelda Aguilar announced the recovery of 41 patients, bringing to 275 the total number of recoveries from the deadly COVID-19 in the city.

Aguilar gave assurances her administration had responded quickly against the pandemic to prevent the infectious disease from spreading.

City chief health officer Dr. Ferdinand Eusebio said the recovered patients came from Barangays Almanza Uno, Almanza Dos, CAA, Daniel Fajardo, Manuyo Uno, Manuyo Dos, Pamplona Tres, Pilar, Elias Aldana, Pulanglupa Uno, Pulanglupa Dos, Talon Dos and Talon Kuwatro.

Aguilar continues to appeal to residents to just stay home if they don’t have any official business outside.

The city government is continuing its expanded targeted testing at the Ligtas Center located at Daniel Fajardo Fajardo to those with symptoms and with possible exposure to patients affected with the virus.

She said that aside from the expanded targeted testing that the city health office was conducting, the local gover nment has a COVID-19 testingon-wheels as part of efforts to reach out and serve all barangays. Joel Zurbano

‘KALINGA’ PACKS. Uniqlo Philippines, through SM Foundation’s Operation Tulong Express (OPTE) program, distributes more than 16,300 Kalinga packs to over 80 grassroots communities located in 50 cities nationwide from March to May. The relief goods form part of Uniqlo Philippines’ pledge of P10 million donation to SM Foundation that will be used to provide support for communities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cops nab 3 Chinese suspects in sex traffic

By Joel E. Zurbano

P

OLICE have arrested three Chinese nationals and raided a establishment suspected to be involved in prostitution racket in Makati City.

The suspects—Zhang Yong, 48; Lai Jin Cheng Yuan, 29, and Yin Yuan Sheng, 33—were nabbed during the raid at JKL Bldg. Guanzon Street in Barangay Poblacion, Makati City.

Based on the report released by the Southern Police District, the suspects offered P100,000 bribe to Makati City Police Station chief investigator Maj. Gideon Ines and asked him not to file a case against them.

Ines’ team responded on the information that the building (JKL) was being utilized as a prostitution den operated and maintained by the foreigners.

Around 4 p.m. last Tuesday, the authorities swooped down on the eighth floor of the building and confirmed information that the place was being used for sex trafficking.

Several condoms and other sex paraphernalia were also found at the establishment during the police operation.

On orders of Mayor Abigail Binay, the Makati City police was conducting series of coordinated raids targeting syndicates engaged in prostitution and other vices at multiple locations, including at condominiums, hotels, massage parlors and residential units.

The police said they would continue to work with the community on information related to vice activities, and

Dinagat carpenters build quarantine beds DINAGAT Islands Governor Arlene Bag-ao and the Dinagat Islands InterAgency Task Force for COVID-19 have initiated a program called “KatreKarpintero” to respond to the need for more beds to be used in quarantine facilities in the province.

Cagdianao Mining Corp. provided the materials and the labor expenses amounting to P500,000 that had 21 carpenters build 150 beds in five days.

CMC is a subsidiary of Nickel Asia Corp. with operations in barangay Valencia.

“Thank you to CMC for immediately

Xevera homeowers get grace period MABALACAT City—Delinquent account holders of Xevera (Mabalacat) heaved relief after Westchester Development Corporation agreed to extend the grace period of their housing loan payments from 30 to 60 days, and offered other avenues to help homeowners settle their obligations.

“We feel good, at least we were given a chance to be clarified on and a grace period to pay our accounts,” said Ricky Salvador, leader of Xevera Unity Group who earlier questioned the legality of Xevera Mabalacat sale.

Salvador said he stopped paying the housing unit he acquired through a loan from the Home Mutual Development Fund or Pag-IBIG Fund since 2009 after controversy involving Globe Asiatique and Pag-IBIG Fund erupted.

Aside from his housing unit, Salvador also maintained several units which he offered for rent—which observers said was a clear violation under the housing loan rules.

Vice Mayor Geld Aquino, presiding officer, expressed gratitude to Westchester, GA and Pag-IBIG for attending the hearing despite a short notice.

Jess Malabanan

would take tough enforcement action against those involved.

Binay had directed the city’s Business Permit and Licensing Office (BPLO) to shut down establishments and entertainment spots in the city that engage in prostitution whether direct or via the internet.

Binay said: “There is no room for prostitution in Makati. We will hunt down prostitution dens, karaoke bars, spas, condominiums, and even computer shops that exploit young men and women in the sex trade.

“We will shut down your operations and make sure that you are unable to do business in Makati. I will say this again, illegal activities are not welcome here.”

Just recently, Binay ordered the closure of a KTV bar inside a hotel near the city’s Central Business District, also for alleged sex trafficking. Two Taiwanese nationals were arrested for operating the alleged prostitution den.

HARD AT WORK. One of the 21 Dinagatnon carpenters who helped build 150 beds in five days is hard at work, responding to the need for more beds to be used in quarantine facilities in Dinagat Island.

responding by supporting our ‘KatreKarpintero’ program. Equipped with sufficient materials, 150 beds were completed in record time, of course this also provided extra income for our carpenters,” Bag-ao said.

CMC, represented by its Resident Mine Manager, Engr. Arnilo Milaor and ComRel Manager Rudilyn Velasco, officially turned over the materials consisting of marine plywoods, wood glue, lumber, round bar, nails, and liquid tiles.

“The total P577,024.67 used to purchase the materials came from CMC’s Corporate Social Responsibility budget,” explained Milaor.

Primarily intended for the Municipal Care and Containment Center of Dinagat, the 150 beds are to be distributed to all seven municipalities in Dinagat Islands.

The materials were presented to the 21 carpenters from the different municipalities of Dinagat and were officially received by San Jose Mayor Yngwie Hero Ecleo; Josel Gonzales , Chief of Staff of the Governor; Aimee Gimeno, Provincial Administrator; Dr. Jillian Francise Lee, Provincial Health Officer; Angela Elago, Provincial General Services Officer; and Engr. Reymond Gonzales.

Pasig, QC, Manila top COVID-19 response PASIG City, Quezon City and Manila topped a COVID-19 Performance Survey among local government units (LGUs) in the national capital region, where nearly 13 million people live, according to a survey released this week.

The independent, non-commissioned survey was conducted by RPMission and Development Foundation Inc. (RPMDinc) and used face-to-face interviews and had 3,000 respondents, who were asked to rather their respective mayors and city governments during the coronavirus pandemic.

Eighty-six percent of Pasig residents approve of the way their Mayor and City Government are responding to and addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.

The second to the fifth-highest job approval ratings were registered among residents of Quezon City (80 percent), Manila (78 percent), Marikina (74 percent), and Valenzuela (72 percent).

The mayors of the top-performing LGUs, whose names were listed on the survey forms answered by respondents, were Vico Sotto (Pasig), Joy Belmonte (Quezon City), Isko Moreno Domagoso (Manila), Marcy Teodoro (Marikina), and Rex Gatchalian (Valenzuela).

Dr. Paul Martinez of RPMDinc said “the survey was conducted with the intention to reassess the efforts done by the LGUs and its (sic) officials amid the Corona Virus pandemic, the public’s reactions towards the leadership, management of local chief executives; “Assessment of the effectiveness of the following initiatives: security and public order; welfare of residents through relief goods, financial assistance and distribution; establishment of health protocols & security measures in the city; food security (hoarding prevention; supply of basic necessities and monitoring of prices); efficiency of the efforts being implemented.”

The lowest approval ratings were recorded in Pasay City (25 percent), Las Piñas City (26 percent) and Malabon City (27 percent).

The respondents of the survey that ran from June 10-15, 2020 were registered voters and all residents of Metro Manila, aged 18 to 70. They were randomly chosen and the number of respondents per city was distributed proportionally based on official population data.

Belmonte: Probe irregular PWD IDs issuance

By Rio N. Araja QUEZON City Mayor Joy Belmonte on Wednesdasy directed a probe of the irregular issuance of persons with disability (PWDs) identification cards to unqualified individuals in the past administration.

She reacted to reports that PWD IDs were allegedly issued to six immediate members of a well-off family even if they were not qualified under Republic Act 10754 or An Act Expanding the Benefits And Privileges of PWDs. She instructed city legal officer Niño Casimiro to issue show-cause orders to then city officials who could be behind the fraud.

She also directed an audit of PDAO. The city government’s official list of PWDs is now being thoroughly reviewed and procedural safeguards are now being installed to make sure that only those qualified under the law will enjoy its protection and privileges, she said.

She assured business owners being direct victims of such fraudulent act by unscrupulous individuals and corrupt government officials that the matter was being taken seriously by the present administration.

“Any abuse or negligence of their plight as in this case shall be dealt with accordingly to the fullest extent of the law,” the city government said.

A photo of the IDs went viral on social media.

“Abuse of the law has become alarming.

Unscrupulous persons are taking advantage of the situation,” the city mayor said.

52 Navotenos get NavotaTAAS scholarship SOME 52 Navoteño students and teachers have qualified for the NavotAAS Scholarship Program of the City Government of Navotas for school year 2020-2021.

This year’s academic scholars included 30 incoming high school freshmen, 15 incoming freshmen of Navotas Polytechnic College, two incoming freshmen of any college or university, and five teachers seeking higher education.

“We support Navoteños who persevere in their studies so they could fulfill their potential and

help their family and community in the future,” Mayor Toby Tiangco said.

“Despite the health crisis we are facing, we want our students, as well as our teachers, to continue learning and pursue their dreams. Let us not allow this pandemic to hinder them from achieving their aspirations in life,” he added.

The city government gives high school scholars P18,000 per academic year for book, transportation and food allowance.

NPC scholars get P22,000 per academic year for tuition,

book, transportation and food allowance. Scholars of other colleges or universities are given P262,000 for the same.

Furthermore, teacher scholars receive P75,000 every academic year for their tuition; book, transportation and food allowance; and research grant.

Aside from academic scholarship, the city government also offers scholarships to students who excel in sports and in arts, and to children or relatives of the Top Ten Outstanding Fisherfolk.

Jun David

FOR FRONTLINERS. The Alcantara Group of Companies, through

the Conrado and Ladislawa Alcantara Foundation Inc., together with Sarangani Energy Corporation (SEC), Alsons Agri-Business Unit (ABU), and the Kamanga Agro-Industrial Ecozone Development Corp. (KAIEDC), donates over 8,000 facemasks, 3,000 gloves, 182 goggles, and 150 personal protective equipment (PPEs) to the Sarangani provincial government.

Opinion Imbecile in the White House

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the spread of COVID-19 there.

In an election year, it is easy to dismiss the Republican Party as Mr. Trump’s enabler, turning a blind eye to his incompetence, his abuse of office and his complete disregard for the truth.

But every so often, we are reminded that not everyone in the now-disgraced party has sold his soul in the service of Trump.

Over the weekend, Steve Schmidt, who ran John McCain's 2008 campaign for president, offered a stinging repudiation of Mr. Trump in an interview with MSNBC.

Those measures, we now know, proved inadequate to stop COVID-19, as the disease came to be known, from spreading like wildfire across the United States.

Today, the US has the highest rate of coronavirus deaths and infections in the world. On Tuesday afternoon in the US, at least 2,329,637 have been infected in the country and 121,029 have died, according to the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center.

Still, these days, Mr. Trump is in denial and behaves as if the virus threat in his country has been defeated, and eschews all the common sense precautions— wearing face masks, maintaining physical distance, and testing—that his own government’s health experts recommend.

Ironically, it is the EU now that is considering barring visitors from several countries, including the US, because of

There are real and perilous consequences when we choose the wrong leaders.

