Manila Standard - 2020 October 20 - Tuesday

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Mayors for GCQ ’til yearend • Curfew hours 12mn-4am • Ages 18 to 65 allowed out • Church capacity up 30% • More PUV routes opened

By Joel E. Zurbano, Vito Barcelo and Othel V. Campos

M

ETRO Manila mayors are considering extending the general community quarantine (GCQ) status in the National Capital Region until the end of the year to keep COVID-19 infections in check.

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) general manager Jose Arturo Garcia Jr. made this announcement during a virtual press conference Monday.

Metro Manila is currently under GCQ until Oct. 31 amid the coronavirus disease pandemic.

Pending the approval of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), the mayors agreed on three measures, Garcia said. These are: • To shorten the curfew hours to midnight to 4 a.m except in Navotas City, where curfew hours will remain from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m; • To allow persons aged 18 to 65 years old to go outside Next page

VOL. XXXIV • NO. 228 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2020 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

House panel heads under scrutiny, revamp seen MORE RIDERS. Light Rail Transit Line 1 passengers follow health protocols as they board the train on Monday, after the government allowed the LRT, Metro Rail Transit and Philippine National Railways to increase its passenger capacity to 30 percent starting Monday amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, several homeless youths or 'batang hamog' gather at a corner of Roxas Boulevard in Manila, unmindful of existing regulations to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Norman Cruz and JR Josue

By Maricel V. Cruz, M acon Ramos-Araneta and Willie Casas SPEAKER Lord Allan Velasco said Monday he will review committee chairmanships at the House of Representatives during the

congressional recess to determine who is performing and who needs to be replaced.

"There are some posts that really need changing mainly because some of the posts require the trust and confidence of the speaker," Velasco said.

Also on Monday, Velaso assured the public that the 2021 national budget passed by the House was be-

By Alena Mae S. Flores PRIVATE firms with service contracts in the West Philippine Sea received “resume-to-work” notices from the Department of Energy on Monday, after President Rodrigo Duterte lifted a moratorium on oil and gas exploration in the area and China said it had reached a "consensus"

By Rey E. Requejo and Macon Ramos-Araneta THE Integrated Bar of the Philippines on Monday appealed to the Supreme Court to immediately resolve the issues raised by the 37 petitioners seeking to declare Republic Act 11479 or the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 as unconstitutional after the government approved its implementing rules and regulations.

"We hope and pray that the pending

By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Willie Casas

COVID-19 PH

FINANCE Secretary Carlos Dominguez III has indicated accepting appointment as chairperson of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) if a proposed measure to appoint him would materialize.

AT A GLANCE

(AS OF 4 PM OCT. 19)

359,169 TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES

2,638 42,191 6,675

26

310,303

226

DEATHS

RECOVERIES

NEW

NEW

POWER LUNCH. New Speaker Lord Allan Velasco (right) meets with former President and Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo over lunch on Monday, a week after the change of speakership at the House of Representatives.

76th Leyte Landing Chronic COVID patients not infectious set in simple rites By Willie Casas

By Ben Cal

FOR THE first time in seven decades, the annual grand celebration of the historic Leyte Landing by Gen. Douglas MacArthur and the Allied troops that liberated the Philippines from Japanese occupation in World War II will be observed with utmost simplicity on Tuesday due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Only local officials from the town of Next page

with the Philippines in working in the disputed waterway.

PXP Energy Corp. said it received on Monday the notice from the DOE in relation to its operating interest in Service Contract 72 in northwest Palawan, while PXP’s subsidiary, Forum Energy Ltd. also received its notice for its operating interest Next page in SC 75 (Recto Bank).

Dominguez OK to head PhilHealth

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ACTIVE

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DOE allows work to resume in WPS; China joint dev’t up

Fear of abuse of anti-terror law persists

NEW

reft of pork barrel.

In a radio interview, Velasco said the House's new leadership made sure that the budget was not only approved on time but was without any constitutional infirmity.

In another development, lawmakers have committed to increase the P2.5 billion budget for the procurement of COVID-19

AN INFECTIOUS disease expert said Monday patients suffering from lingering symptoms of COVID-19 infection even after being discharged from the hospital might be experiencing remnants of the virus' symptoms but were no longer contagious.

According to Dr. Rontgene Solante, head of adult infectious diseases at the San Lazaro Hospital, these were usually patients who suffered from moderate to critical cases of the virus.

“We're still studying this, maybe these are just remnants of their symptoms. Of course we have what we call a recovery period, we can see theirs is longer but the virus in their body is no longer active, no longer contagious,” Solante said during an interview on ABS-CBN's Teleradyo.

Patients with remnants of virus symptoms do not need to undergo coronavirus testing again, Solante said.

Cases nearing 360,000 Meanwhile, the Philippines logged Next page

FUTURE GUARDIANS.

Members of the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (CAFGU) are deep in training as some of them are being eyed for deployment in the West Philippine Sea. Meanwhile, Philippine Coast Guard Commandant Admiral George V. Ursabia Jr. presides over the graduation ceremony of 476 female Coast Guard trainees at the PCG Regional Training Center in Masbate (inset).

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said Monday the health agency “strongly supports” the proposal “to appoint the Secretary of the Department of Finance as ex-officio chairman of the PhilHealth board.”

Duque, during the hearing of the Senate committee on health and demography, also Next page

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News

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2020

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

MMDA won’t punish Pialago T "With regards to Celine (Pialago), she has her own opinion. I talked to her and she explained. As we all know there are negatives and positive comments in every issue. Me, personally, I have no comment about that. But If you have any personal opinion, it's her right," said MMDA general manager Jose Arturo Garcia Jr. dur-

ing a virtual press briefing on Monday He added that Pialago is "responsible enough to handle that kind of situation."

In her official Facebook page, Pialago stated: “Happy Sunday everyone! Walang kinalaman sa traffic pero sa tingin ko kailangan kong gamitin ang bosses ko bilang

isang Pilipino sa usapin na ito. ‘Hindi lahat ng inang nakakulong ay nakapunta sa libing ng kanyang anak. Kaya ‘yung mga sumisimpatya kay Reina Mae Nasino, pag-aralan niyo mabuti ang dahilan bakit siya nakulong at kilalanin niyong mabuti kung sino siya sa lipunan. Masyado niyong ginagawang pang drama serye sa hapon ang pinaghihinagpis niya. Tigilan niyo!”

On Monday, Pialago stood by her comment that Nasino deserved tight security during her daughter's burial but she clarified that the "drama serye" remark she was referring to were people who were "capitalizing" on Nasino's situation.

"What I’m pointing out during that time ay 'yung mga tao na namamantala dun sa sitwasyon ni Ms. (Reina). Hindi po ito ang paghihinagpis ng isang ina kasi 'yung iba ho ang tingin eh inaatake ko po ang pagkawala ng anak ni Ms. (Reina),"

Mayors...

more businesses open.

“As the number of COVID-19 cases go down, we open the businesses gradually,” he said.

The MMDA, however, appealed to the public to avoid leisure travel and follow health and safety protocols against COVID-19.

The MMDA and the mayors also discouraged people from holding Christmas parties this holiday season.

Meanwhile, more routes for traditional public utility jeepneys will be opened in the coming days amid the increasing demand for public transportation in Metro Manila based on the suggestions of the Metro Manila mayors in another meeting with Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board Chairman Martin Delgra.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) also encouraged employers and business owners to adopt a more flexible work schedules for their employees to manage physical distancing and mobility of people on the road.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez urged companies to enforce staggered shifts for workers, to spread the number of people commuting to work over the course of a day.

“We would like to see some workers going to work at 7 a.m., others may come at 8 or 9 a.m .and so on. How to the implement this, we leave to the discretion of companies,” he said Monday.

The DTI is poised to issue a memorandum order today (Tuesday) so companies can respond and make the necessary adjustments as soon as possible.

Lopez said about 95 percent of the sectors allowed to operate under a modified GCQ are already open.

“More sectors will be opened up as we reach December. Those not operating yet will be given the green light while businesses partly operating maybe allowed to operate at full capacity,” he said.

Lopez noted that the government does not expect many people flocking to work even as quarantine levels are further eased due to the work-from-home arrangements many companies have adopted to cope with the crisis.

Also on Monday, the Joint Task Force Covid Shield ordered all police commanders to coordinate with their respective local government units (LGUs) regarding travel protocols as the country gradually reopens the economy.

In a press statement, task force commander Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said that while the IATF has eased movement restrictions, the lifting of travel protocols is still subject to reasonable regulations of the LGUs, especially if there are existing local quarantine rules.

He said a number of local chief executives are asking the national government to give them enough time to make their own adjustments to ensure that their constituents are ready to comply with health and safety measures despite the easing of quarantine restrictions.

In a statement, the League of Provinces of the Philippines headed by Marinduque Gov. Presbitero Velasco emphasized the need to implement local quarantine rules to protect their respective constituents from potential COVID-19 carriers that would

enter their areas.

In related developments: • The government has allowed train lines in Metro Manila to increase their capacity to 30 percent from the current 13 to 18 percent to enable them to transport more passengers amid the pandemic. The director for operations at the MRT-3, Michael Capati, said each train can now carry 372 passengers, almost double the number allowed before.

• Ilocos provinces and Baguio are reopening their doors to travelers from Luzon, including GCQ areas like Metro Manila, the Department of Tourism said.

• The Bureau of Immigration said it will allow the departure of Filipinos with nonessential travel starting Oct. 21, following the resolution of the IATF to implement eased departure restrictions for Filipino citizens. Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said that initially, only foreign nationals, overseas Filipino workers, permanent visa holders, students enrolled abroad, participants accepted in exchange visitor programs, as well as those who had essential travel, were allowed to depart. The new ruling, however, expands this to include non-essential travel, he said.

• The Department of Foreign Affairs said Laos and Afghanistan have lifted inbound restrictions on Filipino travelers subject to flight availability and medical protocols amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The DFA also said Malaysia, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Nepal, Tajikistan and Hong Kong, meanwhile, have imposed stricter medical protocols and visa regulations for those who are exempt from entry restrictions.

view. "If he would allow, I would like to talk to him again.”

Velasco said he will give Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. a House post after quitting as minority leader and joining the majority bloc even if the latter is "still under evaluation."

He also said Pampanga Rep. Mikey Arroyo will head the House committee on energy—the position Velasco vacated when he became Speaker.

Velasco said he made the offer to Cayetano “out of respect” and said he abided by their term-sharing agreement, which was brokered by President Rodrigo Duterte.

Under that agreement, the only positions that would be changed after the turnover was the chairman of the House committee on accounts, but Velasco said there were other posts that required the trust and confidence of the speaker.

Still, he said, he kept his promise to

Majority Leader Martin Romualdez to keep him at his post.

Velasco appointed Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte as chairperson of the House committee on accounts, replacing Cavite Rep. Abraham Tolentino, a known Cayetano ally.

Another Cayetano ally, Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte, was stripped of his deputy speaker post; and 1-Pacman party-list Rep. Mikee Romero took his position.

Romero, president of the Party-List Coalition Foundation Inc. (PCFI) and a Velasco ally, was removed from his post when Cayetano was still speaker.

The 42-year-old speaker took over from ousted Speaker Cayetano, who was voted out of office by 186 of the 299-member chamber when he refused his term sharing “gentlemen's agreement” with Velasco on the pretext that he wanted to still be the Speaker when he

celebrates his 50th birthday.

Deputy Majority Leader and Bagong Henerasyon Rep. Bernadette Herrera lauded Velasco for ensuring the “timely, legal and constitutional” approval of the proposed P4.5 trillion national budget for 2021.

“Speaker Velasco earned my respect more after he made true on his promise to lead the House into approving the budget on a timely, legal and constitutional manner,” Herrera said.

Herrera also said she admired Velasco for his resolve to create a more inclusive House where there’s freewheeling of exchanges among members as shown during the deliberation and approval of the 2021 budget.

“In fact, his first order of business as speaker was to revoke an earlier second reading approval of the 2021 spending plan and reactivate the plenary debates to give all lawmakers the chance to scrutinize the budget bill,” Herrera said.

the West Philippines Sea,” Cusi said in an interview with ANC. Last Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a daily briefing: "China and the Philippines have reached consensus on the joint development of oil and gas resources in the South China Sea and have established a cooperation mechanism for relevant consultations."

This happened shortly after Duterte announced the lifting of the moratorium imposed since 2014.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Navy chief said troops are now being deployed to the retired Nido and Matinloc gas platforms, which can be converted into littoral monitoring stations to watch over the Recto Bank and the Malampaya gas field and platform.

Fear...

against government and other civil and political exercises were not acts of terrorism.

DOJ Undersecretary and spokesman Adrian Sugay told ABS-CBN's Teleradyo “Protesting against government and legitimate complaints are okay, there's no problem with that because you are within the exercise of your constitutional and civil and political rights. It's not terrorism.”

Sugay said government was following a process in designating groups or individuals as terrorist, which requires probable cause.

But former Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares, in a separate ABS-CBN's Teleradyo interview, said government had "prejudged dissenters...That intolerance of dissent is more than sufficient to overturn their probable cause...”

In a related development, the DOH on Sunday logged 354 more health workers who contracted the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) over the past week, raising the total to 10,532 as of October 17.

The DOH, in its daily COVID-19 report, said total recoveries among health workers rose to 9,899 after 337 more recovered from the respiratory disease, while the death toll climbed to 63 with two new fatalities.

The other 569 medical workers are active cases undergoing treatment or quarantine.

The five medical professions with the highest number of COVID-19 cases are nurses with 3,682 infections, doctors with 1,858, nursing assistants with 796, medical technologists with 495, and midwives with 277 cases.

76th...

By Joel E. Zurbano and Willie Casas

HE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority is not acting against its spokesperson and assistant secretary Pircelyn Pialago who came under fire for the statement she posted on social media on the plight of detained activist Reina Mae Nasino and her daughter, River, who died at 3 months old.

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their residences in Metro Manila; and • To increase the capacity of churches to 30 percent.

He said the 17 mayors of Metro Manila presented and unanimously recommended the new policies during a meeting of the Metro Manila Council (MMC) with MMDA officials and members of the IATF. “These three major recommendations are dependent on the approval of the IATF,” Garcia said.

The MMC, composed of local executives of 16 cities and the municipality of Pateros, is the governing board and the policy-making body of the MMDA. Garcia said shorter curfew hours would allow workers to travel at ease and that malls and other commercial establishments that provide essential goods and services should also extend their operating hours to complement the staggered shifts.

He said Navotas was not included in the adjusted curfew hours because the city is more of a residential area.

