Manila Standard - 2020 November 17 - Tuesday

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Entire Luzon in calamity state Risk mgt council calls on Duterte to declare crisis on country's biggest island

By Vito Barcelo and Rio N. Araja

ISASTER officials on Monday completed their assessment of damages and recommended that the entire Luzon be placed under a state of calamity after the widespread damage caused by typhoon “Ulysses” and two other powerful storms before it.

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Based on situation reports issued by the National Disaster Risk Reduction Council (NDRRMC) from Nov. 9 to 16, the country has so far suffered a total of P32.23 billion in infrastructure and agricultural damages and lost 119 lives to Ulysses, Super Typhoon "Rolly" and Typhoon "Quinta" combined (see table below - Editors).

Seven storms hit the Philippines and blasted Luzon from north to south since mid-October, starting with Tropical Depression Ofel, which made landfalls in Sorsogon, Masbate, Marinduque and Batangas on Oct. 14.

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HEAD HEAD? Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Jay Velasco (in green barong) takes his oath as House Speaker among his allies at the Celebrity Sports Plaza in Quezon City on Monday. At the same time, incumbent House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano presides over a media briefing at the Batasan complex also in Quezon City.

CNN Philippines and GMA News photos

SCRAMBLE FOR AID. In these photos posted on Twitter from Mark Demayo of ABS-CBN, residents of Linao East in Tuguegarao, Cagayan line up to receive relief goods on Monday without regard for physical distancing amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as the floods in the remaining parts of the barangay and adjacent areas continue to subside.

STORM DAMAGES AND DEATHS (Source: NDRRMC as of Nov. 16)

'QUINTA'

INFRASTRUCTURE AGRICULTURE DEATHS P1.56 billion P2.66 billion 27

'ROLLY'

P12.87 billion

P5 billion

25

'ULYSSES' P8 billion

P2.14 billion

67

TOTALS

P9.8 billion

119

P22.43billion

Palace belittles plan to sue Magat Dam officials

SMALL TALK.

President Rodrigo Duterte speaks to the public after arriving in Camarines Sur on Sunday to see the damage of recent storms 'Rolly' and 'Ulysses' on the area on Monday (see related story on A2). Presidential Photo

By Maricel V. Cruz, Vito Barcelo, and Rio N. Araja THE Palace on Monday said it doubts that legal action against the managers of Magat Dam would prosper, even as the House of Representatives will investigate the cause of massive flooding that submerged the provinces of Cagayan and Isabela during the onslaught of Typhoon “Ulysses.”

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque

said those planning to push for the accountability from Magat dam management must first prove that the release of water from the dam was the main cause for the widespread flooding in Cagayan and Isabela provinces.

But there were other reasons for the flooding, he said. First, water would go downstream because the area was a valley. He also said flash floods were caused by deforestation, illegal mining and the contour of the river itself.

Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, Majority Leader Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, and Minority Leader Joseph Stephen Paduano filed House Resolution 1348, directing the appropriate committee to immediately conduct the investigation.

“As the death toll continues to rise, and the extent of damage is slowly being revealed, there is an urgent need to examine the actions that were taken during, before and after the onslaught of Typhoon Ulysses,” Velasco said.

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Romualdez shares in relief drive for typhoon victims

By Rio N. Araja, Maricel V. Cruz and Willie Casas HOUSE Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin G. Romualdez on Monday turned over relief goods to Speaker Lord Allan

Business groups press for efficient disaster response

By Maricel V. Cruz and Willie Casas

BUSINESS groups on Monday rallied to an "urgent" call from Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) to press Next page

(AS OF 4 PM NOV. 16)

TURNOVER. Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez (left) turns over relief goods and other essential items to House Speaker Lord Alan Velasco in response to the latter's fund drive to help communities affected by recent strong typhoons that hit the Philippines.

Romualdez also turned over the same items to Cagayan 2nd Dist. Rep.Sam Vargas, Catanduanes Rep. Hector Sanchez, 2nd Dist. of Rizal Rep. Fidel Nograles, Bulacan 1st Dist.Rep. Jonathan Sy-Alvarado, and Quezon City 2nd Dist. Rep Precious Hipolito. Ver Noveno

TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES

Corruption in DPWH tops tip-off list

AT A GLANCE

409,574

1,738 27,369 NEW

7,839

ACTIVE

7

DEATHS

NEW

374,366

45

RECOVERIES

NEW

Romualdez also turned over sacks of rice, boxes of canned goods and cup noodles, solar lights, face shields and face towels to Catanduanes Rep. Hector Sanchez, Cagayan Rep. Samantha Louise Vargas Alfonso, Rizal Rep. Fidel Nograles, Bulacan Rep. Jonathan Sy-Alvarado, and Quezon City Rep. Precious Castelo, whose districts were hit by recent typhoons.

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No classes still in devastated areas

By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Maricel V. Cruz

COVID-19 PH

Velasco and six other legislators from districts hardest hit by Typhoon "Ulysses."

Romualdez said this was in response to Velasco’s fund drive for victims of recent typhoons.

The majority leader, who celebrated his 57th birthday on Saturday, said he was reminded to give back to the people who were victimized by the recent calamities.

received many complaints, the majority of them involving projects of the DepartJUSTICE Secretary Menardo Guevarra ment of Public Works and Highways.

“As of today (Monday), around 20 on Monday said the Department of Justice-led Anti-Corruption Task Force has Next page

By Rey E. Requejo

OIL FIRMS HIKE PUMP PRICES BY P1.55/L NEWS / A2

DISTANCE-learning activities in Calabarzon and Cagayan province have been suspended from Monday to Friday this week by the Department of Education following the onslaught of Typhoon "Ulysses" (international name: Vamco).

Wilfredo Cabral, director of the DepEd’s office in Calabarzon region, announced the suspension of these activities in the following areas of Rizal: Rodriguez; San Mateo; Cainta; Taytay; Baras

– Pinugay; Upland of Tanay.

“This (suspension) is to provide affected personnel, families and the learners [time] to recover from the devastating effects of the typhoon,” Cabral said in a memorandum.

In the National Capital Region, distance-learning activities are suspended only in areas where the local government units (LGUs) declare a suspension of classes, according to an advisory from DepEd regional director Malcom Garma.

On Monday, Marikina City Mayor Next page

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News

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2020

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Big-time oil price hike today T

By Alena Mae Flores and Macon Ramos-Araneta

HE country’s oil firms raised pump prices by as much as P1.55 per liter effective 6 a.m. Tuesday to reflect the movement of oil prices in the world market.

The oil firms raised the price of gasoline by P1.05 per liter, diesel by P1.55 per liter, and kerosene by P1.30 per liter, as world oil prices jumped due to reports of the effectiveness of a coronavirus vaccine.

However, Senator Imee Marcos called on the Department of Energy and the

DOH: COVID case clusters going down

By Willie Casas THE Department of Health was hopeful Monday the number of COVID-19 cases would continue to decrease as there was no longer in its eye range a large cluster of cases in certain parts of the country.

“We can see a decreasing trend in the number of cases and there is increasing availability of resources. The clustering of cases in areas previously identified as hotspots are also gone,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said during a virtual briefing.

Vergeire pointed out that the country’s transmission rate had been less than one “in the past weeks and months," which meant transmission rate had slowed down.

“The average number of cases is in a stable condition. Less than 2000 for the past week already,” she pointed out.

The health official also said most regions had a critical care utilization rate within the “safe zone." Nobody was at a critical level or had an occupancy of 85 percent or more.

Palace..

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To date, the death toll from Typhoon Ulysses has reached 67, with over 20 people missing, and the damage to agriculture and infrastructure has been estimated to be at least P1.5 billion.

In calling for a legislative inquiry, the three House leaders cited the “gravity and unprecedented nature of the situation, the geographic propensity of the country to natural calamities, and the need to prevent similar situations from occurring.”

The congressional leaders specifically wanted the House to probe the circumstances surrounding the rapid inflow of water into the reservoir, as well as any non-compliance with laws, rules or regulations that may have had a contributory effect to the swelling of Cagayan River.

They also wanted the chamber to look into the decision of the National Irrigation Administration to open the spillway gates of Magat Dam, which dumped the equivalent of 18 meters of water into Cagayan.

The predicted Category-4 strength of the typhoon should have prompted concerned government agencies and local government units to take necessary preemptive action to mitigate possible adverse effects on local communities, the lawmakers said.

Heavy winds and torrential rains battered parts of Metro Manila, the Bicol region, Central Luzon, Cordillera Administrative Region and Calabarzon, causing power failures, extreme flooding and heavy damage to infrastructure and property, and threatened the lives and livelihood of many Filipinos.

The effects of the typhoon also caused massive destruction in Cagayan Valley, particularly in the provinces of Cagayan and Isabela, as the region experienced unprecedented flooding in the wake of the typhoon.

Business...

From A1

the government for an efficient disaster response and preparedness program in face of calamities.

Aside from the MAP, the 18 groups that signed the statement included the American and European Chambers of Commerce, the Bankers Association of the Philippines, the Cebu Business Club, and the People Management Association of the Philippines.

The group said: “We express serious concern about the state of our country’s disaster preparedness that could have minimized the untimely deaths of our countrymen, and avoided massive damage and destruction of property.

“But even as we express this concern, we urge our countrymen to move forward in a coordinated and efficient fashion to mitigate the ill-effects of the recent typhoons, and

country’s three largest oil companies to “put people ahead of profit” and suspend the oil price hikes set for today.

Marcos, who chairs the Senate committee on economic affairs, said financial difficulties amid the COVID-19 pandemic and recent calamities called for an oil price

Entire...

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Tropical Storm Pepito made landfall in Aurora on Oct. 20, followed by Quinta, which hit Albay, Quezon, Marinduque and Or. Mindoro on Oct. 25-26.

Rolly made landfalls in Catanduanes, Albay, Quezon, Batangas on Nov. 1, then Severe Tropical Storm Siony passed by Batanes on Nov. 6.

Tropical Depression Tonyo made landfall in Marinduque and Batangas on Nov. 8, setting the stage for Ulysses, which landed in Quezon on Nov. 11 and crossed over Luzon to the West Philippine Sea on Nov. 12.

During a state of calamity, all local government units (LGUs) may use their quick response funds (QRFs) "to immediately assist areas stricken by catastrophes and crises."

Agencies like the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Department of Education (DepEd) also have QRFs. The recommendation to President Rodrigo Duterte to declare a state of calamity was reached at a meeting of the NDRRMC Monday, its executive director Ricardo Jalad said.

Jalad said members of the council also agreed to convene a technical working group to assess the current state of dam management.

The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) has come under fire for opening seven gates in the Magat Dam from Nov. 12 to 13, releasing the equivalent of a height of 18 meters, causing severe flooding in Isabela and Cagayan.

Jalad said NDRRMC chairman and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, who led the meeting, told the state weather bureau to revisit its historical data to strengthen its warnings beforehand.

The meeting also tackled the provision of assistance to the affected farmers and fishermen; road clearing; shelter requirements; and other recovery interventions.

The estimated damage brought by Ulysses to infrastructure in eight heavily affected regions is now P8 billion, the DPWH reported Monday.

The department said damage to infrastructures occurred in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), National Capital Region (NCR), Region 1 (Ilocos), Region 2 (Cagayan Valley), Region 3 (Central Luzon), Region 4-A (Calabarzon), Region 4-B (Mimaropa), and Region 5 (Bicol).

Damage to roads was at P4 billion;

Romualdez..

From A1

Former Vice President Jejomar Binay on Monday also appealed to former government officials to unite and help the communities affected by the recent tropical cyclones.

“Helping our people doesn’t stop when we leave the government, especially in times of calamity," Binay said. The former vice president extended assistance to the provincial governments of Cagayan and Isabela.

The former vice president earlier urged the government to immediately augment the calamity funds of local government units in the areas affected by typhoons.

“National government should immediately act to augment the calamity funds of LGUs. The funds are almost depleted because of the aid they extended during the lockdown and the typhoons. Their resources and manpower have been prevent further loss of life and damage to property and the economy.

“We encourage more and better publicprivate partnerships in making our LGUs less vulnerable to disasters, particularly in implementing extensive disaster-prevention measures, especially as recent disasters appear to be expanding in their geographic coverage and becoming more destructive in magnitude.”

The other groups that signed were the Cebu Leads Foundation, the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines, the Fintech Alliance, the Institute for Solidarity in Asia, Institute of Corporate Directors, Investment House Association of the Philippines , IT & Business Process Association of the Philippines, Inc., Judicial Reform Initiative, Philippine Women’s Economic Network, Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines, Inc., Shareholders’ Association of the Philippines, UP School of Economics Alumni Association, and Women’s Business Council Philippines.

freeze, particularly in provinces where relief efforts were ongoing due to typhoons Quinta, Rolly and Ulysses.

“Where is your conscience at a time when people are crying out for help?”

Marcos asked.

“Petron will implement the following price increases effective 6 a.m. on Nov. 17: P1.05 per liter for gasoline; P1.55 per liter for diesel; and P1.30 per liter for kerosene. These reflect movements in the international oil market,” Petron Corp. said in its advisory on Monday.

Aside from Petron, Phoenix Petroleum Philippines, Seaoil Philippines, Cleanfuel and PetroGazz also issued their respective

advisories. Other oil companies are expected to follow suit.

Phoenix said it will adjust its pump prices at the same level “except in the provinces of Cagayan, Isabela and Rizal and Marikina.”

On November 10, the oil companies cut the price of gasoline by P0.20 per but raised the price of diesel and kerosene by P0.20 and P0.40 per liter, respectively.

These resulted in the year-to-date adjustments to stand at a net decrease of P5.67 per liter for gasoline, P10.91 per liter for diesel and P13.89 per liter for kerosene, according to the latest monitoring of the Department of Energy (DOE).

P421 million to bridges; P2 billion on flood control; P300 million on public buildings, P511 million to school buildings, and P300 million to other infrastructures.

Regions 4-A and 5 so far recorded the highest number of damage at P3.3 billion and P1.89 billion, respectively.

The Palace, meanwhile, said it was drafting an executive order to form a “Build Back Better Task Force” to speed up the distribution of assistance to the victims of the successive typhoons.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the task force will be headed by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea with representatives from various agencies as members, including the departments of Agriculture, Public Works and Highways, Budget and Management and Social Welfare and Development; the NIA; the National Electrification Administration; and the National Housing Authority.

The Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard must provide assistance to the task force, he added.

Local government units, he said, will also be called to render assistance to the task force in carrying out its mandate.

Roque said Medialdea, as the head of the group, can make decisions even without the task force meeting, if it means saving lives and to make sure that the funds are available to those who need them.

Roque also rejected criticism that the new task force would be redundant, given the existence of the NDRRMC. “There’s no superfluity. It will facilitate the easier and faster provision of relief and assistance if there’s a calamity,” Roque said in a mix of English and Filipino.

He said the successive typhoons that hit the country make the creation of a task force a necessity.

Roque defended the government’s response to Typhoon Ulysses, but admitted they were not expecting the massive destruction that it brought.

“There were no shortcomings in the government's response to typhoon Ulysses, which left at least 67 dead and submerged a northern region under the worst flooding in more than four decades,” Roque said.

Duterte said government agencies and local government units deployed their resources even before back-to-back typhoons hit most of Luzon in the past weeks.

While the government prepared for typhoon Ulysses' onslaught in Cagayan Valley, authorities did not expect the amount of water that descended on the lowlands, Roque said.

The Palace official blamed climate change, deforestation, illegal mining, and a “chokepoint” in the Cagayan River that contributed to the flooding in the Cagayan and Isabela.

“There are many factors there. We anticipated [this], but as the governor himself said, they did not actually expect this much water discharge into Cagayan Valley," Roque said.

"We will strive to do better, but I think there is no shortcoming,” he said.

The NDRRMC said Monday the damage to agriculture caused by Ulysses has climbed to P2.14 billion.

In its 10 a.m. update, the agency said the cost of damage was almost double Sunday’s estimate.

Damage was reported in Regions 1 (Ilocos Region), 2 (Cagayan), 3 (Central Luzon), Region 4-A (Calabarzon), Region 5 (Bicol), and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).

Damage to infrastructure was pegged at P482.85 million and these were recorded in Region 1, Region 4-B (Mimaropa), and 5.

The number of families affected by the typhoon was 523,871 or 2,074,301 persons residing in the National Capital Region (NCR), Regions 1, 2, 3, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, 5, and CAR. The death toll remains at 67 ― 22 in Region 2; two in Region 3; 17 in Calabarzon; eight in Region 5; 10 in CAR and eight in NCR. Twenty-one persons were reported injured and 13 were still missing.

“Ulysses” was the latest typhoon to have wreaked havoc across several regions in Luzon.

Super Typhoon Rolly (international name: Goni), the strongest storm recorded this year, hit the country early this month, causing widespread damage in the Bicol region.

In other developments: • Senator Francis Panilinan pressed for adequate funding for state disaster agencies and the revival of Project Noah of the Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards. Pangilinan called out the Department of Budget and Management for slashing the budget of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) by over P70 million. The DOST’s Project NOAH, which identified areas prone to natural disasters, was defunded in 2017.

• Secretary Eduardo del Rosario of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development said the disaster in Cagayan Valley underscored the need to enforce a resettlement program in floodprone areas, particularly those lying along river channels.

stretched to the limits,” Binay said.

Pope Francis has offered prayers for the country and the victims of Typhoon “Ulysses.”

In his tweet, the pope also expressed sympathy and concern for the thousands of Filipinos affected by the storm that brought heavy flooding in some parts of the country.

“I am near in prayer to the dear people of the #Philippines who are suffering because of the destruction, and especially because of the flooding caused by a strong #typhoon,” he said in his Twitter account, @Pontifex on Sunday night.

“I express my solidarity to the poorest families and those who are doing all they can to help them,” the pontiff added.

"Ulysses" caused massive flooding in Luzon including Metro Manila and the provinces of Cagayan and Isabela. The typhoon's death toll remains at 67 — 22 in Region 2; two in Region 3; 17 in Calabarzon; eight in Region 5; 10 in CAR and eight in NCR.

Even before "Ulysses" hit, Super Typhoon Rolly (international name: Goni) also wrought widespread destruction in the Bicol region early this month.

When Pope Francis visited the Philippines in January 2015, he held a mass in Tacloban City and met with survivors of Super Typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan), the most powerful storm recorded on land.

Meanwhile, Cagayan Gov. Manuel Mamba thanked President Rodrigo R. Duterte for his visit and pledge of support to the flood-hit province.

During the Laging Handa briefing on Monday, Mamba said Duterte knows many of Cagayan’s problems and challenges -- both new and recurring -- noting that discussions are already ongoing on how to fix these issues.

Duterte, he said, would order an investigation into the release of water from Magat Dam that worsened flooding in both the provinces of Cagayan and Isabela after the onslaught of Typhoon Ulysses.

Corruption...

From A1

complaints... many involve DPWHrelated projects,” Guevarra said in a text message to reporters.

“But not all these pertain to transactions or projects worth at least P1 billion,” he added.

Guevarra, who was ordered by President Rodrigo Duterte to investigate corruption in the entire government, had identified the DPWH as one of five agencies to be prioritized in the investigation, along with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, Bureau of Customs, the Bureau of Internal Revenue, and the Land Registration Authority.

However, Duterte has appeared to have trusted Public Works Secre-

tary Mark Villar, saying the official is too rich to be corrupt. He said he believes corruption takes place in the lower offices instead.

The DOJ chief stressed that the President’s statement does not exempt Secretary Villar from the task force investigation.

Guevarra said the task force operations center is now filtering and processing the complaints as they come in.

Guevarra previously said the task force is using the P1 billion threshold as a "guideline" in setting its priorities on which government transactions or projects to investigate.

"We will also investigate complaints about corrupt practices involving smaller amounts of money but with high impact on the delivery of government service to the people," he pointed out.

Palace: Rody's sex jokes only 'lighten mood'

By Vito Barcelo, Rio N. Araja and Willie Casas DESPITE the criticisms he received for cracking sex jokes, Malacanang defended President Rodrigo Duterte's sexist remarks during his national address and claimed he was merely “lightening the mood” as the country was reeling from the effects of the recent typhoons.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said despite uttering some sex jokes, Duterte was merely channeling a Filipino trait to “lighten a problem” when he issued the sex jokes, adding these were part of his supposed “pro-feminist” policies.”

Vice President Leni Robredo slammed Duterte who joked about sex and womanizing amid the onslaught of typhoon “Ulysses.”

She told ANC she did not directly hear Duterte's jokes, but said while the country was going through "something really serious," the government must "communicate how urgent a particular matter is."

“It is very important that the message we are giving of utmost urgency on things are really urgent," she said.

“If we pay attention to some other things, what we evoke or communicate gets wrong. What we are communicating [to the people] seems to be not that important to be taken seriously.”

Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas also criticized Duterte's sex jokes.

Magnitude 6 quake rocks Surigao Sur A MAGNITUDE-6 earthquake rocked Surigao del Sur at 6:37 a.m. on Monday, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.

The tremor had a depth of 33 kilometers and was of tectonic origin. Its epicenter was near San Agustin town.

Phivolcs initially reported the quake at magnitude 6.4, but downgraded it in a follow-up advisory.

Intensity 5 was recorded in Bislig City, Surigao del Sur and Rosario, Agusan del Sur, and intensity 4 in Cagwait, Tandag City and Bayabas in Surigao del Sur. Intensity 3 was recorded in Cagayan de Oro City and Tagaloan, Villanueva, and Balingasag, Misamis Oriental.

El Salvador City, Initao, Luagit and Manticao, Misamis Oriental and Virac, Catanduanes had intensity 2. Rio N. Araja

No...

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Marcelino Teodoro announced a monthlong suspension in classes in all levels.

Private schools can exercise their discretion to suspend classes if the LGU did not declare a class suspension, Garma said.

Marikina was among the worst-hit cities during the onslaught of Ulysses last week, with hundreds of residents climbing on roofs, asking to be rescued, as flood waters rose quickly, leaving houses and cars submerged in murky water.

In a separate memorandum, Cabral also suspended distance-learning activities in several schools in Antipolo City from Nov. 16 to 20 because of the effects of Typhoon Ulysses, such as “impassable roads due the damaged bridges, power outage, and the dangers of landslides.”

The schools include: Calawis Elementary School; Kaysakat Elementary School; San Joseph Elementary School; Canumay Elementary School; Libis Elementary School; San Yisor Elementary School; Apia Elementary School; Paglitaw Elementary School; Calawis National High School; Kaysakat National High School; Canumay National High School;.

June Arvin Gudoy, director of the DepEd’s public affairs service, said distance-learning classes in Cagayan province were also suspended until Tuesday, Nov. 17.

“Distance learning classes are suspended today until tomorrow in synch with the proclamation of [Governor Manuel] Mamba declaring [November] 16 [to] 17 as clean up days in all [government] offices in the province,” he told reporters.

Large parts of the Cagayan Valley region were submerged in deep floods over the weekend, which local officials blamed on water coming from surrounding areas and water from the opened Magat Dam in the aftermath of Ulysses.

At the same time, DepEd said it would fund the replacement of self-learning modules damaged after typhoons battered large parts of Luzon in recent weeks.

Education Undersecretary Annalyn Sevilla said the DepEd was collating reports on damaged learning resources and has identified funding sources for the replacement of these materials.

“We are ready to download [or] supplement the financial resources of DepEd Regions and Schools Division Offices affected by recent calamities,” Sevilla told reporters in a Viber message.

News

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2020 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Duterte to join APEC meet P

By Vito Barcelo

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte will be among the leaders who will join an online meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting on Friday as the world grapples with the economic fallout caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Malacanang said Monday.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque confirmed the President’s attendance in the APEC forum in a press briefing.

“This will be the first time that the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting will be held virtually,” Roque said, adding “this year’s summit will have two sessions.”

“This is on Nov. 20. It will start at night. There will be a Leaders’ family photo at night and there will be two sessions, and if I’m not mistaken, they’re just short sessions, and then there will

be a break and a final session.”

APEC is comprised of Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam.

This year’s summit will be hosted

by Malaysia, and will be the first time the economic leaders from APEC’s 21- member economies will meet virtu-

ally. Last year’s summit in Chile was canceled due to violent protests in the South American country.

Expected to be launched during the forum is the new vision that will guide the 21 Pacific Rim economies in the coming years.

Last week, Duterte participated in the virtual 37th Association of Southeast Nations Summit and Related Summits, where he talked about deepening regional integration and strengthening supply-chain connectivity.

He urged cooperation among Southeast Asian countries to ensure that their people will have access to COVID-19 vaccines.

Duterte also engaged the other leaders in an open dialogue, calling for enhanced multilateralism on the COVID-19 pandemic response and recovery, climate action, and peace and security issues in the Asia-Pacific, particularly in the South China Sea disputes.

MR. FIX-IT. A worker repairs the capiz Christmas decor hanging on trees along Ayala Avenue in Makati City on Monday after they were damaged by strong winds brought by Typhoon ‘Ulysses’ last week. Norman Cruz

IBP asks public to respect, stop rumors on judge

By Rey E. Requejo THE Integrated Bar of the Philippines has appealed to netizens to stop engaging in speculation and rumors surrounding the death of Judge Maria Theresa Abadilla of the Manila City Regional Trial Court, who was shot inside her office by her own clerk of court.

“As we denounce the killing of Judge Maria Teresa Abadilla and grieve a great loss to the judiciary, we call out the speculations and rumors, bordering on misogyny or victim-blaming, that circulated upon the news of her death,” IBP president Domingo Cayosa said in a statement.

Cayosa pleaded to the public to refrain from sharing the photos and videos that were taken moments after the 44-year-old judge was shot in the head last Wednesday by lawyer Amador Rebato Jr., who shot himself thereafter.

“We decry the exploitative sharing of graphic and gory videos or photos of her brutal killing that violate her privacy and offend the feelings of her family and loved ones,” Cayosa said.

He urged the people concerned to take down the photos and videos and to stop publishing them.

“We respect the memory of and do justice to Judge Abadilla and all judges, prosecutors, lawyers and workers in the justice sector who were killed for doing their sworn duty even under challenging circumstances by adhering to facts, conducting a thorough and credible investigation, quickly and ensuring accountability after due process, and instituting reforms to protect and secure those who implement the rule of law,” Cayosa said.

IN BRIEF ‘Generators can kill via carbon monoxide’ THE Department of Health on Monday warned against the use of generators indoors due to the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire made the statement after a retired policeman and his daughter died after using a generator in their house in Albay.

“During the last typhoon there were families in Region 5 who placed generator sets inside their houses. And this had affected the family, resulting in death of some of their family members,” Vergeire said in a virtual press briefing.

She says generators emit carbon monoxide.

“Carbon monoxide displaces oxygen in our body. That that is why we have fatal outcomes like this.,” Vergeire said.

Willie Casas

Solon bats for kids’ rights in PH schools ANTICIPATING the celebration of National Children’s Month this November, Senator Win Gatchalian on Monday urged public and private schools to boost their programs that raise awareness on children’s rights.

Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate committee on basic education, arts and culture, said upholding and protecting the rights of children was crucial given the adverse socio-economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, including their increased exposure to violence and abuse.

Data from the Philippine National Police Women and Children Protection Desks showed that as of July 11, there were 2,077 cases of violations against children since the implementation of the Enhanced Community Quarantine in March. Macon Ramos-Araneta

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

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2020

LGUs LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

MMDA back to clearing roads

By Joel E. Zurbano

T

HE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and local government units on Monday resumed their campaign to reclaim and clear public roads in the National Capital Region of all obstructions.

The resumption came eight months after the government decided to suspend the campaign due to the coronavirus disease pandemic. It also aims to ease traffic along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) this holiday season when traffic is expected to be heavy.

The MMDA. with the help from police personnel and local enforcers, started the road clearing operations along Mabuhay Lanes, which serves as alternate routes for private vehicles avoiding the congested EDSA. The government is also reactivating the Mabuhay Lane routes scheme to help private motorists avoid heavy traffic, specially during rush hours.

