Manila Standard - 2021 April 6 - Tuesday

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Palace talks tough to China Panelo warns of ‘unwanted hostilities’ over Chinese boats’ incursions

By Vito Barcelo and Rey E. Requejo

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RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte’s chief legal counsel criticized China Monday for the continued presence of Chinese ships in the Julian Felipe (Whitsun) Reef, warning that the territorial incursion could damage ties and lead to “unwanted hostilities.”

“While we recognize the historical and cultural ties with China that has evolved into a productive relationship, its present territorial incursions is producing an unwelcome stain in their Next page

STILL THERE. This handout photo taken on March 27 and received from the National Task Force-West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) via the Philippine Communications Operations Office on March 31 shows Chinese vessels anchored at Whitsun Reef, some 320 kilometers west of Palawan Island in the South China Sea. A fleet of Chinese ships (including inset photo) that sparked a diplomatic row after parking at a reef off the Philippines for weeks are now scattered across the contested Spratly Islands, a government agency said on March 31, condemning Beijing's "unlawful presence" in the area. AFP

VOL. XXXV • NO. 50 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 2021 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

COVID-19 PH AT A GLANCE

Cases may hit 1m this month, DOH refutes downtrend in NCR

By Willie Casas, Vito Barcelo and Macon Ramos-Araneta

(AS OF 4 PM APRIL 5)

803,398 TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES

8,355 143,726 NEW

ACTIVE

13,435

10

646,237

145

DEATHS

RECOVERIES

NEW

NEW

Janssen seeks FDA nod for its single-shot vax • Sinovac data critical to EUA for the elderly • Antigen test OKd AMERICAN drugmaker Johnson & Johnson’s pharmaceutical arm Janssen applied for emergency use authorization (EUA) of its single-dose COVID-19 vaccine, the Food and Drug Administration said Monday. “[They filed] last Wednesday. Now under evaluation,” FDA chief Eric Domingo told GMA News Online.

Janssen’s Phase 3 clinical trial for its COVID-19 vaccine is currently underway in several areas across the Philippines.

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QUARANTINE LIFE. A man is seen walking through a quarantine facility of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) inside the grounds of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) in Pasay City on Monday. The Philippine Hospital Association of the Philippines has recommended that COVID-19 patients suffering from mild cases to just stay home and consult doctors by phone.

Norman Cruz

Shift to MECQ? Only when healthcare falls to 60%

By Vito Barcelo, Willie Casas and Maricel V. Cruz THE government may ease quarantine restrictions in Metro Manila if the occupancy of hospital beds falls to at least 60 percent, the Department

of Health (DOH) said Monday.

“For health care utilization, we need to see that the utilization will be down to at least 60% before we can say we are at that safe level,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said at a Palace briefing.

The current health care utilization rate for the National Capital Region (NCR) is about 80 percent, which is classified as high risk, Vergeire said.

She added that intensive care unit (ICU) beds are almost 100 percent occupied in all cities in Metro Manila.

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RESEARCHERS tracking the pandemic said the number of COVID-19 cases in the country may reach 1 million before the end of April amid a surge of infections.

In its latest monitoring report, the OCTA Research Group said that while COVID-19 transmission has slowed in Metro Manila due to tightened restrictions, infections still grew by 20 percent with 5,538 daily new cases over the last week.

“Before the end of April, the Philippines is expected to have recorded more than 1,000,000 total COVID-19 cases,” OCTA said.

Metro Manila’s reproduction number from March 29 to April 4 also decreased to 1.61, meaning each COVID-19 case could infect more than one other person.

The reproduction number is “trending down towards 1.3 or less by April 11,” OCTA said.

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KELLEY DAY RUNNER-UP IN MS. ECO PAGEANT ENTERTAINMENT / C3

Gesmundo takes No more ‘ayuda’ in next lockdown oath, sits as 27th SC Chief Justice THE government can no longer provide additional financial assistance to lowincome households and affected residents under the Enhanced Community Quarantine in the so-called NCR Plus bubble should the strictest measure against CO-

By Vito Barcelo and Rey E. Requejo

CHIEF JUSTICE’S OATH. Alexander G. Gesmundo (right and inset) takes his oath as 27th Chief Justice of the Philippines before Senior Associate Justice Estela M. Perlas-Bernabe at the Supreme Court En Banc Session Hall on Monday. SC PIO Photos

SUPREME Court Associate Justice Alexander Gesmundo on Monday took his oath of office as the country’s 27th chief justice, vice Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta who optionally retired last March 27.