"The configuration of Navotas is different. There are few commercial businesses, and most of the establishments are industrial (in nature). What we want to avoid are the bystanders and other non-essential activities," Garcia said.

He added that based on the agreement, residents aged 18 to 65 years old would now be considered authorized persons outside residence (APOR) under the GCQ. Garcia said the age adjustment aimed to help boost the economy as

House...

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vaccines under the proposed P4.5-trillion budget for 2021, Health Undersecretary Rosario Vergeire said on Monday.

Vergeire’s statement was made in response to earlier statements made by the Health Department and a number of lawmakers who already expressed concerns that the P2.5 billion allocation under President Rodrigo Duterte’s proposed budget is not enough to vaccinate 20 million poor Filipinos as targeted by President.

At the same time, Velasco said he is willing to talk to his predecessor, Taguig-Pateros Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano to offer him the position of senior deputy speaker, a suggestion that the latter has already rejected.

"We will find out when I offer it to him personally," Velasco told a television inter-

DOE...

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Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi confirmed the development in a briefing at Malacanang as he stressed that the joint exploration with China in the waterway "does not weaken our position in the arbitral decision nor does it give away our sovereign rights."

He welcomed the statement of China's foreign ministry on Friday that the two countries can work together to jointly develop the oil and gas potential of the West Philippines Sea. “I just read a statement from their (China) foreign secretary and they said they are sure and are hoping both countries will work together for the joint development of

Chronic...

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2,638 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total to 359,169 in the country.

The DOH also announced 226 recoveries. This brings the total number of recoveries to 310,303.

The top regions with cases in the recent two weeks were NCR (555 or 29 percent), Region 4A (463 or 24 percent) and Region 6 (187 or 10 percent).

Top provinces by newly-announced cases are Quezon City, 141; Cavite, 140; Laguna, 128; Batangas, 120; and Rizal, 108.

The DOH also reported 26 new fatalities bringing the death toll to 6,675.

Over 10k health workers sick

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petitions before the Honorable Supreme Court will be resolved on the merits for the proper guidance of all," IBP President Domingo Egon Cayosa said in a statement.

While he welcomed the efforts of the Department of Justice to address the controversial issues against the ATA through the IRR, the IBP official stressed that the implementing rules "cannot rise above the provisions of the law that it seeks to clarify."

"The IRR may therefore be hounded by the same questions surrounding RA 11479 itself," Cayosa said.

At the same time, a spokesman for the Anti-Terrorism Council said protesting

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Palo fronting the Pacific Ocean where Allied Forces landed after crushing the powerful Japanese fleet during the world’s biggest naval battle will attend the ceremony, according to the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office headed by retired Lt. Gen. Ernesto Carolina.

In previous years, the Leyte Landing anniversary was celebrated with military parade, including reenactment of the landing at Palo beach where Gen. MacArthur and top military U.S. and Filipino officials, including returning President Sergio Osmena Sr. and Brig. Gen. Carlos Romulo landed on Oct. 20, 1944.

she told a radio interview.

"Drama lang po ito ng mga taong sumasakay, nagkacapitalize sa issue ho ni Ms. (Reina) para mamanipula ang ibang tao."

"Dun naman po sa pamilya, kung mag-aapologize po ako sa salita na drama serye sa paghihinagpis niya bilang isang ina, I’m sorry. But for who you are, kung sino ka, kung bakit ka madaming security that I won’t apologize," she said.

But National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers president Edre Olalia castigated the MMDA spokesperson and said that they would never wish the “horrible tragedy” that befell Nasino and her baby River on anyone.

“We assure the good Asec (assistant secretary) that we will do the same thing if she was in Ina's position and circumstance,” Olalia said in response to Piolago’s statement.

PVAO said the simple anniversary on Tuesday will be held with virtual internet coverage to enable the people, not only in the Philippines, but all over the world to witness the celebration which ended the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in the 1940s.

Historian Xiao Chua said the Leyte Landing was preceded by the greatest naval battle in history at Leyte Gulf that involved 211 American warships, including 16 aircraft carriers, and 12 battle ships.

In addition, American and Allied forces had 1,300 warplanes and over 300,000 troops, including Filipinos who were with the US Army.

In contrast, the once formidable Japanese Navy had only 68 warships and 300 aircraft.

’Pepito’ gains strength, set to cross Luzon

By Rio N. Araja A LOW pressure area has developed into a tropical depression which the weather bureau named as “Pepito.”

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said “Pepito” slightly intensified while moving west northwestward.

“Pepito” is forecast to move west northwestward or northwestward, then to turn westward today toward the Northern-Central Luzon area.

"Pepito" is forecast to intensify into a tropical storm before making landfall.

After crossing the landmass of Luzon, the tropical depression may further intensify over the West Philippine Sea and may reach severe tropical storm category

by Thursday.

Tropical cyclone wind signal no. 1 remained over Benguet, the eastern portions of Abra and Pangasinan, and the rest of Kalinga, Mountain Province, Nueva Vizcaya and Nueva Ecija.

As of 4 p.m., the center of “Pepito” was estimated at 410 kilometers east of Virac, Catanduanes.

It was moving west northwestward at 20 km/h, packing maximum sustained winds of 55 km/h near the center and gustiness of up to 70 km/h.

Diesel price up, gasoline down in mixed week

By Alena Mae S. Flores THE country’s oil firms implemented a mixed oil price movement effective 6 a.m. Tuesday, increasing diesel and kerosene prices but rolled back gasoline prices.

The oil firms raised the price of diesel

by P0.25 per liter and kerosene by P0.20 per liter but cut the price of gasoline by P0.25 per liter.

“Please see fuel price adjustments of Shell effective 6AM, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2020. Gasoline, P0.25 per liter rollback.

Kerosene, P0.20 per liter increase and diesel, P0.25 per liter increase,” Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. said in its advisory.

Aside from Pilipinas Shell, Petron Corp., PTT Philippines Corp., Seaoil Philippines, Inc., Flying V, Inc. and PetroGazz Corp. also implemented the latest oil price movement while other oil companies are expected to follow.

Unioil Petroleum Philippines, Inc. announced over the weekend that consumers can expect fuel prices to have mix movement for the week of October 20 to 26.

Dominguez...

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attended by Dominguez, said: “Considering the urgent need to ensure that the board implements efficient fund management for PhilHealth, we welcome the proposal to strengthen fiscal management measures that shall be made possible through the chairmanship of the Secretary of Finance.”

PhilHealth, which figured in recent weeks in in allegations of graft and corruption, was created in 1995 to implement universal health coverage in the Philippines.

It is a tax-exempt, government-owned and controlled corporation of the Philippines, and is attached to the DOH. Dominguez said: “I do not seek this position but I take the policies, the law very seriously. I will do my best in implementing Universal Health Care law.”

“It will be very difficult to allocate my time but I will ask to be excused from some other less pressing assignments if I am given this position,” he added.

Dominguez said if he would be appointed to the position by President Rodrigo Duterte, his first order of business would be to “make sure that there is no leakage” in the PhilHealth funds.

He added: “We are prepared to do that and we are prepared to implement a new information IP system which is very important to managing this institution.”

In a related development, Sen. Christopher Go pushed for PhilHealth reforms and more responsive healthcare system as he called on the agency to settle bills with Red Cross in accordance with the law.

During the Senate hearing on the proposal to designate the Finance secretary as Philhealth ex-officio chairman, Go acknowledged the efforts of Duque.

But he expressed his support for Senate Bill No. 1829 and other reforms to address the issues hounding the state insurance agency, the mandate of which mainly deals with fiscal management related to health care.

News

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2020 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

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Palace defends DepEd modules

By Vito Barcelo, Macon R. Araneta and Willie Casas

MALACAÑANG said Monday the educational modules apparently discouraging students from joining protest rallies were intended only for elementary and high school students because joining rallies might constitute endangerment to the safety, welfare or morals of the students.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque made the statement in defending the Department of Education’s module that instructs students not to attend rallies.

“Remember, DepEd supervises elementary and high school students. Perhaps the DepEd is saying that elementary and high school students should not attend rallies yet,” Roque said.

He made his statement even as Senator Manuel Lapid wanted publishers to allow the scanning or conversion of textbooks to e-books and other digital formats.

He has filed a bill that seeks to amend Republic Act 8047, or the “Book Publishing Industry Development Act.” The amendment would mandate the publishers participating in the government’s Public School Textbook Program to allow the scanning or conversion into e-books and other digital formats, in part or in full, of their approved textbooks.

Personal info not for harvest—NPC

By Othel V. Campos LENDERS operating online apps that can be installed in smartphones are prohibited from harvesting personal information, such as phone and social media contact lists, for harassing delinquent borrowers, the National Privacy Commission said in a circular it published Monday.

The Commission issued Circular 2001 in response to complaints that online lenders were illegally using the personal data of clients and those of others on their contact lists, causing damage to their reputation and violating their rights as data subjects.

The NPC says the harassment and shaming of delinquent borrowers before relatives, friends and colleagues persisted despite separate orders last year from it and the Securities and Exchange Commission to shut down errant online creditors.

“The National Privacy Commission is issuing this circular for the appropriate and respectable treatment of borrower’s personal information,” Privacy Commissioner Raymund Liboro said.

He says online lending applications should design their business processes with privacy by design and default, and with complete adherence to the principles of the Data Privacy Act.

SWORN IN. House Majority Leader and Lakas-CMD Party President Rep. Martin Romualdez (4th from left) administers the oath to new member and 1st District Quezon City Rep. Anthony “Onyx” Crisologo (center) on Monday. Witnessing the ceremony are Lakas members and allies (from right) Rep. Manuel Dalipe, VP for Muslim Affairs Rep. Yasser Alonto Balindong, Deputy Secretary Genera Rep. Wilter “Sharky” Palma, Executive Vice-President Rep. Juan Miguel “Mikey”Arroyo, Rep. Mike Defensor, Secretary General Prospero Pichay Jr., Vice Chairman Rep. Fredenil Castro, and Rep. Xavier Jesus Romualdo. Ver Noveno

Rody wants faster Marawi rehab

By Rio N. Araja

T

HREE years after Marawi City’s liberation, President Rodrigo Duterte wants the rehabilitation of the war-torn city “hastened”, Malacañang said Monday.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said while the administration was “satisfied” with the efforts to reconstruct the public facilities that were slowed down by the COVID-19 pandemic, Duterte wanted the rehabilitation made faster.

“Let’s just say that we are satisfied, but the President of course would appreciate it if it could be hastened,” Roque told re-

porters.

He made his statement even as housing czar Eduardo del Rosario on Thursday urged Marawi’s residents to strive for peace and ensure that terrorism and violence would never strike again.

He said economic development could only thrive in a peaceful environment.

He recently led officials in commemo-

rating the third anniversary of the liberation of the only Islamic City in the country from the clutches of the Daesh-inspired terrorists.

“Peace is key to achieving progress and development in our beloved Islamic City,” Del Rosario said.

Last July, Roque said the efforts to rehabilitate Marawi never stopped despite the prevailing health crisis.

He said Duterte might have decided not to mention the Marawi rehab updates in his penultimate State-of-the- Nation address because infrastructure and housing developments were still ongoing.

Task Force Bangon Marawi chairman

Villar: P4.6b aid for 1.1m farmers

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

IN BRIEF

CHR pushes for bill boosting PDL rights

THE Commission on Human Rights on Monday urged Congress and the Senate to enact the National Preventive Mechanism Bill to improve the treatment and conditions of the people deprived of liberty (PDL), and taking into consideration the relevant United Nations standards.

Despite the continuing rapid spread of the coronavirus, the Commission said, due process rights, including speedy-trial requirements and other components of the State’s criminal justice system must never be suspended or implemented subjectively, group spokesman Jacqueline Ann de Guia said.

She says the unprecedented issues confronting places of penal institutions during a pandemic pose a critical question on how we view our prison population and must spark systemic change in reimagining crime control and prison management in the country.

Rio N. Araja

DENR enforcement bureau seeing light THE Environment department is optimistic about the passage of a bill creating its enforcement bureau, an official said Monday.

Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu said the Senate now had its own version of the bill, raising hopes that the legislation could become a law soon.

By having a permanent enforcement bureau, the DENR would be more effective in stopping environmental crimes, such as illegal logging and the smuggling of wildlife species, he said.

On Oct. 12, Senator Nancy Binay filed a counterpart bill creating an environmental protection and enforcement bureau.

“We extend our gratitude to Senator Binay for advancing the EPEB bill in the Senate, thus increasing the chances of the draft law making it into legislation,” Cimatu said.

He again thanked Deputy Speaker and Antique Rep. Loren Legarda, who, on June 15, filed House Bill 6973 establishing the EPEB under the DENR. Rio N. Araja

Del Rosario said the rehabilitation was on track and would meet the December 2021 deadline to finish rehabilitating the city.

“I reiterate that we will complete the rehabilitation of Marawi by December 2021.

As promised by no less than our President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, Marawi will rise again as a prosperous city,” he said.

Del Rosario said the task force was set to fully restore the entire electric and water system in the 24 barangays that were most affected.

In February 2018, Duterte signed Executive Order 49 expediting the start of projects in the city’s affected areas.

SEIZED FOR DONATION. More than 5,000 pieces of seized tablets and mobile phones are laid out on tables as they will be donated by the Bureau of Customs to the Department of Education for the distance learning needs of students amid the coronavirus pandemic.

DND asked to review P500m cybersecurity budget SENATOR Risa Hontiveros urged the Commission on Audit on Monday to review the Department of Defense’s 2020 spending on cybersecurity in light of its proposed P500-million fund for the same category in 2021.

“It’s not clear where the cybersecurity fund goes. I flagged this amount because we want specifics. We want to make sure the DND is spending the P500M wisely,” Hontiveros said.

At the department’s budget hearing, Hontiveros tried to clarify the figures according to the document the agency submitted to the Senate Committee on National Defense She inquired if there were cybersecurity funds against China’s interference through the towers inside their camps. Are these funds in the budget and where are they [itemized]?” Hontiveros said.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana

said they classified cybersecurity measures under the AFP Modernization Fund.

In the proposal, a provision of P5 billion was allotted for the AFP Modernization Fund under the Unprogrammed Fund.

“There’s 500 million pesos to improve our cybersecurity capability in the Modernization Fund of 2020, and another 500 million for 2021,” Lorenzana said, but did not elaborate on the specific items related to cybersecurity spending. Macon R. Araneta

UP TO P4.6 billion will be distributed to 1.1 million farmers as cash assistance to ease their suffering brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and the falling prices of unmilled rice, Senator Cynthia Villar said Monday.