MMDA chairman Danilo Lim said all illegally parked motor vehicles, both in major and secondary roads, will be towed away and violators will be apprehended and slapped with corresponding fines and penalties “Local chief executives have asked for our assistance in reclaiming public roads and clearing areas in their jurisdiction from all kinds of obstruction. We appeal for the cooperation of everyone as we aim for accessible roads free from illegal obstructions,” said Lim. Meanwhile, the Department of the Interior and Local Government enjoins the MMDA and local government units to observe minimum health standards when conducting the

TRASH AIDS. Manila Mayor Francisco Domagoso (center) and Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna receive donated trash bins and trash bags from Environment Undersecretary Benny Antiporda (right) after the flag-raising ceremony at City Hall on Monday. The trash bins and bags will be distributed to different barangays in the city to help local officials in waste management within their respective areas. Norman Cruz

road clearing operations.

The authorities who will conduct clearing operations are required to wear face masks and face shields, practice physical distancing and other safety protocols to prevent possible transmission of coronavirus disease.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said earlier that after eight months of suspension due to the global pandemic, road clearing operations will resume all over the country except in areas under the modified enhanced community

CHRISTMAS TREE LIT.

Araneta City brought holiday cheer online with its muchawaited giant Christmas tree lighting on Saturday as some of the country’s favorite stars joined together – virtually this time around – to light up the iconic Giant Christmas Tree at the City of Firsts. The much-anticipated Christmas tradition, now on its 39th year, is bringing some holiday cheer far and wide with Araneta City’s holiday theme ‘Comfort and Joys at the City of Firsts,’ said Marjorie Go, AVP for Marketing of Araneta City.

Manny Palmero

quarantine (MECQ) or higher and those still flooded due to recent typhoons.

For those under general community quarantine (GCQ), they shall do a partial implementation of road clearing operations.

It is limited to the actual or physical removal or abatement of road and sidewalk obstructions that are considered hazardous to motorists and pedestrians.

These are unauthorized parked vehicles, illegal structures, nuisances, and any other structures erected along or standing on, made immovable or otherwise,

that impede safe and convenient passage through public road or sidewalk.

The partial implementation also includes road clearing to establish bicycle lanes.

“The road clearing operations are needed to ensure orderliness as we revive local economies without being complacent against COVID-19. Our transition to the ‘new normal’ calls for the need to ensure that our roads remain safe, accessible, and free from illegal and potentially hazardous encroachments,” Ano said.

Joy issues QC guidelines vs. roadblocks

By Rio N. Araja AMID the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte on Monday released localized guidelines for road clearing operations.

In her memorandum, Belmonte ordered the Task Force Road Clearing 2.0, which she formed way back in February, to conduct the second part of road clearing operations to ensure compliance with the Department of Interior and Local Government’s directive.

“While we see the importance of keeping our roads cleared of any obstruction, we must also adjust our operation in the light of the ongoing pandemic,” she said in her memorandum.

“We always anchor the conduct of our road clearing operations on our compliance with the minimum health protocols to avoid the spread of COVID-19,” Belmonte added.

She urged the residents to cooperate with the city government’s effort to clear road obstructions.

The mayor advised the citizens to report abusive enforcers through the city government’s official Facebook account (fb.com/qcgov) and via hotline 122.

DILG’s Memorandum Circular No. 2020-145 mandated that the road clearing operations on national and secondary roads and Mabuhay lanes will be conducted starting Nov. 16 until Jan. 15, 2021.

The city’s task force shall coordinate with concerned national government agencies having jurisdiction, projects or other responsibilities over national and secondary roads and Mabuhay lanes within the city’s jurisdiction.

It is also mandated to coordinate with barangays to ensure that national and secondary roads and Mabuhay lanes assigned to their responsibility are being maintained properly.

Apart from portions of national and secondary roads and Mabuhay lanes turned over to them, barangays will be in charge of conducting road clearing operations in barangay roads and minor public-use streets within their jurisdiction.

New incentives for COVID-free Manila villages

By Willie Casas MAYOR Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso announced on Monday that the Manila city government will again award P100,000 cash incentive to barangays with zero new COVID-19 infection for two months.

Domagoso signed Executive Order No. 45 where the local government will provide incentives to barangays with no new infection from December 1, 2020

to January 31, 2021 “as it was proven to be effective.”

The Mayor said the city “finds it imperative to motivate its barangays in its fight by providing them with incentives which can also serve as assistance in maximizing their efforts.”

“While the city already achieved several milestones in its fight against COVID-19, the city, nonetheless, admits that more is needed to be done,” Domagoso said in his executive order.

“In the next two months, starting December 1, 2020 and ending on January 31, 2021, kapag wala pong nairehistro na infection, walang new case sa barangay ninyo, magkakamit ang inyong barangay ng P100,000 incentive,” the mayor said.

In addition, Domagoso said that “barangays which already achieved COVID-free status for the period covering 1 September 2020 to 31 October 2020 shall be given an additional P100,000 or a total incentive of P200,000.”

CamSur leaders thank President for fund boost

By Maricel V. Cruz

Villar launches parol-making tilt

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

SENATOR Cynthia A. Villar on Monday formally launched a parol-making competition in Las Pinas City to help support the city’s lantern-making industry amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“While COVID-19 may have prevented us from doing the festivities to celebrate our 15th Parol Festival this year, this should not stop us from honoring our annual tradition of show-

casing the most colorful and creative Christmas lanterns made by Las Pineros,” Villar said.

In line with her continuing advocacy to promote waste recycling and promote more efficient solid waste management, parol makers joining the competition should use recyclable materials such as shampoo sachets, soap cartons, straws, pet bottles, cans, used cds, and corrugated cartons, as well organic items like clam and mussel shells.

LOCAL government executives of Camarines Sur led by Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte and Gov. Migz Villafuerte thanked President Rodrigo Duterte over the weekend for ordering budget officials to fast-track the release of additional calamity assistance to CamSur and other provinces devastated by the three successive powerful typhoons.

Rep. Villafuerte also thanked the President for approving the Bicol river dredging project, which the congressman had proposed to the Chief Executive along with his request to augment the depleted calamity funds of local government units (LGUs) reeling from the four-fold blow by typhoons Quinta, Rolly and Ulysses along with the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

“The people of CamSur thank our President for visiting CamSur and for approving our request to augment the calamity assistance funds of all LGUs whose outlays have probably been exhausted already because of the three strong typhoons in succession―Quinta, Rolly and Ulysses―along with their COVID-19 response efforts,” Rep. Villafuerte said.

CDC distributes aid to Pampanga, C. Luzon LGUs

By Jess Malabanan

CLARK FREEPORT -- The Clark Development Corporation has joined other relief agencies in the distribution of food aid to victims of recent typhoons that hit Pampanga and rest of Central Luzon.

A total of 2,000 boxes of relief goods amounting to P700,000 were distributed

by CDC to local government units and communities surrounding the Freeport zone.

With its aim to provide help for victims of Typhoon “Ulysses,” the stateowned firm donated essential items and food packs to the local government units (LGUs) of Angeles City, Mabalacat City, and the municipality of Porac, Pampanga

as well as the municipalities of Bamban and Capas in Tarlac.

Each LGU received 400 boxes of relief goods which are intended to be distributed to affected families in their respective communities. The boxes of relief items include assorted and ready-to-eat canned goods, instant noodles, coffee, and three kilos of rice.

HELPING LAGUNA. Undersecretary Dave Almarinez of the Philippine International Trading Corp. (top photo, left), a native of Laguna, helps hand out food, water, personal protection equipment and diapers for babies in an evacuation site in San Pedro City, Laguna over the weekend. It was matched by Santa Rosa City Mayor Arlene Arcillas (right photo, center) who visits local evacuation centers to ascertain the condition of the city’s residents who moved to Sinalhan Integrated High School. Roy Tomandao

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2020 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Merkel wants masks in all schools

C

HANCELLOR Angela Merkel will on Monday push for tougher curbs including masks in all schools, smaller class sizes and drastic limits on contacts to bring down coronavirus infections in Germany.

Outside work or school, contact between people should also be “restricted to those from another fixed household,” according to a proposal

by Merkel’s office and which would

be put to regional leaders of Germany’s 16 states later Monday.

Europe’s biggest economy began a new round of shutdowns in November, closing restaurants, cultural

proposes.

Children and youths should pick just one specific friend to meet up with outside school hours.

To ensure that schools are kept open as long as possible, the chancellery has also suggested that classes “without exceptions be broken up into fixed groups, where the size of groups in classrooms are halved compared to normal operations”.

An alternative is to use larger rooms for classes, according to the draft.

The document also urges anyone with signs of a cold, including a cough or runny nose, to self-isolate for five to seven days until they are free of symptoms again.

Germany has fared relatively well in the first wave of the pandemic, but numbers have dramatically shot up in the autumn.

On Monday, it reported 10,824 new cases in the last 24 hours, bringing total infections to date to 801,327.

Some 12,547 people have died from the virus. AFP

IN BRIEF Etihad Airways to fly direct to Israel staring March 2021 ETIHAD Airways, the United Arab Emirates’ national carrier, announced Monday it will start direct flights to Israel in March 2021 after the countries recent agreement to normalize ties.

The Abu Dhabi-based airline “will launch daily scheduled year-round flights to Tel Aviv”, it said in a statement.

It added the service will begin on March 28 -- a date that will fall approximately six months after the UAE signed a US-brokered deal to formalise relations with Israel, the first such accord between a Gulf nation and the Jewish state.

“The commencement of scheduled flights is a historic moment and as an airline, cements Etihad’s commitment to growing opportunities for trade and tourism,” said Mohammad al-Bulooki, Chief Operating Officer of Etihad Aviation Group, according to the statement.

Dubai’s budget airline flydubai had already announced that it would start direct flights to Tel Aviv this month, operating 14 flights a week.

Unlike Dubai and the other emirates that make up the UAE, Abu Dhabi has placed stringent coronavirus restrictions on entering the city.

With their economies hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic, the UAE and Israel are hoping for rapid dividends from the normalisation deal. AFP

Pakistan university proud of ‘students-turned-Talibans’ MAULANA Yousaf Shah cracks a wide smile as he rattles off a list of former students turned Taliban leaders, revelling in their victories over superpowers on Afghanistan’s battlefields after graduating from Pakistan’s “university of jihad”.

The Darul Uloom Haqqania seminary has churned out a who’s who of Taliban top brass -- including many now on the hardline group’s negotiating team holding talks with the Kabul government to end a 20year war.

“Russia was broken into pieces by the students and graduates of Darul Uloom Haqqania and America was also sent packing,” beamed Shah, an influential cleric at the seminary that critics have dubbed the “university of jihad”.

The sprawling campus in Pakistan’s Akora Khattak, about 60 kilometres (35 miles) east of Peshawar, is home to roughly 4,000 students who are fed, clothed and educated for free.

It has sat at the crossroads of regional militant violence for years, educating many Pakistanis and Afghan refugees -- some of whom returned home to wage war against the Russians and Americans or preach jihad.

Despite its infamy in some quarters, it has enjoyed state support in Pakistan, where mainstream political parties are heavily boosted by links with religious factions. AFP

FAITH VS VIRUS. A woman holds a placard reading “We want the mass” as Catholic faithfuls rally to protest against COVID-19 restric-

tions under which masses are banned in churches, on November 15, 2020 in Versailles, outside Paris, as France is on a second lockdown to tackle the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus. AFP

Trump’s slip shows after momentarily alluding to defeat PRESIDENT Donald Trump has yet to admit defeat in the US election. But with a word here, a slip there, he is raising the prospect ever more plainly.

In a tweet Sunday morning, Trump appeared accidentally to acknowledge Joe Biden’s victory -- before quickly reversing course to claim he won, and again push unsubstantiated claims of mass electoral fraud while ignoring soaring coronavirus cases.

“He won because the Election was Rigged,” Trump tweeted.

The first two words -- coming days after a verbal slip in which Trump said “time will tell” if he remains president -- were immediately seized upon as one more step towards a concession.

But the president soon made a U-turn, tweeting: “He only won in the eyes of the FAKE NEWS MEDIA. I concede NOTHING! We have a long way to go.”

And late Sunday night he said “I WON THE ELECTION!” in a tweet swiftly

flagged by Twitter.

President-elect Biden captured 306 Electoral College votes in the November 3 election -- 36 more than needed to win the White House.

Senior federal and state election authorities, including a top cybersecurity agency and 16 federal prosecutors assigned to monitor the elections, have rejected claims of widespread election tampering.

Still, Trump continues to insist he will prove fraud and prevail in court.

Meantime, the leaders of nearly every country in the world have congratulated Biden on his victory, reinforcing the notion that almost no one -- in the United States or elsewhere -- is taking the Trump legal challenges seriously.

Those challenges have been nearly universally dismissed by judges as unfounded. On Sunday, Trump insisted that “many” of them had not been filed by his team, and that his “big cases... will soon

be filed.”

Reacting to Trump’s initial tweet, Biden’s newly named chief of staff Ron Klain told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that it was “further confirmation of the reality that Joe Biden won the election.”

Biden himself met Sunday in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware with his transition advisors, his spokespeople said.

Some Trump administration officials say privately that they understand that Biden won, but that the president needs time to “process” his loss.

Others, on the outside, speculate Trump may be trying to galvanize his base to back some future commercial or media endeavor or even to support a new run for office in 2024.

Until now, the president has refused to cooperate in the shift to a Biden administration -- denying the Democrat both federal funding for transition work and vital briefings by outgoing officials. AFP

Pakistan seals major road as protest vs France spills PAKISTAN authorities sealed off a major road into the capital Islamabad for a second day Monday as a far-right religious party held fresh anti-France protests.

A rally in the neighbouring city of Rawalpindi which attracted up to 5,000 people on Sunday spilled over into Monday, with around a thousand protesters gathered at the roadblock preventing them from entering the capital.

Commuters faced lengthy delays on alternative routes into the city.

Mobile phone services were restored around lunchtime on Monday, after being suspended for more than 24 hours to prevent rally organizers from coordinating with each other.

Pakistan has seen small and scattered protests over the past few weeks in response to French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent remarks on Islam.

The French president spoke out after an extremist beheaded a teacher near Paris after he showed cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed during a class on free speech. All depictions of the Prophet are forbidden by Islam.

The president said the teacher “was killed because Islamists want our future”.

Macron’s comments triggered anger across the Muslim world, with tens of thousands in Pakistan, neighbouring Iran and other Muslim countries in South Asia flooding the streets and organising anti-French boycotts.

Pakistan has lodged a complaint with France over what it called a “systematic Islamophobic campaign” in the European nation.