Senior Associate Justice Estela PerlasBernabe administered the oath at the session hall of the SC on Padre Faura Street in Ermita, Manila.

Other SC justices participated and Next page

VID-19 be extended for another week after the April 11 deadline set by Malacanang.

This developed as 8,000 workers were displaced by the first three days of the Next page

Jun Icban, journalist par excellence, 85 Veteran journalist Crispulo “Jun” Icban Jr., editor-in-chief/publisher of the Manila Bulletin and chairman of the Association of Philippine Journalists-Samahang Plaridel Foundation Inc., passed away Monday af afternoon. He was 85.

Icban served as

Press Secretary during the Ar Arroyo administration in 2010.

A 1967 Nieman Fellow, he was named as one of the most outstanding citi citizens of Quezon City for his "legacy of courage in Philippine jour journalism."

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News

TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 2021

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Judiciary workers move up jab list

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In a letter to her co-workers in the Judiciary, Senior Associate Justice Estela Perlas-Bernabe on Monday said that a portion of the vaccine doses that will arrive in the country this month will go to the judiciary.

In other developments: • Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymond Villafuerte on Monday called on the government to complement its stricter mobility restrictions with an aggressive “T3”—test, trace and treat—drive as a

more decisive strategy to contain the latest surge in coronavirus infections.

• Tracing czar and Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, who is COVID-19 positive, decided to go home and care for himself “because the hospitals are full. It’s a waste since the room I would use could be given to severe cases instead.”

• The Department of Health and the Department of Information and Technology have resolved the system issue with the COVIDKaya system that resulted in the 15,310 new COVID-19 cases reported on April 2.

• Muntinlupa Rep. Ruffy Biazon on Monday cautioned the public against pur-

Palace...

“We can negotiate on matters of mutual concern and benefit, but make no mistake about it -- our sovereignty is nonnegotiable,” he added.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque echoed the view at a news conference, saying: “We will not give up even a single inch of our national territory or our exclusive economic zone.”

The statements from the Palace were unusually strong, given President Duterte’s reluctance to confront Beijing, which he has sought to befriend.

His refusal to press China to respect a landmark 2016 arbitral ruling that clarified the Philippines’ sovereign rights in its EEZ has frustrated Duterte’s critics, who accuse him of conceding territory in return for elusive Chinese investment.

Duterte has previously said challenging China was pointless and risked starting a war.

The Philippines has filed a diplomatic protest over a “swarming and threatening” presence of 220 Chinese vessels it believed to be manned by maritime militias at the Julian Felipe Reef, a stance backed by ally the United States.

On Monday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) rejected China’s view that the reef was a traditional fishing ground in its waters, and said it would send a diplomatic protest each day that China boats stayed there.

It said the boats “blatantly infringe” on Philippine jurisdiction.

A statement issued by the DFA also called out the Chinese embassy in Manila for criticizing Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, who has taken a tough stance on the incursion.

“Chinese embassy officials are reminded that they are guests of the Philippine government, and as guests must at all times observe protocol and accord respect to Philippine government officials.”

According to an Agence France-Presse analysis, China's "wolf warrior" diplomats are back after a brief lull, firing insults over Twitter, smearing critics and suggesting conspiracies.

The hyperactivity of the envoys follows renewed global pressure over Beijing's treatment of the Muslim Uyghur minority in China's Xinjiang region.

The term "wolf warrior diplomacy" became common parlance in 2019, when

Chinese envoys -- most prominently spokesman Zhao Lijian -- adopted a vociferous defence of the Communist-led country on social media platforms such as Twitter, which is blocked in China.

The nickname derives from a film about a Rambo-like Chinese special forces soldier.

China insists it was forced into the change of tone, which came amid the fulminations of Donald Trump's White House.

But officials like Zhao, who made headlines in 2019 over controversial tweets as an envoy to Pakistan, took to his fresh combat role as foreign ministry spokesman with particular aplomb a year later.

On Sunday, Lorenzana demanded the immediate withdrawal of the remaining 44 Chinese vessels in Julian Felipe Reef, located 175 nautical miles of Bataraza, Palawan. There were initially more than 200 Chinese militia vessels in the area when they were spotted by Philippine officials on March 7.

The DFA said China’s statement “contained blatant falsehoods such as claims of adverse weather conditions when there were none and the supposed non-existence of maritime militia vessels in the area.”

The Chinese statement also “attempted to promote the clearly false narrative of China’s expansive and illegitimate claims in the West Philippine Sea,” the DFA said.