Villar, head of the Committee on Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform, says the Senate’s Joint Resolution 12 seeks to authorize the use of excess rice importation collection of the Bureau of Customs for the year 2020 as cash assistance to farmers who are tilling one hectare and below.

“According to a preliminary report from BOC, from January to September 2020, they have already collected P13.6 billion, and there is an excess of P3.6 billion,” Villar said.

“There was an excess collection left last 2019, so together we want that money to be included in the General Appropriations Act and use that as cash assistance to rice farmers.”

Villar says she is also asking the Department of Agriculture to redirect the P1billion budget in their crop diversification program to the cash assistance fund, so that more money will be distributed to the farmers, or for a total of P4.6 billion.

Villar authored the resolution to compel the immediate implementation of a provision in Republic Act 11203, or the Rice Tariffication Law, stating that anything in excess of P10 billion from the importation dues should be allocated for rice farmer financial assistance, titling of agricultural rice lands, expanded crop insurance program on rice, or for crop diversification program.

Smuggled firearms seized at mail center GOVERNMENT agents have seized 28 parcel shipments of smuggled firearms, gun parts and accessories worth P1.5 million at the Central Mail Exchange Center in Pasay City.

Officials of the Bureau of Customs at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport did not give details on the importations, but they said the shipments were consigned to various individuals, adding those came mostly from the United States and arrived at the CMEC on different dates.

They said the items were confiscated because those were imported without the required permit from the Firearms and Explosives Office of the Philippine National Police.

The seized items will be turned over to the bureau’s Enforcement and Security Service-Firearms and Explosive Office for safe-keeping pending seizure and forfeiture proceedings.

Port of NAIA district collector Carmelita Talusan says they will stay focused to protect the premier airport against all fraudulent and illegal attempts to import high-risk commodities amid the coronavirus disease pandemic.

“We will continue to be vigilant against the smuggling of high-risk items like firearms, parts and accessories aside from dangerous drugs and other contraband,” Talusan said. Joel E. Zurbano and Vito Barcelo

BUSTED. A man hangs his head as he is one of six persons arrested by members of the PNP-

Drug Enforcement Group in possession of 1,000 suspected tablets of Ecstasy worth P2.5 million during a buy-bust operation at the Remedios Circle in Malate, Manila on Monday. Norman Cruz

LGUs

Jimbo Owen Gulle, Editor

A4

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2020 lgu@manilastandard.net editor.lgustandard@gmail.com

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

IN BRIEF Churches allowed 30% seating capacity—Isko MANILA City Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso has allowed churches, mosques and chapels to increase their authorized seating capacity from 10 percent to 30 percent for their religious gatherings.

Domagoso signed Executive Order No. 41 on Monday, October 19, to authorize the increase of seating capacity of religious gatherings “to promote not only the social and economic well-being“ of his constituents but also their “spiritual well-being.”

“There is a need for the city to address the spiritual needs of its constituents,” Domagoso said in his executive order.

Under the executive order, only citizens aged 18 years old to 65 years old are allowed to attend religious gatherings.

Minors are still not allowed to attend these gatherings. Willie Casas

Centuria Medical says no virus vaccines yet

STAYING AFLOAT. With their house in Barangay Binutas, Calauag, Quezon submerged after torrential rains, Rhianne Espiritu Nollan or Yan-Yan continues her studies on the family boat, using the learning modules so she would not be left behind in the distance learning lessons amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Dennis Matibag via Twitter

Makati cops get P93m in new gear T

By Joel E. Zurbano

he City of Makati has purchased more than P93 million worth of assorted firearms and other crimefighting equipment, which will be used by the local police in maintaining peace and order in the community amid the coronavirus disease outbreak.

The city government turned over to the Makati Police Department several assault rifles-reloading machines, including 100 units of Tavor Assault Rifle, 100 units of Galil Assault Rifle, three

units of Galil Sniper Rifle, 45 units of KDS Tactical Gas Mask, 70 units of Meprolight Red Dot Reflex Sight Model, 35 units of Meprolight Night Vision Scope Model, and two units of Dillon Precision.

“We continue to give priority to the modernization of the local police force’s equipment. We know how crucial it is to enhance their crime-fighting capability especially during the pandemic, for the sake of our residents and all other stakeholders,” Mayor Abigail Binay said on Monday.

She added “We have to maintain discipline and obedience to the law as we gradually reopen businesses and strive to promote a healthy business environment for faster economic recovery.”

The city government also gave the local police a number of protective gear, including 3,390 pairs of combat shoes,

3,571 pairs of patrol shoes, 1,488 holster with rig, 691 sets of athletic uniforms, 2,142 hand cuffs, 1,339 belts, and 1,116 PNP bull caps.

In September 2019, Makati ranked as the 4th Safest City in Southeast Asia in a survey conducted by international online research group, Numbeo.

Based on Numbeo’s Safety Index 2019, Makati ranks as the fourth safest city in the region with a Safety Index rate of 59.48 points. The city’s improved regional ranking from fifth place in 2018 has also made it the second safest city in the country last year.

Manila earns housekeeping award

By Willie Casas MANILA City Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso said the local government―after ten years―has finally received its first-ever Good Financial Housekeeping recognition from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

This is the Manila City government’s first Good Financial Housekeeping recognition since the national agency began assessing the financial housekeeping efforts of local governments across the country ten years ago, according to the DILG Manila Field Office.

In a statement, Domagoso said the recognition from the DILG shows that “the Manila City government has proven itself to be financially transparent” and that it was able to “spend its funds wisely for the previous year.”

“Unang beses nating makuha ito sa buong kasaysayan ng Pamahalaang Lungsod ng Maynila. Last time, I already said

that I will not tolerate a dismal performance from the City Government under my watch. We will always aim to do better for the Manileños,” Domagoso said.

“Of course, we won’t stop here. We’ll continue to ensure that our local government funds will be used to provide more services to our constituents. Dapat lang na mapunta ito sa pagpapaunlad ng healthcare facilities, pagpapataas ng kalidad ng nutrisyon ng mga Batang Maynila at sa pagtatatag ng iba pang mga pasilidad para sa pakinabang ng lahat,” he added.

The Good Financial Housekeeping Award is among the requirements a local government unit must achieve in order to acquire the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG).

The DILG defines SGLG as “an award, incentive, honor and recognitionbased program for all LGUs, and is a continuing commitment for LGUs to continually progress and improve their performance.”

SEA OF HELMETS. Traffic builds up at the

Daanghari Extension corner Multinational Avenue in Paranaque City on Monday as the queue of motorcycle riders wait patiently for the go signal.

JR Josue

tion coverage or a total of 986,319 from a target of 1,185,005 children aged 0-59 months old,” Regional Director Eduardo Janairo reported.

The province of Laguna has a polio vaccination coverage of 87.91% (363,597) with 43,964 unvaccinated children; Rizal province has 86.34% or 369,303 with 50,408 unvaccinated and Cavite province

Isabela villages gain portable oxygen tanks LAGAN, Isabela—Aimed in addressing the needs of patients with respiratory disease and those suspected of COVID-19, the Provincial Government of Isabela has distributed portable oxygen tank sets to different barangays across the province.

Lawyer Elizabeth Binag, Provincial Information Officer, said more than 1,000 barangays have availed of the portable oxygen tank sets distributed by the Provincial Government.

“The delivery of portable oxygen tanks in all of the province’s barangays intends to save the lives of Isabeleños in times of emergency especially there has been an increase in the number of infected persons since the outbreak of COVID -19 and has claimed millions of lives across the globe,” she said.

The barangay health workers will help assist in transporting then the covid 19 patients to the hospitals and isolation facilities with the portable oxygen tanks, Binag added. Jessica M. Bacud

DENR Bataan cleans trash from coastal areas MOBILE WIFI. Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso, Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna, Globe Chairman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, and Globe President and CEO Ernest Cu launch the Globe “KonekTayo Wifi” at the Kartilya ng Katipunan (Bonifacio Shrine) in Manila on Monday. The vehicle-based mobile wifi hotspot is expected to facilitate distance learning, sustainable livelihood, and internet connectivity for the citizens of Manila. Norman Cruz

Developer unearths ammo from lot

By Jess Malabanan CITY OF SAN FERNANDO— Several cases of live ammunition for different kinds of firearms were unearthed by a heavy equipment operator at a housing project ain Barangay Panipuan here Monday, police said.

Police Lt. Colonel Paul Gamido, chief of the City of San Fernando police, said the ammunition was apparently buried by the owner to conceal them and avoid being questioned should they be found by authorities under his possession.

“Siguro sa takot ng may ari na baka makwestyun sya dahil sa dami ng bala kaya ibinaon nito para hindi sya makasuhan,” said Gamido, adding that mere possession of even a single bullet without a permit is punishable by law.

Gamido said investigators are still determining the owner of the ammunition found in a shallow pit in Purok 6, situated within the housing project of Baque Construction.

Joshua Artaga, the heavy equipment operator, said he accidentally dug up four metal cases carrying 17 magazines of ammunition for 5.56 caliber (M16) rifle, six empty magazines for the same type of firearm, and another case of caliber .22 live bullets.

Gamido said investigators were dispatched immediately and cordoned off the area to ensure safety during the retrieval of the buried ammo, which was brought to the police station for custody.

Policemen were directed to probe further who the owner of the bullet cache might be.

DOH says 198,686 children unvaccinated for polio in Calabarzon A TOTAL of 198,686 children remain unvaccinated against polio in Calabarzon as the “Sabayang Patak Kontra Polio (SPKP)” campaign concluded last September.

“The Department of Health (DOH) – Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) in its October 12, 2020 report has achieved 83.23 % vaccina-

CENTURIA Medical Makati has learned about SMS messages and supposed advertisements claiming that coronavirus vaccines approved by regulators are now available in their facility.

“We seek to clarify that this information is false and did not originate from our institution. Unfortunately, a vaccine for COVID-19 is not yet available anywhere in the world,” said Centuria Medical Makati in a statement issued Monday.

Centuria Medical is one with the scientific community and the rest of the globe in hoping that a safe coronavirus vaccine will be available for all soon, it added.

“As the largest and most comprehensive outpatient medical facility in the country, we have been actively operating throughout the community quarantine as our contribution in the fight against COVID-19 with strict protocols,” the statement read.

“With our locators and specialized clinics, we stand by our commitment to uphold high standards of safety and excellence in health, wellness, medical and dental care. We will also continue to operate our wide roster of COVID-19 testing options,” it said. Willie Casas

has the lowest with 76.94% or 452,105 with 104,264 unvaccinated children.

“Among the reasons why these children were not given the polio vaccine was because they were not at home during the scheduled visit of the vaccination teams. Also, some parents cannot decide for themselves alone and need to seek the approval of their husband or spouses and

some are too sick to receive the vaccine and health workers need to defer their vaccination,” said Janairo.

“Others refused vaccination due to fear of the vaccine and its side effects.

This was brought about by the Dengvaxia scare a few years ago and there is also the religious and cultural belief,” Janairo said. Willie Casas

BALANGA CITY, Bataan—The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Bataan has led a coastal cleanup here of water lilies and other trash.

Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer Raul Mamac headed the removal of hyacinths and other wastes in coastal Sitio Looc, Brgy. Banawang, Bagac, Bataan.

Community Environment and Natural Resources Office-Bagac personnel headed by OIC Cenro Merliza Torre joined the cleanup. Barangay officials and residents participated in the activity.

Mamac said Penro and Cenro Dinalupihan personnel with respective barangay officials and some residents also conducted cleanups in the coastal areas of Hermosa, Orani, Samal, Abucay, Balanga City, Pilar, Orion, and Limay.

Butch Gunio

Project for falcata tree production approved LOS BANOS, Laguna—The Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (PCAARRD) has approved funding of the project for the conservation and mass production of high-yielding and resistant Felcata tree seeds in Mindanao area.

The project, “Conservation and Mass Production of High yielding Falcata Seed Sources in Mindanao,” aims to select the best performing seed sources from the falcata multi-location trials in Mindanao and develop techniques on the mass production of superior seed sources via clonal propagation, Eirene Grace Z. Arcayos of PCAARRD S&T Media Services said.

The Central Mindanao University in Maramag, Bukidnon will implement the project.

The output of this project will be important in the long-term eradication of underperforming or low-quality falcata populations in the country especially those being used or sold widely by tree farmers and wood industries in Mindanao. Butch Gunio

B2

World

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2020 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

French police raid militants’ homes after teacher’s murder

F

RENCH police on Monday raided the homes of dozens of suspected Islamist militants three days after the beheading of a teacher who had shown his pupils cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, the interior minister said.

The raids came a day after tens of thousands of people took part in rallies countrywide to honour slain teacher Samuel Paty and to defend freedom of expression.

Gerald Darmanin said the swoop on Islamist networks was designed to send a message that “enemies of the Republic” would not enjoy “a minute’s respite”.

He said over 80 investigations had been launched for online hate speech following the attack, which has drawn parallels with the 2015 massacre at Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine, where 12 people were gunned down for publishing the Mohammed cartoons.

That attack—the first in a string of assaults that have killed over 240 people in France— brought over a million people onto the streets of Paris to denounce extremism.

On Sunday, people again congregated on Place de la Republique in Paris, where world leaders had marched alongside the French in 2015.

Some in the crowd chanted “I am Samuel”, echoing the 2015 “I am Charlie” rallying call by supporters of free speech.

Teacher targeted by ‘fatwa’ Paty, 47, was murdered on his way home from the school where he taught in a suburb northwest of Paris on Friday afternoon.

A photo of the teacher and a message confessing to his murder was found on the mobile phone of his killer, an 18-year-old Chechen man Abdullakh Anzorov, who was shot dead by police.

Eleven people are being held over the attack, including a known Islamist militant and the father of one of Paty’s pupils who had railed against him online and called for his dismissal.

Darmanin accused the two men of having issued a “fatwa” against Paty, using the term for an Islamic edict that was famously used to describe the 1989 death sentence handed down against writer Salman Rushdie by Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini.

“They apparently launched a fatwa against the teacher,” the minister told Europe 1 radio.

Anzorov’s family arrived in France when he was six from the predominantly Muslim Russian republic of Chechnya.

Four members of his family, which sought asylum in France, are being held for questioning.

Paty, who has been eulogized by pupils and parents as a dedicated teacher, had been the target of online threats for showing the Mohammed cartoons to his civics class. AFP

ATTACK ON FRANCE. Flags of the City hall are at half-mast as people gather on Place du Capitole in Toulouse on October 18,

2020, in homage to history teacher Samuel Paty two days after he was beheaded by an attacker who was shot dead by policemen.