Prime Minister Imran Khan has accused the French president of attacking the Muslim faith and urged Islamic countries to work together to counter what he called growing repression in Europe.

Blasphemy is a particularly contentious issue in ultra-conservative Pakistan, where anyone deemed to have insulted Islam or Islamic figures can face the death penalty.

Rights groups have urged the country to reform its blasphemy legislation because it is often abused to settle personal vendettas.

Sunday’s march was organized by hardline cleric Khadim Hussain Rizvi, whose party, Tehreek-Labaik Pakistan, is known for violent protests over the issue. AFP

Despite bout with virus, Johnson says he’s ‘fit as a butcher’s dog’

BRITISH Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Monday he was in “good health” and had no symptoms despite self-isolating after someone he was in contact with tested positive for coronavirus.

“It doesn’t matter that I’m fit as a butcher’s dog, feel great...that I’ve had the disease and I’m bursting with antibodies,” he said in a video released on Twitter.

“We’ve got to interrupt the spread of the disease and one of the ways we can do that now is by self-isolating for 14 days when contacted by Test and Trace,” he added, saying he would lead the country’s virus response from his Downing Street home.

Johnson spent three days in intensive care with coronavirus in April.

This time round, Johnson said he was not suffering any symptoms and health minister Matt Hancock on Monday said he sounded “full of beans”.

The prime minister was informed NOT QUITTING. US President Donald Trump looks on after delivering an update on “Operation Warp Speed” in the Rose Garden of the he should self-isolate after being White House in Washington, DC on November 13, 2020. AFP contacted by the country’s Test and Trace scheme.

The announcement came after Johnson met a group of MPs at Downing Street on Thursday, inCongress now has to name Merino’s successor to streets, undisturbed by police.

PERU was without a president Monday after Congress cluding one who subsequently deThousands have taken to the streets in days of profailed to agree on a successor to interim leader Manuel become the country’s third president in a week. veloped symptoms of Covid-19 and Merino only assumed office on Tuesday, a day tests against Merino, who had launched the first, unMerino, who resigned following days of street protests has now tested positive. after the assembly impeached predecessor Martin successful, impeachment proceedings against Vizcarra against him.

The British leader has said his Merino announced he was stepping down Sunday, Vizcarra on corruption charges. As speaker of Con- in September.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK coronavirus case was seriously Elections are scheduled for April 2021 and Merino following an ultimatum from gress, he was next in line as the post of vice presiManila worsened by being overweight, but LEGAL NOTICE was due to leave office in July, when Vizcarra’s mandent was vacant.

Congress for him to quit or Standard Notice is hereby given to the that he had since lost 26 pounds (12 A crisis session of Congress failed to agree on a date was to end. face censure after a police TODAY public that an Extra-Judicial Settlement has been executed by kilosas ift as ‘butcher’s dog’ ).

The Congress ultimatum came after the health minnew president Sunday night.

Leftist legislator and crackdown on protesters left the heirs of the late MARCELINO G. CADA, namely: CRISTINA B. istry said two protesters were killed on Saturday durformer human rights activist Rocio Silva Santisteat least two dead and scores “I am going to continue that diet, CADA, MARCELINO S. CADA, JR., ESTRELLA CADA LARUAN, ban, supposedly a consensus candidate, needed 60 ing a massive march in Lima, which was repressed by injured. because you’ve got to search for the ALFREDO S. CADA, PERLA CADA JUBELAG, DARIO S. “I want to let the whole votes but she only got 42, with 52 against and 25 police firing shotgun pellets and tear gas. hero inside of yourself, in the hope CADA, ALDRIN B. MEDINA, Merino said that to avoid a “power vacuum” the 18 country know that I’m re- abstentions.

CATHALINA ELAINE CADA that that individual is considerably MEDINA, MARICRIS B. CADA, “Congress had in its hands the solution to this po- ministers he swore in on Thursday would temporarily signing,” said Merino, 59, in MARIS B. CADA, MA IRIS B. slimmer,” he joked last month.

CADA, EDITA S. CADA, all of a televised address, sparking litical crisis that they generated. However, today they remain in their posts, though almost all had resigned in legal age, over personal and real Britain has been the worst-hit properties, per deed executed celebrations in the capital have turned their backs on the country,” former econ- the wake of Saturday’s crackdown on protests. on 4 November 2020 before country in Europe recording over Notary Public, ATTY. ANTHEA A. His resignation was greeted by noisy celebrations in Lima following street pro- omy minister Vizcarra Maria Antonieta Alva tweeted.

MAGPANTAY, per Doc. No. 114; 50,000 coronavirus deaths from 1.2 Page No. 24; Book No. II; Series Party whips then held a closed-door meeting as Lima, with demonstrators sounding horns and banging tests against the ousting of of 2020. million positive cases. AFP thousands of protesters remained peacefully on the pots. AFP his popular predecessor.

Peru left without a president after Congress fails to name Merino’s successor

(MS-NOV. 10/17/24, 2020)

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Japan exited recession as economy rose by 5% in Q3

PSEi November 16, 2020

TOP GAINERS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

PHA PRMX PBC GPH PHR LFM HLCM OPM MM DWC

LAST PRICE 0.53 1.38 19.9 11.82 3.12 50 6.79 0.011 4.83 1.74

CHANGE 0.18 0.21 2.9 1.58 0.34 5.3 0.62 0.001 0.4 0.13

% CHANGE 49.30% 17.95% 17.06% 15.43% 12.23% 11.86% 10.05% 10.00% 9.03% 8.07%

TOP LOSERS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

CAT CEU C SOC GTCAP FPHPC DFNN APX BLOOM SLF

LAST PRICE 20.45 6.51 5.49 0.7 525 500 4.3 1.94 8.07 2,000.00

CHANGE -2.35 -0.49 -0.36 -0.04 -29 -25 -0.2 -0.08 -0.33 -80

% CHANGE -10.31% -7.00% -6.15% -5.41% -5.23% -4.76% -4.44% -3.96% -3.93% -3.85%

MOST ACTIVE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

BPI SMPH ALI BDO SM PGOLD MM PHR TEL GTCAP

VOLUME 5,948,510 12,749,900 12,386,800 5,100,720 434,820 6,101,000 53,894,000 84,748,000 181,355 448,330

VALUE (PHP) 482,535,418.00 479,916,935.00 477,935,375.00 473,880,522.50 443,692,205.00 267,846,080.00 256,272,830.00 255,944,180.00 250,461,230.00 238,623,365.00

CoMPulsory quArAnTine. Employees wearing personal protective equipment talk to an arriving international flight passenger about his hotel transfer for the compulsory 14-day Alternative State Quarantine to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus, at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok on November 16, 2020. AFP

Stocks drop; Megawide, Alliance Global advance T hE stock market fell Monday for the third straight session on another bout of profit taking and worries the damage wreaked by recent typhoons could dampen the growth of the domestic economy.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index dropped 51.83 points, or 0.7 percent, to 6,918.05 on a value turnover of nearly P8.8 billion. Gainers, however, beat losers, 119 to 109, with 30 issues unchanged.

GT Capital holdings Inc. of the Ty Group declined 5.2 percent to P525, while SM Prime Holdings Inc. of the Sy Group slipped 2.4 percent to P37.80.

Megawide Construction Corp., however, advanced 7.9 percent to P9.44, while Alliance Global Group Inc. of tycoon Andrew Tan rose 3.2 percent to P9.21.

Optimism for a coronavirus vaccine, meanwhile, helped push the rest

of Asian markets higher Monday while traders were also cheered by a pledge from President-elect Joe Biden’s team that they were not planning an economically damaging nationwide lockdown despite surging cases.

However, while there is growing expectation a treatment will be available in the new year, gains were tempered by worries about a spike in the disease in the US and across Europe.

After a painful October, equities have enjoyed a huge bounce this month after Biden’s election win, which was followed by news that Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine candidate had proved 90 percent effective, lifting hopes the world can soon begin returning to normal.

“The vaccine enthusiasm booster shot remains the dominant narrative, even with surging infections across the US,” said Axi strategist Stephen Innes. “Indeed, the vaccine could prove to be the ultimate market backstop and recessionary economic plugger.”

Tokyo led the gains, jumping more than two percent, helped by news that

China’s consumer spending increased by 4.3% in October BEIJING—China’s retail sales continued a general recovery in October, official data showed Monday, on the back of a national holiday and policies aimed at boosting spending.

Although China has largely brought the coronavirus under control, spending has been slower to recover as the world still grapples with the impact of the pandemic.

Retail sales in the world’s secondlargest economy rose 4.3 percent onyear last month, Beijing’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said Monday.

At a press briefing, spokesman Fu Linghui said the pandemic “has dealt a second blow to countries” including the United States and those in Europe, and that global recovery had “further stalled” as a result.

“The domestic economy is still in recovery, with multiple challenges to be conquered before a full recovery,” Fu added.

While the retail figure is lower than the five-percent growth expected by analysts polled by Bloomberg, it still continued an upward trend as spenders gradually began to open their wallets again, particularly around the weeklong national holiday in October.

Catering sector revenue growth turned positive for the first time this year, the NBS said.

Research firm Oxford Economics said China’s recovery is on a “reasonably firm footing and will continue in the fourth quarter.”

Industrial production growth in October remained the same as the month before, but continued to rise more than expected at 6.9 percent.

A strong rebound in exports could have helped industrial output, said Rajiv Biswas, Apac chief economist at IHS Markit, adding that there was also potential for a pre-Christmas boost.

Meanwhile, the urban unemployment rate—a key concern with a large number of graduates entering the market this year after the pandemic hit— fell to 5.3 percent in October. AFP

the world’s number three economy had surged out of recession in the third quarter, expanding a forecast-beating five percent thanks to a pick-up in domestic demand and exports.

Sydney rose 1.2 percent before trading was suspended for the day owing to what the stock exchange said were data issues.

Shanghai and Seoul put on two percent and Taipei more than that, while Singapore added more than one percent. There were also healthy gains in Hong Kong, Jakarta, Bangkok and Wellington.

The advances came after another strong performance on Wall Street last week, where the S&P 500 finished at a record high. All three main New York indexes were up in futures trading.

Traders also cheered the signing Sunday of the world’s biggest freetrade deal by 15 Asia-Pacific countries—including Japan and China— that covers about a third of the planet’s GDP. The agreement was seen as an example of international cooperation following years of Trump pushing unilateralist policies. With AFP

This photograph taken on September 7, 2020 shows people having lunch at the Baba restaurant in Ho Chi Minh city.

Vietnam’s fragrant noodle soups and fresh spring rolls have won fans across the globe, but mounting food safety scandals on the country’s streets are sparking a rising tide of anxiety among millennials about what they eat. AFP

Growing fear: Anxiety mounts over Vietnam’s food staples Bt Alice Philipson and Tran Thi Minh Ha hANOI, Vietnam—Vietnam’s fragrant noodle soups and fresh spring rolls have won fans across the globe, but mounting food safety scandals on the country’s streets are sparking a rising tide of anxiety among millennials about what they eat.

Tran Huong Lan, a 32-year-old accountant, spent two nights in hospital the last time she ate “bun cha,” Hanoi’s signature pork noodles gobbled up by former US President Barack Obama and late celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain on a visit four years ago.

“About two hours after lunch I started feeling unwell. I went home and I started vomiting,” she told AFP. Rushed to hospital by her husband, doctors told her there was only one explanation: food poisoning.

Lan didn’t eat out for a month after her scare, and frequent high-profile food safety scandals have fed others’ fears.

In July, 14 people were taken to hospital in a severe condition after being poisoned by a vegan pate. Many experienced droopy eyelids and paralyzed respiratory muscles.

As well as anxiety over hygiene standards, there is growing unease about high pesticide use for vegetables and herbs thrown in typical street food dish-

es such as fresh shrimp rolls and bun bo, dried noodles with beef.

Some 70 percent of 16 to 30-yearolds said food safety was their biggest concern—ranking the same as job security—when polled by the British Council in Vietnam this year.

Truong Quoc Tung, director of the Vietnam Plant Protection Association, recently said the problem was approaching “crisis proportions.”

“Banned pesticides are being used, the environment is polluted and agricultural products are being sent back after being shipped abroad,” he told state media.

Problems with food safety cost Vietnam around $740 million per year in productivity, the World Bank says.

‘Safe’ food But across the country, from lush countryside fields to tiny urban rooftop gardens, Vietnamese are doing what they can to ensure they eat safely.

Ngo Xuan Quyet, 26, used to sell pesticides for a living before switching to “safe” farming.

With the help of Rikolto, an NGO that promotes safe food policies, he is trying to ensure his lettuce, spring onions and herbs—grown with a strictly controlled dose of pesticides—make it into as many bowls of bun cha as possible.

“When I worked (at the pesticide company) I really got to know about

the chemical substances in them,” said Quyet, who studied agriculture at university.

“I learnt about the awful impact (of overuse).. and I started to want to grow safe vegetables.”

At the moment “we are targeting workplace canteens, school kitchens and supermarkets but my goal is also to reach pregnant women, who very much need to eat quality food,” he added.

Heavy metals found in soil or water used for agriculture in Vietnam may be a significant contributor to the incidence of some forms of cancer, the World Bank says, while heavy pesticide use may also have long-term impacts.

In southern provinces, between 38 and 70 percent of farmers used pesticides higher than the recommended level in 2014—the latest figures available—according to the ministry of agriculture. The amount of pesticide used in Vietnam has remained relatively stable since then, it says.

A ban on the import of herbicides containing glyphosate, classified as “probably carcinogenic” by the World Health Organization (WHO), will come into force next year but it is unclear how rigorously it will be enforced.

Priced 10-20 percent higher than standard vegetables, Quyet’s produce is on sale at two major supermarkets in hanoi. AFP

TOKYO—Japan’s economy exited recession in the third quarter, growing a better-than-expected 5.0 percent, government data showed Monday, following a record contraction.

A rise in domestic demand as well as exports helped drive the quarter-onquarter growth, after the coronavirus pandemic and a consumption tax hike slammed the economy into reverse earlier in the year.

The positive figures come after three quarters of contraction in the world’s third-largest economy, with revised data showing the economy shrank 8.2 percent in Q2, more than the previously estimated 7.9 percent.

That was the worst figure for Japan since comparable data became available in 1980, exceeding even the brutal impact of the 2008 global financial crisis.