His words bear repeating: "Donald Trump has been the worst president this country has ever had.

And I don't say that hyperbolically.

He is. But he is a consequential president. And he has brought this country in three short years to a place of weakness that is simply unimaginable if you were pondering where we are today from the day where Barack Obama left office. And there were a lot of us on that day who were deeply skeptical and very worried about what a Trump presidency would be. But this is a moment of unparalleled national

humiliation, of weakness.

"When you listen to the President, these are the musings of an imbecile.

An idiot. And I don't use those words to name call. I use them because they are the precise words of the English language to describe his behavior. His comportment. His actions. We've never seen a level of incompetence, a level of ineptitude so staggering on a daily basis by anybody in the history of the country whose ever been charged with substantial responsibilities.

"It's just astonishing that this man is president of the United States. The man, the con man, from New York City. Many bankruptcies, failed businesses, a reality show, that branded him as something that he never was. A successful businessman. Well, he's the President of the United States now, and the man who said he would make the country great again. And he's brought death, suffering, and economic collapse on truly an epic scale. And let's be clear. This isn't happening in every country around the world. This place.

Our place. Our home. Our country. The United States. We are the epicenter.

We are the place where you're the most likely to die from this disease. We're the ones with the most shattered economy.

And we are because of the fool that sits in the Oval Office behind the Resolute Desk."

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. This is yet another grim reminder that there are real and perilous consequences when we choose the wrong leaders.

Turmoil in the United States the US for minorities like Asians, African Americans and colored Latinos is not exactly smooth sailing.

Notwithstanding the problems, however, the US is still the first choice for migration for Filipinos. And why not, the US has always been marketed as the land of milk and honey and the land of the free and the brave. We have also been a former colony and therefore have familiarity with the language, culture and government.

It is no wonder that many of us believe that there would be very little adjustments to be made once there.

This may be true to some but many might be shocked to find out that life

DUTY CALLS

FLORENCIO FIANZA AS THE United States is being ravaged by a pandemic, it is also engulfed in street protests—mostly peaceful, but sometimes degenerating into violent confrontations between demonstrators and police that morph to looting and burning of business establishments.

This is because of a video that has gone viral all over the world: A white Minneapolis policeman kneeling on the neck of a handcuffed African American, George Floyd for almost eight minutes that eventually caused the latter’s death.

The killing of many African Americans in the hands of white law enforcers is no longer an unusual occurrence. White police officers have been killing black people and getting away with it with frightening and astonishing regularity for some time. This time however, the reaction has been different. Many Americans regardless of race are now demanding meaningful police reform, an end to police brutality, systemic racism and discrimination. That very graphic video must have struck a raw nerve in people because black, white, brown—you name it—and they are all there on the streets demonstrating. And for once, public officials, leaders in the business and sporting world are reacting.

There is even a defund the police initiative led by the City of Minneapolis, the place where George Floyd was killed. Some kind of meaningful reform therefore, might just happen.

Hopefully, it does because living in

That country is not for everyone. there could be so different from their perceptions once they get there. This is perhaps one reason why many Filipinos are coming home to retire here after years of living in the states.

Still, if one's intention is simply to go there to earn money, then all other issues become secondary in importance. As for police reform, there is this old cliché that “the police is always in need of reform but very difficult to change.” This is because of traditions, doctrines, culture and corporate interests that are hard to dismantle. For example, the US has more than 12,000 local police forces.

Almost 18,000 if the county sheriff’s office, state police and federal police agencies are included. All are trained differently and have different doctrines and cultures. And unlike our Philippine National Police which does not allow the formation of unions, in

America, police unions are allowed.

These are some of the monumental obstacles to reform.

There is also no such thing as a uniform code of police conduct for all police officers to follow all over the country. People here may not realize it, but the community policing program that we have adopted and have been following for many years originated from the United States. The idea of this program is that if the police are recruited from the same community, there will be less or no abuses by the police because they are supposed to be members of the same community.

As we are seeing however, it does not seem to be working that way there.

The other problematic issue involves racism and discrimination against people of color like us Filipinos which is very much alive and well in America. Racism takes many forms and are sometimes subtle and not obvious. There is outright racism as shown by what happened to that Fil-American lady exercising in a public park in California when she was told to go back where she came from or polite racism like what happened to a Fil-Am fellow in San Francisco when it was politely insinuated to him that he does not belong to that upscale neighborhood. One can also be easily passed over for promotions even if a minority is much more qualified than a white person.

In the end, it is the priority of an individual that matters most. If what is important to a person is dignity, equality and being treated fairly, then one has to be prepared to fight for it every time it happens because it is happening frequently. With all the perceived benefits derived from living in advanced and developed countries like the US, it is not for everyone.

Save our modern-day heroes FOR many years, our overseas workers and business process outsource companies have been key contributors to the country’s economic growth. Based on the latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, there were 2.2 million Overseas Filipino Workers during the period of April to September 2019. In that same year, OFW remittances hit a record high of $33.5 billion, comprising 9.3 percent of the gross domestic product, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. Meanwhile, from January to

OVERSIGHT

DANILO SUAREZ September 2019, revenues from the BPO industry reportedly amounted to $16.4 billion. The BPO sector has also provided sources of income to more than a million Filipinos for the past years and has helped many Filipinos ease away

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from extreme poverty.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic has seriously affected not only the eco-

We should treat everyone with dignity. nomic performance, but also the general welfare of these two sectors. The

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THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2020

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Policymakers’ dilemma in a health-related crisis

EDITORIAL

ACK in early 2020 when US President Donald Trump still acknowledged the coronavirus as a threat, he closed his country’s borders to travelers from China, where the pandemic started, then also barred visitors from the European Union, where the virus quickly spread.

Adelle Chua, Editor

BUSINESS CLASS

RUDY ROMERO THE coronavirus pandemic is creating a two-headed problem for governments. Economic policymakers are being forced to perform a delicate balancing act. As with all balancing acts, failure to achieve and maintain can produce dire consequences.

Normally economic downturns are the result of widespread and sustained loss of purchasing power following disasters such as financial-market collapses, political upheavals, trade disruptions and agricultural failures. In such situations, the makers of monetary, fiscal and trade policies know what they have to do: Maintain purchasing power by making it possible for producers to continue operating and for consumers to keep buying what the producers are producing and the distributors are selling. This they do by making appropriate policies in such economic policy tools as loan availabilities, interest rates, taxes and benefit payments.

But the downturn that the world economy is currently experiencing— without a doubt the most severe since The Great Depression of the 1930s—is by no means normal.

Unlike other economic crises since the 1930s, the current crisis has two heads like Hydra of mythology. One head is an economic head; the second head has no direct connection with economics. The non-economic half of the current crisis is, of course, the coronavirus pandemic, which thus far has produced over 31,000 infections and caused the death of just over 1,000 Filipinos.

Economic policymakers all over the world are poised on the horns of a dilemma. The dilemma is that they are called upon to accomplish two things at the same time: saving lives and protecting jobs. The two objectives, which have been characterized as lives-versus-livelihoods and deaths-versus-dollars, are to a large extent antithetical to one another. If communities are locked down, lives are saved but jobs are lost;

government has already repatriated around 56,000 OFWs since the pandemic began. There are still thousands of OFWs that are anticipated to arrive in the country in the next few months.

The returning OFWs will then have to face the struggle of finding employment here in the country. Sadly, before that happens, these OFWs already had to endure the tedious and nebulous process for the mandatory COVID-19 testing and quarantine. To add salt to the wound, after the quarantine, many of them were stranded in airports for days due to cancelled flights, leaving them worried and uncertain about when they will get home. They were also anxious about the risks of COVID-19 transmission. In the past weeks, we have seen news reports showing stranded OFWs who slept on the streets and under flyovers. They have exhausted all their money for food since their arrival.

On the other hand, many BPO employees have been put on floating status, with no work and no pay since the start of the enhanced community quarantine.

Despite the easing of restrictions under the general community quarantine, not all employees can afford to physically report to work due to limitations in public transport and the ongoing threat of COVID-19. Some resort to a workfrom-home arrangement. However, not all are capable of doing so due to lack of access to stable internet connection and lack of computers and other needed equipment. With this, BPO employees fear possible retrenchment due to the continued low productivity of their companies.

As the country grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, we cannot lose sight of the valid and urgent concerns of our overseas workers and BPO employees. What is happening today is discouraging as we fail to address their immediate needs and deliver reliable services and information. Now is the

if, on the other hand, communities are unlocked in disregard of established public-health protocols, jobs will be restored but mortality rates are bound to rise. Using tried and tested economic policy tools, it’s easy to increase purchasing power and thereby restore jobs.

But this remedial operation must be carried out in a manner that does not cause surges in infection and monthly rates. Keeping people from getting sick and dying versus making it possible for people to continue earning a living: this is the delicate balancing act that the world’s economic policymakers are called upon to perform in these times.

They were not taught these things in their economics and finance classes.

It’s an exceedingly difficult balancing act, but it has to be performed.

Lives cannot be saved at the expense of livelihoods and deaths cannot be preferred over dollars.

For most economic policymakers, this is unchartered territory. To bring down infection and mortality rates and eventually contain the coronavirus, how much economic reopening should be done, and how and when? The economic policymakers were not taught these things in their economics and finance classes. In the present crisis they are making policy decisions according to best judgments based on economic principles and ethical and Christian precepts.

Surges in infection and mortality rates in countries that have not consistently observed the health safety protocols, and sharp increases in infections and deaths in countries that had been declared COVID-19-free, indicate that achieving and maintaining the right policy balance in the present crisis is very much a work in progress.

Policymaking has never been like this for today’s economic policymakers. When the current crisis shall have been solved, they will hope that they won’t have to do this kind of policymaking again in their lifetimes.

time to remind ourselves of their hard work and sacrifices, and pay them back for saving the country from financial distress.

The national government should review the protocols for returning OFWs in order to improve screening for COVID-19 and ensure that disease transmission to and among returning OFWs is rigorously and diligently prevented. There remains the need to ensure that these returnees will strictly adhere to the mandatory testing and quarantine to accurately rule out the risks to their families and communities once they get home. There must also be adequate facilities in and out of Manila as well as transport services that will cater to these returning heroes while observing proper social distancing and other health and safety measures.

Furthermore, let us give proper respect to our OFWs who died from COVID-19 by allowing them to be buried here, in their home country. The government should also be ready to give assistance to OFWs who are afflicted with COVID-19 abroad.

For the BPO sector, companies should provide the necessary support to their employees the best way they can in the midst of this pandemic. Proper transport services should be provided by the company to bring employees safely to the offices and back home should the employees be required to physically report to work. The government should also look into the plight of workers who experience labor-related abuses and are victims of unfair labor practices.

We are all under distress. The situation calls for a more considerate and humane environment, given the struggles many of us face as we survive day to day. Everyone must extend help to those who need it and remember to treat everyone with dignity as we, as a nation, conquer this pandemic.

Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Managing Editor Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Associate Editors Joyce Pangco Pañares News Editor

Adelle Chua Opinion Editor

Honor Blanco Cabie Night Editor Jimbo Owen Gulle City Editor Lino M. Santos Chief Photographer

Emil P. Jurado Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board

B2

World

THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2020

CESAR BARRIOQUINTO, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Judge orders Bolsonaro to wear mask in public BRASILIA — A federal judge in Brazil ordered President Jair Bolsonaro to wear a face mask in public, after the far-right leader repeatedly flouted the coronavirus containment measures in place in Brasilia.