Thousands of people rally in Paris and other French cities on October 18 in a show of solidarity and defiance after a teacher was beheaded for showing pupils cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed. His murder in a Paris suburb on October 16 shocked the country and brought back memories of a wave of Islamist violence in 2015. AFP

Thai PM recalls parliament session as protests persist THAILAND’S embattled premier called Monday for a special session of parliament as protesters planned more rallies to demand his resignation, the release of jailed activists, and reforms to the monarchy.

Tens of thousands of mostly young protesters have taken to the streets in the past week in defiance of an emergency decree banning gatherings of more than four people.

Police said around 20,000 people protested across the capital Sunday, although activists and local media estimated much bigger crowds.

As they prepared to rally again Monday, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha said parliament—currently in recess— would be recalled to discuss how to reduce tensions.

“We support opening an extraordinary session to solve this conflict,” he

told reporters, warning protesters not to break the law.

“I request protesters rally peacefully.

The government has already compromised to some degree,” he said.

The largely leaderless movement is calling for the resignation of Prayut -a former army chief and mastermind of a 2014 coup—as well as the re-writing of the military-drafted constitution they say rigged last year’s election in his favor.

Most controversially, protesters are also making unprecedented demands to reform the powerful and ultra-wealthy monarchy.

They want the abolition of a draconian defamation law that shields King Maha Vajiralongkorn from criticism, greater transparency of royal finances, and for the monarch to stay out of politics.

Churches burned as Chileans mark 1st year of protests

IN BRIEF First-ever UAE passenger flight to Israel lands safely THE first ever passenger flight from the United Arab Emirates to Israel landed near Tel Aviv on Monday, a month after the countries signed an agreement normalizing ties.

Etihad Airways flight EY 9607 from Abu Dhabi landed at Ben Gurion airport early in the morning with only crew on board, a spokeswoman for the Israel Airports Authority told AFP. The plane picked up Israeli tourism professionals, who would be flying to the UAE for a two-day trip visit organized

by Israeli company Maman Group, the spokeswoman said.

The UAE carrier said it had made “history”.

“Etihad has become the first Gulf airline to operate a passenger flight to Israel. And this is only the beginning,” the airline said on Twitter.

The Palestinians, who object the agreement Israel forged with the UAE, refused to receive the aid.

In August, Israel and the UAE announced that they had reached a US-brokered deal to normalize ties, following years of discreet economic and security cooperation. AFP

Taiwan, Chinese officials clash at Fiji diplomatic event A PHYSICAL clash between Taiwan and Chinese officials at a diplomatic reception in Fiji left the rival powers trading allegations of assault Monday.

Taipei accused two Chinese officials of gatecrashing an event at the luxurious Grand Pacific Hotel in the Fijian capital Suva on October 8 and assaulting an employee.

Taiwan’s foreign ministry said its trade office—the equivalent of an embassy—was hosting a party for 100 distinguished guests to celebrate Taiwan’s National Day. They claim the two Chinese officials began taking pictures of guests and when asked to leave assaulted an official, putting him in hospital.

“We strongly condemn the actions by the Chinese embassy in Fiji staff for seriously violating the rule of law and civilised code of conduct,” Taiwan foreign ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou said.

The Chinese embassy in Fiji confirmed its officials were in “public area outside the function venue” on unspecified “official duties” on the day of the incident.

But the Chinese embassy claimed the Taiwanese mission’s staff “acted provocatively” and caused “injuries and damage to one Chinese diplomat”.

In its statement, Taipei said the Chinese diplomats were taken away by the police and “falsely claimed” that they had been attacked. AFP

The movement appeared to be gaining traction across the country with smaller protests taking place Sunday from Phuket in the south to Khon Kaen in the northeast.

‘Protect the monarchy’ It has gained momentum since July, but sharply escalated last week after a group of protesters surrounded a royal motorcade and flashed three-fingered “democracy salutes”—borrowed from the “Hunger Games” movies—at Queen Suthida.

Two activists now face charges under a rarely used law banning “violence against the queen” and face a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.

Confrontations escalated further on Friday when riot police used water cannon and other strong-arm tactics, provoking widespread outrage. AFP

PRO-DEMOCRACY. A pro-democracy protester wearing protective gear takes part in an anti-government rally at Asok in Bangkok on October 18, 2020, as they continue for the fourth consecutive day to defy an emergency decree banning gatherings. AFP

Despite new ceasefire, fighting in Karabakh rages on A NEW ceasefire agreed between Armenia and Azerbaijan to halt fighting over the disputed region of NagornoKarabakh was again failing to hold on Monday as both sides accused each other of fresh attacks.

The truce, backed by international mediators to put a stop to three weeks of fighting that has left hundreds dead, was supposed to have come into force at midnight Sunday but both sides immediately accused each other of violating the deal.

The Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan is controlled by Armenians, backed by Yerevan, who declared independence as the Soviet Union fell.

But it has never been recognized by any other state, including Armenia,

while Azerbaijan has always made clear its desire to regain control in one of the most combustible conflicts left after the fall of the USSR. The Azerbaijani defence ministry said Monday that Armenian armed forces had shelled areas in four districts inside the country overnight.

Meanwhile, the local authorities in Karabakh said Azerbaijani artillery fire continued overnight, with the Karabakh army taking “proportionate actions” in response.

However Nagorno-Karabakh’s main city Stepanakert was quiet overnight, an AFP correspondent said.

The ceasefire was the second agreed after a previous truce thrashed out in Moscow earlier this month never showed any sign of seriously holding.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev accused Armenian forces of “blatantly” violating the ceasefire, including firing on residential areas, and said there were dead and wounded.

Writing on Twitter, he said Azerbaijani forces had taken control of 13 more Armenian-held settlements.

Azerbaijan has repeatedly claimed military success in the current fighting by taking control of areas both within Karabakh and other Azerbaijani territory that had been held by Armenian forces.

But analysts say Azerbaijan is unlikely to be able to retake control of Karabakh through military means alone, while the seemingly irreconcilable positions on both sides makes a diplomatic solution elusive. AFP

TWO churches were torched as tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered Sunday in a central Santiago square to mark the anniversary of a protest movement that broke out last year demanding greater equality in Chile.

The demonstration comes just a week before Chileans vote in a referendum on whether to replace the dictatorship-era constitution -- one of the key demands when the protest movement began in October 2019.

While the morning brought a largely festive atmosphere to the protests at Plaza Italia, there were several incidences of violence, looting and vandalism in the afternoon.

One church close to Plaza Italia was burned to the ground as hooded protesters cheered, while a second place of worship was looted and also suffered fire damage.

Firefighters managed to get that blaze under control.

“Burning churches is an expression of brutality,” said Minister of the Interior and Security Víctor Perez, adding that the violence was coming from a “minority” of protesters.

The small Church of the Assumption, which was totally destroyed, is known as the “artists’ parish,” according to local press. The building dated back to 1876.

There were clashes between groups of football hooligans in one Santiago neighborhood, while protesters in Plaza Italia doused a statue with red paint.

The communist mayor of a neighborhood near the central square, Daniel Jadue, was hounded out of Plaza Italia by protesters. AFP

Bolivia has recovered democracy, says presidential candidate after exit polls BOLIVIAN presidential candidate Luis Arce, the leftist heir to former leader Evo Morales, said his country had “recovered democracy” after an exit poll from TV station Unitel indicated he had won the election in the first round.

By an unexpectedly large margin, Arce prevailed over centrist Carlos Mesa, who obtained 31.5 percent according to the poll, and guaranteed a return to power for the Movement for Socialism.

The official count—which could take days—was less than eight percent completed by 2:00 am (0600 GMT).

The usual rapid count had been abandoned after allegations of irregularities last year that led to Morales’ November 2019 resignation after 14 years in power.

“Very grateful for the support and trust of the Bolivian people,” Arce posted on Twitter early Monday, after the exit poll results were published.

“We have recovered democracy and we

will regain stability and social peace.”

Interim president Jeanine Anez, who was not a candidate, congratulated Arce and his running mate David Choquehuanca on their apparent win.

“We still do not have an official count, but from the data we have, Mr. Arce and Mr. Choquehuanca have won the election. I congratulate the winners and ask them to govern with Bolivia and democracy in mind,” she posted on Twitter.

The election, twice postponed due

to the coronavirus pandemic, was the first in 20 years not to feature Morales, the country’s first ever indigenous leader.

Polling stations were open from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, but some had to stay open longer as queues of people were still waiting to vote.

Arce had been expected to win the first round. The question was whether the 57-year-old could achieve the required 40 percent of votes with a 10-point lead to avoid a runoff. AFP

Business China says economy expanded 4.9% in Q3 BEIJING, China—China’s economy powered ahead in the third quarter, data showed Monday, building on a strong recovery from painful coronavirus lockdowns, while the country’s crucial army of consumers picked up their spending last month as they grow more confident.

However, the expansion fell short of forecasts and officials warned of uncertainty as the disease continues to ravage other key markets, with the National Bureau of Statistics saying “the international environment is still complicated.”

Having essentially shut down major cities around the country to fight the virus, China’s economy saw an unprecedented contraction in the first three months of the year but with new infection rates being brought under control it has seen a strong recovery over the past six months.

That has put it on track to be the only major economy likely to expand this year, the International Monetary Fund said.

The 4.9-percent growth in July-September followed a 3.2-percent rate in the previous three months, and is close to pre-pandemic levels.

The reading was helped by a forecast-beating 3.3-percent jump in retail sales last month, suggesting China’s army of consumers are returning to shops and restaurants, and traveling again.

Industrial output also beat expectations, jumping 6.9 percent on-year in September.

China’s communist leadership has hailed its handling of the virus, giving experimental vaccines to hundreds of thousands of people as it seeks to reframe the pandemic’s origin story.

But long-term fears over jobs and a potential virus rebound in China are weighing on consumer sentiment, despite government attempts to reignite domestic demand.

“China built its quick recovery via stringent lockdowns, massive testing, population tracking and fiscal stimulus,” Nomura chief China economist Lu Ting said.

Other factors such as export growth and a surge in demand after massive floods in the summer also boosted activity in September, he added.

But “China is not absolutely free from the risk of a second wave of Covid-19, pent-up demand will likely lose some steam... and rising US-China tensions could dent China’s exports and manufacturing investment,” Lu said. AFP

Success of EU virus recovery plan is ‘crucial’ PARIS—European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde said Monday it is “crucial” that the EU’s 750-billioneuro coronavirus recovery plan succeeds and that the promised funding is disbursed.

“If (the money) is not targeted, if it disappears into the administrative machinery and does not reach down into the real economy to drive our countries toward the digital and green (economy), then we will have missed a historic opportunity to change direction,” Lagarde said in an interview with Le Monde published on the newspaper’s website.

The plan, unprecedented in its scope and commitments, was agreed by European Union leaders in July but has since been held up in the European Parliament by disputes over whether payments should be linked to strict implementation of EU rights policies by member states such as Poland and Hungary.

Asked whether she was concerned that the rescue funds might be delayed and arrive too late, Lagarde said: “The European Commission’s objective is to be able to disburse the money at the beginning of 2021 and that absolutely has to be kept to.

“It is now up to the member states, who have to submit their recovery plans—some are already done—and up to the Commission, which must review them quickly,” said Lagarde, a former French finance minister and head of the International Monetary Fund before taking over at the ECB. “Political leaders also must move quickly,” she said.

“It is crucial that this exceptional plan, which broke important taboos (on the EU’s role) in several countries, should be a success,” Lagarde added. AFP

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2020 || extrastory2000@gmail.com

Stocks surge as index tops 6,000 T HE stock market surged Monday on the possible easing of quarantine restrictions in Metro Manila by next month as COVID-19 cases plateaued in the past few days.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index jumped 120.79 points, or 2 percent, to 6,019.26 on a value turnover of P5.4 billion. Gainers overwhelmed losers, 125 to 76, with 46 issues unchanged.

GT Capital Holdings Inc. of the Ty Group rose 5.6 percent to P409, while Jollibee Foods Corp., the biggest fast-food chain, climbed 5.2 percent to P154.60.

Speculative issues PXP Energy Corp. soared 50 per-

cent to P11.58, while Phoenix Petroleum Philippines Inc. jumped 34 percent to P14.88 after the government lifted the moratorium on oil exploration in the West Philippine Sea. Most Asian markets also rose Monday on lingering hopes for a new US stimulus package, though Shanghai turned lower after data showed China’s economy grew at a slower pace than expected.

Tokyo rose more than one percent, wiping out all its losses for the year, while Taipei also put on more than one percent. Sydney and Mumbai climbed 0.9 percent each, while Seoul, Singapore and Jakarta were also well up.

Hong Kong gained 0.9 percent but the gains shallowed after China released figures showing the world’s number two economy expanded at a slower rate than expected in July-September. Shanghai finished lower,

along with Wellington.

The 4.9 percent rate was short of the 5.2-percent tipped by analysts in an AFP poll, though it was a big improvement on the previous quarter, while September saw a big increase in retail sales that suggests consumers are growing more confident as the virus subsides in China.

With a little over two weeks until the November 3 elections, time is running out for US lawmakers to reach an agreement on much-needed coronavirus support but talks remain bogged down.

At the weekend House Speaker Nancy Pelosi set a Tuesday deadline for a pact to be hammered out, while Donald Trump urged his Republican party to offer more than the $1.8 trillion they have put forward, adding that he would be willing to go higher than the Democrats’ $2.2-trillion proposal. With AFP

PSEi October 19, 2020

TOP GAINERS

TOP LOSERS

European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic (center) wearing a face mask or covering due to the COVID-19 pandemic, walks outside London St Pancras station after arriving in London on October 19, 2020. Britain still wants to reach a post-Brexit trade deal with the European Union despite the current deadlock, a senior government minister insisted ahead of fresh talks Monday. The UK had imposed a deadline of last week’s EU summit for a deal, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was ready to walk away and prepare for a no-deal exit after five decades of EU membership. AFP

UK says door remains ‘ajar’ for post-Brexit trade deal LONDON—Britain still wants to reach a post-Brexit trade deal with the European Union despite the current deadlock, a senior government minister insisted ahead of fresh talks Monday.

The UK had imposed a deadline of last week’s EU summit for a deal, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was ready to walk away and prepare for a no-deal exit after five decades of EU membership.

However, senior minister Michael Gove said on Sunday he was still hopeful there would be an agreement, telling TV interviewers the door remained “ajar” if the EU would change its position.