The Q3 growth will be welcome news for Japan’s government, which has avoided the tough lockdown measures seen in some other countries as it tries to balance preventing the spread of coronavirus with protecting the economy.

The results also beat economist expectations of 4.4-percent growth, and analysts said the recovery was likely to continue into the final quarter of the year.

“Between July and September, economic activity in Japan experienced a return to a somewhat normal status as the government lifted the state of emergency in the country,” said Naoya Oshikubo, senior economist at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust.

“Looking ahead, we believe that GDP figures in the next quarter should continue to show signs of recovery, albeit at a slower pace,” Oshikubo said in a note before the official release of the data.

“Pent-up demand should decelerate, mainly due to second waves of COVID-19 overseas,” he added.

Japan was already struggling with a stagnating economy and the impact of a consumption tax hike implemented last year before the pandemic hit. AFP

Korean Air buying Asiana Airlines in $1.6-b transaction SEOUL—South Korean flag-carrier Korean Air said Monday it will buy out its smaller troubled rival Asiana Airlines in a $1.6-billion deal as it looks to consolidate with the coronavirus pandemic sending shockwaves through the global aviation sector.

Worldwide travel restrictions imposed to prevent the disease from spreading have wreaked havoc on the airline industry, hammering Asiana which was already in trouble.

“The main reason behind Korean Air’s decision to acquire Asiana Airlines at this time is to stabilize the Korean aviation industry, which is suffering from the Covid-19 pandemic,” Korean Air said in a statement.

“Once Korean Air completes its acquisition of Asiana Airlines, the airline is expected to be ranked as one of the top 10 airlines in the world.”

Korean Air said it would pay 1.8 trillion won for Asiana, using cash from a 2.5-trillion-won rights issue early next year.

The deal also includes Asiana’s affiliates, including low-cost carriers Air Seoul and Air Busan.

“Considering that Korean Air’s financial status could also be endangered if the COVID-19 situation is prolonged, it is inevitable to restructure the domestic aviation market to enhance its competitiveness and minimize the injection of public funds,” the Korean Air statement added.

Asiana has long been plagued by financial problems prompting parent company Kumho Industrial to put its 31-percent stake up for sale last year as it came under pressure from its creditors.

A previous deal for a South Korean builder, hDC hyundai Developer, to acquire Asiana collapsed in September as the pandemic tore through the aviation industry.

Asiana reported operating losses of 268 billion won in the first six months of this year—with its debts soaring to 11.5 trillion won. AFP

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

B4

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2020

IN BRIEF Nine-month vehicle sales down by 43% VEHICLE sales increased 2 percent to 25,023 units in October 2020 from 24,523 units sold in September, the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. and the Truck Manufacturers Association said in a joint report Monday.

CAMPI president Rommel Gutierrez said the growth, albeit small, is still positive for the industry. Both groups welcomed the slight sales uptick which was the highest both groups achieved since the start of the pandemic in March.

“We are on track to achieve our revised sales forecast of 240,000 units—the baseline for our medium-term recovery plan,” Gutierrez said.

Data showed that total sales in the first nine months reached 173,035 units, down 42.7 percent from 301,761 delivered in the same period in 2019.

Sales of passenger cars declined 41.3 percent to 53,067 units from 90,400 units, while demand for commercial vehicles sales declined by 41.3 percent to 119,968 units from 211,361 units. Othel V. Campos

Vista Land books P5.5-b net income VISTA Land & Lifescapes Inc., the integrated real estate arm of the Villar Group, said Monday net income in the first nine months declined 39 percent to P5.5 billion from a year ago, as the pandemic affected residential sales.

Vista Land said in a disclosure to the stock exchange revenues in the nine-month period also fell by 25 percent to P25.7 billion.

The property firm said, however, that it saw an improvement between second and third-quarter performance in terms of reservation sales brought about by the easing of quarantine restrictions.

“This pandemic continues to impact our performance, both on our leasing and residential businesses. However, as mentioned before, we are glad to have seen encouraging signs of recovery when the economy started to reopen last June,” Vista Land chairman Manuel Villar Jr. said.

“The upward trend of our reservation sales was sustained, registering a 35-percent jump from the previous quarter. We are also happy to have witnessed the resiliency of the real estate sector through the sustained demand for residential market especially for the house & lot products in the provincial areas,” Villar said. Jenniffer B. Austria

Century Pacific eyes vegan meat brands CENTURY Pacific Foods Inc., the food manufacturing arm of the Po family, is introducing meat-free brands to capture the growing number of customers looking for healthier products.

CNPF said Monday it is launching its ‘unMeat’ brand—the first vegan meat alternative brand in the Philippines, while sister company Shakey’s Pizza Asia Ventures Inc. is introducing a plant-based burger across all its outlets in the Philippines.

“We believe ‘unMeat’ is a valuable addition to our brand and product portfolio as more and more Filipinos embark on healthier lifestyles.

At the same time, this initiative supports both our ambition to become a healthier food company and to do business in a more sustainable and responsible way,” CNPF executive chairman Christopher Po said.

Currently sold to institutional customers, un-Meat serves as a healthy meat alternative made with non-GMO (genetically modified organisms) plant-based ingredients, with zero cholesterol and trans-fat, while remaining a good source of protein and fiber.

Jenniffer B. Austria

Business

September remittances rose by 9.3% to $2.601b R

By Julito G. Rada

EMITTANCES rose 9.3 percent in September from a year ago, the fastest growth in 29 months, as the economies hosting overseas Filipino workers gradually recovered from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas show on Monday.

The BSP said cash remittances reached $2.601 billion in September, up from $2.379 billion a year ago and $2.483 billion in August.

The latest figure brought total remittances in the first nine months to $21.886

billion, down just 1.4 percent from $22.187 billion in the same period last year. Several economists earlier predicted a double-digit decline in money sent home

by Filipinos working overseas because of the impact of the health crisis on the international labor market.

BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno said in a message to reporters the 1.4-percent decline in the nine-month period was “better than the original forecast of 5-percent full-year drop made at the height of the onslaught of the pandemic.

The 5-percent contraction target was later revised to -2 percent.

The increase in September remittances was due to the growth in remittances from both land-based ($2.031 billion) and sea-based ($570 million) workers, which increased by 10.2 percent and 6.5 percent, respectively.

Remittances from the United States, Singapore, Qatar, Hong Kong and Taiwan

registered growth from January to September, while inflows from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, Kuwait and the United Kingdom declined.

The US posted the highest share to total remittances at 40.1 percent, followed by Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Japan, the UK, the UAE, Canada, Hong Kong, Qatar and Taiwan. The combined remittances from these countries accounted for 78.8 percent of total cash remittances.

Meanwhile, personal remittances which include non-cash items, grew by 9.1 percent in September to $2.888 billion from $2.648 billion a year ago, also the fastest expansion since April 2018.

This brought the total personal remittances in the first nine months to $24.302 billion, down slightly from $24.643 billion a year earlier. At this level, the contraction in cumulative personal remittances narrowed to 1.4 percent from 2.6 percent in August.

MVP GROUP’S ASSISTANCE. Tulong Kapatid, the corporate social responsibility alliance of foundations and companies under the MVP Group of Companies, reaches out to more than a hundred families affected by the typhoons in Mabini, Batangas. Team members of Tulong Kapatid provide clean drinking water, fresh vegetables in reusable water pails and relief packs to members of the Mabini Boat Crew Association whose livelihoods were affected by Typhoons Quinta and Rolly.

GMA’s profit soars 78% to P3.90b; ABS-CBN loses P7.22b

By Darwin G. Amojelar GMA Network Inc. said Monday net income surged 78 percent in the first nine months to P3.90 billion from P2.19 billion a year ago despite the absence of incremental sales from the 2019 elections.

Consolidated revenues in the ninemonth period rose 4 percent to P12.65 billion from P12.21 billion. “The successful launch of GMA Affordabox, the company’s version of the digital set top box, further boosted this year’s revenues since it was launched in June,” the network said.

“Sans the windfall in 2019 from political advocacies and advertisements, as well as this year’s sale of GMA Af-

fordabox, recurring revenues posted an improvement of 7 percent year-on-year.

GMA said the increase in TV advertising, particularly in the third quarter, propelled the growth in year-to-date airtime sales and wiped out the setback in the second quarter at the height of the pandemic.

All airtime-revenue generating platforms enjoyed top-line gains versus a year ago, it said.

“The upswing in advertising revenues was further boosted by online/digital sales, which, for the past nine months posted the biggest improvement percentage-wise at 36 percent,” GMA said.

Meanwhile, ABS-CBN Corp., which lost its congressional franchise to operate Channel 2, said it incurred

a net loss of P7.22 billion in the first nine months, compared to the P2.59billion net profit it booked in the same period last year.

Consolidated revenues tumbled to P17.03 billion in the nine-month period from P32.02 billion a year earlier. “Advertising revenues suffered a sharp decline in the second quarter of 2020 following the issuance on May 5, 2020, by the National Telecommunications Commission of a cease-and-desist order to the company, prohibiting its continuing broadcast operations effective immediately,” ABS-CBN said.

The House committee on legislative franchises voted to adopt a resolution denying the franchise application of the company.

Megawide-GMR venture to submit final requirement of NAIA contract MEGAWIDE Construction Corp. said Monday it expects to bag the P109billion rehabilitation and redevelopment contract of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport by the first quarter of 2021 after submitting the financial qualifications to the National Economic and Development Authority this week.

“The last requirement of NEDA is the submission of financial requirements, so we will be submitting that within the week,” Manuel Louie Ferrer, managing director for transport of Megawide, said in a virtual briefing.

“Hopefully this gets elevated to the Cabinet Committee, after which is the Swiss Challenge. So, hopefully we can wrap up the whole thing by first quarter of next year,” he said.

NEDA earlier raised concerns over the consortium’s capability to finance the project.

Megawide chairman and chief executive Edgar Saavedra said the company had enough money to fund the NAIA project.

“The total capex [capital expenditure] is P109 billion, is a program of seven to 10 years …So, in a 10-year program, we are qualified with the combination of Megawide and GMR,” Saavedra said.

GMR Infrastructure Ltd. of India,

Megawide’s partner, earlier agreed to infuse a 40-percent equity in the project.

“The main issue that NEDA have raised is the financial capability because the interpretation of NEDA is they are looking at full P109-billion capex. We are only looking at phases.

That was our understanding. All the precedent projects before were that way—in phases,” Saavedra said.

“But since NEDA wants us to comply with P109-billion capex, we brought in GMR to be 40-percent shareholder’s partner,” he said.

Saavedra said the consortium was in talks with lenders and investors for possible financing arrangements for the project.

“We have engaged a couple of local and international investors and a lot of the investors and leaders are very positive in supporting this fund raising exercises,” he said.

Under the updated proposal, the consortium plans to spend P109 billion under a 25-year concession period. The company will construct the project in three phases such as the improvement of airside and terminals and the connection via bus rapid transit.

They will also build a new terminal, additional taxi lanes and an elevated railway.Darwin G. Amojelar

PSE INDEX

Monday, November 16, 2020

-51.83 PTS. 6,918.05

Total Volume Total Trades Total Value

2,363,987,985 174,088 8,767,602,729.55

Advances

119

Declines Unchanged

109 30

F oreign e xchange r ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2020

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

48.3020

Japan

Yen

0.009550

0.4613

UK

Pound

1.318000

63.6620

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128982

6.2301

Switzerland

Franc

1.095530

52.9163

Canada

Dollar

0.761325

36.7735

Singapore

Dollar

0.742280

35.8536

Australia

Dollar

0.726000

35.0673

Bahrain

Dinar

2.655126

128.2479

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266660

12.8802

Brunei

Dollar

0.739536

35.7211

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000071

0.0034

Thailand

Baht

0.033146

1.6010

UAE

Dirham

0.272272

13.1513

Euro

Euro

1.184500

57.2137

Korea

Won

0.000903

0.0436

China

Yuan

0.151378

7.3119

India

Rupee

0.013407

0.6476

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.242718

11.7238

New Zealand

Dollar

0.683700

33.0241

Taiwan

Dollar

0.035123

1.6965 Source: BSP

DoubleDragon REIT unit bares public offering to raise P14.7b

By Jenniffer B. Austria DDMP REIT Inc., the real estate trust company of DoubleDragon Properties Corp., plans to raise up to P14.7 billion from an initial public offering.

DoubleDragon said Monday in a disclosure to the stock exchange DDMP REIT would file within the week an IPO application with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The company said it hired six foreign and three domestic underwriters to handle the maiden offering.

It said net proceeds from the REIT offering would be used to construct about 425,000 square meters of building floor area that will significantly increase the leasable portfolio and recurring rental revenues of the company.

“The DDMP basket is seen to be a compelling REIT offering since it will include the land, a premier corner lot located along the main thoroughfares of Macapagal Ave., EDSA Extension and Roxas Boulevard, where the first six completed buildings sit on,” said DoubleDragon chairman Edgar Sia II. “This feature is expected to be a game changer since the value of the prime double corner 4.75 hectare block of land with titled land ownership to be held in perpetuity should keep on appreciating decade after decade, a very important inclusion for both domestic and foreign investors,” he said.

“When there is underlying titled land ownership included in the REIT shares, even a hundred years from now it should keep its hard value intact. We see DDMP shares as a ‘Pamana Stock’ that even our future grandchildren will be happy to inherit,” Sia said.

DD REIT will become the second REIT firm to conduct an offering after Ayala Land-led AREIT Inc. Meanwhile, DoubleDragon said net profit in the first nine months increased 61 percent to P5.03 billion from P3.12 billion in the same period last year as revenues went up by 41 percent to P9.79 billion from P6.93 billion.

OUTSTANDING STUDENTS.

P&A Foundation Inc., Philippine Institute of Certified Accountants and the Association of Certified Public Accountants in Commerce and Industry launch the 22nd Search for Outstanding Accounting Students of the Philippines with the signing of memorandum of agreement at the PICPA office. Attending the launching are (from left) P&A Foundation Inc. trustee and P&A Grant Thornton partner for advisory services Michael Gallego, P&A Foundation trustee and P&A Grant Thornton managing partner and chief operating officer Leonardo Cuaresma Jr., PICPA vice president for operations Jill Santos, ACPACI national president Walter Abella Jr. and ACPACI former president and P&A Grant Thornton partner for tax advisory and compliance Edward Roguel.

