Manila Standard - 2020 September 3 - Thursday

Convicted US soldier freed

Roque, Laude family slam Pemberton’s early release for ‘good conduct’

By Rey E. Requejo

T

HE Olongapo City Regional Trial Court has ordered the early release of American soldier Joseph Scott Pemberton, who had been convicted for killing transgender female Jennifer Laude in 2014.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, who had served as legal counsel for the Laude family, on Wednesday slammed the decision.

Laude’s family has asked the trial court to reconsider the release order.

They said there is no proof of the supposed good behavior of Pemberton, who is detained alone in a cell at Camp Aguinaldo, instead of regular prison, per provisions of the Visiting Forces Agreement between the Philippines and the United States.

“As former private prosecutor for the Laude family, I deplore the short period of imprisonment meted on Pemberton who killed a Filipino under the most Next page

MARINE FREED. American Marine Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton (left), who was convicted for killing transgender female Jennifer Laude in 2014, was ordered freed by the Olongapo City Regional Trial Court on Wednesday.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque, who was the Laude family’s counsel in the case, blasted the move. However, in photos posted on Twitter, Pemberton’s lawyer Rowena Flores and Marilou Laude, Jennifer’s sister, had met last August 25 for the settlement of civil damages, shown in the check for P4.6 million (inset).

Duque brands as unfounded Senate findings

By Willie Casas, Maricel V. Cruz and Macon Ramos-Araneta VOL. XXXIV • NO. 181 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 • THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2020 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Gierran told: ‘Get the big fish’; 40 linked to pocketing OFW premiums

By Macon Ramos-Araneta, Maricel V. Cruz, and Willie Casas

the benefit of the doubt, saying he had the qualifications to rid the state insurance agency of deep-seated corruption.

Senator Risa Hontiveros said Dante SENATORS on Wednesday gave the Gierran, a seasoned crime investigator newly appointed president of the Philip- with administrative management skills pine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) who headed the National Bureau of Inves-

tigation (NBI), needed to hit the ground running and go after the big fish.

Meanwhile, a former PhilHealth official claimed at least 40 individuals in the government health insurer are involved in pocketing premiums contributed by migrant workers, as he detailed

how the “syndicate” within the agency allegedly operated.

Ken Sarmiento, former senior auditing specialist of PhilHealth, said contributions paid by over 7,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) ended up in Next page

HEALTH Sec. Francisco Duque III on Wednesday branded as “baseless” the findings of the Senate Committee of Whole that recommended the filing of graft charges and other criminal offenses against him and other officials of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth).

Appearing before the House of Representatives, Duque said the findings linking him to the irregularities at PhilHealth Next page

Amid pandemic, bartering soars; online groups provide a lifeline

By Cecil Morella STRUGGLING to make ends meet, Lorraine Imperio swapped a pair of Nike slip-on shoes for a whole dressed chicken on an online bartering site, one of dozens that have sprouted up during the Philippines’ virus lockdowns.

With millions stripped of their jobs and many forced to stay home to slow the coronavirus spread, Filipinos have flocked to Facebook groups to exchange their possessions, including kitchen appliances, children’s toys and designer handbags -- mostly for food.

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TRUSTED MAN. Senators have called for the resignation of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III (right) due to his alleged failure of leadership in handling the pandemic and the controversies at PhilHealth, but Duque said he served at the pleasure of President Rodrigo Duterte, who has his ear in this file photo of a Cabinet meeting.

2 Pinoys killed, NBI files raps vs. 19 Immigration several hurt in personnel over ‘pastillas’ scam Abu Dhabi blast

By Rio N. Araja and Macon Ramos-Araneta

Rey E. Requejo ITEMS FOR FOOD. This photo taken on July 29 shows Lorraine Ann Imperio (left)

carrying a bag of old milk bottles as she meets with Reniel Bariso to barter their goods in Las Pinas City. Struggling to make ends meet, Imperio swapped a pair of Nike slip-ons for a whole dressed chicken on an online bartering site, one of dozens that have sprouted during the country’s virus lockdowns. AFP

COVID-19 PH AT A GLANCE

(AS OF 4 PM SEPTEMBER 2)

226,440 TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES

2,218 64,207 NEW

ACTIVE

3,623

27

DEATHS

158,610 RECOVERIES

NEW

609 NEW

THE Department of Foreign Affairs said two Filipinos were killed and several others were injured following a gas explosion in a restaurant in Abu Dhabi on Aug. 31.

The department said Ambassador

THE National Bureau of Investigation has filed graft charges against 20 immigration personnel before the Ombudsman over the so-called pastillas scam, or the acceptance of bribes in ex-

change for allowing foreigners to enter the Philippines illegally.

The respondents included a security guard at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport who became chief of staff of the Port Operations Division, and who was said to be the middle man in the scam.

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Gov’t report says Filipinos score only 50% with health standards FILIPINOS scored only 50 percent when it came to compliance with the minimum health standards against COVID-19, Interior Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said Wednesday.

Citing a report from the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Malaya noted that the minimum health standards include the wearing of face masks, physical distancing, and disinfection.

“According to the NEDA study, our compliance percentage for minimum health standards is only 50

percent,” Malaya said in a launching event on Wednesday.

Contact tracing czar and Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong attributed the non-compliance of Filipinos to “human behavior,” saying it would take time for Filipinos to adjust to the new normal.

“We’ve gotten used to it (without masks). You cannot change human behavior in just a matter of six months. It would take some time,” Magalong said.

He proposed that penalties and punishment should be used to improve Next page

BRIBERY HEARING. In this file photo of a Senate hearing last February, whistleblower Allison Chiong (inset) said majority of immigration officers are already part of the “pastillas scheme” or bribery modus in airports allowing Chinese workers of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) to enter the country seamlessly.

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2020

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New PNP chief aims for HVTs I

NCOMING Philippine National Police Chief Pancratius Cascolan said Wednesday he would focus on going after the high-value targets in the government’s anti-drug campaign.

the case buildup to secure the conviction of high-value targets.

“We should also find their networks.

Through this, we will have a link the network that will be our basis for our next moves,” Cascolan said.

“This will be our basis for the arrests and the buildup of cases. This will be the focus of the anti-drug campaign.

Of course, it will be evaluated and be reevaluated from time to time.”

Cascolan also said the relentless internal cleansing in the police ranks would continue under his leadership.

Despite serving for only over two months, Cascolan said, he would continue implementing the programs put in place by the PNP leadership particularly in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Obviously, our problem is the pan-

demic. As chairperson of the ASCOTF [Administrative Support to Covid-19 Operations Task Force], I will focus on enhancing and developing the initiatives for us to be able to decrease the COVID-19 cases among police officers,” Cascolan said.

The ASCOTF oversees the administrative matters involved in the policemen deployed to implement the quarantine protocols amid the pandemic.

Cascolan said he would strengthen marshaling activities of police officers in public transport vehicles and terminals to ensure that the health protocols were being followed, the establishment of barangay enforcement teams to ensure the observance of quarantine protocols in the communities, as well as ensuring that policemen were “working by the book”. Vito Barcelo

rections to release him from detention “unless he is being held for some other lawful cause or causes.”

The judge stressed that Pemberton is “entitled to be released for he had already served the 10-year maximum of his penalty.”

Although the US soldier has so far served five years into his prison term of six to 10 years, Ginez-Abalde ordered Pemberton’s release by taking into account the good conduct time allowances (GCTA) he had accumulated while being detained.

The lower court noted that Pemberton had served a total of 2,142 days and earned 1,548 GCTAs. Taken together, this amounts to 3,690 days, or 10 years, one month, and 10 days -- more than the 10-year maximum penalty imposed on him, the court said.

Besides, the RTC said that Pemberton has already made a “full payment” of millions of pesos in damages to Laude’s heirs.

In August 2017, Roque said they “would have liked” to have Pemberton sentenced to the maximum 12 years since “passion and intoxication do not

mitigate the deliberate and brutal act of Jennifer’s murder.”

Roque also said at the time that Pemberton “cannot be cited for good behavior when he has not been remorseful.”

The Supreme Court recently granted Pemberton’s withdrawal of his petition to reverse his conviction. The case has been declared “closed and terminated.”

Pemberton was convicted in 2015 for the killing of Laude, who was found dead in the bathroom of a Celzone Lodge room in Olongapo City on October 11, 2014.

The American’s conviction was affirmed by the Court of Appeals.

Laude, then 26 years old, was last seen with Pemberton entering the room with Laude’s friend Mark Clarence “Barbie” Gelviro after having drinks at a nearby bar where they met. Gelviro later left the two alone.

Pemberton and Laude agreed to have sex, but the American was angered after discovering that she was not biologically female.

Laude was found dead, with her head inside a toilet bowl, in the bathroom of a Celzone Lodge room on October 11, 2014. perio swapped a baby’s down jacket and a Ralph Lauren hoodie for six kilogrammes (13 pounds) of rice.

While the Nike slip-on shoes were traded for a chicken, a second pair has not had any takers after three weeks.

“Old items are more difficult to sell,” the 28-year-old said. “With bartering, it’s easier to convert them into food.”

Jocelle Batapa Sigue launched Bacolod Barter Community four months ago out of frustration at not being able to go shopping and a desire to help others.

Her husband held the family’s only quarantine travel pass, which people were required to carry when they left their homes during the lockdown.

“It’s difficult for me to get what I want when I tell my husband to buy it,” said Sigue, who is a lawyer in the central city of Bacolod. AFP his failure of leadership and corruption issues hounding PhilHealth.

While Duque’s signature did not appear in the documents subject of the irregularities, Sotto said he tolerated the illegal release of funds from the IRM. Sotto said this was the reason Duque should be slapped with criminal charges, among them graft and corruption and technical malversation.

“Through abandonment or negligence, you knew billions were released,” Sotto said of Duque, saying it was impossible that the Health secretary would not know that these releases were irregular.

But Senator Panfilo Lacson, a staunch critic of Duque, said there was not enough evidence as yet to prove his criminal liability.

“If I had my way…based on the three hearings of the Committee of the Whole, there may not be enough evidence to recommend criminal charges against Secretary Duque,” Lacson said in a statement.

“We will see to it that we will get the high-value individuals,” Cascolan said in a television interview.

He made his statement even as Malacañang urged him to uphold the rule of law in carrying out police operations and to come up with a new contingency plan to boost the government’s anti-drug war.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque made the remarks after confirming that Cascolan had been appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte as the new chief of the Philippine National Police effective September 2, 2020, replacing PNP Chief Archie Gamboa.

“The strategy on the war on drugs was last 2016. It should be evaluated in such a way that there should be a technical working group that will discuss the lapses and everything that has to be done,” Roque said, adding this would be among Duterte’s marching orders to Cascolan.

Cascolan, deputy chief for administration, is the author of the Oplan Double Barrel, the police force’s flagship campaign against illegal drugs. It is aimed at encouraging the surrender of small-time drug pushers and neutralizing the big-time drug peddlers.

Cascolan cited the need to strengthen

Gierran...

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Convicted...

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corrupt officials’ pockets instead of the agency’s coffers.

“We learned that 7,257 OFWs did not have their premiums deposited...

PhilHealth did not receive their premiums,” Sarmiento claimed during the joint inquiry of the House committees on Public Accounts and Good Government and Public Accountability.

The former auditor said he was able to detect two schemes ran by the 40 PhilHealth officers — one of retail fraud where each OFW would get a receipt, and another on a “wholesale” with the involvement of the worker’s hiring agency.

“Mayroon po talagang sindikato (There really is a syndicate),” he added.

Sarmiento said the fake receipts’ control numbers were sourced from different parts of the country under what he called the “sharing scheme.”

“Someone recruited them to distribute the face receipts to OFWs, and out of the P2,400 (paid by workers), P900 would go to the marketer making the fake receipts. The liaison officer(s), they receive P1,500. We know who they are and we know more or less their structure,” he said.

When he brought up the fraudulent scheme to PhilHealth management, Sarmiento claimed he and his boss were removed from their posts.

“After 3 to 4 years of fact-finding, no report was filed to the (PhilHealth) Ad Hoc Committee, nobody went to prison or was caught, no action on 16 affidavit complaints too. The only thing they acted on was to persecute us both. My boss and I were removed from our positions,” he said.

But PhilHealth senior vice president Dennis Mas clarified that Sarmiento and his superior were merely reassigned.

Senator Aquilino Pimentel III said Gierran can bring reform to PhilHealth.

gruesome manner,” Roque said.

“Laude’s death personifies the death of Philippine sovereignty and the light penalty imposed on Pemberton proves that despite the President’s independent foreign policy, that Americans continue to have the status of conquering colonials in our country,” he said.

The family also questioned the absence of proof of a recommendation from the Management, Screening and Evaluation Committee of the Bureau of Corrections for Pemberton, a Lance Corporal with the US Marines.

“His conduct was never put to test as he never joined other convicts. Had he served his sentence in National Bilibid, maybe his application for good conduct would have some basis,” they said in a motion for reconsideration.

In an order dated September 1, Judge Roline Ginez-Abalde granted the partial motion for reconsideration of Pemberton and ordered the Bureau of Cor-

“It’s so difficult nowadays. You don’t know where you’ll get the money to settle the bills for groceries,” said Imperio, a mother of two whose husband works part-time at a doughnut shop in Manila.

His hours have been slashed because of the pandemic and he now only earns about 9,000 pesos ($185) a month, half of which is used to pay the rent for the family’s apartment.

Online bartering groups have provided a lifeline to the Imperios and other Filipinos hit hard by the country’s months-long virus restrictions that started in March and have sent the economy plunging into a deep recession.

At least 98 groups, some with tens of thousands of members, are operating

across the archipelago, according to an AFP tally.

Nearly all of them started during the pandemic as many Filipinos resorted to the ancient trading practice to feed their families.

Google search volume in the Philippines for the keywords “barter food” soared 300 percent in May from April, iPrice Group found in a recent study, as lockdowns squeezed household budgets and made travelling about difficult.

Its analysis of 85 popular Facebook barter groups, with more than two million members in total, found food and other groceries were among the most sought-after items.

People post photos and specifications of the goods they want to swap, indicate what they want in return and then negotiate via the comments section.

After successfully bartering baby bottles that she no longer needed, Im-

Duque...

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tive to have a difference with the legislative branch, but two weeks ago I went to the Senate to shed light on the issues based on my personal knowledge,” he said.

Facing the senators during the third and last hearing of the Senate Committee of the Whole, Duque vowed to do some soul searching to determine if his best efforts to address the COVID-19 pandemic were enough.

Senators had called for the resignation of Duque due to alleged failure of leadership in handling the pandemic, but the DOH chief said he served at the pleasure of the President.

The Senate Committee of the Whole earlier recommended the filing of charges against Duque, ex-officio chairman of the PhilHealth board, and the agency’s resigned president and chief executive officer Ricardo Morales, among others, over the alleged “improper and illegal implementation of the interim reimbursement mechanism (IRM).”

Duque also said he is an advocate of

“zero tolerance on fraud and corruption” even as he cited the reforms and investigations he launched as PhilHealth director back in 2001 up until 2017 when he became ex-officio chairman of the board because he was Health secretary.

Sotto on Wednesday said he deliberately did not mention the Senate recommendation to replace Duque as a sign of courtesy.

In an online interview, Sotto said he did not want to make it appear that the senators were giving an order to the President.

“So it’s just there in the committee report and I did not mention it in the plenary yesterday (Tuesday),” he said.

“I was being polite by not mentioning it, but it is in the committee report.”

The Senate leader also said they stand by their recommendation for the President to appoint a new DOH secretary.

He said the successor of Duque should be an official who has a strong will to fight corruption inside PhilHealth.

Earlier, the senators passed a resolution demanding Duque resignation over

ies were logged, bringing to 158,610 the number of patients who have recovered from the disease.

These brought to 64,207 the number of active COVID-19 cases, where patients are being treated or under quarantine.

The new cases were based on reports submitted by 102 of the 110 operational testing labs.

Hospital and Quirino Memorial Medical Center.