Judge Renato Borelli ordered Bolsonaro, who has famously compared the new coronavirus to a “little flu,” to stop ignoring the capital city’s mask decree, or face a fine of 2,000 reals ($390).

“The president has a constitutional obligation to follow the laws in force in the country, as well as to promote the general welfare of the people, which means taking the necessary measures to protect citizens’ right to health,” the judge wrote in his ruling Monday.

The decision also applies to Bolsonaro’s cabinet and staff.

The case was brought by a lawyer

who said the president should be held to account for his “irresponsible behavior.”

Masks have been mandatory in public in Brasilia since April to curb the spread of the virus.

Bolsonaro regularly breaks the physical distancing measures in place in the capital, giving handshakes and hugs at rallies by his supporters, hosting barbecues, hitting the shooting range and going out for hotdogs, generally without a mask.

His former education minister Abraham Weintraub was fined 2,000 reals last week for attending a proBolsonaro rally in Brasilia without a mask.

Brazil has the second-highest COVID-19 death toll in the world, after the United States, at more than 51,000. AFP

COVER GIRL. A pedestrian passes by a sign requesting people to wear face coverings in the Georgetown district of Washington, DC on June 24. AFP

Powerful 7.4 Mexico quake kills six AXACA, Mexico — A 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck southern Mexico on Tuesday, killing six people, sending hundreds fleeing from their homes and forcing the closure of a major state-owned oil refinery.

O

Hundreds of aftershocks were reported in the hours following the initial tremor, which was felt in Mexico City, some 700 kilometers (430 miles) distant from the epicenter in Crucecita, in Oaxaca state.

“We had to leave because there is a risk that the market will collapse. We are hardly selling anything because of the pandemic and now if the market is closed we will have a worse time,” said Juana Martinez, 60, a flower-seller in Oaxaca city.

All the deaths occurred in Oaxaca, with the majority due to the collapse of buildings. A woman died near Crucecita, and five other people died in towns located within 150 kilometers of the

epicenter, officials said.

The 7.4 quake struck at a depth of 23 kilometers, the US Geological Survey reported.

An initial tsunami warning was later reversed.

There was no damage reported to “strategic infrastructure” including ports, airports, refineries and hydroelectric plants, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said in a video published on social media.

Mexican Oil said its refinery in Salina Cruz in Oaxaca had been shut down as a precaution after a fire broke out at the plant “that was immediately stifled.”

One of the dead from the earthquake was a worker at the refinery, who was

killed after falling off a high structure.

Other refineries in the state are operating as normal, Mexican Oil said.

Rescuers were battling to reach a remote area of the rugged state amid reports that 15 workers had become trapped while constructing a highway.

The quake also caused slight damage to four hospitals and a clinic, as well as to churches, markets and other buildings, authorities said.

Six hours after the quake, 447 aftershocks had been recorded across the region, the strongest at a magnitude of 4.6.

The US Pacific Tsunami warning center initially said hazardous waves as high as three meters could strike anywhere within 1,000 kilometers of the quake’s epicenter, affecting the Pacific coast of Mexico and Central and South America.

Quake adding to virus woes Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum also activated response protocols, adding that two people had been injured.

Apart from some building facades fall-

ing, she said there had been “no major incidents” reported.

The earthquake was felt in several parts of the capital of 8.8 million people which in 2017 was hit by a 7.1 magnitude quake that left 360 people dead throughout the country.

That same year, 96 people died after an 8.1 magnitude quake struck the south of the country, with Oaxaca the worst affected state.

The quake has hit at a time when Mexico is already reeling from the coronavirus pandemic.

It has suffered more than 23,000 COVID-19 deaths -- the second most in Latin America -- and 191,410 cases.

On Tuesday the country recorded its highest number of cases in a 24-hour period, with 6,288 new infections, according to the Ministry of Health.

Medical staff were evacuated from some hospitals in the capital alongside patients, although those suffering from the coronavirus remained isolated inside the buildings, alongside their caretakers. AFP

Twitter hides ‘abusive’ tweet from Trump vs. protesters WASHINGTON — Twitter on Tuesday hid a tweet from President Donald Trump in which he threatened to use “serious force” against protestors in the US capital, saying it broke rules over abusive content.

The move appeared to be the first

by Twitter against the president for an “abusive” tweet. In a growing dispute, the platform has recently labeled other Trump tweets as misleading and violating its standards on promoting violence.

“There will never be an ‘Autonomous Zone’ in Washington, D.C., as long as I’m your President. If they try they will be met with serious force!”

Trump tweeted.

The action by Twitter requires users to click through to read the Trump tweet, with a tag on the message that it “violated the Twitter rules about abusive behavior” but that it would remain accessible “in the public’s interest.”

Trump’s tweet referred to the policefree district created by protesters in Seattle, in Washington state, two weeks ago, which has sparked outrage among conservatives.

Twitter’s move escalated the battle between the White House and social media firms which Trump has accused of bias against conservatives, despite his own large following.

The president has already signed an executive order which could lead to more government oversight of social media firms, despite doubts about its legal authority.

The Trump administration has also signaled it wants to overhaul a law that gives online services immunity from content posted by others, a move which could open the floodgates to litigation.

Twitter said in a statement to AFP it took the action Tuesday because the tweet violated its policy against abusive behavior with “a threat of harm against an identifiable group.”

Twitter’s policy in dealing with world leaders in most cases calls for violating messages to be labeled— which limits its reach and prevents others from liking or retweeting it— but leaves the tweets available because if they relate to “ongoing matters of public importance.” AFP

IN BRIEF Pornstar Jeremy charged with rape

LOS ANGELES — Adult film star Ron Jeremy has been charged with raping three women and sexually assaulting a fourth, Los Angeles prosecutors said Tuesday.

Jeremy, one of the pornographic film industry’s biggest names who appeared in over 1,700 hardcore movies, has been dogged by allegations of assault and barred from industry events in recent years.

He was charged over four separate incidents spanning back to 2014, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said in a statement Tuesday.

Three of the incidents occurred in the same West Hollywood bar, from 2017 to 2019, it said.

An alleged 2014 rape took place at a home in the same Los Angeles neighborhood.

The alleged victims were aged between 25 and 46.

A separate 2016 case was dropped due to insufficient evidence.

If convicted Jeremy, aged 67, faces a possible maximum sentence of 90 years to life in prison.

Jeremy—whose real name is Ronald Jeremy Hyatt—appeared in famous adult movies including “Deep Throat II” and “John Bobbitt Uncut.” AFP

Cheers as UK reopens pubs

MONKEY MARAUDER. This picture taken on June 20 shows a longtail macaque climbing on top of a monkey statue in front of the Prang Sam Yod Buddhist temple in the town of Lopburi, some 155km north of Bangkok, while another macaque sit next to a sign reading “Beware monkey zone” (inset). AFP

Humans try to take back Thai city from macaque hordes LOPBURI, Thailand—Residents barricaded indoors, rival gang fights and no-go zones for humans. Welcome to Lopburi, an ancient Thai city overrun by monkeys super-charged on junk food, whose population is growing out of control.

Pointing to the overhead netting covering her terrace, Kuljira Taechawattanawanna bemoans the monkey menace across the heart of the 13th-century city in the central province of the same name.

“We live in a cage but the monkeys live outside,” she tells AFP. “Their excrement is everywhere, the smell is unbearable especially when it rains.”

The fearless primates rule the streets around the Prang Sam Yod temple in the centre of Lopburi, patrolling the tops of walls and brazenly ripping the rubber seals from car doors.

Their antics were largely tolerated as a major lure for the tourist hordes who descended on the city before the coronavirus outbreak to feed and snap selfies with the plucky animals.

But a government sterilisation campaign is now being waged against the creatures after the epidemic provoked an unexpected change in their behaviour.

As foreign tourism -- Thailand’s cash cow -- seized up so did the flow of free bananas tossed their way, prodding the macaques to turn to violence.

Footage of hundreds of them brawling over food in the streets went viral on social media in March.

Their growing numbers -- doubling in three years to 6,000 -- have made an uneasy coexistence with their human peers almost intolerable.

Some areas of the city have simply been surrendered to the monkeys.

An abandoned cinema is the macaques’ headquarters -- and cemetery. Dead monkeys are laid to rest by their peers in the projection room in the cinema’s rear and any human who enters is attacked.

Nearby, a shop owner displays stuffed tiger and crocodile toys to try to scare off the monkeys, who regularly snatch spray-paint cans from his store.

Simians in the city No one in Lopburi seems to remember a time without the monkeys, with some speculating that the urban creep into nearby forest displaced the simians into the city.

Residents have taken it upon themselves to feed the macaques to prevent clashes.

But locals say the sugary diet of fizzy drinks, cereal and sweets has fuelled their sex lives.

“The more they eat, the more energy they have... so they breed more,” says Pramot Ketampai, who manages the Prang Sam Yod temple’s surrounding shrines.

The macaques’ mob fights have drawn the attention of authorities, who restarted a sterilisation programme this month after a three-year pause. AFP

LONDON—Pubs in England were given the go-ahead to reopen next week after more than three months of closure due to the coronavirus outbreak, in a move hailed Tuesday by the industry.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson made the announcement of the July 4 reopening as part of an easing of lockdown measures for hospitality, culture and tourism to help kickstart Britain’s stalled economy.

Lawmakers in parliament cheered as he called time on the first countrywide closure of pubs since the Great Plague of 1665.

Calling the moves an end to the country’s “national hibernation”, Johnson said there must be “minimum contact” between staff and customers, with table service only.

Regulars would also have to give contact details in case of any local outbreak.

Johnson said he expected people to apply common sense and not overdo it.

“We can’t have great writhing scenes in the beer gardens when the virus could be passed on,” he added.

The government has come under pressure over its handling of the COVID-19 crisis and its efforts to reopen the country, with fears of a looming deep recession because of the forced closure of businesses and worries. AFP

Nokor suspends plans vs. South

SEOUL — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has suspended plans for military action against the South, state media reported Wednesday in an apparent sudden dialling-down of tensions after Pyongyang blew 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.

Last week it blew up a liaison office on its side of the border that symbolised inter-Korean rapprochement, while its military said it would take multiple measures against the South.

The moves included re-entering areas of the North that it had withdrawn from as part of inter-Korean projects, restoring guard posts in the Demilitarized Zone that forms the border, and stepping up exercises.

But the North’s official Korean Central News Agency said Kim on Tuesday presided over a Central Military Commission meeting that “suspended the military action plans against the south”.

It did not elaborate. AFP

Business Huawei opens 2nd Shanghai flagship store SHANGHAI, China―Chinese telecom giant Huawei opened its second global flagship store in Shanghai on Wednesday, part of plans to strengthen its brand in its core Chinese consumer market as it faces headwinds overseas.

Hundreds of face mask-wearing customers queued up to enter the 5,000-square-meter (54,000-squarefoot) store―Huawei’s largest―located on the city’s busiest shopping street and directly across from a retail outlet of rival Apple.

Company representatives said Huawei intends to open several more such stores in China in the coming year to showcase its smartphones and other consumer tech, plans that they said were conceived before the US government launched a worldwide campaign against the firm about 18 months ago.

Huawei is the world’s largest supplier of telecom network equipment and planet’s number two smartphone maker.

The Trump administration accuses Huawei of stealing American trade secrets and says its telecommunications equipment could be used by Beijing for espionage.

Washington has essentially banned Huawei from the US market, urged other countries to shun its network gear, and is seeking to cut it off from global semiconductor suppliers.

The international rancor was on 80-year-old retiree Chen Yannian’s mind as he shopped for a new handphone.