NGCP denies reports linking the company to Cagayan Valley flooding NATIONAL Grid Corp. of the Philippines, the operator of the power grid, on Monday denied reports linking the company to the flooding in Cagayan Valley region.

“With regard to a misleading banner flashed during a news story on the Cagayan flood aired on Nov. 14 and again during the coverage of President Rodrigo Duterte’s visit to Cagayan on Nov. 15, NGCP would like to clarify that it has nothing to do with flooding in the Cagayan Valley area, or anywhere else in the country,” NGCP said in a statement.

NGCP, the private concessionaire

and the system operator for the national transmission grid, has the mandate to operate, maintain and expand the Philippine power grid.

“We have no part in the operation of water sources or hydo power facilities such as the Magat Dam. A quick Google search will show that it is SN Aboitiz Power which operates the Magat Hydro facilities. The banner flashed during the above-mentioned news stories gives the false impression that the local governments in Cagayan province is contemplating a legal suit against NGCP for the loss of life and damage to property

caused by the flooding,” NGCP said.

“The sound bites from Cagayan Governor Manuel Mamba and Tuguegarao Mayor Jefferson Soriano included in the Nov. 14 story does not mention NGCP at all, yet the story banner focuses on NGCP,” it said.

NGCP said it was not contacted by ABS-CBN which carried the story for a response or reaction to balance out the story. “We ask that a retraction be immediately issued, and that the ABSCBN immediately cease the use of the offending and misleading banner,” it said.

De los Santos, pals dominate

Sports

JAMES de los Santos added two more golds to his collection and so did his three female proteges, Julie Anne Marcos, Fatima A-Isha Lim Hamsain and Christine Colonia.

De los Santos ended up with his 20th and 21st straight gold medals after he joined the e-kata events of the Okinawa eTournament World Series #2 and the Nox Dojo Markham City Open eTournament.

A score of 25.3-24.2 in his individual male seniors finals match with Matias Domont of Switzerland gave De los Santos the gold in the Markham City tourney. In the Okinawa meet, De los Santos prevailed over Alfredo Bustamante of the United States, 2.8-24.48, in the championship round.

Marcos won the gold after besting Emilie Ida of Norway, 24.2-23.58, in the 21-under female kata finale.

Hamsain earned a silver after bowing to Jelizaveta Vasieljeva of Latvia, 23.58-24.26, in the under-15 action, while Colonia took the bronze medal in her quarterfinal clash with Jessica Vlai of Germany, 23.66-24.9, in the under-18 side. Peter Atencio

Greek prospect eyes NBA stint ATHENS—Greek-Nigerian Nikos Okekuoyen is following in the footsteps of NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and hopes he too will play in the top basketball league in the world.

The 23-year-old, 2.12-metre tall power forward/centre is the only Greek player eligible to be selected in the 2020 NBA draft scheduled for Wednesday.

Okekuoyen, who played on the same Filathlitikos team in which fellow Greek-Nigerian Antetokounmpo starred, is currently playing for second division Agrinio.

He had an average 13.5 points and six rebounds before the season was cut short due to the coronavirus.

Just like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Okekuoyen started playing football during his youth but his rapid growth led him to the basketball courts.

"At the age of around 12 I started to grow very tall and put on some extra weight, something that did not help me continue with football,” he told Sport FM in an interview.

The left-handed, 135kg player met the three NBA-starring Antetokounmpo brothers at Filathlitikos "and became friends....Giannis knows he is my big bro."

While playing for Filathlitikos he was given a scholarship to play in the US from 2016 to this year.

"I saw LeBron James in person when I went to see Giannis play. Giannis had given me a ticket to go to the locker rooms. It was one of my best experiences to see my idol in person." AFP

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2020

C1

International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach meets with Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike in Tokyo. AFP

IOC president confident Olympics will have fans T

OKYO—International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach said Monday he is now “very, very confident” that spectators will be able to attend next year’s Tokyo Olympics, as he kicked off a visit aimed at boosting momentum for the pandemic-postponed Games.

Spiralling infections and new lockdowns around the world have renewed scepticism that the massive international event will be possible if the pandemic is not under control by opening day, now scheduled for July 23, 2021.

But organizers and Japanese officials have insisted that they can hold the event, and are drawing up a raft of coronavirus countermeasures intended to make the Games safe even if the pandemic is not over.

“We are putting really a huge tool box together in which we will put all the different measures we can imagine,” Bach said, after meeting Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga for talks that began with the two masked men fist-bumping for the cameras.

“Next year... we will be able to take (the) right tools out of this tool box and apply them in order to ensure safe envi-

ronment for all participants in the games.”

“This makes us all very, very confident that we can have spectators in the Olympic stadia next year,” Bach said.

The Olympic chief also pledged that the IOC would “undertake great efforts” to make sure as many participants and spectators as possible are vaccinated before arriving in Japan, if a vaccine is available by next summer.

Bach, on his first trip to Tokyo since the Games were postponed in March, is hoping to convince athletes, Japanese citizens and Olympics sponsors that the Games can be held safely next year.

Polls show a majority of Japan’s public believe the Games should be postponed further, or cancelled altogether. And more than 60 percent of domestic sponsors have yet to commit to extending their contracts for another year, domestic media reported this weekend.

Manila team joins FIBA tilt in Doha THE Manila Chooks TM Team left Manila Sunday evening as it heads to Qatar for the 2020 FIBA 3X3 World Tour Doha Masters.

The quartet of Philippines no. 1 Joshua Munzon, no. 2 Alvin Pasaol, no. 5 Troy Rike, and no. 6 Santi Santillan left the Ninoy Aquino International Airport 11:30 p.m. aboard Qatar Airways flight QR929.

They are expected to arrive at the Hamad International Airport 4:30AM Monday.

Nerve-wracking was the hours before the team took off as the visas of the four Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 stars only arrived six hours before lift-off.

“The spirit of bayanihan was truly alive,” expressed Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 league owner Ronald Mascariñas.

“FIBA 3X3’s senior manager Ignacio Soriano and 3x3 Events and Partners Associate Valentina Mattioli -- both of whom are in Spain -- and the Qatar ministry moved heaven and earth just to get the visas for the players,” he continued as all participants in the level 10-ranked

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

3x3 tournament must be in Doha on Mon- be given a mandatory room quarantine in day, November 16. their hotels and will only be allowed to go Once the team arrives in Doha, they will out once their PCR test results are back.

‘Light at end of tunnel’ But there are glimmers of hope for organizers and Japanese officials, who have insisted a further delay is not on the table, and that cancellation is not being discussed.

News last week of positive results in a late-stage vaccine trial were welcomed

by Tokyo 2020 officials as a “relief”, though organizers cautioned that they will continue to prepare measures to hold the Games even without a vaccine.

And Tokyo this month successfully staged a four-nation gymnastics competition, its first international sporting event during the pandemic, hailed as proof the Games are possible.

In a possible preview of the restrictions Olympic athletes may face, gymnasts from the United States, China and Russia travelled on charter planes and were restricted to designated hotel floors, assigned buses and competition venues.

Athletes had to isolate themselves before coming to Japan, and test negative 72 hours before arrival. They were also tested every day after their arrival.

Spectators at the event had to wear face masks, sanitize their hands and undergo temperature checks, and were told not to shout or cheer. AFP Five days before the event, FIBA 3x3 has yet to release the groupings for this tournament that has USD 40,000 waiting for the champion team.

Also in the tournament are Liman and UB of Serbia; Riga of Latvia; NY Harlem and Princeton of USA; Lausanne of Switzerland; Jeddah and Riyadh of Saudi Arabia; Kamakura and Yoyogi of Japan; Bielefeld of Germany; Utana of Lithuania; and home team Lusail.

Team captain Pasaol, who during the 2019 edition of the tournament steered Balanga to the quarterfinals, believes that they are more mature now compared to then.

“Born-ready kami. We’re confident naman eh dahil doon sa pinakita namin doon sa Calambubble sobrang laki ng inimprove ng team namin lalo na sa tiyaga,” said the Davao-native as the President’s Cup powered by TM two weeks ago was the perfect training ground for this tournament.

“Hindi kami naiinip or nasisiraan man ng kumpyansa dahil malakas ang kalaban. Yun yung pinakamaganda sa amin ngayon kasi yun nga parang kalmado lang, hindi masyadong nagpapanic, yun yung good side doon.”

Black: We have set our sights on finals THE Meralco Bolts want to give the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings a good fight.

In the next three days, the team will spend time trying to figure out the Gin Kings’ game.

Meralco oach Norman Black said this after the Bolts unceremoniously stopped the San Miguel Beermen’s domination in the 2020 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup. The Bolts did this by swamping the Beermen, 90-68, in the knockout match for the last semifinals’ berth on Sunday at the Angeles University Foundation Sports Arena and Cultural Center.

“They (Bolts) worked so hard.

Now, I’m going to regroup them because the job is not finished. It’s only the semifinals and we have set our sights on the finals,” said Black in a post-game huddle on Zoom after the game at the Angeles University Foundation Sports Arena and Cultural Center.

Meralco, with Chris Hodge and Baser Amer finishing with 14 points, will meet the Gin Kings in Game 1 of the best-of-five semis series on Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 6:30 p.m.

San Miguel, with Marcio Lassiter firing a game-high 20 points, will miss the Philippine Cup playoffs early for the first time in seven years.

“We tried to slow down their post-up, Mo (Tautuaa) and their guards. It worked very very well because the players executed the game plan,” added Black.

The Bolts played a defensiveminded game from the start, jumping to a 16-6 lead late in the first quarter and remained in front of San Miguel Beer in the second.

The Bolts then seized a 22-point lead at 40-18 behind Allein Maliksi’s triple, with 5:28 to go.

As a consolation, though, SMB’s Arwind Santos finished with 10 points and nine boards and has now 1,000 career three-pointers, tying Al Solis at seventh on the all-time list.

Meralco shot 38.5 p e r c e nt from downtown (10 -for-26 ) against SMB.

Pros back in the hunt as PGT, LPGT unwrap THREE former Philippine Open champions, three Order of Merit winners, a slew of titlehungry young guns and the winner of the only Philippine Golf Tour event held in this pandemic-hit season headline the stellar field in today’s (Tuesday, Nov. 17) PGT restart at Riviera’s Couples course in Silang, Cavite.gMiguel Tabuena, who won the Phl Open in 2015 and 2018 at Luisita and The Country Club, respectively, and Angelo Que, who reigned at Wack Wack in 2008, get the top billing in the P2 million event marking the first time that the Tour pros will gather since Dutch Guido Van der Valk humbled the local aces to clinch the TCC Invitational crown first week of March before the organizing Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. suspended its scheduled 11th season due to coronavirus outbreak the following week.

But the Games and Amusements Board and the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF)

recently gave the PGTI the green light to resume operations, paving the way for a twotournament offering, simultaneous with the Ladies PGT. The other PGT and LPGT events put up by ICTSI will be held Dec. 8-11 at the Langer’s course, also at Riviera.

For details, visit www.pgt.ph.

Meanwhile, the likes of Tony Lascuña, Jay Bayron and Jobim Carlos, all former OOM titlists, and PGT Asia leg winners Jhonnel Ababa, Justin Quiban, Joenard Rates and James Ryan Lam, Michael Bibat, Zanieboy Gialon and Gerald Rosales, who also won the Phl Open at Langer in 2000, are all primed up for golf’s return in new normal under strict health and safety protocols with the pros excited to just be back playing competitively.

An equally talent-laden cast also braces for fierce battle in the Ladies PGT, which kicks off its 54-hole chase also today (Tuesday) with defend-

ing OOM champion Princess Superal and former winners Pauline del Rosario, Chihiro Ikeda and Cyna Rodriguez bannering the field that also features former leg winner Sarah Ababa, Daniella Uy, Marvi Monsalve and Gretchen Villacencio.

Focus will also be on brand-new pros Abby Arevalo and Chanelle Avaricio with the former, who dominated the Phl Ladies Open early in the season, raring to return to the venue where she scored a pro victory as an amateur in 2017, edging Del Rosario no less with a last-hole birdie at Langer.

Avaricio, on the other hand, took the low amateur honors in an LPGT event last year to earn a pro card. After a stellar collegiate career that saw her win four consecutive Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) low medal honors, the former Alabama State ace hopes to hold her ground against the veteran campaigners.

Dutch Guido Van der Valk

Sports

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2020 C2 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Johnson sees more majors to come A UGUSTA—Dustin Johnson proved to himself he can hold a last-day lead to win a major, taking the Masters title he most desired. And the world number one is just getting started.

Johnson delivered an impressive closing Sunday at Augusta National to win in record fashion, handling the tension to set a Masters 72-hole record of 20-under 268 with a final-round 68 for a five-stroke triumph.

“Growing up so close to here, since I played my first Masters, it’s been the tournament I wanted to win the most,” he said. “This one was just something that I really wanted to do.”

After going winless in four majors with a lead entering the last round, the kid who grew up an hour’s drive away now wears a 42-long green jacket.

“I proved I can get it done on Sunday with the lead at a major, especially in tough conditions,” Johnson said.

“I proved to myself that I do have it.

There was doubts in my mind, just because I had been there. I’m in this position a lot of times. Like when am I going to have the lead and finish off a major? It definitely proved I can do it.”

Johnson, whose only other major title came at the 2016 US Open, sees the door open for more major success after his Masters breakthrough.

“I dream of winning a lot of majors.

Just hadn’t quite happened yet,” he said.

“Hopefully this one will help, though, give me a little spring.

“The first major’s the hardest, but then I would say the second one is just as hard.

They’re all difficult to win. It’s just hard to get it done in a major for some reason.

“So it’s very nice to have a lead and then play well on Sunday and get the win.

I couldn’t be more happy and I think I look pretty good in green, too.”

Johnson spent 11 days in a Las Vegas hotel last month in Covid-19 quarantine instead of playing his intended tuneup events, only to finish second last week in Houston.

“Sit in the hotel room for two weeks, it doesn’t do a lot for the golf game, but I

put a lot of work in at Houston and this week,” Johnson said. “Fortunate that I was able to keep the game in good form.

His final struggle was less with rivals and more with his own emotions.

“It was a battle all day, just an internal battle with myself,” Johnson said. “I was nervous all day. It never got easier... not from the first tee until the last putt. I was battling all day, in a good way.”