Vergeire said that the clinical trials on Avigan drug will be administered on 100 patients.

The Avigan clinical trials were supposed to start in mid-August but they were moved to Sept. 1.

were based solely on allegations.

Duque said it was unfortunate that he was included in the charges, as a nonvoting chairman of the PhilHealth board, even though he was not present during the deliberations nor did he sign any board resolution on the controversial interim reimbursement mechanism (IRM) at the center of the new corruption allegations.

But Duque said he would cooperate with any inquiry.

“Certainly, I intend to clear my name,” he said.

Sought for his comment on the issue Tuesday, Duque said he just finished a series of meetings and was only informed of the sponsorship speech of Senate President Vicente Sotto III on the findings of the Committee on the Whole on PhilHealth.

“This is not the best time for the execu-

Gov’t report...

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Earlier, a survey conducted by YouGov in partnership with Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College London showed 91 percent of Filipinos always wear masks whenever they go out.

COVID-19 cases top 226,000

THE Department of Health (DOH) reported 2,218 new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday, bringing the total number of infections since the pandemic started to 226,440.

Twenty-seven new deaths were reported, bringing the total death toll from COVID-19 to 3,623.

At the same time, 609 new recover-

Amid pandemic...

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Avigan trials delayed

THE clinical trials for the Japanese anti-flu drug Avigan did not start as scheduled because three participating hospitals have yet to finish their ethics review, while a fourth, Philippine General Hospital, was still having its memorandum of agreement reviewed, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said Wednesday.

The three hospitals were Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital, Sta. Ana

74% of health care worker slots filled

ABOUT 74 percent of the approved nationwide hiring slots by the Department of Health (DOH) have been filled, said Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire.

She also said Region X recorded the highest number of slots filled with 100 percent, while the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) recorded 33.89 percent.

Willie Casas

Swapping to survive

NBI files...

From A1 Senator Risa Hontiveros said the filing of criminal charges against those linked to the scam was “a major step toward protecting the country’s borders and the welfare of Filipinos, especially women and children.”

“The filing of cases against these BI personnel is a welcome development in our efforts to remove the network of corruption that enabled the illegal entry of countless Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators [POGO] workers from China, along with the various crimes associated with them,” Hontiveros said.

“We commend the National Bureau of Investigation for taking decisive action against those who have betrayed the country and contributed

Beijing pillories Pentagon report on martial moves BEIJING—China on Wednesday condemned a Pentagon report for claiming Beijing wants to double its stockpile of nuclear warheads within a decade as it seeks to deter the United States from any intervention linked to Taiwan.

The Pentagon’s annual study on China’s military power issued Tuesday said it has already matched or outstripped the US military in several areas of defense.

It added that the People’s Liberation Army aims to be ready to win any conflict with the US over self-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its territory.

China’s defence ministry called the report “utterly wrong” and a misinterpretation of Beijing’s “defense policy and military strategy.”

The report “defamed China’s military modernisation, defence expenditure, nuclear policy and other issues”, the ministry said in a statement.

The two superpowers are locked in a broad power struggle sweeping in trade, technology, defence and political influence.

Meanwhile, Malacañang on Wednesday said it does not see a need for the Philippines to copy the US decision to blacklist Chinese firms to show that it does not condone Beijing’s construction of artificial islands in the South China Sea. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque made this remark after President Rodrigo Duterte decided to allow Chinese companies banned in the US to continue operating in the country.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. earlier recommended terminating local contracts with any Chinese companies involved in the reclamations in the disputed waters.

China has applauded President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision to proceed with an airport project involving a Chinese company that was blacklisted by the US for its role in the building of artificial islands in the disputed South China Sea. AFP with Rey Requejo

2FromPinoys...

A1 Hjayceelyn Quintana had reached out to the families of the victims to condole with them and to assure them they would be provided all necessary assistance.

The explosion took place in a Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet along Sheikh Rashid Bin Seed Road, also known as Airport Road, around 10 a.m.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said Wednesday the families of the victims Clark Bacud Gasis and Merriner Goc-ong Bertoces would each receive P120,000.

“They will also get insurance benefits if they are qualified members of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration,” Bello said.

The Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Abu Dhabi said 10 Filipinos, including two children, were hurt in the explosion reportedly caused by a gas leak inside the KFC outlet.

The blast instantly killed Gasis, 39, an electrical draftsman from Surigao del Sur, and Bertoces, 26, an employee at the restaurant and a native of Negros Oriental.

The blast also injured eight other Filipinos, and of whom six were taken to the Sheik Khalifa Medical Center for treatment.

Five of the injured have been discharged while the sixth, also a KFC worker, remains in the hospital for further observation.

A total of 28 people were hurt in the blast, reports said.

Bello said the government would be ready to provide additional aid allowed by law to the families of the victims. to the victimization of many Filipino women and children.”

The NBI urged Ombudsman Samuel Martires to place the 20 Immigration personnel under preventive suspension.

It also said it would file another complaint against other respondents.

Immigration officer Allison Chong first disclosed the scam involving the payment of P20,000 to P50,000 in exchange for being allowed to enter the Philippines illegally.

In February Hontiveros, the head of the Senate committee on women, children, family relations and gender equality, led the hearings that exposed the scam.

The committee disclosed chat logs, undercover videos and a testimony by Chiong detailing how Immigration officers escorted and provided “redcarpet services” to Chinese workers as they illegally entered the country.

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Sanchez seeks transfer to PGH for medical test

By Rey E. Requejo FORMER Calauan, Laguna mayor and convicted rapist-murderer Antonio Sanchez has asked to be transferred to the Philippine General Hospital from the New Bilibid Prison Hospital in Muntinlupa for further medical test, the Department of Justice said on Wednesday.

Justice Undersecretary Markk Perete made the disclosure as the Bureau of Corrections is still waiting for the result of the swab test administered on Sanchez to determine if he tested positive for coronavirus.

“He is scheduled for further medical tests and has requested to be transferred to the PGH. The NBP hospital is awaiting advice from the PGH,” Perete said, when asked for an update on Sanchez’ condition.

“He was subjected to swab test last Monday but usually its three to five days before the result would be released,” the DOJ official added.

Perete said Sanchez was diagnosed to have electrolyte imbalance secondary to acute gastro enteritis, chronic kidney disease, hypertension and benign prostatic hypertrophy.

Sanchez, who is serving seven life terms at the NBP for the 1993 rape and killings of UPLB students Eileen Sarmenta and Allan Gomez, was initially brought to the Ospital ng Muntinlupa Monday evening after complaining of shortness of breath.

However, since the hospital has no more space for probable COVID patient as Sanchez was also experiencing flu-like symptoms, prison authorities brought him back to the national penitentiary.

IN BRIEF Telecom firms back gov’t drive vs online child abuse TELECOM operators back gov’t drive vs online child porn and sexual abuse The country’s telecom operators have vowed to help the government in its drive against online child pornography and sexual abuse.

In a position paper, Philippine Chamber of Telecom Operators, the umbrella organization of duly enfranchised telecommunication entities and internet service providers, including telco giants PLDT Inc. and Globe Telecom, assured that its members will continue to block child pornographic websites as part of their duty under Republic Act No. 9775 or the Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009.

“PCTO condemns child pornography as a reprehensible crime that should be rightfully curtailed by the state. Blocking of unlawful content is a state duty which ISPs support,” stated the position paper submitted to Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra. Rey E. Requejo

Rody thanked for rebuilding Marawi WITH the planned reconstruction of three mosques in Lanao del Sur’s Marawi City, local and religious leaders in the area are elated and even thanked President Rodrigo Duterte about it.

Secretary Eduardo del Rosario recently led the ceremonial signing of three Memoranda of agreement for the repair of the three mosques through the incentivized utilization of housing developers’ escrow funds within the most affected area.

Marawi City Mayor Majul Gandamra thanked Del Rosario for his commitment in pushing for key projects designed to ensure that the country’s only Islamic city will “rise again” as pledged by the President after a five-month siege by Daesh-inspired Maute terrorist group in 2017.

“Aside from the ongoing infrastructure projects inside MAA, the government, through the Task Force ba, did not forget about the rebuilding of mosques, as well as madrasahs, damaged during the siege,”he said.

“This is a milestone in the history of the department and Task Force Bangon Marawi.

For the first time, we will use the escrow donation component for the building of the first three mosques inside the Most Affected Area,” Del Rosario said. Rio N. Araja

Bill requiring graduating HS students to plant trees THE House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading a bill requiring graduating senior high school and college students to plant two trees each.

This developed as Rep. Rufus Rodriguez of Cagayan de Oro City welcomed the passage of his House Bill 6931 that was consolidated with 5 other bills authored by Reps.Manuel Cabochan lll of Magdalo, Joel Mayo Almario of Davao Oriental, Tyrone Agabas of Pangasinan, Mark Go of Baguio City, and Bro. Eddie Villanueva and Domingo Rivera of CIBAC. Rodriguez said graduating high school and college students would be required to plant trees “as a civic duty for environment protection and preservation.”

He said the country is fast losing its forest cover and habitat of flora and fauna due to agricultural practices, illegal logging, largescale mining, population growth, and conversion of land into residential, commercial or industrial development. Maricel V. Cruz

MASS WITH MASKS. Catholic devotees follow health protocols during a mass on Wednesday, September 02, 2020 at Baclaran church in Paranaque city. The government has eased the restrictions on religious gatherings as churches were allowed to accommodate up to 10 percent of seating capacity. Norman Cruz

Palace: Wisdom in ‘survivor’ bill

By Vito Barcelo and Macon Ramos-Araneta

M

alacañang said Wednesday Senator Panfilo Lacson’s intention was good when he filed a bill authorizing President Rodrigo Duterte to name a “designated survivor” should any of the constitutional successors fail to take over the presidency.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque told CNN Philippines there was a need to pick a successor who is not part of the constitutional line of succession.

“Perhaps there is definitely wisdom in the bill filed by Senator Lacson,” Roque said.

He also said the proposed revolutionary government was “unconstitutional” and Duterte was committed to finishing his term, but if the people wanted to talk

about it, they could do so to freely exchange their views.

He said Duterte had expressed his openness to the discussion of a revolutionary government, but insisted on finishing his term and then going home to Davao.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, meanwhile, said Congress and the Filipino people would hold Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief Gilbert Gapay to his words that the military would never support

the calls for a revolutionary government.

“We will hold Lieutenant General Gapay to his words. The assurance he made should lay to rest these loose talks about a revolutionary government,” Drilon said.

He made his statement even as the Commission on Appointments on Wednesday confirmed the nomination of Gapay to the rank of general and the adinterim appointments of 29 other military officials.

The Vice President, Senate President and House Speaker are the legal successors of the President under the 1987 Constitution.

Roque admitted that despite having a “clear” line of presidential succession under the Constitution, the possibility of the President’s successors dying all together on any occasion should not be discounted.

“There is that scenario that should be

addressed,” he said.

On Monday, Lacson pushed for the passage of the “designated survivor” bill to avert a possible “constitutional crisis and leadership vacuum” in the event that the President, vice president, Senate president and House speaker die in “exceptional circumstances.”

Lacson said a constitutional crisis was possible if all four top officials perished during a terror attack at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City while the President was delivering his State-of-the Nation Address.

Under Lacson’s Senate Bill 982 that was filed last year, the most senior senator, most senior House representative, and Cabinet member designated by the President would act as the Chief Executive in that order in case of death or permanent disability of all the constitutional successors.

Du30 set to attend Aqaba Process PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte is scheduled to join other world leaders on Wednesday in attending the Aqaba Process meetings hosted by Jordanian King Abdulla II. Duterte’s participation in the virtual conference proves that the 75-year-old president is healthy and still fit to perform his duties, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in an interview with state-run PTV-4.

“Okay na okay po ang kalusugan ng Presidente. Mamaya po, sasapi po siya sa doon sa tinatawag na Aqaba Process, isang pagpupulong ng mga iba’t ibang nagpupulong na mga lider sa buong daigdig (The President is in very good health.

Later, he will join the Aqaba Process, a meeting that will be joined by other world leaders),” Roque said.

The Aqaba Process is an initiative launched by King Abdullah II in 2015 to strengthen international and regional cooperation against the dangers of terrorism, radicalization, and violent extremism through a holistic approach.

The Aqaba Process meetings, which will be held through teleconference, will cover means of unifying and integrating efforts among participants to counter risks posed by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, according to the August 30 article published by Jordan Times.

A number of world leaders, heads of government, and representatives from United Nations and international organizations will participate in the virtual meetings, the Jordan Times said.

Senior political, military, and defense officials from the United States, Asia, Europe, Africa, Canada, and other international partners are also expected to join the virtual conference.

Duterte first met King Abdullah II in a bilateral meeting during his visit to Amman, Jordan in September 2018.

COVID-FREE MANNEQUIN. A department store in General Trias, Cavite, displayed a mannequin with a mask and face shield, as part

of its sales pitch for the products, even as the IATF and the local government of Cavite required residents to use face masks and face shield to prevent the spread of covid-19. JR Josue

Foundling Welfare Act bill readied for plenary debate

By Maricel V. Cruz

THE House of Representatives’ Committee on Welfare of Children has endorsed for plenary approval the proposed “Foundling Welfare Act” aimed at promoting the rights of abandoned children with unknown parents and declaring them as natural-born Filipino citizens.

This came after Tingog party-list Rep. Yedda Marie K. Romualdez, panel chairperson, approved the committee report on substitute measure for the proposed Foundling Welfare Act principally

authored by Ang Probinsyano party-list Rep. Ronnie Ong. Romualdez’s panel approved the committee report in a virtual meeting Tuesday.

“With the approval of the Committee Report, this bill will be forwarded to the plenary. I look forward to your continued support during the plenary deliberations—so that with all our efforts together, a lasting solution to foundling welfare may soon be realized,” Romualdez, wife of House Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, told the panel.

“I am deeply grateful for the support

that this bill has been receiving and hopeful that this will provide the recognition and protection of all foundlings in the country,” said Romualdez.

“This proposed measure has been thoroughly considered with the kind assistance and valuable inputs from our resource persons as well as the members of the Committee,” Romualdez said. “We will do our best to ensure the immediate approval of the bill in the House of Representatives. We are committed to promote and protect the rights of the abandoned children.”

9th HPV Summit highlights Asia-Oceania’s fight vs cervical cancer WITH significant global attention currently focused on how to deal with COVID-19, other health concerns have taken a backseat due to financial issues and fears of contracting the virus during health check-ups. According to Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, the United Kingdom’s leading cervical charity, which surveyed 851 women between 29 May and 9 June, 25% were worried about the risk of contracting COVID-19 if they went to a cervical cancer screening appointment.

In the Philippines, cervical cancer ranks second among the leading prevalent types of cancer among women. To defer essential screening and preemptive health actions in high-burden settings is not advisable. It may lead to an increase in the incidence of morbidity and mortality among women by an otherwise preventable and treatable disease.

Hence, this year’s 9th HPV Summit led by the Cervical Cancer Prevention Network of the Philippines in partnership with the

Asia & Oceania Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society, and the Department of Health aims to highlight the importance of continuously pursuing the global strategy to eliminate cervical cancer despite the current coronavirus pandemic. The momentum gained from previous efforts must be maintained to achieve the DOH’s thrust for a cervical cancer-free Philippines by 2040.

HPV stands for human papillomavirus.

Genital HPV is a common virus spread mainly by skin-to-skin contact during sexual activity which may have no visible signs or symptoms. The body clears the infection on its own in most people, but can sometimes cause serious illness3. At least 14 types of HPV have been found to be cancer-causing.

These HPV-related cancers and diseases are cervical cancer, vaginal and vulvar cancers, penile cancer, anal cancer, oropharyngeal cancer, and genital warts.

LGUs

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

B4

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2020

Isko warns vs. improper waste disposal

By Willie Casas

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

FIRST SCANNER.

Philippine International Trading Corporation President & CEO USec. Dave Almarinez and San Pedro City Mayor Lourdes Cataquiz view the 1st ever in Laguna , an Iray Non-Contact Fever Screening Intelligent Temperature Measuring System IR Thermal Imaging Camera donated by the former from his personal fund this Tuesday at the entrance of the San Pedro City Hall in Laguna. Roy Tomandao.