The two sides disagree on the rules for fair competition, how these rules will be policed and how much access EU fishing fleets will get to UK waters.

Britain wants to reassert sovereignty over its waters and have no EU legal oversight over the deal—insisting it wants a simple trade deal of the kind the EU signed with Canada.

But the EU says Britain’s situation is completely different to that of Canada.

“I want a deal,” Gove told Sky News.

“I’m keen to conclude one but it takes both sides to compromise in order for there to be one.

“The EU is not doing so at the moment,” he said, adding that Brussels did not seem serious in their desire to reach a deal.

Chief European negotiator Michel Barnier and his British counterpart David Frost are due to discuss the structure of talks on Monday, according to the European Commission.

“The ball is in his court,” Gove said of Barnier.

Failure to strike a deal would see Britain and Europe revert to World Trade Organization terms, with higher tariffs and quotas, potentially devastating for economies already weakened by the pandemic.

Gove will meet on Monday with EU Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic about the implementation of the

divorce treaty governing the UK’s exit from the EU on January 31.

Changes are coming whether there is a trade deal or not, as Britain’s departure from the EU’s single market and customs union will require new checks on both sides of the border.

The British government will this week urge businesses to speed up preparations to face the new customs rules.

It plans to launch an information campaign in the coming days under the slogan “Time is running out.”

On Tuesday, Johnson and Gove will meet with representatives from British business organizations and companies.

“It is on all of us to put in the work now,” Gove said in a statement, adding that “time is running out for businesses to act.”

The European employers’ organization BusinessEurope has called on negotiators to find an agreement, saying it is “the only way to avoid uncertainty and major disruption.” AFP

MOST ACTIVE

Traders trickle back to Wall Street after pandemic confinement

By Juliette Michel NEW YORK—The life of a Wall Street trader was once one of business trips and work dinners, but now it is anything but.

The culprit, as with so many of the economic and financial disruptions the United States has faced over the past months, is the coronavirus pandemic, which has rendered life for the brokers, bankers and businesspeople fueling the world’s largest economy much more lonely.

People working on high-priced transactions like IPOs, bond deals or mergers and acquisitions “used to travel a lot to meet with clients” who would typically only sign agreements in-person, recalls Karl Haeling of LBBW bank.

“Now they would very happily give mandate without seeing you,” said Haeling.

Wall Street sits in the heart of New York City, an early epicenter as the US Covid-19 outbreak turned into the world’s worst, with more than 218,000 deaths and eight millions cases nationwide as of this week.

The pandemic’s intensification in March temporarily cleared the market makers from the New York Stock Exchange’s boisterous floor and forced traders across Wall Street to retreat indoors, relying on their phones, email and instant messaging systems to talk with clients.

“People are doing brainstorming on these various video platforms and

Daniel Alpert, managing partner of Westwood Capital, is seen in his office on Fifth Avenue in New York October 15, 2020. The life of a Wall Street trader was once one of business trips and work dinners, but now it is anything but. AFP

they are coming up with product ideas remotely,” said Daniel Alpert, founding managing partner at investment bank Westwood Capital.

But that hasn’t held indices back: the Nasdaq and S&P 500 have both recovered from their massive plunges in March, while the Dow has also regained most of its strength, though millions remain jobless and unemployment is at a high 7.9 percent.

Trickling back Aided by a secure internet connection, Haeling holds 30-minute meetings twice per day to keep up with colleagues about

the markets, politics and the omnipresent coronavirus threat, a work-fromhome routine he says suits him fine.

“I went back (to the office) for three days in the summer because of a storm which cut the power out at home, and I realized how inefficient it is because I spent three hours on the train,” Haeling said.

But even with the virus still a threat across the US, traders are slowly trickling back to Wall Street.

The New York City Economic Development Corporation estimates there are 460,000 people employed by the fi-

nancial sector in the city, and their work is considered an essential service under state law.

The New York Stock Exchange reopened in May with traders donning masks and separated by plexiglass, while Alpert started working from his office again at the end of June.

But rather than the 15 or so people who usually show up to his office, it’s just Alpert and occasionally another partner.

Earlier this month, he attended his first in-person business lunch since the coronavirus’s arrival, “outside, of course,” and closed a recent deal with around eight people in the same room.

“There are just some times when you really do need the high speed interaction,” he said.

BNP Paribas, which had a few cases of employees testing positive for the virus or suspecting they had it, has let about 10 to 15 percent of their staff return.

Visitors are banned in the office, but in a tour given to an AFP journalist over live video, traders could be seen scattered over a long line of desks and separated by plexiglass, with floor markings encouraging people to socially distance.

“Anything is on the table to give our employees flexibility,” said Kevin Abraszek, the bank’s head of human resources change and transformation. AFP

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

B4

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2020

IN BRIEF

AC Energy to build solar project in India

AYALA Corp.’s energy unit, AC Energy Inc., said Monday it will expand its renewable energy footprint in India with the development of the 70-MW Paryapt solar project, its second solar investment in the country.

AC Energy said it is developing the Paryapt solar project through UPC-AC Energy Solar, the company’s joint venture with UPC Solar Asia Pacific. The $36-million facility is expected to start power generation by the first half next year and will supply energy to Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd. UPC-AC Energy Solar won the power supply agreement for the project via a competitive bid at INR 2.55 per kWh, fixed over a 25-year period.

UPC-AC Energy Solar is a 50-50 joint venture company between AC Energy (through AC Renewables International Pte. Ltd.) and UPC Renewables (through UPC Solar Asia Pacific Limited).

Alena Mae S. Flores

Bangko Sentral ready to tweak policy stance

BANGKO Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin Diokno said the benign inflation environment provides monetary authorities enough space to tweak the policy stance if warranted during the pandemic.

Diokno said in a presentation during the Standard Chartered Bank sovereign investor forum on Oct. 15 that inflation remained manageable at 2.5 percent in the first nine months and was seen to settle between 1.75 percent and 3.75 percent this year and 2 percent to 4 percent percent next year and in 2022.

“Favorable inflation provides an enabling environment for growth. This gives room for the BSP to further ease monetary policy, in case needed,” he said.

Diokno said the Bangko Sentral was quick and decisive in responding to the crisis. He said BSP’s actions were meant to boost market confidence and cushion economic activity; provide liquidity to complement government programs; sustain financial stability; and support continuous delivery of financial services. Julito G. Rada

San Miguel rolls out bicycle program

SAN Miguel Corp. said Monday it rolled out a bicycle program for employees to provide an alternative mode of transportation amid the limited public transportation.

SMC president Ramon Ang said the program was prompted by a surge in demand for bicycles among employees as the company continued to safely bring the back to work to continue essential operations.

The program enables them to avail of bicycles and safety helmets at almost giveaway prices.

A bicycle ranges from P2,000 to P3,000 for high-quality, feature-laden bicycles— which they can then pay for with no interest for 12 months. The bulk of the cost for the bicycles is shouldered by SMC. “Right now, our transportation system is still limited, and we see that more of our employees are biking to work. So we thought to provide them new bicycles. We bought an initial 1,500 units for our facilities in different locations. Almost as soon as we offered them, all were taken. We are now waiting for more units to make available to more employees in more areas,” Ang said. Darwin G. Amojelar

Business

Mitsubishi PH to downsize operations, lay off workers

By Othel V. Campos

ITSUBISHI Motors Philippines Corp., one of the two car assemblers participating in the Comprehensive Automotive Resurgence Strategy program, is scaling down its local operations and laying off about 100 employees, a labor group said Monday.

M

Philippine Metalworkers Alliance secretary-general Rey Rasing said MMPC employees were served dismissal notices on Oct. 16 that would take effect next month.

Rasing said MMPC just terminated about 400 workers in 2018, even as it continued to enjoy subsidy under the CARS program. Another wave of termination is seen too soon, he said.

The Department of Trade and In-

dustry said Monday it was keeping the funds earmarked for the CARS program intact despite the plea by a labor group to reallocate them as part of the social amelioration package for displaced automotive workers.

“I believe we can work on a social amelioration fund for the automotive workers. We can ask the government to cover possible lay-off in the industry.

But the fund intended for the Compre-

hensive Automotive Resurgence Strategy program should be given where it is due,” Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said Monday.

Lopez said the alleged massive layoff in the automotive industry was expected as the industry was not spared by the crisis.

The PMA said the DTI should allocate a part of the budget under the CARS program to help the affected workers.

“To start repairing the injustice, allocating a portion of the budget for the CARS Program to provide social amelioration to those already displaced would be a good start,” said Raul Punzalan of PMA. The PMA also urged the government to carefully consider the employment implications of granting reprieve to CARS beneficiaries and to keep in mind that one of the purposes of the program is employment generation.

NGCP HOUSING DONATION. National Grid Corp. of the Philippines and Gawad Kalinga turn over to the city government of Valenzuela the first batch of low-rise dwellings in Disiplina Village–a joint in-city housing project for informal settler families. Five buildings were completed in October and turned over in a simple ceremony attended by NGCP vice president and head of central projects office Mark Joseph Andeo, Gawad Kalinga executive director Daniel Bercasio, Valenzuela City Mayor Rex Gatchalian, Rep. Wes Gatchalian and Secretary Eduardo del Rosario of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development.

ATN bags deal to supply materials for North-South railway

By Jenniffer B. Austria ATN Holdings Inc., a diversified holding company, said Monday it bagged a contract to supply rock aggregates for the first phase of the 148-kilometer North-South Commuter Railway project.

ATN Holdings said in a disclosure to the stock exchange the deal formalized its participation in the government’s P4trillion “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program.

The company, which has interests in real estate, renewable energy, technology and the operator of one of the country’s largest rock-extraction sites, said it

started delivery of rock aggregates to be used as construction materials in September.

The North-South Commuter Railway will connect New Clark City to Calamba, Laguna, and is envisioned to carry 350,000 passengers daily.

The first phase of the project was awarded in 2019 to the joint venture of D.M. Consunji Inc. and Japan’s Taisei Corp.

Known as the Tutuban-Malolos segment, this portion will stretch for 38 kilometers with six stations and a depot in Valenzuela City.

“ATN is fully committed to the gov-

ernment’s BBB program and shares in its vision to prioritize infrastructure as the centerpiece of our economic recovery and massive job creation stimulus amidst the COVID-19 pandemic,” ATN Holdings chairman and chief executive Arsenio Ng said.

The company’s rock-extraction facilities are built on a 254-hectare privately-owned property in Rodriguez, Rizal featuring a state-of-the art rock crushing plant with a capacity of 500 tons an hour.

It has rock resource of 66.132 million tons, equivalent to an estimated accreted value of over P65 billion.

Pag-IBIG Fund’s loan restructuring offers six months of payment relief PAG-IBIG Fund said it is offering up to six months of payment relief, more affordable amortization and waived penalties under a special restructuring program to help home loan borrowers cope with the impact of the pandemic, top executives said Monday.

Secretary Eduardo del Rosario, who serves as chairman of the 11-member Pag-IBIG Fund board of trustees and head of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, said the agency was offering a special housing loan restructuring program to further help loan borrowers keep their homes amid the pandemic.

“In support of the government’s efforts, led by President Duterte, in helping Filipinos who are going through financial difficulties due to the pandemic, we are offering a special loan restructuring program to our housing loan borrowers with unpaid monthly amortizations of up to 12 months as of August 2020. We understand the need of our members especially during these times. That is why we are offering this program to help ease their financial burden and provide them time to financially recover until they are able to pay their loans,” del Rosario said.

He said that under the loan restructuring program, borrowers are given the option to lower their monthly payments by extending their loan term, spread the settlement of unpaid dues and waive penalties on arrears.

“We are also giving them the option to resume payment of their restructured loans by as late as March 2021. This gives them up to six months of payment relief,” said del Rosario.

Pag-IBIG Fund chief executive Acmad Rizaldy Moti said borrowers may apply for the loan restructuring program online, as the agency continued to move transactions to the virtual PagIBIG facility to promote better safety and convenience for members.

“We will be accepting applications for our special housing loan restructuring program via virtual Pag-IBIG to make it easier and safer for our borrowers. They can conveniently apply for the program from their homes, and there is no need to go to our branches anymore. We are also giving all our borrowers ample time to apply as the program is available to them until Dec. 15 of this year,” Moti said.

“I would also like to point out that since the loan restructuring program is meant to help borrowers amid the pandemic, we will not be asking for down payment nor will we charge a processing fee for applications. This program is our way of giving back to our borrowers who religiously pay their monthly housing loan dues with PagIBIG Fund but over the past months, have not been able to do so due to the pandemic. We want to assure them that in these times of crisis, they can lean on Pag-IBIG. This is what Lingkod PagIBIG is all about,” Moti said.

OIL EXCISE TAX. The Department of Finance reports that 14 billion liters of fuel were marked from Sept. 4, 2019 to Oct. 15, 2020 under the Fuel Marking Program. Data from the department shows Petron Corp. accounted for 3.18 billion liters of the total volume of fuel marked, followed by Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. with 2.8 billion liters and Unioil Petroleum Philippines Inc. with 1.477 billion liters. The Bureau of Customs raised P124 billion in duties and taxes as of Oct. 15, while the Bureau of Internal Revenue collected P19.24 billion in excise taxes from gasoline, diesel, kerosene and other fuel products as Oct. 15, 2020.

PSE INDEX CLOSING Monday, October 19, 2020

120.79 PTS.

TOTAL VOLUME

2,480,139,457

TOTAL TRADES TOTAL VALUE

126,536 5,443,243,891.11

ADVANCES

6,019.26

125

DECLINES UNCHANGED

76 46

Foreign e xchange r ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2020

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

48.6340

Japan

Yen

0.009490

0.4615

UK

Pound

1.291100

62.7914

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.129032

6.2753

Switzerland

Franc

1.093972

53.2042

Canada

Dollar

0.758495

36.8886

Singapore

Dollar

0.736431

35.8156

Australia

Dollar

0.707400

34.4037

Bahrain

Dinar

2.654914

129.1191

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266603

12.9660

Brunei

Dollar

0.733730

35.6842

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000068

0.0033

Thailand

Baht

0.032082

1.5603

UAE

Dirham

0.272272

13.2417

Euro

Euro

1.172100

57.0039

Korea

Won

0.000876

0.0426

China

Yuan

0.149276

7.2599

India

Rupee

0.013616

0.6622

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.241196

11.7303

New Zealand

Dollar

0.660200

32.1082

Taiwan

Dollar

0.034756

1.6903 Source: BSP

Globe okays $300-m budget for launching of fiber network

By Darwin G. Amojelar GLOBE Telecom Inc. said Monday it is spending $300 million this year to aggressively roll out fiber-to-homes network nationwide.