Tears on 18th green Johnson was joined for the week by caddie-brother Austin Johnson, whose tears on the 18th green had Dustin saying, “Hey, I’ve still got to finish this off. I can’t be crying.”

He later said, “It’s unbelievable having my brother on my bag. I just love experiencing all these moments with him. I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

As he told two-time Masters winner Bubba Watson when he walked off the 18th green, “I’ve been dreaming of putting that jacket on my whole life.”

And having 15-time major winner Tiger Woods put the jacket on his shoulders

was nice, too.

“Having Tiger put it on was awesome and unbelievable. You wouldn’t want it any other way,” Johnson said.

“But any guy could put it on me and I’d be just fine.”

Asked if he felt robbed of an epic moment of cheers with the lack of spectators due to Covid-19, Johnson said, “No, I do not.”

“They bring a lot of excitement and just they make the Masters, really,” he said. “But I would say if I had to say one way or the other, probably made it a little easier to get it done without having all the fans.” AFP

Dustin Johnson of the United States is awarded the Green Jacket by Masters champion Tiger Woods of the United States during the Green Jacket Ceremony after winning the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. AFP

Hamilton: The world champion some find hard to like PARIS—Lewis Hamilton has joined Michael Schumacher as the most successful driver in Formula One’s history —yet despite all the acclaim, the seven-time world champion divides opinion.

With 20.6 million Instagram followers Hamilton is by a country mile the most popular member of the Formula One grid, supported by an army of loyal fans known as ‘Team LH’.

“The greatest sportsman this country has ever produced—no doubts,” tweeted former Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand after Hamilton crossed the finish line in Istanbul on Sunday.

Yet Hamilton’s rise to F1 legend status has been accompanied by articles in his homeland exploring the same question— ‘why is he disliked?’

Just as in Schmacher’s all-conquering era with Ferrari, Hamilton and Mercedes have become victims of their own success.

Mercedes are accused in the court of public opinion of being too good and turning the sport into a tedious procession—they have won the last seven constructors titles and Hamilton has won the last four world drivers titles.

Hamilton tackled the issue last season.

“It’s not how F1 should be, but it is what it is right now and it has been like that in the past,” he said.

“But it is not our fault these guys are good at their jobs.”

FREE THROW SHOOTER NATHANIEL DELA CRUZ FANS felt it was the start of something promising - a promise of greatness—when James Harden came to Houston to become the cornerstone of a new Rockets era.

The promise of greatness was fulfilled, to some measure. Harden has emerged from his cocoon and became an elite offensive player. But what was achieved was personal greatness only. Without a doubt, Harden will become a sure first ballot in the basketball Hall of Fame. He will be known as one of the craftiest offensive players who combined his hard-to-defend Euro-step style of attacking the basket with his just-as-difficult sidestep pump fake three-point shooting that he did so well and with such a high level of accuracy that he sort of normalized what was once considered rare—the four-point play after a made three and a foul on the shooter.

There was a lot of promise in Houston during Harden’s tenure evidenced by the fact that Houston was always seen as a legit contender in the West, and year after year, something is happening in Houston, and opposing coaches always made sure this

Mercedes’ British driver Lewis Hamilton gives an interview after winning the Turkish Formula One Grand Prix at the Intercity Istanbul Park circuit in Istanbul.

Lewis Hamilton won the race to seal his 7th World Championship. AFP

For The Times’ Rebecca Clancy, Hamilton’s decision to move to first Switzerland and then Monaco—in part to pay less tax—was at the heart of any antiHamilton sentiment.

Another obstacle for some British F1 fans was the support of the once mighty McLaren team which powered him to his first title in 2008.

“Britons like underdogs,” explained The Sun. ‘Hypocrisy’ For The Daily Telegraph, the ‘Marmite’

factor (love him or loathe him) stems from the fact that “Hamilton’s tastes may not always sit perfectly with the traditional motor racing community”.

Celebrity friends, extravagant fashion sense, ‘bling’ jewellery, plentiful tattoos, his spiritualism, reactions which sometimes appear over the top, the negative picture he paints of his hometown Stevenage, his Anglo-American accent -- all have been used as ammunition by his detractors.

His ‘detached’ manner also fires up his critics.

“It’s not in the tradition of British sporting heroes to be so removed,” wrote the Daily Mail’s F1 reporter, John McEvoy.

For some, it was Hamilton’s conversion to all things green and veganism in 2017 that jarred, coming from someone who criss-crosses the globe in a private jet—since sold—and spends much of his time behind the wheel of gas-guzzling F1 machines.

McEvoy wrote in the Mail in July: “The chief accusation against Hamilton is one of hypocrisy on several fronts.

“Many F1 insiders have heard enough of Hamilton’s self-righteous preaching.”

F1’s first black driver has this season pressed for greater diversity in the paddock, a stance sparked by his vocal support for the Black Lives Matter movement. He spoke out about the killing of George Floyd when no one else in his sport would and won widespread support for his stance.

But some observers have noted that his tone can sometimes be perceived as preaching and “can rub people the wrong way”.

His critics might not agree, but for many, like fellow British driver Lando Norris, Hamilton should be honored, not criticized.

“There is only one other person in the whole world who has achieved what he has—and that’s Michael Schumacher,” the McLaren rookie said. AFP

Full circle reflects in the scouting report if they want to defeat Harden and his team.

Now with all the talks of Harden exiting for Brooklyn, it is apparent that his era in Houston is over, and with it the promise of greatness he brought with him the first time he wore a Rockets jersey. What was purchased by the long years of effort is a great consolation: despite its flaws as a unit, the Houston Rockets played an entertaining and exciting type of basketball.

But now, everyone moves forward.

I wonder if, in leaving Houston, Harden is also leaving his best years as a professional basketball player behind to start his proverbial ride towards the sunset.

And not that it is a bad thing because here’s the rub: prime James Harden may be a talented, elite-level competitor, but is it possible that him yielding touches, attempts, minutes, and roles could make him a better teammate and a better fit for a championship team? That has always been the main argument against Harden: his tendencies forced his team to be one-dimensional and predictable. He dribbles too much. He holds the ball too many times and for too long. He takes too many shots. He dictates the flow of the offense and everyone around him is forced to find their offensive rhythm based on the opportunities

Harden allows, and sometimes, it is meager to none. And because of Harden’s offensive skills, you allow him that.

But year after year, one important—and oftentimes unseen—factor is slowly and slowly forcing Harden to change (and perhaps to his benefit without him knowing it yet). Years of wear and tear will make you more and more cautious as a player because injuries can sideline 30-year-old and older players, or worse, it can decommission them too. You change in small increments is hardly perceptible at first unless someone makes a close comparative study of your tendencies. Father Time will do (and influence) the rest.

These small changes force you to accept major changes in who you are in the team and how you play in a team within a system.

Maybe James Harden coming to Brooklyn is him coming full circle. He was an off-the-bench third option scorer in OKC who went out to begin his journey towards becoming a feared primary scorer, and he accomplished that. But unlike other players who did it before, he summited without a Larry O’Brien trophy in hand.

This, the journey is incomplete.

If he joins champions Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn, he will return to his old role of having fewer touches on the

ball as a secondary offensive option behind ball-heavy Kyrie and Durant who, once healthy, is without a doubt the cornerstone of Brooklyn’s offense.

It is not a demotion for Harden nor is it a humiliating slide to second-tier. Despite having to embrace a role similar to what he had in OKC in his younger years, there is one key factor that makes this return-to-anold-role potentially rewarding for Harden: This time around, he approaches this role with maturity.

And it will only be a rewarding transformation if Harden sees it like this, if he accepts it like this, and if he builds around this revelation.

He is not getting any younger. Those defending him are becoming more and more adept in forcing Harden to become less effective and less dangerous. He needs to change - his style of play, the burden he wants to take single-handedly, who he is around with, and the system he plays in, and more importantly, his mindset.

The good thing is he has proven himself capable of transformation. Who he was in OKC and who he has become in Houston is a testament to that.

For all we know, all he needs is one final tweak, and he could finally become a champion. And then his journey is complete.

Nadal cruises at ATP Finals; Thiem stuns Tsitsipas LONDON—Rafael Nadal launched his bid for a first ATP Finals trophy in style on Sunday, taming in-form Andrey Rublev in straight sets in London after Dominic Thiem beat Stefanos Tsitsipas.

The Spanish world number two, chasing the biggest prize missing from his glittering resume, barely broke sweat as he outclassed the Russian debutant 6-3, 6-4 at the empty O2 Arena.

Earlier, US Open champion Thiem avenged his defeat by Tsitsipas in the championship match last year, beating the Greek sixth seed 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 6-3.

Nadal, who last month equalled Roger Federer’s record of 20 Grand Slams by winning the French Open, has won 86 titles but just one of those has come on an indoor hard court.

His record at the eight-man elite event pales in comparison with his main rivals. Federer, who is absent with injury, has won it a record six times and Novak Djokovic has triumphed five times.

Nadal, 34, and Rublev both held serve comfortably in the early stages of their Group London 2020 round-robin match.

But the Spaniard, who was comprehensively outserving his 23-year-old opponent, made his move in the sixth game, breaking the Russian, who hurled his racket to the ground in frustration, and wrapping up the set with the minimum of fuss.

Rublev, who has won a tour-leading five titles during the coronavirus-interrupted 2020 season, was broken again in the first game of the second set, leaving him with a mountain to climb.

The seventh seed upped his first-serve percentage but it was too little too late.

Nadal did not face a break point in the entire 77-minute match.

“Always the first match is very tricky,” said Nadal. “Every match is difficult when you’re playing against the best of the best so it’s a positive start for me, very happy.”

“I think my serve worked very well tonight so that’s a bit of help always on these surfaces,” added the two-time finalist.

“I had my few chances on the return and I converted.”

The French Open champion said winning in straight sets was a big confidence boost ahead of his “super-difficult match” against Thiem on Tuesday.

The Spaniard has qualified for the ATP Finals for a record 16 consecutive years but has been forced to withdraw on six occasions.

A combination of injuries and his preference for other surfaces has counted against him but his greater freshness as a result of a shorter season may boost his chances this year.

Thiem revenge In the opening match on Sunday, Austria’s Thiem missed a clutch of break points against Tsitsipas but battled back from 4-1 down in the first set tie-break to take the lead.

The defending champion broke early in the second set to level the match and appeared to have the momentum but Thiem rallied impressively, earning a break with a delicately dinked forehand in the second game of the decider, which proved decisive.

“I think the level was higher last year,” said Thiem.

“We were both in great shape last year in the final, we wanted that title 100 percent. The atmosphere was insane last year in the final and today was a little bit different.” AFP

PSA Forum tackles PVL THE newly-turned pro Premier Volleyball League will take centerstage in Tuesday’s webcast session of the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum.

Ricky Palou of Sports Vision and PVL star Alyssa Valdez talks about the course of the league moving forward following its decision to finally turn professional.

The 10:30 a.m. session is powered by Smart and presented by San Miguel Corp., Go For Gold, MILO, Amelie Hotel Manila, Braska Restaurant, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corppration (PAGCOR), with Upstream Media as the official webcast partner.

The weekly Forum is livestreamed via the PSA Facebook page f b.com/ PhilippineSportswritersAssociation and also shared by Radyo Pilipinas 2 Facebook page.

Entertainment

Nickie Wang, Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2020

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Binibinis gather to raise funds for Typhoon Ulysses victims PAGEANT CONCEPT ETON CONCEPCION IN A live online gathering held on Saturday, the 2019 Binibining Pilipinas Queens made effort to ask for donation for the Operation Relief Efforts of Araneta City to Help (REACH) for the benefit of typhoon Ulysses victims in Metro Manila.

The official Facebook page of Binibining Pilipinas (@ BBPilipinasOfficial) focused on #IAmBinibini: Online Chikahan with Binibining Pilipinas 2019 Queens to help raise funds for families displaced and affected by Typhoon Ulysses.

Bb. Pilipinas 2019 Queens led by Gazini Ganados (Universe) with Patch Magtanong (International), Resham Saeed (Supranational), Aya Abesamis (Grand International), Emma Tiglao (Intercontinental) and 2019 Miss Globe 2nd runner-up Leren Mae Bautista, along with 2020 Bb. Pilipinas candidate Samantha Bernardo, spearheaded the live virtual fund-raising activity.

“Seeing the headlines, the damage and destruction faced by our countrymen, we felt a strong need to do something. We want to give back and use the platform that we have to help in our own little way,” Magtanong said.

All donations can be coursed via Gcash, PayMaya or go to www.ticketnet.com.ph for pledges and other inquiries. *** Bringing comfort this pandemic-plagued holiday season The traditional Araneta Center Giant Christmas Tree Lighting, on its 39th year, was held virtually coinciding with the launching of Operation REACH. The program, hosted by Robi Domingo and singer Anna Ramsey, featured guests performances streamed via BPCI official

Gazini Ganados leads 2019 Binibining Pilipinas Queens for Araneta Center’s relief efforts.

Facebook and Youtube pages.

With the holiday theme “Comfort and Joys at the City of Firsts,” the giant Christmas Tree of predominantly red and silver trimmings and the word "hope" emblazoned on its pedestal, was set at the Times Square Food Park and aims to bring joy and hope and comfort to the public this holiday season amid these trying

times of the pandemic.

“We understand how the pandemic has affected everything, including the way we’ll welcome and celebrate Christmas,” said AVP for Marketing of Araneta City Marjorie Go. Comedian/television host Vice Ganda graced the virtual show event with

“Tawag ng Tanghalan” champion Janine Berdin, The Voice Teens’ Jeremy Glinoga and OPM/indie band December Avenue. *** Bulaqueña named 4th runner-up at Miss Globe 2020 The Philippines’ Rowena Sasuluya was named fourth runner-up in Miss Globe 2020 pageant held in Tirana, Albania recently. Kosovo’s Lorinda Kolgeci won the title with Siberia's Matveeva Evgenia, 1st runner-up, Ghana's Naomi Chioma Anene, 2nd runner-up, and Brazil's Thawany Aparecida De Faria, 3rd runner-up.

Sasuluya, aka Rowee Lucero, 25, is a social studies teacher from Guiguinto, Bulacan. During the pageant she was given the People's Choice award.

"I dedicate this competition to all my countrymen to stay strong and keep the faith that we can survive this trial as we all work together especially with the help and prayers of community of nation across the Globe," Sasuluya posted on Instagram hours before the finals, hearing about the destruction from typhoon Ulysses.