Makati starts pooled swab tests swab testing method. Pooled testing will deliver faster COVID-19 test results for large groups of people.

HE Makati City government on Wednesday started the “Today, Makati City is taking the COVID-19 pooled swab testing for public utility vehicle first big step towards better, faster, drivers and market vendors who were prioritized by Mayor and more implementable mass testing Abigail Binay because of their vulnerability and exposure to virus. for COVID-19. I am proudly supporting this program because this is backed The local government converted the residents between Sept. 2 and 8. by scientific research. The results of Makati Coliseum to a “mass testing” Earlier this month, the City of Makati this trial will have a big impact on locenter where swab samples will be col- was chosen as the pilot testing site for cal governments as well as businesses lected and collated from some 6,000 Project Ark’s science-based, pooled and countless industries in the years to

By Joel E. Zurbano

T

IN BRIEF Navotas releases P2.8m allowance THE City Government of Navotas released P2.8 million for the one-time special risk allowance of city public health workers who are on the frontline of the city’s fight against the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Some 428 city employees, 187 from the City Health Office and 241 from the Navotas City Hospital, received their SRAs. Of these numbers, 152 are regular workers; 268, under contract of service and job order; five, part-time physicians; two, emergency doctors; and one, a pay-per-visit doctor.

“We are very grateful that our medical and health care providers are dedicated and resilient. They have been tirelessly working, providing earnest care and service for the past six months,” Mayor Toby Tiangco said.

“We value the sacrifices they make for our fellow Navoteños. We hope the SRA will help boost their morale and give them renewed strength as we continue to combat this health crisis,” he added.

Last May, City Ordinance 2020-20 granted public health workers in Navotas who are in direct contact with suspected, probable and positive COVID-19 patients additional pay equivalent to a maximum of 25 percent of their monthly salary. Jun David

Angeles execs donate harvests ANGELES CITY—Two local officials from this city—Director IC Calaguas and Executive Assistant IV Reina Manuel—have taken the city government’s “Luntian sa Barangay Lingap” project to heart, dso9nating harvests from their own backyard.

Calaguas is also the Clark International Airport Corporation Vice President for Operations.

During the pandemic, Mayor Carmelo Lazatin encouraged city folks to practice urban gardening—by planting vegetables in their backyard, or in unused lots near their homes.

Calaguas and Manuel followed the city mayor's advice and started cultivating their own vegetable garden.

Recently, the latter posted photos on her facebook account showing crops that are ready for harvesting such as eggplants, tomatoes, and chilli.

"Very relaxing, these planting during the pandemic,” Manuel said.

The two Angeles officials decided to donate these harvested crops to the community kitchen at City College of Angeles, the official community quarantine facility in the city.

The vegetables will be used in preparing the meals of Persons Under Monitoring (PUMs) staying there.

Butch Gunio

come,” Mayor Binay said.

At least 500 PUV drivers and market vendors from Comavena, Tablanza, Guadalupe Market, and Poblacion Market were scheduled to be swabbed Wednesday.

Their samples will be pooled in batches and tested for COVID-19 as a group.

In the succeeding days, Makati is targeting to have over 1,000 persons swabbed per day.

CLARK HOSPITAL.

Clark Development Corporation President and CEO Noel Manankil (2nd from right) and Pampanga Governor Dennis Pineda (2nd from left) sign Tuesday a Deed of Usufruct for the establishment of the Diosdado P. Macapagal Memorial Provincial Annex Hospital inside Clark Freeport. The signing, at the Choi Restaurant at the Royce Hotel and Casino in Clark, is witnessed by (from r) Bases Conversion and Development Authority President-CEO Vince Dizon, Pampanga Vice Gov. Lilia Pineda and Mabalacat City Mayor Crisostomo Garbo.

(CDC-CD Photo)

Pampanga to build hospital at Clark Freeport

By Jess Malabanan CLARK FREEPORT—Plans and design for the construction of new hospital building in this freeport have been readied following the signing of a deed of usufruct between Bases Conversion and Development Corporation, Clark Development Corporation and the Pampanga provincial government Monday.

This, after the CDC Board approved the use of 5,000 square-meter lot at the prime area within the freeport zone intended for the construction of a hospital that will cater to the medical needs of Clark workers and tenants.

The project was conceptualized by Vice Governor Lilia Pineda during her

term as governor of the province.

BCDA president & CEO Vince Dizon said some P100 million was allocated for the construction of the Diosdado Macapagal Memorial Hospital Annex through the Bayanihan Act 2.

The provincial government of Pampanga also shared P100 million as its counterpart and another P30 million from Mabalacat City local government unit. The total project cost is P230 million.

The CDC board earlier approved the use of the freeport property intended for hospital project for 25 years and would be extended for another 25 years.

Governor Pineda said his mother Lilia conceptualized the hospital pro-

ject annex project in 2019 and requested the CDC to allocate a piece of land for the provincial government’s future use.

The DPMMPH Annex shall provide basic and affordable medical services mainly to Clark employees who are mostly from Pampanga.

Vice Gov. Pineda said the DPMMPH Annex was the first government hospital in Clark.

She said the working force of Clark numbering to 140,000 will be benefited with this medical facility project.

“We must have a healthy workforce to make our families happy, our communities at peace and our economy productive,” Pineda said.

MANILA Mayor Francisco ‘Isko Moreno’ Domagoso on Wednesday warned all clinics, laboratories, businesses and corporations in the city their operations would be closed and charges would be filed against them over improper disposal of wastes particularly those hazardous.

“Failure to properly dispose hazardous waste would face closure orders, and charges for improper waste management will be filed against them,” Domagoso said.

The Manila mayor issued the stern warning after used rapid test kits were found scattered along M. Dela Fuente Street in Sampaloc, Manila Tuesday night.

CCTV footage provided by the mayor showed the kits fell from a punctured garbage bag attached on a pedicab.

Domagoso assured the Manila City government’s health department and six district hospitals had been strictly complying with protocols on disposal of hazardous waste, including used rapid test kits.

Furthermore, he said the Manila City government and the Manila Police District had started its investigation to determine those responsible for improperly disposing used rapid test kits in the city.

Domagoso said in an at the Quirino grandstand there must be people responsible, adding “We can locate maybe the clinic, maybe a private office, maybe a hospital, or maybe a laboratory. [The MPD said] they are looking already into who might be esponsible.”

Hotline for LGUs boost COVID fight LOCAL government units (LGUs) and their constituents now have an additional communications channel in the fight against COVID-19 through Project Hotline, a dedicated wireless solution offered by Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart).

Designed for use nationwide, the Project Hotline platform includes a free smartphone, a Smart Prepaid or TNT SIM, and free data load allocation good for six months, the company said in a statement.

Smart is also helping out local governments spread the information about their local hotline by bundling tarpaulin banners that can be strategically placed in public places.

With these inclusions, the platform will benefit community residents, local government officials and employees, and frontline responders.

“Project Hotline is part of our efforts to ensure that LGUs are equipped with reliable connectivity during these trying times,” said Jane Basas, SVP and Head of Consumer Wireless Business at Smart.

“By providing our partners with a platform to send and receive community messages, Smart helps LGUs to better address the public health needs of their communities during this pandemic,” she added.

The new communications solution complements other community innovations rolled out by Smart.

These include the Smart Infocast Service—a web-based text broadcast solution; the Smart Emergency Cell Broadcast System—a platform that can quickly send public warnings to mobile phone users in specific areas; and the Batingaw emergency app—a mobile application that provides government agencies, organizations, and individuals, immediate access to disaster warnings, advisories, location data, and disaster mappings.

SM instills agri-based skillsets SM FOUNDATION’S Kabalikat Sa Kabuhayan (KSK) on Sustainable Agriculture expanded its reach by welcoming new batches of farmer trainees in Tarlac and Pampanga.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the KSK program aims to provide the marginalized farmers with agribased skillset and livelihood opportunities through market linkages, enabling them to secure healthy food for their family and even for their communities.

The recent KSK launches were held at the following partner farm schools: Castro Tomas Farm School in Camiling, Tarlac; St. Isidore “the farmer” Learning Center in Sta. Ana, Pampan-

ga; and Talete Ping Panyolong Kapampangan, Inc. (TPKI) in San Fernando, Pampanga.

SM Foundation noted that social distancing, wearing of masks, and other health and safety protocols were observed during the onsite launch. Others attended virtually via an online videoconferencing platform.

In her speech, SMFI AVP for outreach programs Cristie Angeles said that in the past months, KSK farmergraduates from Sta. Ana, Pampanga were able to sell their produce to SMDC condo owners under the Good Guys PAMPANGA/PARLAC LAUNCHING. Officials and partners of SMFI’s KSK Market—which is a collaboration be- program pose for their launch in San Fernando, Pampanga, duplicated later in Sta. Ana, Pampanga and Camiling, Tarlac tween the developer giant and SMFI.

Opinion T

Dangerous haste dence it would protect people.

The FDA had done the same thing with hydroxychloroquine, a drug much praised by Trump, but the emergency use authorization was yanked when studies showed it was not effective and could cause serious heart problems.

Dr. Howard Markel, director of the Center for the History of Medicine at the University of Michigan, says people’s distrust of vaccines makes the FDA’s option to rush the process before late stage clinical trials are complete a “colossally stupid” move.

"This is one of the most ridiculous things I've heard this administration say," Markel told CNN. "All it takes is one bad side effect to basically botch a vaccine program that we desperately need against this virus. It's a prescription for disaster."

The Philippines, of course, has had its own unfortunate experience in rushing an untested vaccine to the mass market, thanks to the indecent haste shown by the previous administration. Given the high public distrust in the wake of the Dengvaxia scandal, the government ought to think twice before jumping in with eyes closed with yet more untested vaccines.

Searching for heroes IF WE scan what has happened to our country since the Spaniards decided to come back in 1565 to stay permanently up to 1946, it has been 385 years of continuous struggle against three occupying powers. If we include our collaboration with the Spaniards to drive away the British who occupied Manila in 1762 because of the seven-years wars in Europe, that would be four instead of three.

Yes, some people might say that many of those struggles were simply local uprisings but all these eventually culminated in a national revolt in 1896 followed by our war with the Americans in 1898 and the Japanese from 1941 to 1945. The revolution against Spain in 1896 was the first in Asia staged by the native population of an occupied territory against a European colonizing power.

Not all our struggles were violent.

Our fight for independence from the Americans was done through peaceful means which we eventually got on July 4, 1946. The National Heroes Day that we celebrate every 31st of August was originally intended to honor the memories of those Filipinos who devoted their time to forge a movement to drive away the Spaniards. Andres Bonifacio was however impatient and decided to stage the 1896 revolution against Spain. There were also heroes during our fight for independence during the American colonial period led by President Manuel Quezon and during the short but brutal occupation of our country by the Japanese.

Today, amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, our heroes are the medical frontliners and other unsung individuals who are laboring to treat infected Filipinos of the deadly disease and corporations building much-needed medical facilities. Yet, there are heartless landlords who have been driving away some infected

DUTY CALLS

FLORENCIO FIANZA health workers even in the middle of the night. Maybe these people should be identified on social media so that when they get sick, health workers can give them a dose of their own medicine.

During these desperate times, Filipinos are in great need of good men and women.

Our overseas Filipino workers for some years are also considered our modern-day heroes for laboring overseas to be able to send money back home. This however, comes with a heavy price. Families end up being broken, children get into crime, and a host of other social problems emerge.

Every now and then, we read about domestic helpers getting killed, maltreated, or raped by their employers.

Such is the price that our workers sometimes have to pay.

This should make us ask the question: Is it all worth it? It is sad that the government over the years has failed to provide better opportunities for our people to be able to work and earn decent wages in their own country without having to go abroad to work as indentured servants. Yet, in every election, we often hear many politicians promising everything but reneging on them once they get what they want.

During these trying times, the country is desperately in need of true he-

roes. These are people who are willing to put aside their personal interests for the sake of the country. But we do not see much of them around. Instead, what we are seeing as revealed by the just-concluded Senate report regarding PhilHealth corruption allegations is that some unscrupulous people in the agency have been making the agency as their piggy bank for a long time.

One would think that during this COVID-19 pandemic, these corrupt officials would take a time out and perhaps try their best to maximize the use of the dwindling funds of the agency to be able to pay the medical bills of as many sick Filipinos as possible. But no. What we are being told is that corrupt personnel of the agency apparently took the pandemic as another opportunity to make a killing.

This PhilHealth corruption issue has been going on for some time with the government failing to pursue the issue to its logical conclusion such as getting the guilty parties convicted.

With the report of the Senate however, perhaps the public will now be able to see it happen.

Everything now depends on the Department of Justice. On a bigger scale, it was reported last Tuesday that the government was able to borrow from international lending institutions about $10.9 billion or P529 billion to support our government’s effort on the pandemic. It is a huge amount.

The Secretary of Budget also reported last Tuesday that about P389 billion have already been released with the bulk going to DSWD and DOH. I do not know whether the P389 billion came from the borrowed money or not. Still, I hope that strict auditing of the funds is done because the amount dwarfs the PhilHealth corruption mess and it would be a pity if a large chunk of that will end up lining the pockets of corrupt officials once again.

MORE OPINION ONLINE (www.manilastandard.net) NAKED THOUGHT CHARLIE V. MANALO

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2020

B1

The 2022 presidential race

EDITORIAL

China, too, has sped up some of its HERE are development, with pharmaceutical worrying signs that companies saying that their senior governments—for executives have been given shots to “pre-test” their vaccine. Again, this is a variety of reasons not proof of their willingness to always benign—are rushing simply take risks. A vaccine being developed COVID-19 vaccines toward in cooperation with the People’s Liberation Army, was approved for use mass use. on military personnel in June, even Russia, for example, has secured or- before late stage Phase 3 trials had ders for 1 billion doses of the yet-un- started. proven vaccine from 20 countries, including the Philippines, which will Governments may take part in Phase 3 clinical trials. The development shortcuts for the Russian be taking shortcuts. vaccine have been well documented, yet countries battered by the pandemic In the United States, there are signs are eager to get their hands on the drug.

These countries should bear in mind that President Donald Trump, who that Russia registered its vaccine be- has failed miserably to control the fore large-scale, late-stage trials, with- spread of COVID-19 in his country out publishing research data. Hoping and facing elections in November, is to allay concerns about the safety and pressuring federal agencies to take efficacy of the drug, Russian President shortcuts in the approval of therapeuVladimir Putin says his own daughter tics and vaccines.

For example, the US Food and has been given a dose of the vaccine.

The statement proves nothing, how- Drug Administration’s Commissioner ever, except Putin’s confidence in the Dr. Steven Han said his agency could drug—which is not the same as its consider an emergency use authorizaactual efficacy—or his willingness to tion for a COVID-19 vaccine before take risks in search of a medical—and late-stage clinical trials are complete if the data show strong enough evipolitical—coup.

Adelle Chua, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

BUSINESS CLASS

RUDY ROMERO TWENTY-ONE months before the next presidential election, there already are indications of who will likely be seeking the nation’s highest position in the May 2022 electoral exercise. Three of the four probable candidates are women. They are Vice President Leni Robredo, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte and Senator Cynthia Villar. The lone man is Senator Panfilo Lacson.

Three probable candidates are women.

Because she is its titular head, the Liberal Party is bound to field Vice President Robredo as its standard bearer in the 2022 presidential election. Yet another product of the impractical system under which Filipinos are allowed to vote for a President and Vice President from different parties, Robredo’s relations with President Rodrigo Duterte have ranged from civility to outright hostility.

Despite her being a veritable fifth wheel, Robredo has courageously led the Liberal Party—the major opposition party—during the last four years. With the experience and confidence that she has gained in the vice presidency, and with the respect and trust that she now enjoys among the Liberal Party faithful, Leni Robredo is unlikely to face a serious challenge to her quest for her party’s nomination for presidential candidate.