Globe president and chief executive Ernest Cu said in a virtual briefing during the launch of the School Bus Wi-Fi program in Manila that the company’s board approved last month the $300-million (P15 billion) budget for the fiber network rollout.

It is part of the P50.3-billion capital expenditures programmed this year.

Globe increased by 51.4 percent its fiber rollout as of August, compared to the whole 2019.

Cu said Globe launched the School Bus Wi-Fi program in Manila to provide fast, reliable and low-cost home internet connectivity in underserved markets in the locality.

Using KonekTayo Wi-Fi, Globe deployed school buses equipped with special antennas that will broadcast Wi-Fi signal from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in covered areas including Pasaje del Carmen St., Remigio St., 853 Gonzalo Gil Puyat St., 924 Bilibid Viejo St., Tomas Mapua St., Alfonso Mendoza St., Dalupan St., Oroqueta St. and Basco St. in Manila.

The use of KonekTayo Wi-Fi service will be free for the first hours for public school students and teachers in Manila who were provided 289,000 Globe SIM cards.

Through the School Bus Wi-Fi campaign, Globe also extends support to school bus operators whose main source of livelihood was put at stake by the pandemic.

“We recognize the difficulties faced by the private school transport industry, especially now that classes have started. We sought to develop an innovation that will not only provide this industry with a new opportunity, but will also bring connectivity to students and communities in areas that need it most,” Cu said.

Ayala Corp. chairman and chief executive Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, who also serves as Globe chairman, said that “against the backdrop of COVID-19, internet access has become a lifeline more than a luxury.

Internet access is needed by students to pursue online education, by workers to continue earning a living while working from home, by families to stay connected with each other.”

“With Globe’s School Bus Wi-Fi in the City of Manila, we are able to help in ensuring that residents have access to affordable Wi-Fi connectivity. We look to partner with other local governments to expand this initiative,” he said.

Formerly known as KapitWi-Fi, KonekTayo Wi-Fi is a fast and secure community Wi-Fi service that aims to provide households with affordable internet.

First Gen donates P33m to complete Pantabangan water supply FIRST Gen Hydro Power Corp. of the Lopez Group pledged P33 million in financial support to help the local government of Pantabangan in Nueva Ecija complete the town’s water supply and distribution system.

First Gen Hydro officials led by president and chief operating officer Victor Emmanuel Santos Jr. signed on Oct. 8 a virtual memorandum of agreement with Pantabangan town officials led by Mayor Roberto Agdipa to formalize the company’s commitment to the water service project.

Also joining the virtual MOA signing ceremony were First Gen Hydro executive vice president Richard Tantoco,

vice president Dennis Gonzales and assistant vice president and plant head Richard Difuntorum.

Witnessing the signing on the side of the local government unit were Vice Mayor Monaliza Agdipa, members of the town’s council and heads of departments of the LGU. First Gen Hydro is a subsidiary of First Gen Corp., the country’s leading clean and renewable energy company controlled by the Lopez Group through First Philippine Holdings Corp.

Under the MOA, First Gen Hydro agreed to donate P33 million to help the LGU-run Pantabangan Municipal Water System conduct well drilling

and construction of water sources; the renovation of PMWS’ pump station control house; and the expansion of PMWS water lines going to individual households.

The town, located 160 kilometers north of Manila, serves as host to the 132-megawatt Pantabangan-Masiway hydroelectric power plant complex that First Gen Hydro owns and operates.

The P33-million donation will come on top of First Gen Hydro’s community relations program allocation and its P50.87-million total remittances to the Pantabangan town under Energy Regulation No. 1-94. (ER 1-94) of the Department of Energy.

CHED execs to discuss guidelines for athletes PROPOSED guidelines that will pave the way for the training of student-athletes will be discussed by the Commission on Higher Education this week.

CHED chairman Prospero “Popoy” de Vera said this after he called for a Tuesday meeting on how to achieve this.

“It will be discussed in commission en banc meeting this Tuesday,” said de Vera in an interview with the Manila Standard.

Under the proposal submitted by a technical working group, these activities should take place under a bubble, to be organized by each member school of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines and National Collegiate Athletic Association inside their respective campuses.

For a bubble to be put up, each varsity team, not just the school, is required to first submit a Collegiate Training Activities’ Certificate of Compliance.

And it has to have the recommendations of both the school’s athletic director and school president.

A draft of this plan was sent to the CHED last Thursday.

A joint technical working group composed of officials of the University Athletic Association and the National Collegiate Athletic Association recently met with the Joint Administrative Order group to come up with the details of the plan. Peter Atencio

Athletics’ bubble details out soon DETAILS are now being threshed out on how a training bubble for track and field athletes can be done at the New Clark City Athletics Stadium in Capas, Tarlac.

Officials of the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association said this after they went into a series of meetings with a technical working group which will soon submit its recommendations before the Interagency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

“The bubble extends throughout Clark.

And the most immediate bubble is where the athletes will stay, train and compete,” said PATAFA president Philip Ella Juico.

Around 20 national athletes and four coaches will take part in a onemonth training camp being planned this November.

Training activities are being worked out with the support of the Philippines Sports Commission and officials of the Clark Development Corporation.

Peter Atencio

Sports

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2020

C1

TNT Tropang Giga guard Jayson Castro (17) glides to the hoop against Phoenix Super LPG defenders. Tropang Giga beat Phoenix to post their fourth consecutive victory in the PBA Philippine Cup.

Tropang Giga trounce Phoenix, stay spotless

By Reuel Vidal

S

OMETHING had to give.

In a battle of unbeaten teams TNT Tropang Giga continued to run roughshod over the competition in the 2020 PBA Philippine Cup by mauling erstwhile unbeaten Phoenix Super LPG. It took a while but TNT finally took command of the game in the third behind the hot hands of Roger Pogoy and Bobby Ray Parks then extended that lead in the fourth to beat Phoenix, 110-91, yesterday, Monday, October 19, 2020 at the Angeles University Foundation Sports Arena & Cultural Center Powered by Smart 5G. Pogoy—who exploded 45 points against the Alaska Aces in TNT’s first game—rediscovered his shooting touch to finish with 30 markers. He also had 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal.

Parks added 12 points, 4 assists, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks.

TNT big man Poy Erram had a doubledouble of 18 points and 15 rebounds. He also had 3 blocks and 1 assist.

Tropang Giga piled on the points in the fourth turning a closely fought contest into a rout when they outscored Phoenix, 35-23, in the payoff fourth quarter.

TNT is playing so well in the All-Filipino because the team had a point to prove according to Pogoy in the post-game interview.

“Pagod na kaming talo palagi sa All-Filipino. Gusto naming i-prove lang na kaya naming manalo dito. Pero hindi pa tapos. Four games pa lang ito. Kaya for sure hindi kami dapat mag-relax,” said Pogoy.

With the win the Tropang Giga (4 wins, 0 loss) bolted from a three-way tie at the top to assume solo leadership. Trailing closely are fellow unbeaten teams Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (3-0) and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (3-0).

The other teams include the Blackwater Elite (2-1), the Super LPG (2-1), the Alaska Aces (1-2), the Meralco Bolts (1-2), the San Miguel Beermen (1-2), the Magnolia Hotshots Pambansang Manok (1-2), the Terrafirma Dyip (0-2), the NorthPort Batang Pier (0-3) and the NLEX Road Warriors (0-3).

Matthew Wright led Phoenix LPG with 31 points. But he had precious little support with Jorey Napoles as the only other double digit scorer with 10 points.

Ryan Reyes drilled a three-pointer from the right corner to cut the Phoenix lead to nine points, 54-45, at halftime.

TNT finally grabbed the upper hand late in the third. Jayson Castro converted two free throws to push the Tropang Giga ahead by two points, 70-68, with 2:09 left.

Tropang Giga eventually held a seven-point 75-68 advantage after the third quarter.

The scores: TNT Tropang Giga 110—Roger Pogoy 30, Poy Erram 18, Simon Enciso 13, Bobby Ray Parks 12, Troy Rosario 11, Ryan Reyes 10, Jayson Castro 10, Samboy de Leon 3, Jay Washington 3, Almond Vosotros 0, Dave Semerad 0, Jayjay Alejandro.

Phoenix Super LPG 91—Matthew Wright 31, Jorey Napoles 10, Jason Perkins 8, Justin Chua 7, RJ Jazul 7, JayR Reyes 6, Dave Marcelo 5, RR Garcia 5, JC Intal 4, Brian Heruela 4, Mike Gamboa 4, Jensen Rios 0.

Quarter scores: 24-24, 45-54, 75-68, 110-91.

Folayang knows how crucial his next match is EDUARD “Landslide” Folayang knows how important the next bout of his ONE Championship career is.

The former ONE Lightweight World Champion battles Antonio “The Spartan” Caruso at ONE: INSIDE THE MATRIX on 30 October at the Singapore Indoor Stadium – and the Filipino must win.

“I can say the results of these next few fights are very important to us, as we haven’t gotten the results we wanted recently. So now, we are really aiming for the best results possible,” Folayang said.

“We are completely focused on doing whatever it takes to claim victory right now. It’s not going to be easy, but we’re ready to give it our best. We want to go in there with confidence.”

Folayang definitely needs the confidence. He dropped back-to-back matches against the biggest names of the division in Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki and Eddie “The Underground King” Alvarez in 2019.

He did end last year the right way, beating Amarsanaa “Spear” Tsogookhuu, but that was before losing to the third-ranked Pieter “The Archangel” Buist at the start of 2020.

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

The COVID-19 pandemic then delayed the Team Lakay star’s comeback plans as the sporting world stopped for months— but now given the greenlight to compete again, “Landslide” promises to deliver.

“I’m so excited to be back in action again, especially since I’ve had to wait so long in lockdown. We’ve been eagerly anticipating when we will be able to return to competition, and I’m glad that moment has finally arrived. We’re absolutely pumped and training very hard right now to put on a good show,” Folayang said.

“The past few months have been very difficult for all of us. Everyone in the world has been affected by COVID-19, especially here in the Philippines. It posed a few challenges for our training early on as we had to stay at home and practice social distancing. Even in isolation, the work never stopped, and we used our time to sharpen our tools and skills.”

Against Caruso, Folayang takes on a no-nonsense athlete who is known for his work rate and seemingly limitless cardio.

And like Folayang, the 29-year-old from Adelaide also has a solid team to prepare him for this match as he trains at Sanford MMA Gym under the leg-

Eduard Folayang

endary Henri Hooft and with ONE World Champions Aung La “The Burmese Python” N Sang and Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen.

With that in mind, Folayang cannot take Caruso lightly.

“Antonio Caruso is a strong fighter.

I’ve seen his previous fights. I don’t

think he’s a guy you can really take lightly,” Folayang said.

“Of course, I’m doing everything I can to prepare for his style. As usual, it’s going to be about dictating the pace and making him fight my fight. You can’t underestimate anyone in this game, so I’m not about to start with him.”

Though side-lined over the last nine months, Folayang has kept in shape despite the uncertainty that the pandemic presented.

With that said, one thing’s for certain —he will enter the ONE Circle more than ready.

“I’ve been training for a very long time now, even if I didn’t know who my opponent was going to be. I just wanted to get myself ready physically, and I just feel so strong right now. Mentally, I’m focused, and getting right to where I need to be,” he said.

ONE Championship returns to action with four World Title matches at ONE: INSIDE THE MATRIX on October 30 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

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

Call for audited SEA Games expenditures gains ground

By Peter Atencio SUPPORT for the call of members of the executive board of the Philippine Olympic Committee seeking an audited financial statement on the expenditures made during the 30th Southeast Asian Games is gaining ground.

Former POC president Ricky Vargas said he will back up the execom when they hold an online meeting this Thursday.

The gathering will formally seek a resolution on the need to compel the Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee to finalize its reports to the POC. Members of the execom believe that a report from the PHISGOC, the lead agency formed to organize the biennial meet last year, is long overdue.

“I support the call to ask the PHISGOC, specifically Tats Suzara, to submit the financials,” said Vargas, who heads the Alliance of Boxing Associations in the Philippines.

Vargas said that a t r ipar t ite ag reement that was forged last year calls for this, addi ng that such a covenant should be honored.

“It’s important and it’s for transparency and I support this call,” added Vargas.

For the last 10 months, PHISGOC has not complied with the tripartite agreement it made with the Philippine Sports Commission and the POC last year.

Officials from the Philippine Sports Commission clarified that P1.461 billion, and not P6 billion, was turned over to the PHISGOC before the Games.

With an audited disclosure, an accurate verification on how the money was spent can be done.

This cash figure was supposed to help organizers tackle their obligations during the Games held from Nov. 30 to Dec. 10 last year.

The execom is slated to formally make an inquiry with POC president Abraham Tolentino on this matter.

Princess Eowyn repeats in Sampaguita Stakes Race

Jockey JB Hernandez and Princess Eowyn make their move in the final 300 meters.

PRINCESS Eowyn extended her reign for another year following another smashing win in the Sampaguita Stakes Race at the MetroTurf Racing Complex in Malvar, Batangas on Sunday.

Ridden by star jockey JB Hernandez this time, Princess Eowyn engaged Obra Maestra in a two-horse battle, before making a move in the final 300 meters and bursting in the stretch for the many-length win in the 1,800-meter race.

Last year’s Sampaguita Stakes Race champ timed 1:55.6, with quartertimes of 14, 22, 23, 25 and 30 seconds.

“Medyo hindi maganda ang alis ng kabayo ko, kaya ang ginawa ko, sabi ko sa kabila naman, sigurado lalakas naman ang ere namin.

So mi-nentain ko lang ang puwesto ko. Sa rekta ko nakuha, noong umigkas pa, sabi ko panalo na ito,” said Hernandez, who a week earlier steered Work Bell to a Juvenile Filles

and Colts Stakes Race win.

Owner Edward Vincent Diokno nabbed the P1.2 million prize of Princess Eowyn, a 5-year-old filly sired by Keep Laughing out of Dona Carmela.

Shanghai Grey (owner Melanie Habla, jockey Kevin Abobo) pocketed the secondplace purse of P450,000, while Obra Maestra (Leonardo Javier Jr., JB Guce) and Two Timer (Rancho Santa Rosa, JP A Guce) picked up P250,000 and P100,000, respectively as third and fourth placers.

Meanwhile, Viva Morena (jockey Dan Camanero) came from the outside to steal the victory worth P300,000 in the in the 4YO and Above Open Stakes Race.