The DFA said it rejects China’s assertion that Julian Felipe Reef and its waters are their traditional fishing grounds.

“Tradition yields to law whether or not it is regarded as traditional fishing,” it said, adding that the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 arbitral decision by the Permanent Court of Arbitration that denigrated China’s massive claim “are clearly the only norm applicable to this situation.”

The DFA said the decision handed down by the tribunal following a case filed by the Philippines, is legally binding and “conclusively settled the issue of historic rights and maritime entitlements in the South China Sea.” In its ruling, the tribunal said claims to historic rights, or other sovereign rights or jurisdiction that exceed the geographic and substantive limits of maritime entitle-

ments under UNCLOS, are without lawful effect.

It also said that UNCLOS “superseded any historic rights, or other sovereign rights or jurisdiction, in excess of the limits imposed therein.”

China, a signatory to the UNCLOS along with the Philippines, does not recognize the ruling.

Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Monday denied the suggestion that China sought concessions in exchange for an assured supply of COVID-19 vaccines.

Locsin said China’s delivery of the COVID-19 vaccines had no strings attached but was purely “help extended” with “no submission expected.”

In a separate tweet, Locsin disparaged the Chinese embassy statement, saying the Philippines will not yield “but die or trigger World War 3.”

“China can say what it wants, the Philippines will do what it must to keep what’s hers by right. Irrelevant whether we possess commensurate military power to meet the challenge; we will not yield but die — or trigger World War 3. Not a bad outcome; living is overrated. Honor is all,” Locsin said.

Senators slammed the continued presence of Chinese ships in the Julian Felipe Reef.

Senator Risa Hontiveros expressed outrage that the Chinese vessels have not left Julian Felipe Reef, despite a government demand that they do so.

“The Chinese vessels in Julian Felipe reef should leave immediately.

If they are fishing vessels as China claims, then they can't fish in our exclusive economic zone without our consent,” she said.

Hontiveros said China has long been using "civilian" vessels to pursue military activities in the EEZ. Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said the continued presence of the Chinese vessels in the reef is tantamount to "maritime bullying."

He commended Lorenzana for demanding that the 44 remaining ships leave the area immediately.

"It is high time that the country as one nation stand up to China’s continued incursion in the West Philippine Sea. By all accounts, it is maritime bullying," Drilon said.

total to 803,398, as active cases stood at 143,726, the DOH reported. Three laboratories were not able to submit their data on time.

Over the weekend, Malacañang announced that the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), the strictest lockdown classification, over the National Capital Region (NCR), Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal —also called the NCR Plus bubble— would be extended by a week to April 11.

“It is clear that the lockdown has been effective in slowing down the increase in the number of new cases in the NCR. With an additional week of ECQ… the goal is to bring the reproduction number down to 1 or close to it,” OCTA said.

OCTA said that transmission has slowed

down in Manila, Parañaque, Marikina, and Navotas, while Pasay and Makati recorded a downward trend in new cases.

However, “rapid increases” in new infections were still observed in Mandaluyong, Las Piñas and San Juan.

“The goal is for these LGUs to have low or negative one-week growth rates in new COVID-19 cases very soon,” the researchers said.

OCTA also said the addition of hospital beds for COVID-19 cases helped bring down the hospital occupancy rate in some cities but warned that these could be filled up soon.

“We will still be seeing 11,000 to 12,000 plus [cases] per day for the next week or so,” OCTA Research fellow Prof. Guido David said in an interview on

GMA News.

Meanwhile, OCTA said Cebu has shown a downtrend in new cases and hospital occupancy.

The province’s positivity rate has also dropped to an “acceptable level” at less than 10 percent.

“Cebu and its large cities (Cebu City, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu) have again shown that resilience and effective pandemic management are key against COVID-19,” the experts said.

On the other hand, Batangas and Pampanga both recorded one-week case growth rates higher than 50 percent.

Batangas had a positivity rate over 20 percent and a hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) occupancy rate above 60 percent.

health workers and senior citizens. Philippine officials heading the COVID-19 response also said they wanted to use the vaccine for the elderly since anecdotally there were limited side effects.

However, the FDA said last month it would only change the details of the emergency use authorization for Sinovac once it receives evidence on the trial results.

The Philippines has only received 2.5 million COVID-19 vaccine doses with only 525,000 coming from AstraZeneca and the rest from Sinovac.

Only AstraZeneca has been approved for elderly use based on the emergency use authorization issued by the FDA. This is due to the clinical trials done by the Europebased company on elderly patients. Willie Casas and Joel Zurbano

Shift...

(IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases decided that the following industries can operate in full capacity under the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ): • Health, emergency, and frontline services – HMOs, health insurance providers, disaster risk reduction management officers, and public safety officers, and the like • Essential retail trade and service establishments – hardware, office supplies, • Bicycle shops • Public transport providers and operators The following may operate under skeleton on-site capacity under the ECQ: • Janitorial/sanitation services and facilities • Establishments engaged in repair and maintenance of machinery and equipment, for households and essential permitted establishments • Establishments engaged in repair and maintenance of motorized and non-motorized vehicles, including the sale of spare parts.

He was also bestowed the Most Outstanding Kapampangan award and was chairman of the Capampangan in Media Inc. His remains will be cremated on Tuesday, April 6, 2021, according to the Bulletin in a post on its website.

Icban wrote the book "Philippine Mass Media in Perspective," which is used as a textbook in Philippine communication schools.

He finished his Bachelor of Arts in English, magna cum laude, from the University of the Philippines where he served as editor-in-chief of the Philippine Collegian.

Icban was editor-in-chief for the last 18 years, and devoted 47 years of his career in journalism to the Manila Bulletin.

“He will be missed. We have always looked up to him for his guidance in these times of transformation. The men and women of Manila Bulletin mourn the loss of a pillar in Philippine journalism,” said Dr. Emilio C. Yap III, president and vice chairman of the Manila Bulletin.

His career in journalism started in 1954 when he joined the Manila Times as an editorial assistant, as a reporter covering the Foreign Affairs beat, and as editorial writer.

He was named news editor in 1968 up to 1972 when the paper was closed down due to the imposition of martial law.

He worked as an editorial consultant at the Manila Bulletin in 1974 and was later named news editor.

of Gesmundo as the new Supreme Court chief justice.

Last week, Duterte’s chief legal counsel Salvador Panelo disclosed that Gesmundo was the President’s “personal choice” for the post.

Duterte first appointed Gesmundo, who was chairperson of Sandiganbayan’s 7th Division, to the Supreme Court in 2017.

Gesmundo is Duterte’s fourth chief justice

appointee after Chief Justices Teresita Leonardo De Castro, Lucas Bersamin, and Peralta.

Gesmundo will serve as top magistrate for more than five years or until he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 70 on November 6, 2026.

The new chief justice obtained his law degree from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1984 and passed the Bar the following year.

HE National Task Force Against COVID-19 has approved the Supreme Court’s request for the inclusion of the judiciary employees in the so-called “priority population group A4”, which include frontline personnel in essential sectors under the government’s COVID-19 vaccination priority list.

From A1

bond and may trigger unwanted hostilities that both countries would rather not pursue, as [the] destructive consequences are not only undesirable, they are abhorrent as well and anathema to the peace of the region,” Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo said, in the strongest statement yet from the Palace about China’s actions in the South China Sea. “We join the voices of protest and dissent of National Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr. in the matter of the unjustified stay of Chinese vessels at the Julian Felipe Reef,” Panelo said in a statement.

The Julian Felipe Reef, known internationally as Whitsun Reef, is one of the reefs outlining Pagkakaisa Banks, an oval-shaped submerged atoll located within the country’s 200-mile exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea. Some 220 Chinese vessels were first spotted in the reef on March 7, which the Armed Forces believed to be those of China’s maritime militia.

Panelo said the territorial dispute has to be resolved at the negotiating table or by the dictates of international law.

While the Philippines has already filed a diplomatic protest against China over the presence of hundreds of Chinese vessels near Pag-asa Island in the West Philippine Sea, about 44 Chinese sea vessels remain in the area.

Panelo insisted that the Philippines has sovereign rights over the area and that the intrusion was unacceptable.

“We have strived to improve and strengthen our relationship with China by enhancing our economic, social and cultural trade, and there appears to be an evolving positive strengthening of ties by reason thereof,” he said.

Panelo also said the Philippines would not be blinded by China’s humanitarian gestures, referring to millions of COVID-19 vaccines donated by China.

“Let it be clear to all countries of the world that are protective of their own sovereignties. Like them, we are fiercely protective of ours,” Panelo said.

Cases...

From A1

However, the Department of Health disputed the OCTA Research view that the transmission of COVID-19 in Metro Manila has slowed down.

"No, the virus spread has not slowed down yet," Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an online briefing.