“To be honest, with the United States suppressing Huawei, we must support Huawei,” Chen said.

He also cited the ongoing detention in Canada of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou―daughter of company founder Ren Zhengfei. She is fighting a US extradition request related to charges that Huawei violated Iran sanctions.

“America is not only suppressing Huawei, but all of China,” he said.

“If we can, we should try our best to support patriotism, right?”

Huawei had a commanding 42.6 percent share of China’s total smartphone market in the first quarter of 2020, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC).

But it said Huawei could face stiffening competition in the growing 5G phone segment from cheaper rivals.

The US also has barred Huawei from using Google’s Android operating system, meaning the company now faces the challenge of building a following for its home-grown alternative system HarmonyOS in a world dominated by Android and Apple’s iOS. AFP

B3

THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2020 || extrastory2000@gmail.com

Stocks tumble; Ayala Land drops T HE stock market fell Wednesday on rising COVID-19 cases and prospects of a deeper contraction in the local economy.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index dropped 108.95 points, or 1.7 percent, to 6,188.83 on a value turnover of P6.6 billion. Losers beat gainers, 121 to 83, with 33 issues unchanged.

Major property developer Ayala Land Inc. declined 6.2 percent to P34.05, while Merry Mart Consumers Corp., shed 5.1 percent to P3.52.

MacroAsia Corp., a major aviation support service provider and owned by tobacco and airline tycoon Lucio Tan, however, advanced 16 percent to P7.10, while Megawide Construction rose 14.2 percent to P7.71.

The rest of equities in Asia were mixed Wednesday after a healthy run-up the day before as traders weigh positive data suggesting economies are recovering against signs of a second wave of in-

fections and the reintroduction of some lockdowns.

Tokyo lost 0.1 percent and Hong Kong dipped 0.2 percent with Singapore.

Sydney added 0.2 percent, Shanghai gained 0.3, Mumbai added 0.5 percent and Taipei put on 0.4 percent with Wellington and Jakarta more than one percent higher.

Seoul climbed 1.5 percent with help coming from a report that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has suspended plans for military action against the South in an apparent easing of tensions just over a week after Pyongyang blew up a liaison office.

While governments and central banks have provided a wall of cash to support markets, investors are walking a tightrope between hopes the easing of restrictions will lead to a rebound and the possibility that looser measures will inflame the pandemic again.

After a rally across most regional bourses Tuesday, Wall Street and Europe followed suit after figures pointed to a big improvement in eurozone pri-

vate-sector activity in June as well as a jump in US new home sales.

Meanwhile, several countries continued to loosen up, including in Britain where pubs, restaurants, hotels and cinemas were told they could open again from July 4.

“Through the lens of survey data, at least for now, the world’s essential economies are seeing a V-shaped and coordinated rebound that looks set to (continue) through the summer in the northern hemisphere,” said Stephen Innes at AxiCorp. “Fingers crossed a second wave super spread does not land in our lap.”

However, there are growing concerns of a relapse in some countries that had been opening up, with Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike on Wednesday warning a number of new cases had been found at one workplace.

That comes after Germany reimposed containment measures in two western districts―home to almost 640,000 people―after an outbreak at a slaughterhouse infected more than 1,500 workers. With AFP

Customers look at Huawei smartphones at a newly-opened Huawei global flagship store in Shanghai on June 24, 2020. Chinese telecoms giant Huawei opened the doors on its second global flagship store in Shanghai’s commercial heart on June 24, part of plans to strengthen the brand in its core domestic market at a time when it faces headwinds overseas. AFP

TOP GAINERS

TOP LOSERS

MOST ACTIVE

German business confidence recovers more ground FRANKFURT—German business confidence in June recovered more ground lost to the coronavirus, a closely-watched survey showed Wednesday, even as local outbreaks led to shutdowns in some parts of the country.

The Ifo institute’s monthly barometer rose 6.5 points to 86.2, slightly beating analysts’ expectations.

As infection control lockdowns were imposed in March and April, throttling activity, the measure fell as low as 74.3 points before beginning its rebound last month.

“The mood in German boardrooms continues to brighten,” Ifo chief Clemens Fuest said in a statement, with June seeing “the strongestever increase” in a single month.

“German business can see light at the end of the tunnel,” Fuest added.

Ifo’s figures are based on a survey of around 9,000 companies.

Firms’ assessments of their present situation inched up slightly, but their outlook for the coming months jumped almost 11 points, to 91.4.

Measures of German consumer, investor and business confidence have improved in recent weeks as lockdowns are eased and everyday life makes steps towards normal.

But there are signs that Europe’s top economy, which has suffered fewer deaths than neighbors like France, Italy or Britain, may not be out of the woods yet. AFP

Argentina’s double whammy of virus, recession forces closures BUENOS AIRES, Argentina―After stuttering through two years of recession and three months of grim coronavirus lockdown, many businesses in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires have had enough and are closing their doors.

“I made the decision to auction off the contents and with the capital that comes from the sale, pay the staff and get rid of the business,” Ricardo Klausner told AFP at the door of his restaurant Latekla.

“The quarantine gave me time to mourn and today I actually feel very relieved.”

Workers were taking out crates of glasses and crockery, chairs and an industrial kneading machine from the restaurant Klausner operated for 26 years in downtown Buenos Aires, employing seven people.

“We had one of the worst Christmases in history in terms of consumption. The summer was also very bad and then we started with the pandemic.

Once the coronavirus ends, the crisis will continue.

“People cook at home, save, take care of their money, because they don’t know what the future holds for them,” Klausner said.

According to a survey by the Federation of Commerce and Industry of Buenos Aires, at least 18 percent of the 110,000 businesses in the capital have shut down since the coronavirus began.

Hotels, gyms, car wash services and hairdressers have yet to be given permission to open up, and restaurants have only been authorized for deliveries, which has reduced their profits by 25 percent, according to FECOBA.

PSEi June 24, 2020

Manila

Standard

TODAY

Notice of Annual Stockholders’ Meeting In light of current conditions and in support of the efforts to contain the outbreak of COVID-19, the Annual Stockholders’ Meeting (the “Meeting”) of Concepcion Industrial Corporation (the “Company”) will be conducted virtually via Zoom on 15 July 2020 at 10:30 AM, to consider and act upon the following matters: 1. Call to Order; 2. Certification of Existence of Quorum; 3. Approval of the Minutes of the Annual Meeting of the Stockholders held on 10 July 2019; 4. Report of the Chairman; 5. Approval of the Audited Financial Statements as of 31 December 2019; 6. Election of the members of the Board of Directors; 7. Appointment of External Auditor; 8. Ratification of Actions Taken by the Board of Directors and Officers; 9. Other Matters; and 10. Adjournment.

Stockholders of record as of 15 June 2020 shall be entitled to notice of and to vote at the said meeting.

Stockholders who wish to participate by remote communication or vote in absentia or by proxy should notify the Corporate Secretary by email to cic.secretary@ romulo.com on or before 3 July 2020.

Successful registrants will receive an electronic invitation via email with a complete guide on how to join the meeting.

For any registration concerns, please get in touch with the Company through cic.secretary@romulo.com.

View of auctioned lots of dishes inside the closed La Tekla restaurant in Buenos Aires, on June 18, 2020, amid the new coronavirus pandemic. After two years of economic recession and three months of compulsory confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic, several stores and restaurants in Buenos Aires are auctioning their furniture and implements, convinced they will not be able to reopen. AFP

“By the time it is decided to resume activity, 25-35 percent of businesses will have disappeared, leaving a string of unemployed, having been made defunct by the state because it was impossible to pay taxes,” said Fabian Castillo, FECOBA’s president.

Desolate nights The streets around the Plaza Cortazar in the Palermo Viejo neighborhood in the heart of Buenos Aires, look desolate these nights.

The trendy bars and restaurants that used to overflow with customers now have their blinds down and there is little traffic.

For Santiago Olivera, who owned the Bad Toro Bar for nine years, it was impossible to

go on.

“The costs of this place were very high and we are coming from two years of fairly bad consumption. Three months without making any money was the last straw.”

Olivera pointed out that because it was closed, he was only charged half the rent.

“But we are still getting tax and service bills as if we were open. On top of that, a government decree prohibited us from reducing or suspending employees, which is why we find ourselves closed for three months and with a full complement of staff.”

Five other businesses in his street have decided against reopening, he said. AFP

All stockholders who wish to vote through a proxy or in absentia shall submit the duly signed proxies or ballots, as the case may be, to the Office of the Corporate Secretary at the 21st Floor, Philamlife Tower, 8767 Paseo de Roxas, Makati City and/or by email to cic.secretary@romulo. com not later than 3 July 2020. The proxies and ballots submitted shall be validated on 10 July 2020 at 2:00 p.m.

We are not soliciting proxies.

The Information Statement of the Company which contains more details regarding the rationale and explanation for each of such agenda items and procedures for attending the meeting via remote communication and for casting votes in absentia, Management Report, and financial statements may be viewed or downloaded at [https://cicasm2020.cic. ph/] and through the PSE Edge portal [https://edge.pse. com.ph/].

Everyone is reminded that there will be audio and virtual recordings of the Meeting. (signed) Atty. Jayson L. Fernandez Corporate Secretary MS (JUNE 24 & 25, 2020)

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

B4

THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2020

PSE INDEX CLOSING Wednesday, June 24, 2020

108.95 PTS. 6,188.83

TOTAL VOLUME 3,797,548,232 TOTAL TRADES 106,695 TOTAL VALUE 6,642,104,001.08 ADVANCES 83 DECLINES 121 UNCHANGED 33

F oreign E xchange R ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 2020

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

50.1830

Japan

Yen

0.009391

0.4713

UK

Pound

1.251600

62.8090

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.129032

6.4752

Switzerland

Franc

1.058761

53.1318

Canada

Dollar

0.738171

37.0436

Singapore

Dollar

0.719528

36.1081

Australia

Dollar

0.692600

34.7567

Bahrain

Dinar

2.651113

133.040

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266652

13.3814

Brunei

Dollar

0.716949

35.9787

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000071

0.0036

Thailand

Baht

0.032331

1.6225

UAE

Dirham

0.272272

13.6634

Euro

Euro

1.131000

56.7570

Korea

Won

0.000828

0.0416

China

Yuan

0.141693

7.1106

India

Rupee

0.013248

0.6648

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.234028

11.7442

New Zealand

Dollar

0.649000

32.5688

Taiwan

Dollar

0.033846

1.6985 Source: BSP

IMF now sees PH contracting 3.6% this year THE International Monetary Fund expects the Philippine economy to contract by 3.6 percent this year, a significant downward revision from its April estimate of a 0.6-percent expansion on the devastating impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

“The growth forecast for 2020 is -3.6 percent. This downward revision is mostly attributable to larger-thanexpected supply disruptions related to COVID-19 and weaker demand in major trading partners,” IMF resident representative to the Philippines Yongzheng Yang said when asked for comment on the latest growth outlook for the country in line with the release of the June 2020 World Economic Outlook.

He said that based on the information that has become available since the April WEO forecasts, the resolution of COVID-19 would be more gradual, and hence the impact of the pandemic on the economy would be larger than previously anticipated.

“With the latest downgrade of the global outlook, the external environment for the Philippines has also worsened, posing additional headwinds to growth this year,” Yang said.

The June 2020 WEO report said global growth was projected at –4.9 percent in 2020, 1.9 percentage points below the April 2020 World Economic Outlook forecast. It said the COVID-19 pandemic had a more negative impact on activity in the first half of 2020 than anticipated, and the recovery was projected to be more gradual than previously forecast.