Gomper Girl (JD Flores) settled for the runner-up purse of P112,500, while third placer Stella Malone (JB Hernandez) received P62,500.

Off Track Betting Stations in areas under

a Modified General Community Quarantine were finally allowed to operate subject to health and safety protocols. Online betting, however, is still being encouraged, with bettors at the Metro Turf races utilizing Fastbet as a means to place their bets. Races at the San Lazaro Leisure Park (Manila Jockey Club) and at the Saddle and Clubs (Philippine Racing Club) on the other hand, use online betting platform Telebet.

Safety protocols were still in place at the MetroTurf to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

Only the racing clubs’ employees, Philracom personnel, horse-owners, jockeys, trainers and special guests were allowed at the venue, ensuring that only 25 percent of the usual crowd was present. Jockeys wore special face masks and eye gear, while trainers and other horse-racing personnel at the stables had hazmat suits and other protective equipment.

Sports

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2020 C2 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Dodgers edge Braves, make World Series L OS ANGELES—Cody Bellinger belted a 400-foot goahead home run and Mookie Betts made another eyepopping catch as the Los Angeles Dodgers advanced to their third World Series in the last four years with a 4-3 gameseven win over the Atlanta Braves.

Bellinger blasted the eventual game-winning homer in the seventh inning and Enrique Hernandez smacked a pinch-hit home run in the sixth on Sunday night as the Dodgers clawed their way back to win the final three games after being down 3-1 in the series to the Braves.

“I tried to stay within myself and I got a pitch I could get to,” said Bell-

inger of his home run.

The Dodgers will take on the American League champion Tampa Bay Rays, who won their own game seven Saturday in San Diego, beating the Houston Astros 4-2.

The first game of the 2020 World Series is Tuesday in Arlington, Texas.

Los Angeles lost in the 2017 World Series to the Houston Astros and in

2018 to the Boston Red Sox. Just a few thousand fans were allowed into the 40,000 seat Arlington stadium because of the coronavirus pandemic, but what they witnessed was a back-and-forth classic end to the bestof-seven series between two of the premier teams in the National League.

The Braves jumped out to 2-0 and 3-2 leads but each time the Dodgers were able to counterpunch and level the score, including a rare pinch-hit home run in the sixth by Hernandez that made it 3-3.

Hernandez is just the second player ever to hit a pinch hit homer in a game seven, joining Chicago Cubs Troy

The Los Angeles Dodgers pose for a photo following their 4-3 victory against the Atlanta Braves in Game Seven of the National League Championship Series at Globe Life Field on October 18, 2020 in Arlington, Texas. AFP

O’Leary in the 2003 playoffs.

‘We got superstars’ The Dodgers are in the playoffs for the eighth straight season and almost every batter in their lineup has World Series experience.

That’s why it was a huge surprise when their power game went missing early in the postseason. But they rediscovered it in the NLCS by hitting more than a dozen home runs.

“There are not many holes, if any, in our team,” said Hernandez. “At the top of the (batting) order we got superstars, and then we got the hyenas at the bottom waiting for the leftovers.

“We got a hell of a rotation, a great bullpen, and we got a great leader.

“I am just really happy to be going back to the World Series. I didn’t think it would be this hard to get there, but we are.”

In the fifth inning, Betts made a leaping catch at the wall to steal a home run away from the Braves batter Freddie Freeman. It was the third straight game outfielder Betts made a clutch defensive play against the Braves.

Outfielder Bellinger not only hit the home run that gave Los Angeles the lead for the first time in game seven, but he snagged the final out when Dodgers reliever Julio Urias got Braves batter Austin Riley to fly out to center field.

Dodgers starting pitcher Dustin May lasted just one inning, allowing one hit, walking two and giving up a run. He had plenty of support as the Urias and three other relievers allowed just two runs.

Braves rookie sensation Ian Anderson started and pitched three solid innings, surrendering five hits and two runs. He walked two and struck out two batters.

Anderson gave up a two-run single to Will Smith in the third inning that scored Justin Turner and Max Muncy. It was the first run the Braves young pitcher had given up in the 2020 postseason. AFP

Zamboanga Valientes ready for 3x3 basketball THE Zamboanga Valientes will compete in the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 on October 21 to 30 at the Inspire Sports Academy in Calamba, Laguna.

“This is a big opportunity for the Valientes to be able to play in the first professional 3x3 in the country and we want it to be more meaningful since we are the only team that will represent Zamboanga City, with all the players born in Zamboanga City,” said Junnie Navarro, son of team’s co-owner Cory Navarro.

The Valientes will parade in the 3x3 bubble exPhilippine Basketball Association player Rudy Lingganay, Gino Jumaoas, Darwin Cordero, Das Esa, Arar De Leon, Med Salim and 3x3 veteran Jon Rebollos.

“Zamboangueños are very proud of this team since this is the only team that has full-blooded Zamboangueño in it to play and represent Zamboanga,” said coach Joseph Romarate of the team, owned by philanthropist and businesswoman Navarro and Mike Venezuela.

In last year’s 3x3, the Valientes showed their ability to compete by outplaying competitive teams.

They even pushed to the edge the Pasig Kings, the Shown here are (from left) Gino Jumaoas, Med Salim,Rudy Linganay, Arar de Leon and Jonjon Rebollos. champion of the last season of the Melmac Cup. The Zamboangueños also received solid sup- 3x3 league for resuming the games after seven Zamboanga lost by just a point in the elimination port from Zamboanga City Mayor Beng Cli- months without activity due to the lockdown round to Pasig. maco, who also congratulated the team and the brought by the pandemic.

The exercise of prerogative FREE THROW SHOOTER NATHANIEL DELA CRUZ THE only time Zinedine Zidane would probably regret letting James Rodriguez go is if Everton and Real Madrid face in the Champions League, and it would result in a Los Blancos exit facilitated by a former Galáctico.

Other than that, Rodriguez is in the rearview mirror. Real Madrid players should accept that. Pining over an exteammate who is now with the English Premier League team Everton FC is detrimental to the team. Subconsciously, you are already planting the seed of resentment that will damage your relationship with your coach if you hold this decision against him. You are already arming yourself with an excuse if ever you lose a match or a title - we could’ve won if Zidane kept Rodriguez.

If anything, those who remain in Real Madrid should see this as a sign of the complete trust of the coach in them,

and they should reciprocate by showing hard work, not bitterness. As defending champions and as an esteemed football club, this is not how you would want to appear or present yourself.

I understand how they feel. Rodriguez is a talented midfielder. Zidane should have maximized Rodriguez’s skill for the benefit of the club. But here’s the thing: a coach or manager has preferences, and believe it or not, a crucial part of a successful coachplayer relationship is not talent but rapport. A good coach-player relationship can make an average player outstanding, while a bad one can make an excellent player look mediocre.

A coach wants someone he can connect with, someone who shares the same frame of mind and outlook on how to play the game. A competitive coach does not allow himself to be swayed by how much a player has cost the team just so he signs, especially not those the coach didn’t pick, endorse, or recruited.

He does not allow himself to be swayed by maudlin sentiments; that Rodriguez openly admitted to idolizing Zidane does not mean the Frenchman has the moral obligation to take

the Colombian under his wing as a long-term mentee; that they are both Galáctico from two different eras who found each other in Real Madrid demands the passing of the torch from the old guard to the new vanguard, but no—they are not fated to walk this path even if it would have made for a truly heartwarming and unforgettable story worthy of a Hollywood movie.

The job for some managers is to make the best of the roster available. And then there are those whose job contract came with a free hand to assemble a squad they see fit for their needs. It is safe to assume that Zidane is the latter, considering his background. He has a vision on what will make Real Madrid perennial champions during his stay in Santiago Bernabéu as its manager, and it was clear to him that he does not have much use for what Rodriguez can do.

For whatever reason, Zidane is not confident in Rodriguez. But Carlo Ancelotti is. That is why he wanted Rodriguez in Real Madrid, and then in Bayern Munich, and in Everton, where their partnership has been successful so far, with Everton—12th in the Premier League table last year—on top of

the table undefeated after five matches (4-1-0).

Rodriguez leaving Real Madrid does not mean Zidane thinks of him as lacking in talent. It means he prefers someone else. What Zidane discarded as scraps from his table has fed the hungry Everton. Now, there is feasting in Goodison Park.

It is the nature of professional sports: the exercise of prerogative and having to live with the consequences. Zidane has a say on who he puts on the field and who he keeps in the roster, and if Real Madrid is unsuccessful, he will pay for it with his job. Rodriguez has the option of leaving Real Madrid if he is unhappy here. He knows that there are very few who can compare to Real Madrid in terms of popularity and esteem, and transferring to a lesser-known team will affect his market value if both he and his new team flounders. Both Zidane and Rodriguez committed to a decision. We will see by the end of the European club football calendar where their decision has brought them.

This season is the crucible, the year of forging. We will get to see how sharp a sword each man will become.

PH Superliga returns with Challenge Cup in Subic THE Philippine Superliga returns with its Beach Volleyball Challenge Cup 2020 starting on November 26 in Subic.

PSL chairman Philip Ella Juico said the country’s top volleyball league is now preparing to restart its season under the new normal after the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease gave it the green light to play.

A former chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission, Juico said his team has formed a medical committee that works hand in hand with the IATF and Department of Health to make sure that all the safe and healthy protocols of the government are being met.

Among the safety measures that the PSL will put in place are the usual temperature checking, observance of social distancing and wearing of masks and shields.

The league will also designate a single entry and exit point and make sure that packed meals are distributed in an orderly manner to avoid contracting the coronavirus disease.

“We’re doing all of these for our fans and supporters who have waited long enough for intense volleyball action,” Juico said.

“Restarting the season is not easy. But we are willing to do it for our fans, players, coaches, team owners, league personnel and all stakeholders who are seriously craving for the return of volleyball.

We, however, have to do it safely and effectively.”

Juico added that the PSL’s host— the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority—has been supporting the league in crafting all the health and safety protocols.

“SBMA has been very supportive,” he said.

“They are also helping us craft our guidelines in compliance with that of the IATF and DOH so that everybody will be safe and healthy.”

The last time the PSL was held was in March featuring imports from countries like the United States, Serbia, Montenegro and Canada.

But with the government imposing nationwide community quarantine two weeks later, the league had no choice but to send home the foreign players and indefinitely suspend its season.

Juico said they are looking at having all their member teams in Petron, F2 Logistics, Cignal, Chery Tiggo, PLDT Home Fibr, GenerikaAyala, Marinerang Pilipina and Sta. Lucia field two teams each for a total of 16 teams.

“So far, everybody is committed.

We are very thankful to the teams, to our media partner in TV5, to SBMA and to all stakeholders for helping us in restarting our season,” Juico said.

Team Lakay at PSA Forum TOP Team Lakay fighter Eduard Folayang and coach Mark Sangiao make their initial appearance in the Philippine Sportswriters Association webcast Forum on Tuesday.

Folayang, the former ONE lightweight world champion, and Sangiao will talk about the Filipino’s coming fight against Antonio Caruso of Australia in Singapore.

The fight is among the featured undercard in ONE: Inside the Matrix on Oct. 30 The 10 a.m. session is presented by San Miguel Corp., Go For Gold, MILO, Amelie Hotel Manila, Braska Restaurant, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation and powered by Smart. Official webcast partner is Upstream Media.

The Forum is aired live via the PSA Facebook page f b.com/ PhilippineSpor tswritersAssociation and also shared by Radyo Pilipinas 2 Facebook page.

Entertainment

Nickie Wang, Issue Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2020

Khalil Ramos to explore his creative side with GMA Artist Center FORMER Star Magic talent Khalil Ramos was warmly welcomed by the Kapuso Network when he signed an exclusive management contract with GMA Artist Center Oct. 13.

The decision, which according to the young actor “was neither easy nor hard”, was a product of several talks between him and the network since the beginning of the year.

“Early this year, before the pandemic happened, we already had a few initial talks. They didn’t tell me immediately to be their talent but they presented a few projects that I find really interesting to explore,” Khalil told Manila Standard Entertainment in a virtual interview.

During the contract signing, the 24-year-old actor felt overwhelmed when GMA Senior Vice President for Entertainment Group Lilybeth G. Rasonable, GMA Senior Assistant Vice President for Alternative Productions Gigi Santiago-Lara, GMA Artist Center Assistant Vice President and Head for Talent Imaging and Market-

V

ing Unit Simoun Ferrer, and GMA Artist Center Senior Talent Manager Joy Marcelo were all present.

“That has never happened before, I mean, I’m not used to this kind of grand welcome. I feel loved! The amount of support that I’ve been getting so far is very gratifying. I’m incredibly happy to be a Kapuso. I’m very much excited to be able to collaborate with such talented and skilled people. I can’t wait to meet everyone else,” he expressed his enthusiasm.

Khalil entered the entertainment industry in 2011 at the age of 15. From then on, he has grown into a multihyphenate for much of his career: a filmmaker, a content creator, a host, a performer, and a highlyregarded actor.

To name a few of his notable films, Khalil starred as part of the lead cast in various films, such as in Erik Matti’s award-winning film, Honor Thy Father, the first Filipino Netflix film Dead Kids directed by seasoned filmmaker Mikhail Red, and just last year, Khalil showcased his acting prowess as the leading

man in the multi-awarded film LSS, opposite Gabbi Garcia.

Now that he is a certified Kapuso, Khalil looks forward to portraying challenging roles that GMA is known for highlighting on screen.

“I’d definitely want to take on roles that are acting pieces. Some that I could think of are roles in a heavy drama series. Thriller and suspense roles would be great as well. Comedy is also something that I’d like to explore after doing Dead Kids. I am really interested in roles that would challenge me as a storyteller,” he related.

Driven by passion and a creative eye, Khalil cofounded Limitless Production House with his friends.

As its CEO, director, and producer, he collaborates with the country’s top directors and cinematographers, on and off the screen, as an actor and mentee.

Khalil revealed that his fans should look forward to more of his captivating music and creative storytelling in his new home network.

Viva unmasks new weekend primetime show

IVA Entertainment aims to continue providing topnotch entertainment with its partnership with the Kapatid Network, TV5.

“We’re very happy that Viva’s partnership with Cignal and TV5 has been going strong, given that our joint venture company, SSNI, is now in its 5th year. I guess what makes it fun working with the group is the collaborative nature of the relationship where each side has an equal say on the creative direction to take in every project,” Viva president and COO, Vincent del Rosario said.

First to emerge from this partnership are five new dynamic shows from CignalTV and SariSari produced by Viva from TV5.