Vergeire described the reduction in the coronavirus infections tally from March 15 to 21 to March 29 to April 4 as "artificial,” saying the decline in new cases was due to laboratories that did not operate during the Holy Week.

The Philippines logged 8,355 new COVID-19 cases Monday, bringing the

Janssen...

From A1

Janssen’s vaccine showed 66 percent efficacy in preventing COVID-19 in a large global trial against several coronavirus variants.

It is also 85 percent effective against severe COVID-19 and prevents hospitalization 28 days after immunization.

Meanwhile, the Department of Health said it was still waiting for China-based Sinovac’s clinical trial data showing that its COVID-19 vaccine was safe to use on senior citizens. This, after the Philippines' stockpile of AstraZeneca jabs ran out.

In late February, a Sinovac official claimed their vaccine could be used by

No...

From A1

reimposed ECQ in the National Capital Region and four neighboring provinces, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reported Monday.

“We have no more funds for ayuda [subsidies], and Congress currently is in recess so in case we need a supplemental budget, we would have to request for a special session. I don’t think ECQ for a third week is actually a possibility,” Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said Monday.

In a television interview, Roque said

the P1,000 worth of aid per person or a maximum P4,000 per household -- which will be given either in cash or kind -- is the final amount since workers did not go to work for at least three days last week in observance of the Holy Week.

“It has been a tradition that people only go to work on Monday and Tuesday during Holy Week, so the lost income is only for two days,” Roque said in an ANC interview.

The assistance will be released to local government units this week, he added.

“The nature of the aid is to tide the family over until they can go back to work again. That amount would be it,” Roque said. Vito Barcelo

From A1

“We need to bring it down so we are able to say that our health care system can manage,” she said.

At the Palace, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the government is considering a less strict modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) after the ECQ expires on April 11 in Metro Manila, Rizal, Bulacan, Cavite and Laguna.

“With the implementation of stricter community quarantine and enforcement of health protocols, we expect that COVID-19 numbers will go down to 4,000 a day by May 15,” Roque said.

“ECQ in Metro Manila and the nearby four provinces was supposed to end on April 4, but was extended for another week until April 11 due to the surge in new COVID-19 cases”, he said in an interview on the ABS-CBN news channel.

Roque said the Inter-agency Task Force

Gesmundo...

From A1

witnessed the oath-taking of the new top magistrate online, except Associate Justice Marvic Leonen who was physically present at the session hall.

Malacañang earlier said President Rodrigo Duterte had signed the appointment

chasing medicines supposedly as alternative cure for the coronavirus disease.

“Indeed, through its adjudicatory functions, the judiciary is an essential institution in the justice sector that works hand in hand with the executive branch of government to effectively perform its task of maintaining peace and order and safeguarding public welfare in accordance with the rule of law,” Bernabe told the more than 29,000 employees of the judiciary.

“Truly, during this unsettling pandemic, upholding the rule of law assumes greater significance. Thus, access to judicial relief should be constant,” she said.

Rey E. Requejo, Maricel V. Cruz and Willie Casas

Gasoline prices rise by P0.65, diesel by P0.05

By Alena Mae S. Flores THE country’s oil firms raised pump prices by P0.65 per liter for gasoline and P0.05 per liter for diesel and kerosene effective 6am Tuesday to reflect the movement of prices in the world market.

“Petron will implement the following price increases effective 6 a.m. on April 6: P0.65 per liter for gasoline; P0.05 per liter for diesel; and P0.05 per liter for kerosene. These reflect movements in the international oil market,” Petron Corp. said in a statement.

Aside from Petron, Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp., Seaoil Philippines, Cleanfuel, Total Philippines and Chevron Philippines issued separate announcements of the latest oil price hike.

Unioil Philippines disclosed over the weekend that pump prices will likely go up this week by P0.60 for diesel and P0.05 to P0.10 per liter for gasoline.

Optimism over the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines in the US that would drive economic recovery helped boost oil prices in the market.

The decision of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies (OPEC+) of gradual increase in quotas for the next three months also helped maintain oil price gains.

The oil companies cut pump prices

by P1.20 per liter for gasoline, diesel by P1.30 per liter and kerosene by P1.35P1.40 per liter effective March 28 to 30.

‘Vax confidence to grow with mayors on list’ PEOPLE will be more confident in getting coronavirus vaccines now that the government has decided to include local executives in high-risk areas in the list of priority groups to be vaccinated, Pasay City Mayor Imelda Rubiano said Monday.