“In 2021 global growth is projected at 5.4 percent. Overall, this would leave 2021 GDP some 6½ percentage points lower than in the pre-COVID-19 projections of January 2020.

The adverse impact on low-income households is particularly acute, imperiling the significant progress made in reducing extreme poverty in the world since the 1990s,” it said.

Julito G. Rada

Business

May international reserves climbed to a record $93.3b T

By Julito G. Rada

HE country’s gross international reserves climbed by $2.35 billion to a record $93.29 billion as of end-May from $90.94 billion in April, increasing the economy’s capacity to handle external shocks, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said Wednesday.

Data showed that the month-on-month increase in the GIR level reflected inflows mainly from the national government’s foreign currency deposits with the BSP representing proceeds from its issuance of global bonds and BSP’s foreign exchange operations.

The inflows, however, were partly offset by the foreign currency withdrawals made by the national government to pay foreign currency debt obligations.

The May figure was the highest level of reserves ever recorded. It was also 9.2 percent higher than $85.4 billion registered in the same month last year.

It consisted of $80.7-billion investments of the BSP, mostly

in US treasuries, $8 billion in gold reserves, $2.7 billion in foreign exchange, $1.17 billion in special drawing rights and $677-million position in the International Monetary Fund.

“The hefty level of GIR represents an external liquidity buffer which can cushion the domestic economy against external shocks. Specifically, it ensures availability of foreign exchange to meet balance of payments financing needs, such as for payment of imports and debt service, in extreme conditions when there are no export earnings or foreign loans,” the BSP said.

It said that as of end-May, the GIR level was equivalent to 8.4 months worth of imports of goods and payments of services and primary income. It can also cover seven times the country’s short-term external debt based on original maturity and 4.6 times based on residual maturity.

Net international reserves, which refers to the difference between the BSP’s GIR and total short-term liabilities, also increased $2.34 billion to $93.27 billion as of end-May from $90.93 billion in April.

The GIR settled at $87.84 billion as of December 2019 and surpassed the $85-billion forecast by the BSP. It was also higher than the end-2018 reserves of $79.2 billion.

The BSP was originally expecting the reserves to settle at $90 billion by end-2020 and $91 billion by end-2021, which were both exceeded in May.

HANDICRAFT MAKERS. Twenty

members of the Mamanwa tribe in Barangay Camp Edward, Alegria, Surigao del Norte receive training in handicraft making through the partnership of the Department of Trade and Industry and the National Commission for Indigenous Peoples. The indigenous people were trained to produce mats, bags, baskets and other handcrafted products using indigenous materials growing prominently in the area, such as abaca, rattan strips (lagus) and golden sika (sayabay).

Aboitiz Group, Cebu Pacific bare plans to reduce workforce

By Alena Mae S. Flores THE Aboitiz Group and budget carrier Cebu Pacific announced on Wednesday separate plans to trim their workforce amid the serious challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aboitiz Equity Ventures said in a statement several team members would end their service to the group by July 31.

It said the affected employees would receive a substantial separation package to support them through the transition.

“This was not an easy decision for the Aboitiz Group to make but one that had to be done as it has not been spared by the health and economic crisis,” the company said in a statement.

“It is still not clear on how long the COVID-19 pandemic will last but we share everybody’s hope that a vaccine will be developed soon,” it said.

Aboitiz Group assured its operations and maintenance of various Aboitiz fa-

cilities remained normal and were sufficiently manned and would not be affected by the workforce rationalization process.

“The Aboitiz Group is confident the Philippines can weather this crisis and the country will continue with its economic growth,” it said. It did not provide the exact number of employees who would be affected.

Meanwhile, Cebu Pacific said it was looking at reducing more staff in the coming days. “The right sizing of Cebu Pacific will be necessary to fulfill our commitment to provide affordable and accessible air transport services to every Juan in the years to come,” Charo Logarta, spokesperson of Cebu Pacific, said in a statement.

“The details are still being finalized and Cebu Pacific commits that any decisions and actions that will be taken will be done with utmost transparency, sensitivity and responsibility to our employees, partners and other stakehold-

ers,” she said.

The budget airline earlier laid off 150 newly-hired cabin crew. As of 2019, Cebu Pacific had 4,352 permanent full time employees, including 3,499 in operations, 350 in commercial and 553 in support departments.

Logarta said Cebu Pacific was undergoing a transformation process to ensure the long-term sustainability of the business, given the expected changes in travel demand and consumer behavior.

“We expect travel recovery to happen over a longer period, with COVID-19 negatively impacting the aviation industry,” Cebu Pacific said.

The airline reported a net loss of P1.18 billion in the first quarter, a reversal from the P3.35-billion net income in the same period last year. Revenue tumbled 25 percent in the first quarter to P15.91 billon from P21.77 billion a year ago following the cancellation of regional flights.

With Darwin G. Amojelar

Zambales vessel not engaged in dredging

TIM HORTONS REOPENS. Tim Hortons Philippines reopens selected branches in Metro Manila and Laguna for dine-in services on June 15 following strict sanitation protocols and proper health check procedures to protect its guests and employees. The coffee chain continues its commitment to keep its customers safe while providing quality products and services by minimizing the risk of contamination to ensure that its stores remain COVID-free.

AN EXECUTIVE of Z2K Resources Inc. denied reports the company-owned vessel ZH 69 was engaged in dredging operations in Bucao River in Botolan, Zambales.

Fiedni Fontamillas, chief operating officer of Z2K Resources, said the marine incident near the mouth of Bucao River involving ZH 69 was a result of its initial positioning as it was preparing to embark on a large-scale dredging project.

He said the vessel was not a dredger, as initially reported online by several news agencies. “It is an aggregates carrier ship and does not have any capability to dredge or suction sand,” he said.

Fontamillas said the vessel was battered by strong winds and waves during the typhoon Butchoy while anchored off the coast of Bucao River. “As a result, there was a breach in the wall of the ship that allows the water to enter the hull when it is constantly hit by strong waves,” he said.

He said ZH 69 was about 200 meters

off the coast of Bucao River and was purposely moved closer to the shore to facilitate some afloat repairs in coordination with the Philippine Coast Guard.

“In order to prevent further damage and possible sinking while on the anchorage, emergency repairs were done in coordination with PCG personnel stationed in Masinloc, Zambales,” Fontamillas said.

He said that as a result of the timely intervention and preventive action taken by the management and personnel of Z2K, no further damage was incurred and there was no presence of any oil spill as confirmed by the PCG. “The breach has already been sealed and ZH 69 will be moved to a shipyard for dry dock,” Fontamillas said.

Fontamillas expressed appreciation to PCG Masinloc sub-station chief Rizaldy Sardan for being on-hand to monitor, supervise and assist on the activities conducted to help the troubled vessel.

IN BRIEF SM declares P5-b cash dividends

SM Investments Corp. on Wednesday declared cash dividends to shareholders worth P5.1 billion, or P4.25 per share.

The board of directors of SM approved the declaration of cash dividends to shareholders on record as of July 9, 2020 and payable on July 23, 2020. The dividends are equivalent to 50 percent of the parent’s net income in 2019.

SM said as it maintains payouts amid the constraints of the pandemic, it is hopeful of a recovery in business and on the return of vibrancy in consumer activity.

“This pandemic has made us focus even more on two important things for our customers: convenience and safety. And two things for ourselves: adaptability and transformation. We have been improving both our online and physical experience and operations across the group - and building new ways to serve customers: from banking, to retail, malls, and property,” SM vice chair Teresita Sy Coson said.

“Coming from the lockdown, we’ve been able to operate hybrid ways of reaching our customers and we are excited to strengthen these offerings,” she said.

Clark body to conduct review of leasing deals CLARK International Airport Corp. said it will conduct a review and assessment of lease contracts of locators within the aviation complex as part of the present administration’s program to check delinquent accounts.

CIAC president and chief executive Aaron Aquino ordered a review of the lease agreements of 45 businesses, including manufacturing, mixeduse commercial hub, business process outsourcing, renewable energy, cargo and aviation-related industries within the CIAC premises.

“We’ll start identifying non-performing or delinquent locators, especially those with unsettled accounts. This will be done simultaneous with forging new and strategic partnerships to further develop the remaining prime government land at the aviation complex,” Aquino said.

“If the locators’ financial obligations in their lease contracts are updated, the government is assured of revenues that, in turn, may be used to spur economic growth,” he said. Jess Malabanan

PH woos companies moving out of China THE Philippines is following at least 24 investment leads from companies relocating from China, according to the Trade Department.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said Wednesday at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay e-forum that several companies from China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the US were keenly interested in the Philippines, while others were searching for other locations as they planned to exit China.

“Taiwan, Japan and Korea will be the main source for manufacturing companies. Whether companies in these countries are the ones that we have really invited to invest, we are presenting the Philippines as a complementary host country. We have right now 24 existing business leads relocating or expanding from China, and these are companies from China, Japan, Taiwan and US,” Lopez said.

He said the department offered tailor-fit incentives to another 135 companies, including 16 from Wuhan. Of the total, 55 are Chinese companies and 64 are China-based companies affected by the US-China trade war. Othel V. Campos

Cusi still pushes for nuclear program THE Energy Department continues to invite investors in the power sector, including nuclear energy, to attain energy security given the anticipated increase in future demand.

“I strongly believe, and I have said this already several times in the past, it is high time for the Philippines to be open to the idea. Nuclear power is a reliable alternative to attain energy sufficiency and meet future power demands,” Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said during the 5th International Energy Agency’s Annual Global Conference on Energy Efficiency.

Cusi told participants of the virtual IEA conference that nuclear development is a part of the “technology neutral” policy in the Philippine energy program.

“This technology neutral approach leads me to one of the most controversial and politicized topics in the Philippine energy sector —the utilization of nuclear power for energy security and efficiency,” Cusi said. Alena Mae S. Flores

PSE closes down BGC office as one employee tests positive for virus

By Jenniffer B. Austria THE Philippine Stock Exchange said it closed down its headquarters in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig on Wednesday after one of its employees tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019.

All employees and traders who reported for work on Wednesday were asked to vacate the premises.

“We are closing down our premises for decontamination and for any other necessary measures to ensure that the health of our employees will not be comprised,” PSE president and chief executive Ramon Monzon said.

“The PSE will initiate contact tracing to identify the individuals that the employee was in close contact with when the staff member was in the premises of the exchange,” Monzon said.

Monzon said the stock market trading would not be affected by the closure of the trading floor as trading participants were equipped to conduct offsite trading.

Business functions of the exchange will also not be hampered by the closure as its employees have an alternative work arrangement. The office will be closed for 24 hours.

The PSE re-opened its trading floor on June 1 following the easing of lockdown in Metro Manila.

Brokers conducted offsite trading while Metro Manila was still under enhanced community quarantine from March 19 to May 29.

Sports

Geisler takes legal action vs taekwondo association FORMER national athlete Donnie Geisler said he is taking legal action against the Philippine Taekwondo Association.

Geisler said he has filed a complaint before Philippine Competitions Commission yesterday morning.

The chief trainer/owner of the Donnie Geisler Taekwondo Academy expressed alarm on the PTA recently after members of the national team were prohibited from joining online Zoom classes that he has been organizing.

“Marami nang nangyari throughout the years. Numerous times that this happened. I just took the first step by bringing it forward,” Geisler told the Manila Standard.

Geisler filed an affidavit before the PCC yesterday through his lawyer Jay Sangalang, saying the recent incidents with the PTA involved Pauline Lopez when she was not permitted to join the online conference as guest speaker.