Although there has been a lot of shilly-shallying on the subject of a Sara

Duterte run for the presidency, and although President Duterte has publicly advised his elder daughter against running for the office he now holds, a Sara Duterte run for the presidency definitely cannot be ruled out. Davao City’s mayor is young, has administrative experience, is professionally qualified—she is an Ateneo-trained lawyer.

Most important of all, she will have the Duterte coalition machinery and resources supporting her. A Sara Duterte candidacy will be a tough nut for the opposition to crack.

The candidate who gets the number-one spot in the election for senators almost always gets to believe that, with his or her big mandate, he or she is destined for an elective position higher than senator. Although she has repeatedly dismissed suggestions that she has any intention to run for president, Cynthia Villar, who topped the 2016 senatorial election, almost certainly is no exception to the rule. Besides the 22 million votes that she obtained in 2016, a desire to avenge her husband Manny’s loss in the 2010 presidential election might be something that will push the former mayor of Las Piñas City to join the 2022 contest. Given Manny Villar’s status as this country’s wealthiest individual, sufficiency of resources would not be a problem for Cynthia Villar.

With no other strong male contender in sight, Senator Panfilo Lacson has probably been thinking of a third run for the presidency in 2022. The former chief of the Philippine National Police, has on several occasions, taken positions clearly supportive of President Duterte, but he has on the whole treaded a senatorial path that has been independent and statesmanlike.

If Lacson decides to go for another run for the presidency in 2022, he will be up against three powerful female opponents.

Expanding fiscal capacity OVERSIGHT

DANILO SUAREZ AS WE enter the “ber” months, the busiest season of the year has come for our legislators. The annual deliberation on the national budget has always been a tedious task. However, nothing can be more difficult as tackling this year’s general appropriations. As we all know, the COVID-19 pandemic arrested national development and revenue generation from taxes and customs. Programs and projects with appropriated funds have been discontinued or suspended to yield to COVID-19 measures such as increased operational support to the health sector, social amelioration program for the poor and displaced workers, and assistance to industries affected by the pandemic. As limited as we already are with our current public spending, we are more restricted with the smaller funds that we have.

When I was in Congress, I often said that we should not limit ourselves to the available budget. We should take into consideration the time and opportunities lost when we force ourselves to work on the restricted budget allocated for our programs. For instance, in agriculture, the outputs largely depend on the production capacity of our farmers, fisherfolk, and agricultural entrepreneurs. While several factors come into play when we talk of output and productivity, the basic factor to consider, of course, is the budgetary input. The programs and projects of the Department of Agriculture have always been geared toward improving production and resiliency of the agriculture industry.

Hence, we can safely say that the success of these projects and the corresponding growth rates recorded by our agriculture industry primarily rely on the available funding. Now, when the budgetary allocation of agriculture is decreased to make way for other priority programs of the government, it effectively restrains the potential growth that may be achieved by the industry in the following year.

Our budget is understandably limited.

Considering this, what we can do is allow inflow of additional budget from external

sources such as loans. Reports show that high-income countries such as Japan, Italy, the United States, and Singapore also have the highest national debt-to-GDP ratio in the world. These countries entered into loans for various reasons, but mainly to supplement their fiscal capacity. These developed nations are expanding and boosting their outputs on their local industries because they are maximizing their

We should not limit ourselves to the available budget. potential. Different analyses and discussions show that the foreign borrowings do not alone determine the country’s financial risk levels. There are instances where borrowing is cheaper and less adverse than imposing outright increased taxation, especially in a situation where taxation would be more burdensome to consumers and when the amount borrowed shall be used in economic stimulus measures to help large and small businesses, ailing industries, and the unemployed population.

It all boils down on where and how you invest the money—whether you raise money from loans to capitalize on quality education, infrastructure, health, public sector programs, or industry innovation.

We should not be afraid to borrow to kickstart increased productivity, expansion, and development of our economic drivers for medium- and long-term growth, provided we have mechanisms to ensure sound borrowing, prudent and policy-based spending, and strict monitoring.

I hope this reaches our national government. It is high time that we looked at our financial situation this way to improve on our strengths as a nation. As per our Moody’s credit rating in July, we remained to have a stable outlook, considering our strong fiscal position in the past years. Our current debt-to-GDP ratio is, reportedly as of June 2020, at 48.1 percent, which indicates our capability to pay our debts. This is a favorable opportunity to expand our capabilities, boost productivity and revenue generation which will, in turn, also enhance debt payment in the future.

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, SEPTEMBER 3 , 2020 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Indian special forces member slain in China border showdown

IN BRIEF Koreas on high alert as typhoon nears SEOUL—Flights were grounded in South Korea and storm warnings issued on both sides of the Korean peninsula as a typhoon forecast to be one of the most powerful in years made its approach Wednesday.

More than 300 domestic departures were cancelled as Typhoon Maysak churned across waters south of the resort island of Jeju packing gusts of up to 162 kilometres per hour (101 miles per hour).

South Korean Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said the storm was forecast to be similar in strength to 2003’s Typhoon Maemi, which left 131 people dead and more than 4 trillion won ($3 billion) in damage.

“We are especially concerned,” he added.

Maysak—named after a Cambodian tree—was predicted to make landfall late Wednesday west of Busan on the southern coast, then make its way up the eastern side of the peninsula before heading northwards into the Sea of Japan, known as the East Sea in Korea.

It was forecast to make landfall again on Thursday near North Korea’s industrial city of Chongjin. AFP

NEW DELHI—A Tibetan-origin soldier with India’s special forces was killed in the latest border showdown with Chinese troops on their contested Himalayan border, a Tibetan representative said Tuesday The death is the first reported from two incidents in 48 hours on the border which has heightened tensions between the giant nations just two months after a battle that left at least 20 Indian soldiers dead.

India and China, which fought a border

war in 1962, have accused each other of seeking to cross their unofficial frontier in the Ladakh region in a bid to gain territory on Saturday night, and then again on Monday.

Neither side has announced any casualties but Namghyal Dolkar Lhagyari, a member of the Tibetan parliament in exile, told AFP that the Tibetan-origin soldier was “martyred during the clash” on Saturday night.

She said another member of the Spe-

cial Frontier Force that reportedly includes many ethnic Tibetans who oppose China’s claim to their home region was wounded in the operation.

The world’s two most populous countries have sent tens of thousands of troops to the region since a brutal June 15 battle fought with wooden clubs and fists.

India has said 20 troops were killed.

China acknowledged casualties but did not give figures.

Millions back to school in Europe P

ARIS—Millions of mask-wearing European children returned to school on Tuesday with governments determined to get pupils back in class despite still-rising coronavirus infections which surged over four million across the continent for the first time.

US extends ban on house evictions WASHINGTON—The US government on Tuesday announced it will extend until the end of the year a moratorium on the eviction of tenants unable to meet their rent payments and on foreclosures of home owners who cannot pay their mortgages because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“People struggling to pay their rent due to the coronavirus will not have to worry about being evicted and risk further spreading... of or exposure to the virus due to economic hardships,” said White House spokesman Brian Morgenstern.

The measure aims to protect tens of millions of people at risk of losing their homes because of the economic collapse triggered by the pandemic, and potentially finding themselves forced onto the streets or into collective housing, government officials said.

“It is essential during this pandemics that Americans have an effective place to quarantine, isolate and socially distance,” one senior administration official said.

In March, Congress passed a sweeping emergency aid package to help families and businesses, but a new packages has been blocked as negotiations between the White House and the Democrats who control the lower house stalled.

Republican President Donald Trump in August signed an executive order to help those Americans hit by unemployment and threatened with eviction because of the crisis. AFP

Manila

Standard

TODAY

The two sides blamed each other for the latest incidents.

India’s defence ministry said Chinese troops “carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo” at the border on Saturday.

China’s People’s Liberation Army said that India was “seriously violating China’s territorial sovereignty” with its operation staged Monday and demanded that Indian troops withdraw. AFP

Schools reopened in Russia, Ukraine, Belgium and France, where teachers and children aged 11 and older were obliged to wear face coverings, echoing regulations in place across the continent.

Lockdowns imposed from March meant many children have missed months of education, as well as time with their friends.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time!” 12-year-old Chahda told AFP excitedly as she arrived with her friend at school in the southern French city of Marseille.

PROTEST TEARS. A demonstrator cries during a protest against the visit of US President Donald Trump on September 1, 2020 in However, the largest school district Kenosha, Wisconsin. Meanwhile in Los Angeles, protesters demanded answers on Tuesday as they gathered in a south LA neighborhood in the United States -- New York City -where sheriff’s deputies shot and killed a black man during a violent confrontation the previous day. AFP announced a delay to in-person classes at public institutions until September 21, after reaching a deal with a prominent teachers’ union that had threatened a strike over health concerns it felt had gone unaddressed.

PARIS—Fourteen people accused of Although the three assailants were “All this is essential to a terrorist operaIn Europe, the decision to forge helping jihadist gunmen attack the French killed by police, prosecutors have rejected tion,” he said, adding that relatives of the 17 ahead with school reopenings comes as satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo and a Jew- claims that the trial will focus only on “lit- victims and others would testify at the trial. the virus is spreading rapidly again in ish supermarket go on trial Wednesday, tle helpers” suspected of providing weapCharlie Hebdo itself will mark the many countries, raising fears that more five years after days of terror that sent ons or organisational support. event by republishing the cartoons of the lockdowns and disruption are to come in shockwaves through France.

“It is about individuals who are in- Prophet Mohammed that spurred huge autumn and winter.

The attacks that began on January 7, volved in the logistics, the preparation protests in many Arab countries and re“I am convinced that we can and will 2015 sparked a series of jihadist attacks on of the events, who provided means of fi- portedly drove the killers to act. prevent a second general shutdown,” French soil, including “lone wolf” killings nancing, operational material, weapons, a “We will never lie down. We will never Germany’s Economy Minister Peter by people said to be inspired by the Is- residence,” national anti-terror prosecutor give up,” director Laurent “Riss” SourisAltmaier said, unveiling figures to suglamic State group that have since claimed Jean-Francois Ricard told France Info ra- seau, who will attend the trial, wrote in an gest his country has passed the worst of more than 250 lives. dio on Monday. editorial published Wednesday. AFP CYAN MAGENTA its recession.YELLOW AFP BLACK

Suspects in Charlie Hebdo jihadist killings face trial

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Energy Center, Rizal Drive Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City Metro Manila, Republic of the Philippines

NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR PETROLEUM SERVICE CONTRACT (PSC) Under the Philippine Conventional Energy Contracting Program (PCECP) Pursuant to Department Circular (DC) No. DC2017-12-0017.

This is to inform the public that a certain company has applied for one is/are applying for one (1) petroleum area located in the Onshore Sultan Kudarat and South Cotabato, Cotabato Basin as seen in the map below and is bounded by the adjacent set of geographical coordinates AREA CORNERS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

COORDINATES LATITUDE LONGTITUDE 6° 44’ 00” N 124° 33’ 00”E 6° 44’ 00” N 124° 36’ 00”E 6° 52’ 00” N 124° 36’ 00”E 6° 52’ 00” N 124° 39’ 00”E 6° 44’ 00” N 124° 39’ 00”E 6° 44’ 00” N 124° 45’ 00”E 6° 36’ 00” N 124° 45’ 00”E 6° 36’ 00” N 124° 42’ 00”E 6° 32’ 00” N 124° 42’ 00”E

AREA CORNERS 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

COORDINATES LATITUDE LONGTITUDE 6° 32’ 00” N 124° 45’ 00”E 6° 24’ 00” N 124° 45’ 00”E 6° 24’ 00” N 124° 39’ 00”E 6° 28’ 00” N 124° 39’ 00”E 6° 28’ 00” N 124° 36’ 00”E 6° 36’ 00” N 124° 36’ 00”E 6° 36’ 00” N 124° 30’ 00”E 6° 40’ 00” N 124° 30’ 00”E 6° 40’ 00” N 124° 33’ 00”E

INVITATION FOR CHALLENGE Interested applicants may likewise submit their respective applicantions over the forementioned nominated area in accordance with, and subject to, the timeline and procedures stipulated under DC 2017-12-0017 (“PCECP Circular and Guidelines”).

A. Timeline i.

Pre-submission Conference – Twenty (20) Calendar days from this date. 0900H at the DOE AVR. ii. Deadline for the Submission of documents by Applicants – Sixty (60) calendar days from this date, on or before 1100H, at the DOE Record Section. iii.

Opening of Documents – Sixty (60) calendar days from this date (same day of deadline for submission of documents), 1330H, at the DOE AVR. B. Application and Awarding Process: For details on the application procedures documentary requisites, and awarding process for Petroleum Service Contracts (PSCs), please refer to the PCECP Circular and Guidelines, copy of which may be obtained from the Depratment of Energy (DOE).

For futher information, you may visit the DOE’s webpage on PSC Application at www.doe.gov.ph/pcecp/petroleum, or you may contact the DOE’s Petroleum Resources Development Division (PRDD) at telephone numbers (02) 812-4016 or (02) 479-2900 local 365.

(MS-SEPT. 3, 2020)

BOOK FOR GOSSIPS. The book “Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady” by Stephanie Winston Wolkoff is viewed on display at Barnes & Noble bookstore on 5th Avenue in New York on September 1. The book released Tuesday dishes on the supposed icy relationship between Melania Trump and her stepdaughter Ivanka, fuel for gossips eager to speculate about First Family rivalries. AFP

Virus forces Asian girls into child marriage NEW DELHI—Tens of thousands of girls across Asia are being forced into marriage by desperate families plunged into poverty because of the coronavirus pandemic, as campaigners warn years of progress tackling the practice is being undone.

Child marriage has long been common in traditional communities from the Indonesian archipelago to India, Pakistan and Vietnam, but numbers had been decreasing as charities made inroads by encouraging access to education and women’s health services.

These improvements are being eroded as the impact of the virus causes mass job losses leaving parents struggling to feed their families, experts say.

“All of the gains we’ve made in the past decade are really going to suffer,” explains Shipra Jha, head of Asia engagement, at NGO Girls Not Brides.

“Child marriage is firmly rooted in gender inequality and patriarchal structures. What’s happened is that it’s become compounded in the Covid era,” she adds.

Poverty, lack of education, and insecurity, drive child marriage even in stable times, so periods of crises exacerbate the problem, the charity says.

Worldwide, an estimated 12 million girls are wed every year before the age of 18, according to the UN. But the organisation has now warned that unless urgent action is taken to tackle the economic and social impact of the virus -- an additional 13 million child marriages will take place in the next decade.

In Asia, charities report the snowball of forced unions has already begun, estimating tens of thousands are already affected -- though hard data is yet to be collated.

“There has been an increase in child marriages during this lockdown period. There is rampant unemployment, job loss. Families are barely able to make ends meet, so they think it’s best to get their young daughters married off,” says Rolee Singh who runs India’s “1 Step 2 Stop Child Marriage” campaign. AFP

Business

B3

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2020 || extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market falls; Bloomberry, Jollibee rise T PSEi September 2, 2020

TOP GAINERS

PSEi July 8, 2020

HE stock market declined Wednesday, ignoring Wall Street’s gains overnight as investors went into another consolidation mode.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index fell 60.85 points, or 1 percent, to 5,738.39 on a value turnover of P6.4 billion. Losers overwhelmed gainers, 111 to 64, with 55 issues unchanged.

Major property developer Ayala Land Inc. dropped 4.6 percent to P27, while parent Ayala Corp. shed 2.5 percent to P692.

Casino operator Bloomberry Resorts Corp. of tycoon Enrique Razon Jr., however, advanced 5.1 percent to P6.60, while Jollibee Foods Corp., the biggest fast-food chain, rose 2.4 percent to P136.80.

The rest of Asian investors struggled to take the baton from their Wall Street counterparts Wednesday, though tech firms tracked another record on the Nasdaq, boosted by people staying at home.

Traders were also keeping an eye on Washington after Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he would reach out to the Democrats to work on pushing through a new stimulus package for the beleaguered US economy.