Masked Singer Pilipinas, hosted by Billy Crawford, is set to premiere on Oct. 24 at 7:00 on primetime block. Based on the hit South Korean show and also adapted in the US, this show features performances of celebrity contestants concealed in masks and costumes.

Every week, our celebrity judges Cristine Reyes, Kim Molina, Matteo Guidicelli, and Aga Muhlach will give their ratings that could eliminate and unmask one of the highly confidential masked celebrity singers.

“We are very excited. We thank TV5 for opening its doors and windows for us. Let us enjoy this because there are really many exciting news to be offered by the network. This is just the beginning of many more shows,” Billy said during a virtual press conference for the weekend program.

In the same event, four other shows were introduced including Ghost Adventures, Bella Bandida, Kagat ng Dilim, and Onstage.

Ghost Adventures is a comedy-horror series airing on Oct. 31.

It stars Benjie Paras, Empoy Marquez, and Kylie Verzosa.

Bella Bandida is the new superhero to promote women empowerment as she fights all kinds of injustices. Starring Ryza Cenon, the story is loosely based on Francisco V. Coching’s comic book of the same name. Bella Bandida

NICKIE WANG

premieres on Nov. 23.

Critically-acclaimed directors Richard Somes, Lawrence Fajardo, Paul Basinillo, and Rae Red are guaranteed to quench your thirst for some jump scare experiences with every dark tale that will feature Filipino folktales, myths, creatures and urban legends. Kagat ng Dilim also premieres on Nov. 23.

Lastly Onstage will allow viewers to relish the moments that made history on the concert scene. Some of the titles to look forward to are Anne Curtis’s Anne Kapal Forbidden Concert, Revolution: The JaDine Concert, The Crew: Billy Craword, Sam Concepcion and James Reid, Playlist, SiKat Ako: Katrina Velarde Concert, Martin & Side A, Martin Nievera 3D, Martin Nievera and Sarah Geronimo’s What Love Is?, and more Sarah G’s concerts, such as In Motion, The Next One, From The Top, and The Great Unknown.

Billy (center) with judges (from left) Aga Muhlach, Kim Molina, Cristine Reyes, and Matteo Guidicelli.

TO CELEBRATE its golden anniversary as part of every Filipino’s essential home cooking experience, UFC is hosting its firstever UFC Reel Life: Nagsasama-samang Sarap Short Film Competition, which aims to train the spotlight on the prodigious talents of local filmmakers in creating inspiring and meaningful stories.

All entries must creatively depict the enduring optimism and positivity of Filipinos from all ages in times of difficulty. These should also portray the integral role of UFC products in empowering Filipinos to create nagsasamasamang sarap moments every day.

Thus, all submitted videos should use at least one UFC product as an organic part of the narrative. UFC products include: UFC Tamis Anghang Banana Catsup, UFC Sweet Chili Sauce, UFC Tomato Sauce, UFC Gravy, UFC

VERY WANG

‘Masked Singer Pilipinas’ host Billy Crawford.

I

Khalil Ramos signs an exclusive talent management contract with GMA Network’s GMAAC.

Big shoes to fill GMA has recently announced that Sanya Lopez will fill in the shoes of Marian Rivera in its upcoming primetime presentation titled First Yaya, which also top bills veteran actor Gabby Concepcion.

Originally, Marian was slated to do the said project that would serve as her comeback in doing soap operas after three years.

However, due to the pandemic, production was put on hold until the Kapuso Prime Time Queen eventually backed out from the show because she doesn’t want to be away from her children Zia and Sixto since it would require lock-in taping.

First Yaya is definitely a huge project for Sanya which would catapult her as one of GMA’s premiere female leads.

“I couldn’t thank the management enough for the trust they gave me. I was super happy about this development in my career. Being handpicked for the role is such an honor,” Sanya said.

In the story, she will play the role of the nanny to the president’s children. Apart from Gabby, other stars who are part of the cast include Cassy Legaspi (in her acting debut), Pancho Magno, Sandy Andolong, and Pilar Pilapil.

This development is a further boost to Sanya’s progressive career. A protégé of the late star-builder German Moreno, the alluring lass

JOSEPH PETER GONZALES

caught the public’s attention with her sizzling portrayal of Sang’gre Danaya in the 2016 reboot of the classic fantasy Encantadia. She also nabbed lead roles in the top-rating soaps Cain at Abel, Haplos, and Dahil sa Pag-ibig and headlined the 2018 movie Wild and Free.

Sanya Lopez

EXTRA INTERNATONAL

Alden wins ‘Pinakapasadong Aktor’ award SCREEN star Alden Richards earned another acting accolade at the recently concluded 22nd Gawad Pasado.

He was named as the “Pinakapasadong Aktor" for his outstanding performance in the 2019 blockbuster film Hello, Love, Goodbye during a virtual awarding held on Oct. 10.

In his acceptance video, the Kapuso star humbly expressed his gratitude towards the award-giving body for recognizing his hard work, "Isang malaking karangalan po na nabigyan ako ng award mula po sa inyong samahan. Nagpapasalamat po ako. Here's to more projects and more experiences to come para sa ating lahat."

The Gawad PASADO (Pampelikulang Samahan ng mga Dalubguro) is a group of film educators in the country that annually honors artists, directors, films, TV shows, and music that have positively contributed in the disciplines of social studies, language, arts, and humanities.

As a treat to his fans, Alden is set to step up his game via his 10th anniversary concert Alden’s Reality. Scheduled on Dec. 8. The concert is produced by Synergy: A GMA Collaboration.

Short film competition marks UFC’s 50 years Hot and Spicy Banana Catsup, UFC Hot Sauce, UFC Spaghetti Sauce, UFC Ready Recipes, and UFC Fresh Selections.

The festival is open to all filmmakers in the Philippines. Entries must have a maximum length of five (5) minutes, including the opening and closing credits. All videos submitted should be recorded in horizontal format, and edited in not less than 720 HD format. Using 1080 HD, however, is highly recommended.

Submissions will be screened by a panel of judges, which will determine the finalists and winners through a deliberation. Thirty finalists will be chosen based on the following criteria:

SHTICKS

To celebrate its 50th year as part of every Filipino’s essential home cooking experience, UFC is hosting its first-ever UFC Reel Life: Nagsasama-samang Sarap Short Film Competition.

Thematic Storytelling (40 percent), Creativity and Originality (40 percent), and Technical Execution (20 percent). The results will be final and irrevocable.

The 30 finalists will automatically receive a gift pack from UFC. Likewise, they will be eligible for the following prizes: 1st Prize (P100,000); 2nd Prize (P50,000); 3rd Prize (P20,000); Best Actor (P5,000); Best Actress (P5,000); Best Cinematography (P5,000); Best Screenplay (P5,000); Best Editing (P5,000); Best Director (P15,000); and People’s Choice Award (P15,000).

All entries must be emailed to ufcreellife@ gmail.com and must include your name, title of

Multimedia star Alden Richards

the film, contact number, names of cast and crew, and a photo of the director. For larger files, you may use wetransfer.com to create a shareable link that you can include in your email.

No film entry shall be an imitation or plagiarized version of any copyrighted work. UFCine Presents: Nagsasamasamang Sarap Short Film Competition and its organizers will not be responsible for any copyright infringement committed by the participants.

The deadline for submission is on Nov. 30.

The 30 finalists will be announced on Dec. 3, and the winners will be awarded on Dec. 14.

The organizers reserve the right to post all entries on their various social media accounts, namely Sarap UFC, Sarap Pinoy, NutriAsia, and its agency, Insight 360 Consultancy Services, Inc.

Life

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

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HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2020

T

HE pink ribbon, the global symbol of breast cancer awareness, is back to remind everyone of the value of early detection and intervention for breast cancer, the most common type of cancer in the Philippines.

In 2018, breast cancer had the highest incidence among cancer cases in the country at 17.6 percent (for both sexes, 31.4 percent among females), with mortality rate recorded at 9.3 percent that year, according to the World Health Organization.

Globally, breast cancer is about 100 times more common in women than in men. Although it can manifest at almost

Everyone is encouraged to perform monthly breast self-examination to detect any physical or visual changes.

IN OCTOBER, WE WEAR PINK.

The global symbol of breast cancer awareness, the pink ribbon aims to remind everyone of the value of early detection and intervention for breast cancer.

Pink ribbon for Breast Cancer Awareness Month any age, most cases occur over the age of 40, and the risk of developing the disease increases as one gets older.

These figures underscore the importance of early detection and intervention for breast cancer, especially for women aged 40 and above.

Early detection and intervention enable medical professionals to recognize the disease in its localized stage, which in turn opens up more options for treatment, and significantly increases the chances of survival for the patient. Hence, women are encouraged to be more proactive about the disease.

“Just going in front of the mirror to check for any visual or physical changes in the breast, at least once a month, can go a long way in making sure that breast cancer is detected as early as possible,” said Dr. Melanie Cruz of the Philippine Breast Cancer Society.

According to Dr. Cruz, a monthly self-assessment is usually enough for those who are aged 25 and below.

However, “once a woman reaches the age

of 40, annual visits to the clinic for breast cancer assessment becomes a must.”

Experts say one of the most common reasons many women are not able avail of clinical assessments is the cost of consultations.

Fortunately, there are a number of options available such as free consultations offered in community clinics.

With breast cancer consultations now carried out mostly online, Dr. Cruz said it is still important to avail of at least one physical consultation a year.

“While it’s understandable that people are turning to virtual consultations for breast cancer as a safety precaution, at least one physical session a year is recommended as there are things that can only be addressed by physicians face-to-face.”

This year, SM Cares, the corporate social responsibility arm of SM Supermalls, is supporting the breast cancer awareness advocacy through an information, education, and communication campaign that highlights the importance of early detection and intervention.

Organique joins DOH Bida campaign A PREMIUM health products brand joins the Department of Health’s campaign that urges the public to comply with health protocols to stem the spread of coronavirus disease.

DOH’s Bida Solusyon campaign highlights practices such as wearing of face mask and face shield in public spaces, regular and proper hand washing, and social distancing by at least one meter—a well-rounded approach that, Organique, Inc, president and chief executive Cathy Salimbangon said, complements their brand’s immunity-boosting products.

“As a brand, we are in a position to do more to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Thanks to the BIDA guidelines, our teams were able to adapt and demonstrate resilience that puts the safety of our team and customers first,” said Salimbangon.

Echoing Salimbangon’s statements, Integrative Medicine specialist and well-

ness expert Dr. Sonny Villoria shared, “As a medical practitioner, I know the importance of boosting your immune system. So health supplements like Organique can help provide some form of internal protection, while BIDA can provide external protection.”

During the launch, Organique pledged to help build consumer confidence through the mass implementation of the BIDA Solusyon campaign’s objectives.

“Not only will we be applying the BIDA guidelines in our own lives. We will also be sharing the pillars of the BIDA campaign in our various platforms online and in person, so that our teams, their families, and the people they may come in contact with, will learn about these simple but important practices against COVID-19,” elaborated Salimbangon.

In addition, Organique Inc. ImmunoCare Kits will be distributed to the vulnerable sectors of the community. They contain the brand’s immunity-boosting Acai Premium Blend, bottles of alcohol, masks, face shields, and BIDA posters and flyers.

“We welcome Organique’s energy to make BIDA’s message live and breathe in every Filipino,’’ said Dr. Beverly Ho, director IV of health promotion and communication service of the DOH’s Public Health Services Team.

Dr. Ho added, “We shouldn’t be fearful about COVID because the solutions are within us. However, we recognize that some countrymen need more, and so we have our partners to help spread our message. We need to go beyond communication and advertisements to reach different communities.”

Every purchase of Dragon Tail Plant from Long Live Plants will support the learning needs of underprivileged children.

Buy a plant, save a child “PLANTITOS” and “halamoms” can take their love of their leafy lockdown companions much further by supporting a fundraising campaign that supports children in poor households.

Save the Children, in partnership with Long Live Plants, has recently launched #PlantTheirFuture initiative which provides a basic learning kit to a child under Project ARAL (Access to Resources for Alternative Learning) for every purchase of a 6x6-inch Dragon Tail plant in a woven basket, priced at P995.

The kit aims to support the blended learning needs of underprivileged children in Caloocan, Navotas, and Malabon, as well as in Southern Mindanao.

According to Naida Pasion, chief business development officer of Save the Children Philippines, millions of children are still at risk of being left behind due to lack of access to learning materials, including devices and Internet connection.

“As we nurture plants at home, so too can we support children’s continuing learning at home and help ensure a better future for them,” said Pasion.

To order the Dragon Tail plant, send a message to Long Live Plants on Instagram (@longliveplants.ph) or to Save the Children Philippines via e-mail at judy.malabanan@savethechildren.org. Shipping fee will be shouldered by the buyer.

Drive-thru blood extraction and RT-PCR testing are now available at Makati Medical Center.

Makati Med offers drive-thru lab tests, home service RECOGNIZING many patients’ concerns about visiting hospitals for medical tests, consultations, and vaccinations, Makati Medical Center offers a range of out-of-hospital services.

Offsite COVID testing and house call services The healthcare institution now conducts offsite reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RTPCR) or swab testing for COVID-19 as well as regular blood routine procedures Mondays through Saturdays, from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Results are released within 48 hours for the RT-PCR test, while the routine blood test results conform to the MakatiMed laboratory turnaround time.

Contact (02) 8888-8999 local 7061 to schedule an appointment at least four days before the preferred test date.

Drive-thru RT-PCR and blood extraction Patients have a choice to have it done via a drive-thru service from the safety of their private vehicle or from the comfort of their homes.

Drive-thru services are available from Monday to Saturday, 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Contact (02) 8888-8999 local 7061 to schedule an appointment at least two days before the preferred schedule.

Online consultations Patients who want to schedule a consultation with their existing MakatiMed doctors can do it online through TeleMD. Appointments can be set via their doctor’s secretary or through MakatiMed On-Call at (02) 8888-8999. The doctor’s clinic will send a link for the teleconsultation appointment and payment details.

Online counseling for diabetes and weight wellness To ensure that patients with diabetes have convenient access to experts, MakatiMed has also introduced an online counseling service. Contact 0998-585-2103 or email diabetes@ makatimed.net.ph or weightwellness@makatimed.net.ph to schedule an appointment.

MakatiMed continues to encourage everyone to stay at home to help contain the spread of COVID-19 , but should they need a face-to-face appointment with their doctor, the hospital assures patients that its diagnostic and wellness centers are in full operation and continue to be safe for patients and visitors.