Sasuluya, who loves to travel, works with Le Premier Language which offers Asian and European languages training, and A-HA! Learning Center, the first free tutoring center for public school kids in the Philippines.

The statuesque Bulaqueña, who was first runner up in Miss Global Philippines 2017 and earlier competed in Miss Face Of The Universe 2014 in Lagos, Nigeria, is one of the official candidates of Bb. Pilipinas 2020 search which selects the country’s representative in Miss Globe.

When the Bb. Pilipinas Charities, Inc. (BPCI) said it would not be sending a representative in this year’s Miss Globe owing to COVID-19, the Kagandahang

Rowena Sasuluya represented the Philippines at the recently concluded Miss Globe 2020 pageant held in Albania.

Flores (KF) beauty camp hand-picked Sasuluya to compete as a fill-in delegate. Sasuluya followed on last year’s 2nd runner-up finish of Leren Mae Bautista.

Marco Gumabao admits feelings for Julia Barretto SHTICKS JOSEPH PETER GONZALES IN HIS recent guest appearance in Julia Barretto’s “#DrunkAndSpill” vlog series, Marco Gumabao admitted that there was one phase in the past when he had a crush on the young actress.

The hunky actor said that it happened around five years ago when the now Viva artist was still a teenager.

“Julia and I were together in one group of friends. She was still a teenager then. If I remember right, she was about eighteen or nineteen and I was just twenty-one during that time. We were still young.

Sadly, it was wrong timing,” Marco shares.

On the other hand, Julia revealed that she wasn’t ready to enter into any relationship back then.

“Marco told me then what he felt towards me. I told him that I respect his stance to wear his heart on his sleeves. The thing is, I just got out of a relationship that time and I was heart-broken. So I guess it’s correct to call that wrong timing,” the young Barretto starts.

“I remember telling Marco then that I was proud of his bravery. I mean, he was able to tell me how he felt. I appreciated that. It’s just that as I’ve said, at that time, I wasn’t prepared yet to jump into another relationship,” she adds.

Meanwhile, Marco recounted how he developed his admiration for Julia back then.

“Of course, in our group, we were constantly together. Every week, we saw one another, like three times. That was the

Actor Marco Gumabao admitted that he got attracted to Julia Barretto before.

minimum. Given that, it’s really hard not to get attracted to your friend, right?”

They’re both glad that their friendship wasn’t affected by this. They are grateful that their friendship remained intact despite the admission from Marco.

“I’m thankful that we stayed friends.

Julia is a solid friend. Come hell or high waters,” Marco says.

“Marco and I didn’t pass an awkward stage because of that incident. Actually, it helped deepen our friendship. It’s way more important than whatever awkwardness,” ends Julia. *** In the recent media conference for the hit GMA soap Prima Donnas, which already started airing fresh episodes since last week, Aiko Melendez said that she’s hoping that her evil character Kendra in the show would be her last “contravida” role on the boob tube.

“I want to take a respite from breathing life to bad characters on-

screen after Prima Donnas. That’s why I’m playing it to the hilt this time,” she admits explaining that she wanted to try something different.

“It’s draining if you’re always doing ‘contravida’ roles. Your audience will get tired of watching you doing the same old thing, right?. But if in the future there’s a worthy project in which I will do a bad character, I might do it. But for now, I requested my manager (Arnold Vegafria) that Prima Donnas will be my last television program in which I play a villainess,” she says.

Meanwhile, the actress revealed that she is still keen on producing the movie which she herself will top-bill along with contemporaries Ruffa Gutierrez and Carmina Villaroel.

“In God’s grace when everything gets back to normal. I want to push through with it. It’s our first venture into movie production so we want to ensure that everything’s ironed out,” Aiko ends.

Gari Escobar nominated at Aliw Awards 2020

Singer and businessman Gari Escobar

MULTIHYPENATE Gari Escobar has every reason to be elated and feel excited these days.

The businessman and singer-composer has received a nomination for Best Pop Artist of the Year from Aliw Awards 2020.

"This is really an exciting thing to happen to me at this time when the whole world is suffering from COVID-19," he said. Doubling Gari's excitement is a movie offer that he said he's still considering. "I'd like to read the script first.”

Last year, Gari received the Best New Male Recording Artist of the Year Award from the 11th PMPC Star Awards for Music for his composition “Baguio.” The song was the carrier single of his debut album released by Ivory Music & Video, which he co-produced with Vehnee Saturno.

Just recently, Escobar also was featured

in his very first digital/online concert held at the Vehnee Saturno Music Training Center (VSMTC) and aired in his FB Live artist page. It was a successful presentation where Escobar performed 10 songs, seven of which were his own compositions.

The songs he rendered were: “Sayaw sa Ulan,” “Baguio,” “Habang Nandito Pa,” “Mahal,” “Dito sa Piling Ko,” “Chinita Girl,” “Ayoko Na Sa’Yo,” “ Masisisi Mo Ba,” “Tama Na” and “Lumaban Ka.” According to Escobar, he did not let the pandemic affect him. Instead, he used his time at home to indulge in his passion for music. “I sing and strum my guitar everyday.” He also presented online video shows to inspire fans, supporters, and viewers to make productive endeavors in the comfort of their homes during the quarantine.

Ang Daigdig Ko’y Ikaw’ lead stars Geoff Eigenmann and Ynna Asistio.

Romancing the melodrama ARIAS ALWIN IGNACIO ANG Pinakamabang One Night Stand, Bahay Bata, Quick Change, Pamilya Ordinaryo, Last Fool Show, Lola Igna, and Fuccbois are some of the motion pictures directed by Eduardo Roy Jr. who is fondly called in Philippine showbiz circle as Direk Edong.

The fortysomething film maverick’s film projects are usually described as bombastic, gritty, poignant, a slap to your face, jab to your gut kind of movies. Thus, many were surprised when he agreed to do the melodrama Ang Daigdig Ko’y Ikaw.

“My motto in choosing a project is always to do a material that I have not done yet. You know, it’s like being in a battle. Hindi lang basta sugod ng sugod. As a filmmaker, you must choose your battles in the cinematic universe,” Direk Edong starts.

“A film or a TV drama is the director’s take to a story that is given to you. They keep on saying there is no such thing as an original story. But what makes it a unique viewers experience is the director’s take.

His films are his takes on the pressing issues presented, for example, poverty, old age, daring and promiscuity, and love.

What I love most about directing is you seem to be jumping off a cliff and you do not know if somebody will catch you. The greater the risk, the more challenged I am in presenting a creative manner to skin this piece of cinema that inspired my artistic

juices,” he carries on.

Director Roy, without a doubt, is romancing the melodrama genre now in Net 25’s Ang Daigdig Ko’y Ikaw, the first romantic series produced by the Eagle Broadcasting Corporation.

“It is definitely an upgrade especially in terms of the location. We shot the whole melodrama at Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar which is a very cinematic location.

I want to declare in terms of ambiance that it is ten times better and bigger than Vigan.

And the place is an important element to the romance between Roman and Reina.”

Playing his leads are Geoff Eigenmann and Ynna Asistio.

“I am very happy that finally Ynna is given this break because she is a good actress. When you first see here, akala mo wala lang, there is something about her that grows on you,” Direk Edong says.

“With Geoff, with his numerous TV drama experiences, alam niya na ang proper blocking, marking. He knows how to find his light. And there was a scene na may actor’s cue kami supposedly, wala pa on cue, he was already in tears,” he adds.

Direk Edong affirms that his two main stars share great chemistry together and they were emotionally invested in laying their characters.

The cast includes Elizabeth Oropesa, Tanya Gomez, Richard Quan, Adrian AJ Muhlach, Anna Mabasa-Muhlach, Arielle Roces, Jiro Custodio, Shiela Marie Rodriguez, Paulyn Ann Poon, Manolo Silayan, Myrna Tinio, and Jellex David.

Ang Daigdig Ko’y Ikaw airs every Saturday, 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. with replays every Sunday at 5:30 on NET 25.

Life

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

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HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2020

SAFETY IS PRIORITY. Makati Medical Center strictly implements safety protocols to ensure patients and staff’s safety. Housekeeping staff ensures the facilities are clean and safe for all, while patients and companions and visitors follow the hospital’s ‘Always Safe’ measures.

Makati Med restores public trust with improved protocols

By Bernadette Lunas

I

S IT safe to go to the hospital again?

In Manila Standard’s The Good LIFE episode on October 1, one viewer asked our guest, Dr. Marion Kwek of Makati Medical Center, the said question, referring to whether outpatients and those who have standing appointments or seeking medical care could come to the hospital again without compromising their health and safety.

She said “yes,” and Makati Med’s medical director Saturnino Perez, MD and newly installed president and chief executive Pilar Nenuca Almira recently explained why.

Leading healthcare institution Makati Med lives up to its vision to be the country’s trusted hospital as it lays down measures that ensure patients and staff’s safety while in their premises.

After recording its first COVID-19 case early in March and reaching full capacity in the same month, the hospital quickly implemented safety protocols to manage the situation.

Makati Med’s strict infection prevention and control protocols, expansion of bed facilities, infrastructure revisions and adjustments, and COVID-19 testing laboratory accreditation (which “leads the pack in terms of volume testing” according to Dr. Perez), among others have helped the Makati hospital keep its mortality rate low and recovery rate high.

As of Oct, 16, Dr. Perez reported Makati Med recorded 2.6 percent mortality rate (140 deaths out of 5,321 COVID cases) and 95 percent recovery rate (5,072 recovered patients).

“Our recovery rate is higher than PH numbers,” declared Dr. Perez. The country’s recovery rate as of Oct. 16 stood at 86 percent.

Makati Med “gradually, cautiously, partially, and selectively” resumed its clinic operations on May 18, rebuilding the public’s confidence by implementing government-mandated protocols and more.

Strictly enforced in the premises are the no mask and face shield, no entry policy; social distancing; hand washing; contact-

Dr. Saturnino Perez, Makati Med medical director

Pilar Nenuca Almira, Makati Med president and chief executive

less interactions; and proper donning of personal protective equipment.

Visitors, companions, and guests are limited; one medical doctor is assigned per floor; and clinics are retrofitted with HEPA filter and acrylic shields to ensure minimal contact between patients and physicians. The emergency rooms are also equipped with retractable hoods with HEPA filter.

“These protocols do not exist in malls and other public places, but maintained in hospitals,” said Dr. Perez. “With protocols in place, we can diminish the pervasive fear among healthcare professionals and patients.”

The medical director encourages patients to come to the hospital especially if they need constant and immediate care.

“As much as people want to avoid exposure and stay at home, the pandemic should not stop you from going to the hospital for other medical conditions and illnesses,” said Dr. Perez.

To further ease patients’ apprehension to come to the hospital, Makati Med has designated COVID-19 wing zones on 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th floors.

All outpatient centers and doctors’ clinics are open to serve patients, while the emergency rooms, Dr. Perez said, now accommodate patients as soon as

possible. Test results are released within 24 to 48 hours.

“If you’re identified as COVID suspect, you will be designated to hot zones,” he added. “And if you have been admitted in COVID wing, there is one doctor who makes the rounds to see you.”

Dr. Perez further added, “We understand there are many who are afraid to go to hospitals. For those who are still afraid we will bring the service of Makati Med whether corporate or home setting with the expansion of our home care services.”

Here’s what to expect when you visit Makati Med:

Screening process

Patients have to go through a screening process that begins by setting an appointment and answering the patient health screening form online, through Makati Med On-Call, or the clinic secretary.

Walk-in patients are screened at entrances, companions are also required to go through the same health screening process. Both visitors and patient companions will be given an ID pass for safety monitoring. The hospital discourages seniors and children visitors as much as possible.

Patients with any symptom of possi-

Makati Med requires all patients, companions, and visitors to keep at least six feet distance from other people.

ble COVID-19 are advised to seek tel- stantly practice hand hygiene and observe econsultation, and to proceed immedi- social distancing especially in common arately to the hospital for RT-PCR testing eas such as the lobbies and waiting rooms.

Touchless hand sanitizer dispensers and possible confinement if warranted. and pump style hand sanitizer dispensers Rules inside hospital premises are also deployed throughout the hospital.

Everyone who goes to Makati Med must wear a face mask and a face shield.

Frequent disinfection The hospital allows cloth face masks Makati Med housekeeping staff is reand surgical masks as long as they do sponsible for the pre-cleaning, disinfecnot have a valve. The face shield should tion, misting, and Ultraviolet C (UVC) also cover the entire face. Temperature light disinfection of all areas round the scanning is also required at the entrance clock. Exam rooms are also disinfected of the hospital. between each patient use, as each unit Makati Med encourages guests to con- has an assigned cleaner.

Lysol bolsters ‘disinfect to protect’ mission

Lysol, with the help of its Christmas-themed pack, encourages disinfecting frequently-touched surfaces to keep loved ones safe from COVID-19.

DISINFECTANT brand Lysol reaffirms its commitment to the Philippine Red Cross by breaking down the chain of infections and ensuring everybody is protected from COVID-19 and other illnesses.

Lysol encourages consumers to donate to the COVID-19 Samaritan’s Fund, which makes available COVID-19 testing to the most susceptible and vulnerable groups.

It also promotes the adoption of Pula, PRC’s adorable bear, which can be purchased in a special Christmas bundle pack consisting of two units of 340g Lysol Disinfectant Spray.

For every purchase of the special

holiday-themed pack available in supermarkets nationwide, Lysol hopes to create further awareness on the efforts undertaken by PRC. It also makes for an excellent gift for friends and family, reminding them to always practice good hygiene to “Disinfect to Protect.”

These worthwhile initiatives come at the heels of Lysol’s P36-million donation to PRC for the construction of a molecular laboratory in Cagayan de Oro City and towards the strengthening of COVID-19 mass testing among vulnerable groups in the country.

The said facility, located at the Capi-

tol Compound in CDO, completed its construction and passed the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine’s proficiency test in September.

Equipped with two polymerase chain reaction machines that can process 2,000 tests per day, the facility is in operation since Sept. 19 after receiving its accreditation as a certified COVID-19 testing center.

With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Lysol stresses the importance of disinfecting the home and the workplace as well as frequently-touched surfaces using its disinfectant sprays and multi-action cleansers.