While the wall of cash and central bank pledges of ultra-low interest rates for some time has been key to firing a surge across equities, global titans such as Apple, Samsung and Microsoft are miles ahead of the pack.

“The big theme right now is the unrelenting, recordbreaking rally in tech stocks,” Candice Bangsund, at Fiera Capital Corp, said as the Nasdaq notched up a third straight record having rocketed a mind-boggling 80 percent from its March trough.

However, she added: “The landscape for stocks is

great but there’s still, from a macro perspective, a lot of unknowns as to the progression of the virus and, of course, the implications for global growth.”

The run-up in US tech shares has been reflected in Asia and the sector was the standout in bourses across the region.

However, the gains were not enough to bring all the broader markets up.

Tokyo, Seoul, Wellington and Bangkok were all higher but there were losses in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Mumbai and Jakarta.

Still, OANDA’s Edward Moya said: “With no chance that the Fed will be tightening over the next handful of years, investors continue to pile into stocks.”

Sydney was the best performer, though, rallying more than one percent after data showing Australia’s virus-hit economy fell into recession for the first time in three decades. Bargainbuying helped the ASX after three days of losses, though the Australian dollar was down 0.5 percent. With AFP

Australia sinks into recession; Brazil contracts by almost 10%

TOP LOSERS

MOST ACTIVE

A protective services officer walks past a sculpture of three businessmen in Melbourne’s central business district on September 2, 2020. Australia has entered its first recession since 1991 after the economy shrank 7 percent in the second quarter, official figures showed on September 2, as the country reels from the coronavirus pandemic. AFP

US manufacturing sector continued recovery in August, says survey WASHINGTON—US manufacturers saw clear gains in August following the devastation of the coronavirus shutdowns earlier in the year, though damage from the downturn lingers, according to an industry survey Tuesday.

The Institute for Supply Management’s (ISM) manufacturing index rose more than expected last month to 56 percent from 54.2 percent in July, with key metrics continuing their expansion after business shutdowns caused by Covid-19 badly hit factories earlier this year.

“Index and sub-index expansion was

stronger than July, but we are still recovering from historically low levels of activity,” ISM manufacturing survey chair Timothy Fiore told reporters.

“I don’t believe we’re back where we were pre-virus across the manufacturing sector,” Fiore said, but, “I think we’re on a good path.”

US manufacturing saw 131 consecutive months growth that ended in April when the downturn began, but has since picked up.

Fiore said August was the first full month where supply chains were reactivated and employees were back in the

workplace, though many companies had put in place social distancing measures to guard against infection.

The key new orders component jumped 6.1 percentage points to 67.6 percent, while production gained slightly to 63.3 percent. Any reading above 50 percent indicates expansion.

Prices climbed 6.3 points to 59.5 percent, while new export orders also gained to 53.3 percent.

“Current sales to domestic markets are substantially stronger than forecasted. We expected a recession, but it did not turn out that way,” a fabricated metal

products company told ISM. However, the data showed lingering damage from the virus’s dramatic economic effects.

Employment was at 46.4 percent, up only 2.1 points from July, and Fiore acknowledged that hiring “is going to be a bit murky for a while.”

Fiore also warned that key sectors representing about 20 percent of the total US manufacturing output—aerospace equipment, oil and gas firms and office furniture and office building suppliers—would face low demand through the end of the year. AFP

Spain’s foreign tourists arrivals plunge by 75% MADRID, SPAIN—Foreign tourist arrivals in Spain plummeted by 75 percent year-on-year in July despite the reopening of borders in the world’s second-most popular tourist destination, official figures showed Tuesday.

July was the first full month of Spain’s new normality since Madrid reopened its frontiers on June 21 and lifted a state of emergency that ushered in one of the tightest lockdowns in the world.

Tourism is a pillar of the Spanish economy, accounting for some 12 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) and 13 percent of employment.

Foreign tourist spending also slumped in July, falling by 79.5 percent compared with the same period a year earlier, figures released by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) showed.

Per tourist, the average amount spent was down 17.8 percent.

But after more than three months of lockdown, the figures showed a big increase on June, with foreign tourist arrivals 12 times higher, and visitor spending 18 times higher.

In July, the largest number of incoming tourists were French, who accounted for a quarter of all arrivals, followed by Germans then Britons, who are normally the largest national visitor group.

The Balearic islands were the most popular destination in July, accounting for nearly a quarter of all visitors to Spain, followed by the northeastern Catalonia region then Valencia in the southeast.

Due to the drop in arrivals, hotel reservations slumped by 73.4 percent in July, while other tourist accommodation bookings (such as apartments and campsites) fell by 49.9 percent compared with July 2019, recent INE figures show. AFP

A vineyard is backdropped by the “Tajo de Ronda” bridge in Ronda on August 27, 2020. When young German Friedrich Schatz turned up in 1982 to grow grapes in a part of southern Spain which hadn’t produced wine in 100 years, they thought he was crazy.

But nearly four decades on, Schatz is still tending his vines in the Andalusian hilltop town of Ronda. And despite the fact that sales have been battered by the coronavirus crisis, the harvest must go on because the land “just won’t wait.”

ManilaAFP

Standard

TODAY

Spanish vineyards feel the pinch but harvest goes on

By Alvaro Villalobos RONDA, Spain—When young German Friedrich Schatz turned up in 1982 to grow grapes in a part of southern Spain which hadn’t produced wine in 100 years, they thought he was crazy.

But nearly four decades on, Schatz is still tending his vines in the Andalusian hilltop town of Ronda.

And despite the fact that sales have been battered by the coronavirus crisis, the harvest must go on because the land “just won’t wait.”

Located inland from the Costa del Sol, the Ronda highlands today boast more than 20 wineries and experts view it as one of the most promising regions in Spain, the world’s third-largest wine producer by value after France and Italy.

Winemaking here dates back to Roman times, but it disappeared following a phylloxera epidemic, which hit Ronda in 1878, with the aphid devastating 13,000 hectares (32,123 acres) of vines.

And it would take the arrival, more than 100 years later, of a teenager from a family of German winegrowers to turn things around.

Schatz, who goes by the name of Federico, was barely 18 when he arrived in Ronda and fell in love with the Finca Sanguijuela, a beguiling

property on three hectares of land on a gentle slope “with soil which is vibrant and very wellaerated.”

There he planted classical varieties, such as pinot noir, merlot, petit verdot and chardonnay, and today he counts some 15,000 vines, producing premium bottles of red, white and rose from nine varieties of grape.

The harvest is all done by hand, with Schatz working alongside his mum, wife, daughter and three employees.

Vines need tending So far, 2020 has been a difficult year, with bars and restaurants badly hit by the crisis and Schatz expecting sales to fall by up to 80 percent.

But the vines still need tending.

“Even if you were to tell me that tomorrow we’ll all die of the virus, we’d carry on the same, because you can’t stop working the fields,” says Schatz, 57.

“You can’t just abandon a vineyard like shutting down a factory.”

For those harvesting the grapes, the pandemic hasn’t changed much.

“Working in the fields is just the same,” shrugs Francisco Sanchez Campanario, as he cuts bunches of merlot grapes in the brilliant morning sunshine. AFP

SYDNEY—Australia has fallen into recession for the first time in three decades and Brazil’s economy shrank by almost 10 percent because of the coronavirus, leaving China as the only major nation still recording economic growth during the pandemic.

A raft of bleak data from India to Europe in recent days has laid bare the toll from lockdowns as nations try to keep a lid on an illness that has killed more than 850,000 people and infected over 25 million.

The challenges were further highlighted Wednesday when Australia announced a record contraction of seven percent despite authorities providing billions of dollars in support to struggling firms.

“Today’s national accounts confirm the devastating impact on the Australian economy from Covid-19,” said Treasurer Josh Frydenberg.

“Our record run of 28 consecutive years of economic growth has now officially come to an end. The cause: a once-in-a-century pandemic.”

Australia has confirmed almost 26,000 cases of coronavirus and 663 deaths, but had successfully contained the illness in most of the country by July.

A recent outbreak in Melbourne, however, forced a new lockdown covering five million people that has dragged on any economic recovery.

‘Depressing feeling’ Shutdowns have taken a toll on livelihoods across the globe as business revenues plunge and millions are forced out of work.

New Delhi reported Monday that growth in Asia’s third-largest economy suffered a historic 23.9-percent decline between April and June as the manufacturing sector was battered by restrictions on businesses.

In the Philippines, meanwhile, there has been a resurgence of barter trade as cash incomes dry up, with people flocking to Facebook groups to exchange everyday possessions for food.

“People are realizing that while they have no money, they have accumulated a lot of material things,” said Charles Ramirez, who runs a 14,000-member bartering website in the capital Manila.

“It’s a depressing feeling, of course, having to let go of things you have accumulated just to be able to survive.” AFP

106 Carlos Palanca St. Legazpi Village Makati, Metro Manila Philippines, 1229 (+632) 8-726-8888 • inquiries@ptt.com.ph • ptt.com.ph

PHILIPPINE TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION NOTICE OF ANNUAL STOCKHOLDERS’ MEETING Notice is hereby given that the Annual Stockholders’ Meeting of Philippine Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (“Company”) will be held on 25 September 2020 (Friday) at 11:00 A.M. The Presiding Officer will be presiding the meeting at Spirit of Communications Center, 106 C. Palanca Street, Legaspi Village, Makati City 1229.

The order of business will be as follows: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

Call to Order Certification of the existence of quorum and sending of notices Approval of the minutes of the last Stockholders’ Meeting held on 28 June 2019 Report of the President Election of the members of the Board of Directors Amendments on the Articles of Incorporation a. Amendment on the corporate name to include business or trade name (Article I) b. Amendment on the corporate purpose (Article II) c. Amendment to increase the number of Directors (Article VI) d. Amendment on the feature of Series “A”, “B”, and “C” Serial Redeemable Preferred Shares (Article VII) Amendments on the By-Laws a. Amendment on the sending of notices during stockholders’ meeting (Article II) b. Amendment on the number of Directors (Article III) Ratification of actions taken by the Board of Directors and officers since 28 June 2019 Appointment of Alas Oplas & Co. CPAs Approval of the Audited Financial Statements for the period ending 31 December 2019 Adjournment

For purposes of the meeting, the close of business on 07 August 2020 has been fixed as the Record Date for the determination of the stockholders entitled to notice and to vote during the meeting.

There will be no physical meeting. Stockholders may attend or participate in the meeting by remote communication. Stockholders may vote electronically subject to validation procedures. The procedures for participating in the meeting through remote communication and for casting of votes are set forth in the Information Statement.

We are not soliciting your proxy. However, if you cannot personally participate in the meeting and you wish to be represented, you may coordinate by email to investors@ptt.com.ph so that we can assist you in the submission of proxy forms. The proxy forms together with voting instructions and other documents required for stockholders submitting a proxy must be received by the Office of the Corporate Secretary by email to investors@ptt.com.ph on or before 05:00 P.M. of 18 September 2020 (Friday).

(SGD.) ATTY. KENNETH JOEY H. MACEREN Corporate Secretary

(MS-SEPT. 3 & 4, 2020)

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

B4

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2020

PSE INDEX CLOSING

Wednesday, September 2, 2020 60.85 PTS. 5,738.39

TOTAL VOLUME 1,507,902,629 TOTAL TRADES 84,949 TOTAL VALUE 6,377,496,102.02 ADVANCES 64 DECLINES 111 UNCHANGED 55

F oreign E xchange R ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2020

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

48.4760

Japan

Yen

0.009440

0.4576

UK

Pound

1.338300

64.8754

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.129036

6.2551

Switzerland

Franc

1.100473

53.3465

Canada

Dollar

0.765580

37.1123

Singapore

Dollar

0.734592

35.6101

Australia

Dollar

0.737400

35.7462

Bahrain

Dinar

2.652801

128.597

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266645

12.9259

Brunei

Dollar

0.731904

35.4798

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000069

0.0033

Thailand

Baht

0.032196

1.5607

UAE

Dirham

0.272272

13.1987

Euro

Euro

1.191800

57.7737

Korea

Won

0.000844

0.0409

China

Yuan

0.146466

7.1001

India

Rupee

0.013698

0.6640

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.241546

11.7092

New Zealand

Dollar

0.675800

32.7601

Taiwan

Dollar

0.034125

1.6542 Source: BSP

Foreign direct investments in May climbed to $399m—BSP

Business San Miguel to tap returning workers for Bulacan airport

By Darwin G. Amojelar

S

AN Miguel Corp. said Wednesday it plans to hire returning overseas Filipino workers and local residents of Bulacan province to build the P734billion Manila International Airport in Bulakan, Bulacan.

SMC president and chief operating officer Ramon Ang said the company would prioritize the initial hiring of local residents, especially those relocated from Barangay Taliptip where the airport would be built.

Sixty former residents of the barangay are set to start training under the Technical Education Skills Development Authority, which designs courses on skills specific to the needs of the airport’s construction.

“We designed these skills training program with TESDA specifically to equip Bulakeños with the necessary skills needed to either work at the airport project, put up a small businesses to support airport workers, or even start on their own elsewhere if they choose to do so,” said Ang. “Over the next couple of years, construction of this massive airport will generate hundreds of thousands of direct and indirect jobs. We will prioritize local residents, but there will be so many jobs and livelihood opportunities that ultimately,

workers will come from all over Bulacan, Central Luzon, even Metro Manila and Southern Luzon,” he said.

Ang said with the COVID-19 pandemic resulting in an economic downturn, San Miguel was more determined to push through with large-scale infrastructure projects, such as the airport, to boost the economy and provide employment to many Filipinos who were rendered jobless.

He said aside from local residents, SMC would open employment opportunities to overseas Filipino workers who were returning in droves to the country due to the uncertain global economic conditions.

“We have so many talented and experienced Filipino skilled workers and engineers, and they can really be an asset to this project. It’s a project they can be proud of, and tell their grandchildren about,” Ang said.

The first batch of 60 residents are set to receive training in courses such as shielded metal arc welding, electrical installation and maintenance and heavy equipment operations.

Meanwhile, courses such as dressmaking and cookery are also on offer for residents who want to be self-employed.

All trainees in the initial batch will be given toolkits or tools for their chosen trade.

The P734-billion airport project, to be built at no cost to the government, is seen to resolve the perennial congestion problems at the country’s primary gateway. The airport will initially feature four parallel runways with a provision for two more; a world-class terminal; and an infrastructure network that will include a mass rail system to ensure easy connectivity.

PNOC-EC eyes extension of Malampaya gas contract

By Julito G. Rada FOREIGN direct investments recovered in May from three consecutive months of slump amid the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said Wednesday.

The BSP data showed FDI net inflows grew 42.4 percent in May to $399 million from $280 million a year ago.

“The positive growth represents a reversal from the last three consecutive months of decline attributed largely to the weak global outlook and investors’ confidence following the pandemic. The stronger FDI performance during the month relative to the level last year was on account of the increase in non-residents’ net investments in equity capital and debt instruments,” the BSP said.

Net investments in debt instruments climbed 40.8 percent in May to $236 million from $168 million in the same month last year.

Equity capital placements also increased by 8.1 percent to $80 million from $74 million, while withdrawals decreased by 96 percent to $3 million from $73 million.

Equity capital infusions came mainly from Japan, Singapore and the United States, the economies which implemented gradual easing of containment measures. These were invested mostly in manufacturing, financial and insurance and real estate.

Meanwhile, reinvestment of earnings continued to be weak, dipping by 23.7 percent to $85 million from $111 million.

The BSP said, however, that FDI net inflows in the first five months declined by 25.6 percent to $2.379 billion from $3.196 billion a year earlier.

By Alena Mae S. Flores

SCHOOL DONATION. Security Bank Foundation Inc., the Department of

Education Division of Nueva Vizcaya province and the municipal government of Solano hold a groundbreaking ceremony for a two-story, 10-classroom school building donation of SBFI in Solano East Central School, Solano, Nueva Vizcaya. Attending the groundbreaking ceremony are (from second left) Security Bank Solano branch manager Rafael Llarde, Solano Mayor Eufemia Dacayo (middle) school division superintendent Rachel Llana (middle) and principal Rubilyn Gajo (right).