Then, other national athletes like Samuel Morrison and Arven Alcantara were not allowed as well.

“I’m feeling disappointed. I’ve been doing the online Taekwondo Zoom lessons for a few months now to keep my students active and motivated during this time of quarantine. I was able to keep a good reg ular t raining program for the kids and I thought of inviting distinguished guests to inspire encourage and so that the students have something positive to look forward to every Sat urday,” said Geisler in an open letter.

Geisler said he has been initiating online activities during the lockdowns for the purpose of sharing “the sport I love to the youth of country.”

He said he felt surprised when he learned that two of his guests, Morrison and Alcantara were reprimanded and prevented by the PTA from joining the session last June 6.

“I felt even worse when I found out that they resigned from the National Team including their head coach. These athletes are the top players of the Philippine Taekwondo and I just feel bad they were treated that just for purpose of inspiring the future champions of the sport,” wrote Geisler. Peter Atencio

FITNESS EVENT WITH SOCIAL DISTANCING. People participate in an outdoor fitness class at Hotel X, inside domes to comply with social distancing measures to control the spread of Covid-19 in Toronto, Canada. As Canada begins to reopen its economy following Covid-19 shutdowns, gyms and fitness centres still remain closed as they determine how to comply with social distancing measures. AFP

IBF champ Ancajas to stay at super fly division for now

By Peter Atencio

R

EIGNING International Boxing Federation world super flyweight world champion Jerwin Ancajas said he hopes to stay in the 115-lbs category for as long as possible.

Ancajas said this during a podcast while deep in training at the Survival Camp in Magallanes, Cavite.

“Para sa akin sir mas gusto ko pang manatili muna sa 115 hangga’t hindi ko pa po nakakaharap ‘yung ibang champion sa 115, lalo na ‘yung mga may pan- IBF champion Jerwin Ancajas galan talaga sa 115,” said Ancajas, who Ancajas, who has a win-draw-loss is awaiting his title defense. fight record of 32-1-2, (22 knockouts),

is set to go for the ninth defense of his world title against Jonathan Javier Rodriguez.

The Mexican slugger, who has a record of 21 wins and a loss (15 KOs), will take on Ancajas next month.

With the date and venue of the fight still to be determined, trainer and manager Joven Jimenez believes that it’s still best for Ancajas to prepare in the Philippines, instead of doing it in the United States.

“Mas maganda dito, nandito ‘yung pamilya namin, mas masaya at marami kang kasama. Kung sa US, dalawa lang kami, ‘yun ang mahirap. ‘Yun ang mahirap pag malayo eh,” said Jimenez.

Team Ancajas is scheduled to fly to the United States to finalize the details of the contract.

Two sparring partners will help Ancajas prepare for his fight.

Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Reuel Vidal, Assistant Editor THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2020

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Commissioner: Major League Baseball season to start in July LOS ANGELES—The 2020 Major League Baseball season is set to start in July, commissioner Rob Manfred said Tuesday, after players signed off on health protocols and agreed to report to training.

The announcement that the season will begin July 23 or 24 comes after weeks of wrangling between owners and players over a framework for a season shortened by the coronavirus pandemic.

“Major League Baseball is thrilled to announce that the 2020 season is on the horizon,” Manfred said in a statement.

“We have provided the Players Association with a schedule to play 60 games and are excited to provide our great fans with baseball again soon.”

Manfred’s comments came after the Major League Baseball Players Association said its members would report to training camps on July 1.

“All remaining issues have been resolved and players are reporting to training camps,” the union said.

MLB and the MLBPA had been at loggerheads over how to salvage a season that should have begun on March 26.

The league proposed a succession of deals that would have seen the players receive only a percentage of their salaries, prorated by number of games played.

Players pushed back against the league proposals, noting that they had already agreed to a pay cut in March and should not be required to accept a further reduction in salary.

The MLBPA had wanted a longer regular season, but when the union rejected the most recent MLB proposal owners voted on Monday to impose a 60-game schedule—which would still be contingent on reaching agreement with players on health and safety protocols.

MLB said in a statement posted on MLB.com that the players had accepted the protocols.

When the season gets underway teams will play in their home ballparks without fans, baseball opting against the kind of “bubble” environment that will see the NBA return to action with all teams playing at a single location at a sports complex at Disney World in Florida.

To decrease travel, each team will play the majority of its games against its four division rivals, and remaining games against the clubs in the corresponding geographical division in the other league. AFP

FBI: Black NASCAR driver not targeted by hate crime LOS ANGELES—The noose found in employees had seen the rope there.

“We immediately alerted NASCAR the garage stall of NASCAR’s only black driver Bubba Wallace was not evidence and have assisted in the investigation in of a racist hate crime but a rope that had every way possible,” the team said.

Wallace told CNN on Tuesday night been there for months, US investigators that whether it was targeting him or said Tuesday.

“The FBI has completed its investiga- not, the rope was definitely twisted into tion at Talladega Superspeedway and de- a hanging noose in the photo he saw— termined that Bubba Wallace was not the an image that recalls lynchings of black target of a hate crime,” NASCAR said in Americans.

“The image I’ve seen of what was a statement after outrage erupted over the incident, at a time when protests against hanging in my garage was not a garage racial injustice are sweeping the United (door) pull,” he said. “It wasn’t directed at me, but somebody tied a noose.”

States.

Security had been stepped up for WalThe probe found the garage door pullrope fashioned like a noose was in the lace, the only black driver who races full stall long before Sunday’s race at Talla- time in NASCAR’s top Cup series and who recently successfully campaigned dega in Alabama.

“The FBI learned that garage number 4, for the banning of the Confederate flag at where the noose was found, was assigned the popular stock car series events.

The Confederate flag, seen as a symbol to Bubba Wallace last week,” Northern District of Alabama Attorney Jay Town of slavery and racism by many, has been and FBI Special Agent in Charge Johnnie a staple at NASCAR tracks, particularly Sharp Jr said in a statement announcing in the sport’s southern US heartland.

Before the scheduled Sunday start of there would be no charges.

“The investigation also revealed evi- the race at Talladega, the flag was flaunted dence, including authentic video con- by some outside the speedway. AFP firmed by NASCAR, that the noose found in garage number 4 was in that garage as early as October 2019.

“Although the noose is now known to have been in garage number 4 in 2019, nobody could have known Mr Wallace would be assigned to garage number 4 last week.”

The FBI investigation, which included 15 agents sifting through evidence and conducting interviews, was launched on Monday, a day after the noose was found.

Wood Brothers Racing, who had a car in that garage for a race last autumn, cooperated in the investigation, saying in a statement on Twitter that one of their Bubba Wallace

TNT Katropa cagers Kib Montalbo, Gryann Mendoza, and Jjay Alejandro showcase their teamwork in action for the fire survivors in Mandaluyong City.

TNT stars join PLDT Smart Foundation to help Mandaluyong fire survivors THE TNT Katropa Basketball Team recently provided financial assistance for the fire survivors in Mandaluyong through the PLDT-Smart Foundation.

The team also joined the distribution of hot meals and grocery packs to the families who were currently evacuated at the Nueve De Febrero Elementar y School and other evacuation centers in Barangay Addition Hills, Mandaluyong City.

Cagers Kib Montalbo, Jjay Alejandro and Gryann Mendoza were present during the relief activity, joined by Coaches Mark Dickel and Bong Ravena, as well as Team Manager Gabby Cui and Assistant Team Manager Miguel Fernandez.

“We hope that through this relief effort, we are able to bring some joy and

comfort to the families whose lives are forever changed by this tragedy. A big thanks to the PLDT-Smart Foundation for giving us an opportunity to be part of this activity,” said PLDT-Smart Assistant Vice President and TNT Katropa Team Manager Gabby Cui. Earlier this month, a blaze swept through a residential area in Mandaluyong City where 600 families were rendered homeless. 69-year-old Mila Taon Carillo was killed by the fire that hit 200 houses in Correctional Road corner 9 de Febrero in Barangay Addition Hills as reported by the Bureau of Fire Protection.

“Our hearts are with the families affected by this tragedy. As they try to move forward with their lives amid the pandemic, we hope that our gesture enables them to cling to hope espe-

cially during this difficult time,” said PSF President Esther Santos.

The PSF organized the relief activity in coordination with Mandaluyong Councilor Charisse AbalosVargas. The activity was also done in partnership with Your 200 Pesos, an initiative that aims to feed families affected by the pandemic. It is led by former volleyball star, TV personality and beauty queen Michele Gumabao and Strength and Conditioning Coach Aldo Panlilio.

Through this partnership, PSF aims to widen its reach to provide hope and help to more people in need amid the COVID19 pandemic.

To know more about the efforts of the PLDT Group in beating the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit https:// beta.pldt.com/covid19/

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Sports

THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2020

Kyrgios hits out at Novak’s ‘stupidity’

SOCIAL DISTANCING BE DAMNED. In this file

photo taken on June 12, 2020, Serbia’s Novak Djokovic hugs Jelena Jankovic during a tennis doubles against Serbia’s Nenad Zimonjic and Olga Danilovic during a charity exhibition hosted by the said tennis superstar in Belgrade.

Djokovic has also tested positive for coronavirus, along with Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki, after taking part in the said exhibition tennis tournament, raising questions over the sport’s planned return in August. AFP

#Djokovid condemned over coronavirus horror net show P

ARIS—World number one Novak Djokovic was widely condemned on Wednesday for hosting a tennis exhibition where he was one of four players to test positive for the coronavirus, a lapse that sent shudders through a sport struggling to get back on its feet.

The Serbian star said he was “deeply sorry” in an unstinting apology for the now-cancelled Adria Tour, where social distancing was minimal and matches were played in front of thousands of fans.

However, criticism was swift and heavy, with many voicing concerns over attempts to restart professional tournaments in August, including the US Open Grand Slam is which is scheduled to begin on August 31.

Djokovic, Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki all tested positive after taking part in the Adria Tour, where players embraced across the net, played basketball and even danced in a nightclub.

“I am so deeply sorry our tournament has caused harm,” Djokovic, 33, said in a statement. His wife Jelena also tested positive after attending the “philanthropic” tour in the once war-torn Balkans.

As the mocking hashtag #Djokovid circulated online, Australia’s Nick Kyrgios, so often in the crosshairs for his own on-court indiscretions, said the incident was pure “stupidity”.

“Don’t @ me for anything I’ve done that has been ‘irresponsible’ or classified as ‘stupidity’—this takes the cake,” tweeted the world number 40.

Britain’s Andy Murray, a three-time Grand Slam winner who has known Djokovic since their junior days, said:

“I don’t think it has been a great look for tennis.”

“In hindsight, it’s not something that should have gone ahead,” Murray told reporters.

“It’s not surprising how many people have tested positive after seeing some of the images of the players’ party and the kids’ day. There was no social distancing in place.

“Some people have said maybe this has put the US Open in doubt—which it may well do. But the measures and the protocols they have in place at the USTA (United States Tennis Association) are different to Serbia and Croatia. No fans for a start.”

PR disaster Djokovic is unbeaten this year, a run that includes winning his 17th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, but COVID-19 has been a public relations disaster for the eccentric Serb.

Even before the Adria Tour, he was criticised for breaking lockdown rules to train in Spain, and he then raised eyebrows by

Kaspersky reviews password stealers that target gaming GAMING platforms represent an industry with a multi-million user audience. Cybercriminals are fully aware of this, utilizing various types of malware to profit from gamers.