NEW TRAFFIC STANDARDS. The Department of Trade and Industry’s Bureau of Philippine Standards approves new standards of the International Organization for Standardization on road traffic safety. These are PNS ISO 39001:2020, or road traffic safety management systems, and PNS ISO 39002:2020, or road traffic safety-good practices, for implementing commuting safety management.

STATE-RUN PNOC Exploration Corp. joined the call of other consortium members to extend the contract covering the $450-million Malampaya gas-to-power project in northwest Palawan which will expire in 2024.

“As the government representative in the SC 38 consortium, PNOC-EC together with our partners are currently working on the approval of our license extension which is expiring in 2024. Based on the study made by the consortium, gas production of the Malampaya deep water gas-to-power project can be sustained beyond 2024,” PNOC-EC president Rozzano Briguez said.

PNOC-EC, the oil and gas unit of Philippine National Oil Co., holds a 10-percent stake in Service Contract 38, or the Malampaya consortium.

Other members of the consortium are Shell Philippines Exploration B. V., which is also the operator with a 45-percent stake, and Udenna Corp. with another 45 percent.

The Malampaya platform provides natural gas to five power plants with a combined capacity of more than 3,000 megawatts.

Briguez said the company was also looking at developing other prospects in SC 38 to augment the Malampaya gas production, while the consortium works on obtaining the license extension.

The PNOC EC official said the company would prioritize projects that are doable and that are expected to generate cash flow in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Briguez said PNOC EC would optimize the value of Coal Operating Contract 41 projects that can potentially replace the diminishing revenue from Malampaya.

Briguez said PNOC EC would develop a coal mine in COC 41 Mine 3 area that can potentially generate cashflow despite the current downtrend in energy prices.

“COC 41 projects will generate cashflow despite the current downtrend in energy prices and can sustain the company’s operations with good management,” he said.

The company will also maximize the use of remaining funds to generate cash for operations and continue exploration plans and programs for the other SCs and COCs in its portfolio.

Dominguez asks Congress to prioritize passage of bill protecting financial institutions FINANCE Secretary Carlos Dominguez III on Wednesday asked Congress to support a bill that will preserve the asset quality of banking institutions and ensure the strength of the financial sector amid economic crises.

Dominguez pushed for the passage of the proposed Financial Institutions Strategic Transfer Act, which he said would protect the financial sector from any lasting damage from the unprecedented economic crisis by guaranteeing a steady source of credit for the pandemic-hit sectors while providing safeguards to consumers.

He said to stem the damage to the economy of the 1997 Asian financial crisis that lasted until the early 2000s, a similar measure—the Special Purpose Vehicle Act of 2002--was passed by Congress, but this law was enacted only five years later when most distressed businesses had already recovered and able to meet their financial obligations.

Dominguez said if the SPV law had been available earlier at that time, local banks could have helped businesses recover faster.

“This time, we are acting swiftly and proactively while our banks’ asset quality

is still relatively solid. Financial institutions also need time to learn how to use these instruments. Your honors, now is the time to act. Fireproofing, after all, is best done before the fire,” said Dominguez during the virtual joint hearing on the FIST bill conducted by the Senate committees on banks, financial institutions and currencies and on ways and means.

The FIST bill was among the priority measures that President Rodrigo Duterte presented to Congress during his 5th State-of-the-Nation Address on July 27.

The House of Representatives already

passed its version of the FIST bill on third and final reading before the sine die adjournment of Congress in June.

“Enacting FIST will fortify the financial sector and keep it strong and stable for the difficult task of rebuilding our economy,” Dominguez said.

Under the FIST Act, allowing banks to outsource the management of their nonperforming assets to asset management companies will enable them to focus on what they do best, which is their primary task of lending to sectors in need of credit, Dominguez said. Julito G. Rada

IN BRIEF

Fruitas expanding PH store network

FOOD and beverage kiosk operator Fruitas Holdings Inc. said it will expand its store network by opening more stand-alone stores and form joint venture partnerships despite the pandemic.

Fruitas said in a disclosure to the stock exchange Wednesday it was securing 25 new locations for its Babot’s Farm and Soy & Bean brands. These stores, which will also serve as hubs for its CocoDelivery subsidiary, are expected to be operational before the end of the year.

The company said it was also aggressively expanding its product line through agreements with companies that would lead to more synergies in the future. Fruitas signed an agreement to carry Carmen’s Best Ice Cream, the Philippines’ premium ice cream, in selected locations.

It also signed a supply arrangement for Jim’s Recipe sponge cake originally from Malaysia and to have a Soy & Bean house brand of hopia delicacies produced by one of the oldest Chinese bakeries in Manila. A new production facility for Soy & Bean soy products is ready to come on line.

Jenniffer B. Austria

PSALM reschedules Malaya plant bidding

STATE-RUN Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. said it postponed again the bid submission deadline for the privatization of the 650-megawatt Malaya thermal power plant and its underlying land in Pililla, Rizal to Sept. 23 from Sept. 3 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

PSALM also moved the issuance of the notice of award to Oct. 14 from Sept. 30 and the submission to the Philippine Competition Commission to Nov. 4 from Oct. 21.

The agency rescheduled the issuance of the certificate of effectivity of the asset purchase agreement with the winning bidder to Nov. 26 from Nov. 11 and the closing date of the sale to Dec. 16 from Nov. 25.

Three companies earlier expressed interest to participate in privatization of the Malaya power plant, including AC Energy Inc., Panasia Energy Inc. and Denki Power.

The Malaya power plant is being dispatched as a must run unit by grid operator National Grid Corporation of the Philippines. Alena Mae S. Flores

Senate’s CREATE bill version okay—Salceda

THE House of Representatives is ready to pass the Senate version of the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Act that aimed at saving the country from further economic slump amid the pandemic.

House Ways and Means Committee chairman and Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda said if the Senate would pass the CREATE bill, “as currently proposed next week, we are ready to adopt the version, so the whole thing could finally be resolved.”

The CREATE bill is among the priority measures endorsed and certified by President Rodrigo Duterte during his latest State of the Nation Address. The House already passed its version of the proposal.

Salceda said in a social media post that the measure’s prolonged discussions in the upper chamber “have extended the people’s agony,” but would not enhance it further, considering that multiple consultations were already done with various stakeholders on the proposal.

He said the House is ready to adopt the Senate version as soon as it is passed next week, adding that each day that passed without deciding on the proposal is hurting the economy, as opportunities on investments, job creation and revenues slip by.

17% of workforce retrenched amid COVID- 19 crisis

By Othel V. Campos A STUDY by JobStreet.com shows that about 17 percent of its Filipino respondents were retrenched while 43 percent were temporarily unable to work amid the health crisis.

“The hardest hit in terms of retrenchment would be the employees of SMEs, the industries of tourism, food and beverage, hospitality/catering, construction and education. Most of these industries are employing people from 18 to 24 years old, and they are located mostly in NCR [National Capital Region] and Central Luzon,” JobStreet country manager Philip Gioca said in a virtual press briefing Wednesday.

Most employees who were retrenched were not working full time and had been in organizations with less than 500 employees, the study said.

About 76 percent of the respondents said they were not working full-time and, 79 percent were on a six-month contract. About 74 percent of the respondents said they were receiving less than P20,000 in monthly salary.

The study also found out that 60 percent or more than half of jobseekers were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Organizations operating for 10 years were most likely to be negatively affected by COVID-19 in terms of employee headcount, while small companies tended to sustain the impact on staff remuneration, it said.

The Jobstreet study said as the health crisis gave rise to work-fromhome set-up, it brought with it a harsh impact on key aspects of work, such as remuneration, role progression and work leaves.

About 87 percent of employees complained of reduced or eliminated bonuses, suspended or cancelled salary increase and frozen or reduced take-home pay. Promotions were also withheld.

Sports

No decision yet on UST, National U RELEVANT action will be taken by the University of Athletic Association of the Philippines Board of Managing Directors once they have tackled the issues surrounding the University of Santo Tomas men’s basketball team and the National University women’s volleyball squad.

League officials said this after UST and NU presented their respective reports on their alleged violations of quarantine protocols recently.

The Board of Managing Directors, led by Edwin Reyes of Season 83 host De La Salle University, is set to convene today in an online conference.

“The UAAP Board of Managing Directors will convene on Thursday (September 3) to review these reports and tackle other related cases before taking pertinent actions,” said UAAP executive director Atty.

Rebo Saguisag.

Saguisag talked about the league’s next move at the end of a three-hour, virtual marathon meeting Tuesday with a government panel of the Join Administrative Order Group composed of officials from the Philippine Sports Commission, the Games and Amusement Board, the Commission on Higher Education and the Department of Health.

In a Zoom web conference, UST presented its case through legal counsel Atty. Melvin Verzosa and Atty. Elgin Perez. They handed over details that the university collated on the Growling Tigers’ training camp in Sorsogon, Bicol.

On the other hand, NU athletic director Otie Camangian talked about the events that the Lady Bulldogs went through when they were stranded.

Camangian said this took place when the team transferred from NU’s Manila to Laguna campus last March, days before the quarantine lockdowns were handed down.

Season 83 president Nonong Calanog of host De La Salle University listened, with GAB chairman Abraham Mitra, national training director Marc Velasco of the Philippine Sports Commission, Department of Health representative Rodley Carza and Commission on Higher Education executive director Prospero De Vera and Atty. Cindy Jaro.

Both schools submitted their findings to the CHED and the DOH, and did not provide copies to the PSC and the GAB. “The league acknowledges the efforts of the University of Santo Tomas and National University (in participating at the meeting requested

by PSC, GAB, and DOH concerning compliance with government-issued guidelines and protocols on the conduct of school and athletic activities during the community quarantine,” said Saguisag.

So far, the JAO panelist withheld their comments on the issues, pending a meeting, according to Velasco. Peter Atencio

Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Reuel Vidal, Assistant Editor THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2020

Kristina Knott, shown here after her triumphant 200-M run in the SEA Games, recently ran with the big guns in a Des Moines, Iowa tournament in the United States.

Griffin vows: Knott will run even faster

By Peter Atencio

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OMPETING against a tough, world-class field was intimidating. And it gave Fil-American sprinter Kristina Marie Knott reason to get scared the night before she was to take part in the women’s 100-meter run last Saturday in Des Moines, Iowa in the United States.

But prayers and watching the movie, Harriet, a 2019 American biographical film about abolitionist and end-to-slavery advocate Harriet Tubman, inspired Knott to bring out the best version of herself during the race.

“In this one scene, this guy told Harriet, ‘fear is the enemy, trust in God.’ That’s kind of what I had in my mind...and ‘KK you better not get last,’” the 24-year-old Knott told herself in an interview with the Manila Standard.

Now, that it’s over, Knott promises to stay focused on her goal, which is the Tokyo Olympics.

And it’s also possible that she can make the qualifying times for the Tokyo Olympics in two disciplines—the 100 meters and her pet event, the 200 meters.

Coach Rohsaan Griffin, who accompanied Knott to the race, said she is not at her peak yet.

“Kristina performed as expected given

our planning, and in the future with more races and a more ideal training situation and competition schedule, she will run faster,” said Griffin.

In the said Iowa tournament, Knott broke the Philippines’ 100-meter national mark in the star-studded Drake Blue Oval Showcase meet at Drake Stadium.

US national indoor champion Kayla White, one of Knott’s biggest rivals, came close to the Olympic qualifying time with her 11.18-second clocking. The 5’6” Knott settled for second place with a national record-smashing 11.27 seconds.

The Florida-based Knott went on to shatter one of Philippine track legend Lydia de Vega-Mercado’s two remaining national records.

The national mark stood for 33 years at 11.28 seconds, with De Vega-Mercado setting that record by claiming the gold in the 1987 Southeast Asian Games in Jakarta.

Both White’s and Knott’s times are

close to the 11.15-second qualification time for the Olympics.

The feat also gives Knott a shot at improving her clocking in the women’s 200-meter run OQT if she had the chance to join the event that day. Her recordbreaking 23.07 seconds in the Southeast Asian Games last year is just a whiff behind the the 22.80-second Olympic Qualifying time in the 200 meters.

“I’m just grateful for the opportunity to race and super proud at the execution of my race.” added Knott.

Another participant in the star-studded tournament was Rio Olympics’ long jump champion Tianna Bartoletta, one of six Olympic champions, who showed up in the meet.

Philippine Athletic Track and Field Association chief Philip Ella Juico said Knott’s feat was the result of changes in the her training program since the beginning of August, with strength and conditioning coach Carlo Buzzicelli lending a helping hand.

And this is expected to continue until December.

“Starting August, our strength and conditioning coach Carlo Buzzicelli and Griffin, conducted their sessions with Kristina online. This online program will be augmented by in-person sessions between September to December,” said Juico.

Zamboanga triumphs, sets sight on Lee DENICE “The Menace” Zamboanga came into ONE: A NEW BREED on August 28 oozing with confidence, and the Filipina did not disappoint.

Despite the fact that her shot at longtime ONE Atomweight World Champion “Unstoppable” Angela Lee was at stake when she took the fight with Watsapinya “Dream Girl” Kaewkhong, she knew that it wasn’t going to matter at the end of the day.

“I just really wanted to stay active, so when they offered me the fight, I accepted it because I’m in Thailand already anyway,” Zamboanga said.

“It was an added motivation for sure, especially because they

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already announced that I earned the shot, so I was really motivated in proving them right,” she added. “But for me, with or without this fight, I expect that title shot from Angela Lee.” The moment the opening bell rang there was no stopping “The Menace” from proving what she’s made of.

In less than a minute and a half, Zamboanga showcased her full skill set, dominating Kaewkhong on the feet and overwhelming her on the ground to get the submission win, her first in The Home Of Martial Arts.

“I am happy, especially since I finished it in the first round,” Zamboanga said.

“I actually did not expect that it would end soon, and what surprised me more is that I got a submission win via Americana, something that I don’t often do.”

Now that she got “Dream Girl” out of the way, there is no stopping Zamboanga from getting her dream match against someone she looks up to.

“I hope you’re safe and doing well,” she said to Lee. “I can’t wait to share the stage with you next.”

“If everything gets back to normal, hopefully I get a title shot soon.”

In the meantime, catch the previously recorded ONE: A NEW BREED II on 11 September by downloading the ONE Super App.

Denice Zamboanga, oozing with confidence

Virus woes, Olympics: Tough tasks for next PM TOKYO—Outgoing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has smashed records as Japan’s longest-serving leader, but he leaves behind a raft of tough challenges that his successor will inherit.

As the ruling Liberal Democratic Party announces a September 14 vote on a replacement for Abe, who is resigning for health reasons, here are some of the issues Japan’s next prime minister will confront: Virus crisis Even though Japan has seen a relatively small coronavirus outbreak, Abe’s government was harshly criticised for its handling of the pandemic, with its response seen as slow and disorganised.

A U-turn on cash handouts sparked confusion, while a policy to issue cloth masks to every home was ridiculed as unnecessary and too late.

And a recent government campaign to encourage domestic travel fuelled fears of new clusters of infection around the country.

The pandemic has deepened Japan’s recession and forced the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics until next year.

As flu season approaches, experts warn that Japan—with the world’s oldest population—will need to take action to avoid the collapse of its medical system.

Tetsuro Kato, a politics professor at Waseda University in Tokyo, said the next premier must take “bold measures” to tackle the outbreak, like increasing testing.

“Nothing else—including the Olympics—can be addressed without properly dealing with the virus,” he told AFP. Shrinking economy The virus has battered Japan’s already shaky economy, which shrank a record 7.8 percent in April-June—an annualised 27.8 percent, its worst contraction in the post-war period.

Japan imposed much looser measures to limit the spread of coronavirus than many countries, with no enforcement of business closures or stay-at-home orders.

But the economy was already in recession before the virus hit, and the pandemic has undone much of Abe’s signature economic programme.

In the long term, Japan still needs to enact significant structural reforms to boost anaemic productivity, economists say. AFP

Serena, Murray advance at US Open

Andy Murray of Great Britain celebrates winning during his Men’s Singles first round match against Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan on Day Two of the 2020 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in the Queens borough of New York City. AFP

NEW YORK—Serena Williams’ quest for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam got off the mark as Andy Murray rolled back the years with a vintage comeback at the US Open Tuesday.

Six-time winner Williams powered past 96th-ranked Kristie Ahn after Murray came from two sets down to win a five-set thriller in his first singles Slam match in 18 months.

The pair both progressed to the second round on day two of a US Open that is unrecognizable from previous tournaments, without spectators and with stringent measures to prevent Covid-19 infections.

Williams defeated Ahn 7-5,

6-3 as she started the latest bid of her protracted pursuit to match Margaret Court’s Grand Slam title with a straight-sets win at Flushing Meadows.

The 38-year-old overcame the loss of her first service game in the opening set to advance at a virtually empty Arthur Ashe Stadium, where artwork by black artists is displayed in honor of the Black Lives Matter movement against racial injustice.

“I was really happy with how I just fought for every point no matter how I was playing,” said Williams.

It has been more than three years since Williams won her 23rd Grand Slam title at the 2017 Australian

Open—when she was already pregnant with daughter Olympia.

She has come close since, reaching four major finals only to come away empty-handed, but should have a better chance this time around with several top players absent because of coronavirus concerns or injury.

World number one Ashleigh Barty, the second-ranked Simona Halep and Canadian Bianca Andreescu—who stunned Williams in last year’s final—are all absent from the behind-closed-doors tournament.

A title win for Williams would also see her become the most decorated women’s player at the US Open in the modern era. She is cur-

rently tied with Chris Evert on six.

Navarro tribute Murray secured a stunning 4-6, 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 comefrom-behind victory in a bruising 4 hr and 39 min encounter against Japan’s 49th-ranked Yoshihito Nishioka.

The Scotsman, who who has barely played in 2020, said he had learnt a lot about his physical condition and the metal hip he received during surgery last year.

“I’ve just played a four-and-a-half hour match when I never thought I’d be able to,” he told reporters.

“I’m not sitting here with my hip throbbing and aching. I’ll be able to sleep fine tonight,” Murray added. AFP

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Sports

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2020

Philippine horse-racing returns on Sept. 6 A

FTER a six-month absence, Philippine horse-racing finally makes its much-awaited return on Sept. 6, 2020 (Sunday) at the Metro Manila Turf Club Inc. in Malvar, Batangas.

The approval to resume horse-racing was relayed to the Philippine Racing Commission by Kenneth Ronquillo, Head of Secretariat of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Infectious Diseases following the shutting down of all forms of sports and gaming in the country last March by the national government in an effort to stop the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The IATF approved the request of the Philracom for the resumption of horseracing activities after the lifting of the

Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) in the National Capital Region and the provinces of Batangas and Cavite last August 18, 2020. Also allowed by the IATF is Telebet and Off-Site Betting in areas under General Community Quarantine (GCQ).

In a statement, the Philracom said that a strict enforcement of all public health standards approved by the Department of Health will be observed in all the races, which will also be hosted in the succeeding weeks by the San Lazaro

Leisure Park of the Manila Jockey Club in Carmona, Cavite and the Saddle and Clubs Leisure Park of the Philippine Racing Club in Naic Cavite.

This means fans won’t be allowed to personally watch the races, with only the racing clubs’ employees, Philracom personnel, horse-owners, jockeys, trainers and special guests allowed at the venues, ensuring that only 25 percent of the usual crowd will be present. Jockeys will be ordered to wear special face masks and eye gear, while trainers and other horse-racing personnel at the stables will be told to wear hazmat suits and other protective equipment.

“We will be strict in our enforcement of the health protocols set by the

Department of Health, such as socialdistancing, the wearing of face masks and shields, and the washing of hands,” said the Philracom. “We owe it to the sport to keep everyone involved as safe as possible. We want horse-racing to be back on its feet so that we can continue helping our government raise funds for its various programs.”

Horse-racing in the Philippines is a billion-peso industry. For the last decade, horse-racing has contributed an average of P1.3 billion to the national coffers, including P1,352,930,422 last year.

While horse-racing returns this weekend with the regular races, no stakes race is scheduled that day due to the lack of time in getting nominees.

Stakes races will actually begin on Sept. 13 with the re-scheduled 3YO Maiden Stakes Race and Road To Triple Crown (originally set last March 15, 2020), sparking a 15-week stretch, divided equally by the three racing clubs hosting five racing days each. A total prize money of P34.5 million will be allotted by the Philracom for the rest of the year’s stakes races, with the scheduled racing days at the SLLP, the Saddle and Clubs and Metroturf getting P11.5M each.

The biggest of the coming stakes races are the Triple Crown Series (Oct 4. and 31, Nov. 29), the Ambassador Eduardo “Danding” M. Cojuangco Jr. Cup (Nov. 15) and the Juvenile Championship (Dec. 13).

Nuggets rally from 3-1 to beat Jazz in 7 games

Royce O’Neale of the Utah Jazz handles the ball against the Denver Nuggets during Round One, Game Seven of the NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena in Orlando, Florida. AFP

Roglic wins as Tour de France test; Julian leads FRANCE—Race favourite Primoz Roglic edged Tuesday’s first summit finish of the Tour de France to win the fourth stage, but failed to drop any of his key rivals in the process, including overall leader Julian Alaphilippe.

On a perfect day for racing, Roglic climbed to third overall behind Alaphilippe and Adam Yates as he edged home his Slovenian compatriot Tadej Pogacar on the rolling 160.5km run to the finish line situated 1,850m above sea level.

The Alpine stage had been billed as the moment the true form of the various contenders would be revealed and it was here in 1971 that great Spanish climber Luis Ocana beat Eddy Merckx by nine minutes.

Nothing of that nature emerged on Tuesday, as the desperate jostling and posturing over the final kilometre of the 7.1km climb ascent to OrcieresMerlette—at a 6.7 percent average incline—culminated with 16 riders finishing on the same time, with the top three taking small time bonuses of 10, six and four seconds.

The key weapon Roglic has in his armoury is his fabulous strength which gives him an irresistible late kick, and while he used this to win, defending champion Egan Bernal and fancied Frenchman Thibaut Pinot also held on.

“It was quite a hard day actually and it was a nice win,” said former ski jumper Roglic, who has kept a low profile since a horrible crash saw him pull out of last month’s Criterium Dauphine before the final stage despite leading the race.

“I feel a little better every day, not quite the same as I was but I saw on stage two that I could still ride a bike,” added Roglic, who had to chase Alaphilippe after the home favourite’s stage-winning performance on Sunday.

“Deceuninck (Alaphilippe’s team) set a high pace, so I knew we were just racing for the win today and not the overall lead.

“We know what kind of champion Julian is, we saw last year he almost finished top. AFP

LOS ANGELES (AFP) -- Nikola Jokic had 30 points as the Denver Nuggets reached the Eastern Conference semifinals with a thrilling 80-78 game seven victory over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old Serbian star, who also had 14 rebounds and four assists, had been taking a back seat to Canadian scoring phenom Jamal Murray in the series, but Jokic busted out in the winner-takesall showdown in Orlando, Florida.

“We didn’t quit. We just didn’t want to quit. I am glad we won the game,” said Jokic.

Murray scored 17 points and Michael Porter finished with 10 points and nine rebounds for the Nuggets, who advanced in a series for the first time in franchise history after being 3-1 down, becoming just the 12th team in league history to achieve such a comeback.

“A lot of teams would have just given in, especially when you consider we’ve been here 57 days away from our families,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said.

The Nuggets will face the Los Angeles Clippers in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The first game is Thursday in the NBA’s quarantine bubble in Florida.

Tuesday’s game finished with a wild sequence that included Utah’s Mike Conley throwing up a desperation shot

at the buzzer that ringed the basket but failed to drop.

“It looked good, man. Sometimes, it’s just the way it works,” Jazz star Donovan Mitchell said.

“We fought hard and came back. I’d go to war with any one of these guys in the locker room, any one of these coaches.

We could’ve easy chalked it up in the first half. We have grit and fight. That’s all you can really ask for.”

Mitchell also had a chance to tie it on Utah’s previous possession but he lost the ball on a drive to the basket. Denver immediately went down to the other end but they missed an easy layup on their final possession of the game that would have sealed it.

Mitchell led the Jazz with 22 points and nine rebounds.

Celtics stretch lead In the Eastern Conference, Jayson Tatum scored a career playoff high 34 points and Marcus Smart drained five three-pointers in the fourth quarter as the Boston Celtics rallied to beat Toronto 102-99 in game two of their series.

Kemba Walker finished with 17 points and Jaylen Brown had 16 points and eight rebounds for the Celtics, who grabbed a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semi-final.

Game three is Thursday. AFP

Italian clubs covet Messi but seek cheaper options ROME—While some Serie A clubs are eyeing Lionel Messi longingly, their mantra as they prepare for the transfer window is “financial prudence”.

The notion of Messi resuming his rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo is appealing. And Italy offers possible tax advantages for Messi, who has had issues in that area in Spain.

The Italian media has fuelled the dreams of Serie A fans by reporting this summer that his father Jorge Messi had bought an apartment in Milan.

In recent seasons, even the top Serie A clubs have generally avoided competing in the transfer market with the wealthiest clubs in Spain, England and France and the coronavirus crisis has many clubs insisting they will be even more careful.

Italian clubs value experience and, at 35, Ronaldo, one of the few stars to arrive from abroad for a big fee in recent seasons, will remain the headliner at Juventus.

But the club have recognised that before they set off in pursuit of a 10th consecutive title they need to rejuvenate an ageing squad.

They have brought in 41-year-old Andrea Pirlo for his first head coaching job and acquired 24-year-old Brazilian Arthur from Barcelona in a deal which saw 30-yearold Miralem Pjanic go the other way, covering nearly all of the theoretical 72-million-euro ($86-million) fee.

THE BOTTOM LINE LITO CINCO THE NBA semifinals have started with Boston brushing aside defending champion Toronto in Game 1, and Miami upsetting Milwaukee, if we can call it that, in the opener.

This, while the Lakers await the Game 7 result between Houston and Oklahoma.

After trailing in the series at 1-3, Denver beat Utah three straight times to set up a showdown with the other LA team, the Clippers.

But until it was averted, basketball fans almost missed the chance of seeing how the NBA season would end with a finals’ game, between the West and East conference champions. My “fearful” prediction is the Lakers facing the Celtics. Fearful, because I believe either the Bucks or the Heat can enter the championship against the Lakers, with of course the Clippers’ fans disagreeing with me.

And for this piece, I will not dare analyze it based on multiple statistics, I leave that to analysts. I will go with gut feel.

Instead, I will dwell on the reason why

Juventus are taking 22-year-old American Weston McKennie from Schalke on loan and allowing 33-yearold Frenchman Blaise Matuidi to leave for David Beckham’s Inter Miami.

They are reportedly trying to usher out 33-year-old Sami Khedira and 32-year-old Gonzalo Higuain.

Higuain, whom Juve snatched from Napoli in 2016 for 90 million euros, reportedly wants a payoff to cover the final year of his contract before leaving.

Yet, proving that experience still counts for the Bianconeri, 34-year-old Roma centre-forward Edin Dzeko has reportedly been targeted to replace Higuain.

Also in the veteran category is Zlatan Ibrahimovic, at almost 39, who has signed for another season with AC Milan.

Deprived of the Champions League since 2014, the club sees him as a mentor for a talented young generation which finished the season in style with a 12-match unbeaten streak in the league.

‘Not a mascot’ “I’m not here to be a mascot, but to help the club get back to where it deserves to be,” said Zlatan, who returned on Saturday to prepare for the new season, which starts on September 19.

The highly sought-after and talented 20-year-old Sandro Tonali of Brescia could be part of Milan’s rebuilding.

As for Inter, who chased Juve home last season, the

People walk past a new artwork by street artist TVBoy depicting Barcelona’s Argentinian forward Lionel Messi entitled “Hasta Siempre Comandante” (Until Forever, Commander) in Barcelona. Messi has provoked a football frenzy by announcing he wants to leave Barcelona, the club he joined as a 13-year-old in 2000 and has led to four Champions League titles. AFP

aim is to strengthen the midfield, where Christian Eriksen, who arrived cheaply in January from Tottenham, has not so far been the answer. AFP

Racism in sports we almost saw a sudden end to the in-thebubble NBA season.

Milwaukee initiated it by refusing to play, following the shooting in the back by the Kenosha, Wisconsin police of black man Jason Blake. A few months earlier, another black man, George Floyd, died at the hands of the police in Minneapolis, triggering nationwide protests in America against police brutality and systemic racism that for me has been a problem for generations in the the US. As internet technology and social media came into being, it seems what had been happening before, with black people feeling the brunt of blatant discrimination and police brutality, is now being recorded everywhere and going viral that even white folks are shocked and have been actively participating in the nationwide protest movements that followed Floyd’s death.

Sports has been an area where racial discrimination in American sports had been widespread. And now, black athletes are using their opportunity and popularity to speak out against these race issues.

Come to think of it, way way back, blacks were nor allowed to play in major sports leagues. Take the case of basketball in America, the game was invented

in 1891, but it was only in 1950 that black player Earl Lloyd was allowed to play in the NBA, suiting up for the Washington Capitols. He was followed by Sweetwater Clifton and Chuck Cooper.

Even the likes of Hall of Famers Bill Russell and Sam Jones, playing for the Celtics, suffered discrimination and were denied the use of hotel restaurants, where their team was booked, mostly in the Southern states.

Ironically, the NBA was eventually dominated by blacks due to their superior playing skills, so much so that a few years ago, the league forced a racist team owner, Donald Sterling, to sell his team, and was even banned in the NBA for uttering racist words in a private conversation that became public.

In another American game, baseball, it was only in 1947 that future MVP Jackie Robinson became the first black to crack the pro league, signing up with the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Tennis had its share of heroes, led by Arthur Ashe and Althea Gibson, with Ashe being the first and only black man to win the Wimbledon, Australian, and US Open titles in the late 60s, although Gibson did it even earlier, winning the French Open in 1956.

But the truth is, it was Bob Ryland, who was the first black man to play as a professional in 1958, but Ashe’s accomplishments on the court were far better than his.

But no question, in whatever sport they were at, black athletes had to live through lots of discrimination, though open protests then were not in vogue yet.

It was in 1968 at the Olympics when a duo of track stars, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, gold and bronze medal winners in the 200m, who dramatized their protest on racial discrimination by raising their fist salutes at the awarding ceremonies, for which they paid the price as their careers ended.

Four years ago, San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick knelt when the American anthem was played before games, as a sign of protest for the same reason and police brutality.

Now, in the NBA, players have been given the freedom to use their uniforms, shoes, their own social media portals to express their feelings on the seemingly never ending issue of racial discrimination. How far it will go, I really do not know.

But yes, I share in what they and other athletes, even non athletes believe in—that color is not and will never be a reason for discrimination, in sports and in life.

Entertainment P-pop’s steady rise

Nickie Wang, Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2020

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DIGITAL MEDIA

YUGEL LOSORATA

K

OREAN trainers are allowing Filipino talents to unlock the key to the triumph of K-pop groups. The fivemember SB19 became the first Filipino act trained by a Korean entertainment company and is now making waves on the music scene.

The group was hailed as the first Southeast Asian artist to crack the Top Ten of Billboard’s Social 50.

Released on digital platforms via Sony Music, and to the delight of its multitude of impassioned followers, SB19’s debut full-length album Get In The Zone had topped various countries as MTV Asia named SB19 the Artist of the Month.

It only takes time before other localbred pop groups attain such mainstream success. Besides, P-pop (Philippine pop) troupes have confidently come out of their shells.

The whole idea is to strengthen the Asian pop scene with the emergence of talented, charming groups from all corners of the continent, like the Philippines. It helps that pop groups are ensured with a steady following here. Filipino fans embrace their star power and can determine for themselves what an authentic 21st century pop group is.