To understand the extent of exploitation, Kaspersky reviewed threats targeting major gaming platforms and found at least four malware specimens that are capable of stealing users’ account data from platforms such as Battle. net, Origin and Uplay, in order to resell it afterwards. However, these Trojans are not just looking to affect gameplay but your banking details could also be at risk.

Password stealers are a type of Trojan malware, designed to steal account data – from gaming session tokens or login details, to nearly any information saved on a computer. This can include cookie files, login credentials and passwords saved on a browser, along with a lot more. In some instances, stealing gaming details is just one of the malware’s functions, and online banking passwords are also of interest.

During this period of remote working and social distancing, it is understandable and logical for many people to turn to their devices for entertainment. Ac-

knowledging that this may also inspire cybercriminals to carry out attacks, Kaspersky analyzed the password stealer landscape to see how vulnerable users could be. Threat analysis presented four malware families—Kpot, BetaBot, Okasidis and Thief Stealer, which all carry an interesting Trojan specimen.

For instance, Kpot Trojan can steal cookie files, accounts from various messengers, and one of the gaming platform’s session tokens. By obtaining session token data, cybercriminals do not get access to the user’s login and password details, however, they can quickly resell all valuable in-game attributes. Other Trojan specimens, such as Okasidis and Thief Stealer, focus on stealing specific files from game-related folders on the infected computer.

Trojan stealers can also retrieve browser data. For example, BetaBot targets a number of popular gaming platforms in the following way: if a user visits a URL, which contains specific keywords, the malware turns on data gathering on these pages. This allows logins and passwords entered on the page to fall into criminals’ hands.

What is particularly interesting

regarding all the observed Trojans, is that they are virtually unnoticeable to users. In all cases, the Trojans are not visible to the user as they do not demand any extra permissions or send fake alerts—they just quietly steal data.

It is important to note that these Trojans do not exploit any platform vulnerabilities, as they purely focus on gathering data from an infected device.

“There are numerous gaming-focused threats out there, from fake files

insisting he wouldn’t be prepared to vaccinate against the coronavirus.

Djokovic also described limits on players’ entourages at the US Open as “extreme” and “impossible”, again putting him at odds with much of public opinion.

His latest misstep has caused some to question his presidency of the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals, or men’s tour) Player Council, which advises the ATP board.

Tennis has been particularly hard-hit by the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting travel restrictions because it is a global circuit with players from all over the world.

“I think there’s a lot of his peer group who are scratching their heads,” celebrated coach Paul Annacone told Tennis.com.

“I was totally anxiety-ridden and very disappointed because the restart, or the reimagining of how we can start (tennis) is just about eight weeks away. And with all these opportunities to try to start in a progression, to me, it felt like they skipped about 15 steps.” AFP and compromised modes resold on the web, through to phishing pages.

However, if a user is aware of these threats, they can take steps to protect themselves from harm. Unfortunately, this is not the case with password stealers, as it is hard for a user to spot them. This means that gamers need to be proactive in keeping themselves safe and always take extra precautions, as well as using a reliable security solution to prevent their computer from becoming infected,” comments Alexander Eremin, Kaspersky security analyst.

In order to protect your gaming accounts from malware, including password stealers, Kaspersky recommends taking the following steps: • Set up two-factor authentication, so even if your login and password have been stolen, they will not be enough to access your account • Only download gaming modifications from trusted sources • Use a reliable security solution, such as Kaspersky Security Cloud, which will be able to identify stealers and stop them from stealing your data • Do not turn off your security solution while playing a game. Some security solutions, such as Kaspersky Security Cloud, have a special gaming mode, which reduces the load on the computer during playing time and does not affect the quality of the gaming experience.

UAAP high-flyers banner ABS-CBN’s Home Jam ABS-CBN Sports continues to deliver entertainment to sports fans this quarantine period with “Home Jam: Dunkers Only,” a slam dunk contest featuring three high-flying UAAP stars to be streamed live on the ABS-CBN Sports Facebook and Instagram accounts on June 27 (Saturday) at 2 p.m.

Ready to flaunt their hops and creativity for the sake of fun and bragging rights are University of the Philippines Fighting Maroon Juan Gomez De Liaño, Ateneo Blue Eagle Thirdy Ravena, and De La Salle Green Archer Jamie Malonzo, who will deliver three rounds of dunks

from their respective locations.

The winner of the dunk-off will be decided by judges Kobe Paras, the 2013 and 2015 FIBA 3x3 Under-18 World Championship dunk champion, and former NCAA champion and NorthPort Batang Pier point guard Robert Bolick.

NU Bulldog Shaun Ildefonso, who hosts the ABS-CBN Sports digital show “SRSLY,” will call the competition.

Meanwhile, sports fans can look forward to more of the “Home Jam” series as it will soon bring more exciting basketball events such as threepoint shootouts and skills challenges

featuring other famous athletes. Participants will be chosen based on their abilities and access to a basketball court, in compliance with the guidelines on community quarantine.

Celebrate sports culture in the Philippines with Kapamilya sports fans. Follow @ABSCBNSports on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and subscribe to the ABS-CBN Sports YouTube channel. To watch more sports videos, visit sports.abs-cbn.com. For updates, follow @ABSCBNPR on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram or visit www. abscbnpr.com. or visit www.abscbn. com/newsroom.

SYDNEY—Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios has taken aim at Novak Djokovic’s “stupidity” after the world number one contracted coronavirus at an exhibition tennis tournament in the Balkans.

The final leg of the Adria Tour in Bosnia has been cancelled and Djokovic on Tuesday apologised for hosting the bungled event, admitting he and organisers “were wrong” to push ahead during the pandemic.

Djokovic, who was not showing Nick Kyrgios any symptoms, joined fellow players Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki in testing positive for COVID-19 during the second leg of the event, where social distancing was minimal and players embraced over the net.

Kyrgios on Tuesday retweeted a video of players including Djokovic dancing shirtless in a nightclub, saying he sent “prayers” to the players who had contracted the virus.

“Don’t @ me for anything I’ve done that has been ‘irresponsible’ or classified as ‘stupidity’ - this takes the cake,” he wrote.

The outspoken world number 40 has posted several Tweets criticising the event, and earlier called it a “boneheaded decision to go ahead with the ‘exhibition’”. “(T)hat’s what happens when you disregard all protocols. This IS NOT A JOKE.” The outbreak at the biggest tennis event since the pandemic began has prompted serious questions about the sport’s planned official return in August.

It has already been established that the US Open in New York will be played behind closed doors and under strict health protocols which Djokovic described as “extreme” and “impossible”.

The ATP, while wishing those infected a swift recovery, said Tuesday that it and other stakeholders had “made exhaustive plans to mitigate risks through a variety of precautions and protocols to be implemented at ATP events.” AFP

Reigning champ Raptors begin Florida work for NBA restart MIAMI—The reigning NBA champion Toronto Raptors began preparing for next month’s planned resumption of the coronavirus-halted season Tuesday at Fort Myers, Florida.

The Canadian club was the first to arrive in Florida ahead of the planned bubble atmosphere at Disney World near Orlando, but will stay in southwest Florida until entering the safety zone in early July.

Should the Raptors return to the NBA Finals, which they won last June over Golden State, they would remain in the Sunshine State until early October.

The Raptors are working out at Florida Gulf Coast University, according to school officials.

The NBA announced March 11 it was shutting down the season indefinitely after Utah’s Rudy Gobert tested positive for the deadly virus.

To comply with NBA rules and safety protocols, there will be no group workouts for the Raptors, with individual players working out in a safe and controled atmosphere until group workouts are permitted once teams have reported to Disney World.

The NBA is expected to resume its regular season on July 30.

Their Monday charter airplane arrival came as Florida is enduring a spike in coronavirus positives.

The state became among the first to reopen for sports teams after early testing shutdowns produced relatively few cases in the first two months of stay-at-home rules.

Raptors coach Nick Nurse’s wife, Roberta, is a former volleyball star at Florida Golf Coast who is from Brazil. The couple own a home in Fort Myers. AFP

Entertainment

Nickie Wang, Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2020

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Helping creators adapt to uncertain times YOUTUBE and mobile services provider Smart Communications, Inc. have teamed up to bring Creator Camp Live, a series of online events and workshops where established and aspiring creators can learn from the broader YouTube community, industry experts, and leading content creators on how to pivot and be effective in the time disrupted by the pandemic.

Some of Creator Camp Live lessons include relevant and resourceful content, meaningful collaborations, creator wellbeing, and building a strong brand.

The series, which kicks off today features influential vloggers Erwan Heussaff, Wil Dasovich, and Alodia Gosiengfiao to impart valuable insights on adapting to the challenging times and the changing digital ecosystem as content creators.

“Creator Camp Live is YouTube’s commitment to helping our creators thrive during these uncertain times. We first launched the program in December in Cebu with a goal of empowering creators outside Luzon through a series of face-toface workshops,” said Marc Lefkowitz, Head of YouTube Creator and Artist Development, APAC. “When the pandemic started, not only we made the program digital-first but we reshaped it to be more timely to include topics such as content resourcefulness and relevance, well-being, and building meaningful partnerships. We hope that through this effort, we continue to empower the Filipino creator community with resources, opportunities, and content that matter to them,” Lefkowitz added.

"Creator Camp Live is a valuable

learning platform for aspiring vloggers and content creators especially during these challenging times. This program is very much aligned with our commitment to bring meaningful connections made simple to Filipinos so they can pursue their passions" said Jane Basas, SVP and Head of Consumer Wireless Business at Smart.

Today’s episode features “Power of Community” with Wil Dasovich. On July 10, the second episode brings Alodia Gosiengfiao with her topic "Building a Strong Brand." Finally, on July 24, Erwan Heussaff talks about “The Relevance of Content Creators.” All episodes stream from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Smart’s Youtube channel.

For more updates on Smart’s promos and services, follow Smart on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or visit smart.com.ph.

LUCKY IN LOCKDOWN

Top vloggers Erwan Heussaff (top), Alodia Gosiengfiao, and Wil Dasovich impart valuable insights on adapting to the challenging times and the changing digital ecosystem as content creators.

Stay home for a cause WORKING musicians, in particular those in the showband circuit and doing regular live gigs for a living and without enjoying the privilege of fame and industry-backed recording careers, have been hardly hit by the community quarantine and deprived of the regular income they get doing the thing they do and love.

Members of the band Toyo, which released an album ten years ago, all agreed that such an ongoing situation should serve as inspiration in writing and recording a song to help raise funds for disenfranchised artists, especially the ailing and the aging.

The band composed of frontman and bassist Erwin Cuenca, and guitarists Doc JV Belarmino, and Clint Aquino launched online their song “Stay Home (We Shall Overcome)” last Friday (June 19) with a lyric video. The clip shows them performing in their respective homes, backed by session musicians Mark Galang (keyboards) and Allan Abdulla (drums).

The band members, fortunately, have their sources of income outside of music as Erwin, who also wrote the song, keeps up with life’s needs as a stay-at-home private tutor, Doc JV as health care frontliner, and Clint being based overseas where finding work, whether or not related to music, must be easier.

The trio partnered with KayaKap, a fundraising drive helping the community of musician-jobbers, primarily the seniors, those with disabilities and critical illnesses, and in dire need of financial support. It is a campaign initiated by songwriter Rom Dongeto (of Buklod fame and the one who wrote “Tatsulok” and “Kanlungan”)

and self-styled singer Skarlet Brown (also the voice behind the ‘90s classic “Manila Girl”) and other volunteers.

YUGEL It hopes to address the LOSORATA immediate needs of beneficiaries and seeks legislation to protect the rights and welfare of working musicians in the Philippines.