Despite the disruption brought about

by COVID-19, the transfer of proper discipline made the success of SB19 (composed of Josh, Sejun, Stell, Ken, and Justin) possible.

Other camps are following suit. Star Hunt Academy (SHA), which trains young Filipino girls and boys aged 16 to 19 to become K-pop influenced acts themselves, adheres to the vision of molding their natural talents into a highly standardized form. It’s developing holistically—in body, mind, and soul.

The Star Hunt Academy trainees are undergoing multidimensional training to ensure that right goals are met. Both Filipino and Korean trainers have been guiding them thoroughly, without skipping a beat.

The fans are acknowledging such efforts. When SHA created its Tiktok account last June, its first videos, the Marikit and Bambambam dance challenges, garnered strong positive feedback. Marikit earned 2 million views without sweat and Bambambam quickly took in 540,800 views and counting.

These stats reflect their growing fan base,

PESO has been at the forefront of Philippine esports since 2012, having produced numerous medalists in the IESF World Championships.

POC approves membership of national esports org

Following the formula that brought SB19 to stardom, Star Hunt Academy trains young Filipino talents aged 16-19 to become P-pop stars in their own right.

Star Hunt Academy trainees

not to mention how active and present they are on social media platforms.

More established local idol groups are set to make significant moves in this new normal, with MNL48 raking up millions of diamonds through broadcasting on Kumu—a livestreaming app growing in popularity among Filipinos. Even if they’re not appearing in live events because of the pandemic, it is through innovations like this where they still get to showcase their charms and talents. There’s Girls’ Love

(GL) web series also aired on the app.

Also eyeing to make big waves is 1st.

One, a six-member Filipino boy band that won 1st Place-Dance Category at the 28th Philippine-Korea Cultural Exchange Festival held in September 2018. The act was adjudged Grand Winner at the Seoul Music Awards and debuted with the single called “One Dream.”

Simply put, P-pop groups are here to provide the new normal with world-class entertainment.

Christmas starts early on DWLS-FM GMA Network has announced that its flagship FM station, DWLS-FM (97.1 nhz) has already started celebrating this year’s Christmas season.

Known as Barangay LS, the station started treating its listeners to a whole day of the best known and most loved Christmas songs on Sept. 1.

According to GMA Vice President for Radio Operations Glenn Allona, “Everyone in the station is excited over this programming innovation that starts the longest Christmas season in the

world. It will also be our way of helping everyone lighten the challenges brought about our current situation. It will be fun!”

According to the latest Nielsen Radio Audience Measurement Report (RAM), DWLS is the number one FM station in Mega Manila.

GMA Network's flagship FM station Barangay LS 97.1 (DWLS-FM) has started celebrating this year’s Christmas season.

’Game of Thrones‘ creators join ‘Star Wars’ director for Netflix series Plan B Entertainment company.

THE creators of Game of Thrones Prolific Chinese science fiction will team up with Star Wars director author Liu said the apocalyptic series Rian Johnson and Brad Pitt for "transcends time and the confines an ambitious new Chinese sciof nations, cultures, and races; one fi adaptation, Netflix announced that compels us to consider the fate of Tuesday. humankind as a whole."

Liu Cixin's bestselling book trilogy It imagines an alternate history in The Three-Body Problem, which tells which a female Chinese astrophysicist the epic story of humanity's first caught up in the Cultural Revolution contact with an alien civilization, will makes contact with an alien civilization, become an international series for the prompting global fears of an invasion. streaming giant.

Fans include former president "Liu Cixin's trilogy is the most Barack Obama, who once said the ambitious science-fiction series we've "wildly imaginative" trilogy made "my read, taking readers on a journey from day-to-day problems with Congress the 1960s until the end of time, from life David Benioff and D.B. Weiss spent around a on our pale blue dot to the distant fringes decade on HBO's fantasy epic "Game of Thrones," seem fairly petty—not something to of the universe," Game of Thrones duo which demolished audience records and scooped worry about. Aliens are about to invade!"

Another of Liu's works, The Wandering David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, who an unprecedented number of Emmys for a fictional show.

Earth, was given the big-screen treatment will co-write, said in a statement. last year—billed as China's first space-age They will be joined as executive producers by Rian Johnson, who oversaw 2017's critically blockbuster, it became one of the country's highest-grossing movies acclaimed Star Wars movie The Last Jedi, as well as Brad Pitt's with over $690 million domestically. Andrew Marszal, AFP

EXTRA INTERNATIONAL

THE Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) has accredited the Philippine Esports Organization (PESO) as an associate member, making it the official Nationals Sports Association (NSA) for esports in the Philippines.

In a landmark decision by the POC, the mother organization of all NSAs, PESO’s recognition as an associate member makes it the official governing body for Philippine esports. Among its tasks would include organizing events, promulgation of rules of the sport, promotion and growth of the sport via grassroots programs and other activities, and the recruitment of national players and coaches.

Aside from having fulfilled all the requirements of the POC for applicant NSAs, PESO’s approval was built on its long-standing experience in esports, having conducted National Qualifiers to the World Championships since 2012.

PESO also has WADA approved AntiDoping protocols, as mandated by the International Esports Federation (IESF).

PESO has been a member in good standing under the IESF since 2012.

The IESF is the only esports organization in the world that fulfills all criteria set by the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF).

Founded in 2008, IESF is the oldest and largest esports organization in the world, counting 75 members from all continents.

The IESF has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Asian Esports Federation (AESF), World Esports Consortium (WESCO), and the International University Sports Federation (FISU). Of IESF’s 75 members, 36 are already accepted by their respective National Olympic Committees.

“I entrust PESO on their endeavors of uplifting the Philippines through Esports

globally,” said POC Chairman Stephen Hontiveros in a statement. “And I congratulate them on being an associate member of the Philippine Olympic Committee.”

Brian Lim, PESO President, said: “We are grateful to the POC in their recognition of PESO and Esports. This would help us bring in more support to our fellow Filipinos who are competing globally and bringing glory to the Philippines.”

Jane Jimenez Basas, SVP and Head of Consumer Wireless Business at Smart, had this to say about PESO’s accreditation by the POC: “We thank the POC for recognizing PESO as an Associate Member. Our goal is to continue leading the way to bring glory to Philippine esports. After supporting Team Sibol in the 2019 SEA Games, Smart reaffirms its commitment to the esports industry by looking for the next members of Team Sibol who will represent the Philippines in the IESF World Championships. “ PESO’s first major event for 2020 is the Philippine Qualifiers for the IESF World Championships to be held in Israel this December. The search for the newest members of Team Sibol starts this September 2020. Details on the Philippine Qualifiers for the 12th IESF World Championship will be announced through the PESO Facebook Page. TV5 and Cignal, who have been strong advocates of esports on Philippine airwaves, will air the Philippines Qualifiers on One Sports and One Sports Plus. Smart Communications is a proud sponsor of Team Sibol, the Philippine National Esports Team.

For more info on the Philippine Esports Organization (PESO), visit the following links: https://www.facebook.com/ philesports/; (website under construction): https://www.esports.com.ph.

Grand Videoke inspires optimism and hope with Bahay Entablado THERE is no better time to meditate on this quote than the present moment.

With our lives thrown into havoc and uncertainty because of the pandemic, it became normal for a lot of us to focus on the numbers, the things that we can no longer do, and the constant messages that only seem to turn grimmer and grimmer every passing day.

But just like what the talented Walt Disney said in one of his most famous quotes, happiness is simply a state of mind—and this is exactly what Grand Videoke, one of the top providers of entertainment home systems in the country, is trying to drive home by introducing its singing community, Bahay Entablado.

As Filipinos, it is part of our DNA to always find the silver lining in everything, regardless of what we are facing as individuals and as a country. It is the reason why singing is such a huge part of our culture and why its meaning has been elevated to equal the meaning of family bonding, friendship, celebration, and of course, happiness.

“Bahay Entablado is our way of inspiring hope,” Jin Cortez, Grand Videoke Marketing OIC shares. “We are used to having our videoke sessions in large groups, but we say happiness doesn’t need to stop just because we are far apart from each other right now. Why not turn your very own home into your own stage?”

Enjoyment does not need to be complicated and Grand Videoke’s newest campaign is a good example of this.

Besides starting a creative competition among its participants, it is also aimed to inspire others to follow suit and pursuit their own enjoyment in the comfort of their own homes.

Moreover, the campaign and online community also act as a symbolic effort to breathe life once more to Bahay Entablado is a campaign and an online community acting as a symbolic effort to breathe life once more to live entertainment by bringing into the limelight the entertainment industry.

live entertainment by bringing into the limelight the entertainment industry, as well as performing artists. In fact, the singing contest has boarded Nar Cabico, a Texas-based theater actor, singer, and songwriter as one of its judges and celebrity supporters. Cabico bagged the Best Actor crown in 2019 for his film Akin ang Korona at Sinag Maynila.

“One of the things that truly make us feel alive as Filipinos ay ang videoke.

So, I hope this initiative helps us create good vibes and positivity especially during times when everybody just wants to be uplifted. And there is nothing more uplifting than a good videoke session,” Cabico shares.

The company, which is powered by the dynamic powerhouse Audio-Video Solutions Corporation (AVSC), has always been on top of providing worldclass entertainment to everyone with their products. And while Grand Videoke doesn’t discriminate regardless of singing prowess, the Grand Videoke Symphony 3 Pro is also equipped with advanced technologies like its proprietary feature Perfect Pitch, a scoring system that guides users to improve their singing skills using interactive real-time feedback to help anyone improve their singing.

“Just because there are limits doesn’t mean the fun has stopped. If you cannot go out to have your usual round of fun, we are going to bring it to everyone in their very own homes,” Cortez closes.

Check out their website https:// grandvideoke.com/ for a detailed look at their products.

Life

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

C4

HOUSEHOLD

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2020

By Bernadette Lunas

O

NLINE shopping and delivery of goods has surged to record heights because of the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing community quarantine.

“Because of the pandemic e-commerce has grown, we have seen a 376-percent growth in total order in the first half of 2020,” said Prashant Kala, country manager of Shopback Philippines, a cashback reward program that gives users a small percentage of their purchases through the platform.

According to the data gathered from transactions through Shopback, Filipino consumers ordered 9.1 million valued at P5.6 billion in January to June, nearly five times higher than the 2.1 million orders (P1.3 billion) in the same period last year.

The platform expects sales to further accelerate in the second half of the year. “We see Shopback will do twice as much business than first half of 2020 because of upcoming sale events such as the 9.9 and 11.11, in addition to the current situation,” explained Kala.

And as consumers pivot toward online shopping, more merchants strengthen their presence. For instance, Shopback reported that from 370 partner stores in 2019, 510 are currently on board. Categories include food and groceries, health and wellness, digital goods, electronics, home essentials, fashion, travel, banks, and real estate.

Aside from necessity in time of limited movement, the growth, which Kala said was the best they have recorded yet since coming to the country in 2015, was also driven by consumers’ need for convenience.

“The behavior of the market has changed; people have also realized that convenience is a big thing,” he said.

Of the more than 20 million Shopback users in nine countries where the company is present, 4 million are from the Philippines, to which they have awarded over P200 million cashback, to date.

Kala said majority of transactions in Shopback post-COVID were for travel.

But today, the platform receives more orders for food, groceries, and other household essentials.

“Because we cannot personally go outside, we wanted to make sure that the merchants and brands we partner with can deliver fast—within the day or a few days—so we can get the best service from them,” he said.

Shopback users can order food and groceries through the platform from GrabFood, foodpanda, Shopee, Lazada, Watsons, 7-Eleven, Minimart.ph, and S&R, among others.

Kala said demand for groceries and

Shopback Philippines country manager Prashant Kala (middle), together with Karoline Santiago and Timothy Tuason, reports updates about the cashback platform as it celebrates its 5th anniversary in the country.

Pandemic drives e-commerce growth

SALE ALERT ADD TO CART. More Filipino consumers have turned to online shopping and

delivery to purchase food and groceries since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Why parents must choose organic also certified organic by the OCCP (Organic Certification Center of the Philippines),” said Maria Carmela Gabunada, associate marketing director of Wyeth Nutrition.

The organic formula milk comes with key nutrients DHA, AA, iron, iodine, and vitamin B12 to help the child’s mental and visual development; vitamins A and C to boost immunity; calcium, vitamins D and K, and zinc to promote proper growth; and dietary fiber (oligofructose) to improve digestive health.

Andi Manzano chooses organic for her daughter Olivia.

By Angelica Villanueva HEALTH experts urge parents now more than ever to feed their families healthy food items that help strengthen the immune system.

Dr. Celeste Gomez, from The Medical City Pediatrics and the Institute of Functional Medicine, highlighted during a virtual press conference the importance of choosing an organic lifestyle to protect the family from infectious diseases.

She said that shifting into organic food was not as hard as one might think.

Essential food like vegetables and fruits can be considered organic if they have

home essentials will keep surging “in the next year or two,” adding that “even home essentials are popping up.”

Travel and fashion (except loungewear and sportswear), on the other hand, are expected to slow down.

“We listen to consumers,” said head of merchants Timothy Tuason. “By listening to them, we understand what they need, which is easier access to their groceries, health and wellness, and anything that can help them work from home.”

To further assist online consumers, Shopback on September 1 added a price comparison feature that allows users to compare prices of over 10,000 products on the platform and choose the best store available online.

To use Shopback, download the app, choose the preferred merchant—for example GrabFood—on the platform, place an order as is, pay, and get the cash back to your account in 24 hours.

To transfer the money, link your Shopback account to your bank or GCash.

The platform also rewards users who answer surveys.

no GMO, synthetic pesticides or fertilizers, chemical additives, or sewage sludge. Meat, dairy, poultry, and fish products without the aforementioned can also be considered organic.

The pediatrician added that parents can start introducing organic food choices to their kids through their milk.

Wyeth Nutrition, for instance, has been promoting its organic formula milk since 2018 and its benefits to the children’s brain and body development.

“Promil Organic follows strict compliance of the 95 percent processing level and international standards of the IFOAM Organics International. It is

Wyeth Nutrition’s Promil Organic helps in children’s brain and body development.

Shopee puts the ‘super’ in 9.9 sale IT’S raining stars and prizes as e-commerce platform Shopee celebrates its annual 9.9 Super Shopping Day. “This year’s 9.9 Super Shopping Day promises to be even bigger and better. We are very excited to celebrate the 9.9 peak with the highly anticipated 9.9 Super Shopping Day TV Special,” enthused Martin Yu, associate director of Shopee Philippines.

“This year has been a challenge to the Filipino community because of the pandemic, and we hope through this TV special we can deepen our engagement with our users by providing them an entertaining production where they can see their favorite stars and win amazing prizes. This initiative is part of our 9.9 regional commitment to deliver a ‘super’ experience to our users.”

On September 9, viewers can catch the two-hour star-studded show on GMA News TV and Shopee Live featuring Shopee brand ambassador Jose Mari Chan, together with Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray, Ai-Ai delas Alas, Rhian Ramos, Gabbi Garcia,

Lani Misalucha, Christian Bautista, Rayver Cruz, Jak Roberto, and more.

Prizes in in-app games Shopee Catch, Shopee Shake, and Shopee Quiz get a super upgrade as well, as the platform is giving away over P4.7 million worth of prizes on September 9.

One winner will take home P250,000 cash prize, and another lucky winner will get P1 million and a house and lot from Lumina Homes in Shopee Shake at 8:45 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Meanwhile, over P1.5 million worth of prizes are up for grabs in Shopee Catch and Shopee Quiz.

Exclusive offers and discounts up to 50 percent on leading brands such as Globe Telecom, Havaianas, Huggies, Nestle, P&G Beauty + Olay, Maybelline, Unilever Home and Food, Xiaomi Poco Phone Exclusive, and Lactum Enfagrow await shoppers.

Other promos during the 9.9 shopping day include free shipping for no minimum spend, daily flash deals for as low as P9, and up to 90 percent off on more brands.

The two-hour 9.9 Super Shopping Day TV Special features Jose Mari Chan, Ai-Ai delas Alas, Catriona Gray, and more.