“Stay Home” is a rock ballad reminiscent of the work of ‘90s bands Immaculate and Nexxus, but rendered in heavier arrangement and in-your-face power ballad rock recording. It’s nearly six minutes long but you’d hardly notice that. The message and melody just keep you go along until the key point is raised enough.

The band chorused, “It began as a melancholic song that channels the experiences of people facing the pandemic alone and away from their families. As the song progresses, it reveals a more timeless message that shows us that if we give importance to every human life, everything will be alright because love will prevail and we shall overcome this crisis together.”

The three-piece act Toyo began in 2006 and maintained its strong presence in the independent music scene. The group’s sound transformed from angst to more socially uplifting themes.

Thanks in part to the new normal now happening.

The band must be commended for defying odds posed by being away from each other and themselves addressing personal challenges amidst the pandemic, all for the purpose of music-making for a heartfelt reason and helping brothers in the music community.

To donate to KayaKap, follow @ kayaKapPH on Facebook or email kayakap@gmail.com.

JESSA ZARAGOZA scores product ambassadorship while in quarantine

By Nickie Wang

Phenomenal Diva Jesse Zaragoza is the newest celebrity ambassador of leading wellness and beauty brand, Beautéderm.

W

HILE most companies are cutting their budget due to the pandemic, singer and occasional actress Jessa Zaragoza, who is known for her Phenomenal Diva moniker, was still able to score an endorsement deal with a leading wellness and beauty brand.

The 41-year-old jukebox star, who popularized the songs “Bakit Pa?,” “Ibigay Mo Na,” and “Di Ba’t Ikaw,” now joins Beautéderm Corporation’s stellar line-up of celebrity ambassadors that includes Marian Rivera, Sylvia Sanchez, Lorna Tolentino, Arjo Atayde, Carlo Aquino, and Darren Espanto, to name a few.

“It’s a no-brainer, I’d really wanted to be associated with a name that’s known for its quality, a brand that we can trust. I had been using the product for more than two years before I became part of its family,” Jessa told Manila Standard in an interview streamed live on Beautederm’s Facebook page on Saturday.

In her late 30s, Jessa was looking for a quality line of products that she could trust in maintaining the youthful glow of her skin as she was about to reach her 40s when she first got acquainted with Beautéderm through the passionate testimonies of several friends from the business.

“I’ve been hearing so many wonderful stories about Beautéderm so I started to purchase its famous skin set. I

Toyo’s Doc JV Belarmino, Erwin Cuenca, and Clint Aquino

wanted to try the product out and I started noticing positive results as the days went by and I fell in love with Beautéderm. I recommend the brand to every working mom in her 40s,” Jessa shared.

“We may be busy working and taking care of our families but it is also very important to take care of ourselves and use products that we can really trust,” she added.

She believes in the brand so much that Jessa has been promoting Beautéderm on her social media platforms until she became friends with the company’s president and CEO, Rhea AnicocheTan. “I started out as a radio DJ right after college and Jessa was one of the most popular OPM artists back then. I have always been a fan of hers and I was delighted to connect with her especially when I learned that she is a loyal Beautéderm user and I am so happy that she is now part of the family,” Anicoche-Tan said.

For more updates and information about Jessa Zaragoza and Beautéderm, follow @beautédermcorporation on Instagram, like Beautéderm on Facebook, and subscribe to Beautéderm TV on YouTube.

Sam Fischer drops ‘This City’ remix AUSTRALIAN singer-songwriter Sam Fischer has excitingly announced a brand-new version of his global smash hit, “This City,” featuring acclaimed award-winning artist Anne-Marie.

Beginning as a TikTok sensation and quickly cementing itself in hearts and heads around the world, the emotive and heartfelt “This City” now stands at over 160 million worldwide streams, 500,000 worldwide sales, and over 5 million video views. It has been certified Silver in the UK with a Top 20 chart position, which steadily climbed over 15 weeks, receiving radio support from Radio 1, Radio 2 (B List), Capital, Virgin, and

Bauer alongside TV performances on shows hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and James Corden.

An already loved and celebrated track, it is outshining itself with a new series of duets, launching first with vocals from Anne-Marie, one of the most-loved and successful pop artists of recent times. Following a string of global hit singles, AnneMarie’s UK Top 3 debut album Speak Your Mind was released in 2018, featuring chart gems “Alarm,” “Rockabye” and “2002,” and saw her become that year’s biggest-selling debut artist in the UK. She followed

this with collaborations with James Arthur on “Rewrite the Stars” and Lauv on “f*ck, I’m lonely” and her recent comeback single “Birthday,” which has already been streamed over 100 million times.

“I’ve been a massive fan of AnneMarie since back when she was singing with Rudimental, her voice is butter and her pen is fire so to have her jump on ‘This City’ to write and sing her verse from her own perspective and experience is a dream. The song has meant so many different things to so many different people, to hear Anne-Marie’s take on it is unbelievable,” Sam Fischer said of his

collaboration with Ann-Marie.

Australian born Sam Fischer first introduced himself with his Not A Hobby EP and has garnered incredible attention through his soulful voice and heartfelt lyrics. Touring North America with his friend Lewis Capaldi, he wowed crowds with his buoyant personality and pure love and talent for song-writing. Now based in LA, he not only has received acclaim for his own work, but he continues to solidify his spot as one of the hottest current writers, having worked with global pop superstars including Ciara, Louis Tomlinson, and Jessie J, to name a few.

Australian singer-songwriter and Tiktok sensation Sam Fischer

Life

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

C4

HOUSEHOLD

THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2020

girls is the hardest thing for him to do.

But at the end of the day, like the 150 Filipino dads surveyed, he just wants the best for his children.

“I always make a conscious effort to only give the best to Lucia—nothing is more important to me than seeing my girls grow up strong and healthy,” added Intal.

Fathers play an important role in the promotion of their children’s physical activity and healthy eating behaviors.

Abbott, the maker of Similac GainSchool formula milk for kids, suggests modern ways for fathers to remain engaged and have peace of mind. Acts as simple as playing outside in the rain or teaching them how to swim or ride a bike can allow a father to improve his child’s sense of independence, curiosity, and preparedness for the outside world.

In Intal’s case, his family makes sure they stay healthy together—eating right and exercising.

PRESENT PAPA. JC Intal and many Filipino dads are now more involved than ever in their children’s development, attending to their kids’ playtime and bedtime as well as overall health needs. (Photos @iamsuperbianca / Instagram)

By Monica Sanchez

F

ATHERS are notorious for being mostly absent in their children’s lives. And while that seems bad, in many cases, it is because dads are out working to provide for the family; in other cases however, they’re just absent.

But a recent small-scale survey showed that dads are now three times more involved in and anxious about their children’s development. Yes, more Filipino dads spend time attending to their sons and daughters’ school, playtime, bedtime, and overall health needs.

Of 150 Filipino fathers with kids aged 3 years old and above surveyed

by Abbott, majority or 70 percent said they read to their kids before bedtime,

and half of them have fallen asleep before their child did.

Almost all or 149 dads play with their kids, and 75 percent of them have accidentally made their kids cry while playing.

Meanwhile, nine out of 10 fathers help with their kids’ homework, even though more than half admitted they couldn’t understand the lesson.

All dads surveyed share their food with their kids but a third of them con-

JC Intal and other Filipino dads on child-rearing

fessed they would take a large bite of theirs first.

While they love to spend time with their children, these dad admitted fatherhood is tough.

About eight out of 10 dads also highlighted that they go through the same things that moms do—struggle, stress, fatigue, pressure, and sometimes even more so.

Despite the difficulty of fatherhood, most of the respondents shared that their children inspire them to be at their best every day.

“There’s no manual set on how to be a father,” shared father of two JC Intal.

“But for me, I have learned that being a father is about giving, understanding, failing, and continuously trying. I have struggled a lot also just like any other dads. Fatherhood is tough, but it’s worth it.”

Intal confessed saying “no” to his

Life and color at home Claire Modern Sofa

Up your career game while in quarantine THE pandemic has significantly affected professional careers, rendering many unemployed and underpaid, and others stuck in uncertainty.

But that extra time can be utilized to reevaluate career trajectory and seize opportunities to move forward. A leading insurer suggests five things one can do today that would help them in the future.

Improve personal branding A person’s branding is largely based on their online image—it allows them to let employers know their story, goals, skills, and expertise. To build a personal brand, update and organize all your online profiles, especially on social networking platforms LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

Use a professional photo and quantify accomplishments.

Try to avoid posting anything that isn’t appropriate for work. It is also ideal to create a personal website, portfolio, Got a lot of spare time? Experts suggest using it to reevaluate your career trajectory, learn new knowledge and skills, and build your professional relationships.

or blog where one can showcase their professional journey, work, and achievements.

Keep learning Take online classes: there are thousands of options that can enhance an individual’s knowledge on business, communication, marketing, financial literacy, and more. Many websites, experts, and even Ivy League schools in the US are offering classes for free during the lockdown so make the most of this opportunity. Read career advice books that can help you become a more well-rounded person at work.

Caprice Floral Melamine Dinnerware

Find a mentor A mentor can benefit a person and their career in many ways. They can offer valuable insight in advancing one’s career and be a sounding board for ideas at work. Having a mentor can also provide a new perspective, which can be helpful in relating to co-workers and other individuals. A mentor is also an avenue to build one’s network.

When looking for a mentor, it’s advisable to consider someone who is at a job or position you aspire to be at.

Reciprocate the relationship by offering them resources or promoting their projects to your network.

Gain experience Consider making use of your spare time to gain more experience in the field that you’re currently in or an area you want to transfer to, while also earning some extra income.

Seek virtual tutoring opportunities and other online freelance jobs. “However, try not to spread yourself too thin and find a side hustle where you can manage your own time, like being an Axa financial advisor,” suggests Axa. During this time, you might also want to consider doing volunteer work like organizing fundraising activities, food drives, or PPE donations.

Be smart with money Living from paycheck to paycheck may hinder a person from taking chances on progressing their career given the fear of being left with no steady source of income. Those who want to take risks and advance their career are advised to create a financial plan. Start building an emergency fund, save up for retirement, and opt to buy the right health and life insurance products that will provide a safety net when emergencies or unexpected job problems occur.

Lona Blue Green Vase

Glass Terrarium with Wood Lid

ADD something green, something that reminds you of the earth, something that is fresh and lively, something that makes living in your space exciting.

As it reopens its stores in the Philippines, Crate and Barrel introduces new collections that transform, or at least enhance, spaces.

New pieces from the Artisan Home and Crate Craft, Artist’s Studio, and Summer Daydream collections highlight easy and creative living.

The Artisan Home and Crate Craft collection consists of furniture pieces that showcase time-honored quality and craftsmanship in earth tones, with elements of medium tone woods.

Meanwhile, the Artist’s Studio collection is inspired by the Portuguese way of living artfully. Relaxed and free-flowing and rich in handcrafted detail, its palette echoes the Portuguese pastel wash in blush, terra cotta, brandied melon, pampas yellow, and watery blues, and elements of clay, glaze finishes, white oak, light woods, woven fiber, and linen.

Crate and Barrel’s Summer Daydream turns balconies and backyards into dreamy warm weather escapes. Green, white, black, and botanicals make up this collection of outdoor living accessories with patterns of playful geometry.

These new releases are available at Crate and Barrel in SM Aura Premier, SM Makati, and SM Megamall. Shoppers can also order by phone: SM Aura Premier: 0917-8895667, SM Makati: 0917583-3573, SM Megamall: 0917-870-4796.