Rubiano, who was vaccinated with the AstraZeneca jab on Monday at T. Paez Elementary School, said she was grateful to President Rodrigo Duterte for his wisdom in seeing the importance of having local chief xecutives inoculated against the virus.

The vaccination for senior citizens started last week using the excess AstraZeneca left intended for elder front liners.

Rubiano, who has recovered from COVID-19, said the government's decision will also help encourage their constituents to follow their lead, since they know their leaders have full confidence in the efficacy of the vaccines.

Joel E. Zurbano

Jun...

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News

TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 2021

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Manila gears up for ECQ week 2

By Willie Casas MANILA Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso is gearing the capital city up for the second week of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ). Domagoso, in an interview on ANC’s Headstart on Monday, cited Manila’s strategies in the ongoing fight against COVID-19.

Manila, and the rest of the cities and provinces in the NCR Plus bubble, has been under ECQ since March 29.

This was done by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to curb the rise of COVID-19 cases. Domagoso admitted that the current lockdown is even more challenging.

“Sa ekonomiya, masama na talaga [ang epekto nito] (The economy was badly affected),” he said.

“Pero kung ang pagbabasehan natin ay pagbibigay halaga sa buhay (But if we base it on the value of life), we should [do it] because [the rate of] infection cannot be denied. [We had] 15,000 the other day

CHECKPOINT TRAFFIC. The strict enforcement of checkpoints in the towns and cities of Cavite is seen in this photo on Monday to prevent the entry and exit of unauthorized persons and stem the spread of COVID-19 in the province. JR Josue

Taguig releases list of vaccine priority groups

By Joel E. Zurbano THE Taguig City government has released its list of priority groups for its COVID-19 vaccination drive that is in full effect with the city’s health workers now receiving their second doses.

Mayor Lino Edgardo Cayetano signed Executive Order No. 10 that adopts the recommendation of the Taguig City Vaccination Task Force for the city’s vaccine rollout stipulated in Board Resolution No. 01 Series of 2021 signed on March 25.

Cayetano gave the assurance the approved priority list will be followed strictly in Taguig, noting that COVID-19 vaccination was key to ending the pandemic.

The local government commits to have vaccines available for its one million residents.

The city has been receiving its allocation of vaccines from the national government but it is also preparing a vaccine portfolio that would complement the same and ensure each resident receives free inoculation.

The city is also expecting to receive supplies of Novavax, IP Biotech, AstraZeneca, and Moderna.

Taguig is almost 90% done in vaccinating those in category A1 of the COVID-19 Vaccine Priority List — which include doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers from public and private COVID-19 referral hospitals in the city.

According to Mayor Cayetano, COVID-19 vaccination is key to ending the COVID-19 pandemic, and to getting the people’s lives back to normal.

“While we continue to build our portfolio of vaccines and wait for the upplies to arrive, we believe that the best vaccine to administer to our citizens is the vaccine that is available now,” he said.

Hands off Bar exams, Leonen told S UPREME Court Associate Justice Marvic Leonen should seriously consider keeping his hands off from handling this year’s Bar Examinations, if only to make sure that he could come in fit and prepared for his defense in view of an impending impeachment trial.

Complainant Edwin Cordevilla, secretary general of the Filipino League of Advocates for Good Governance-Maharlika, said Leonen should relinquish his position as Bar Examinations chairperson since the latter may not be able to focus on what seemed to be an all-too important examination scheduled on four consecutive Sundays of November.

For this year’s digital bar examinations, tests would be administered to aspiring lawyers on November 7, 14, 21

and 28.

“We appeal to Supreme Court Justice Marvic Leonen’s good sense to spare thousands who are aspiring to be lawyers by voluntary giving-up his position as 2020 /21 Bar Examinations Chairperson, since he cannot be fit mentally and physically to handle these all-too important examinations,” Cordevilla said in a statement.

Cordevilla said that by November, Leonen would already be “too busy prepar-

ing his defense” amid the legislative hearings following House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco’s endorsement of the impeachment case to the Majority Floor Leader Ferdinand Martin Romualdez for inclusion in the chamber’s order of business.

“This call comes amidst the prospect of Associate Justice Leonen’s very busy schedule, especially since he will be preoccupied with the necessary preparations for his defenses at the House committee hearings,” he said.

Cordevilla also asked Leonen to judiciously spare aspiring lawyers from taking the brunt of his “all too busy schedule” by then.

“It will be unfair to the examinees, their families and all stakeholders if he will not be able to fully devote his time, energy and focus for the coming bar ex-

ams. We hope Associate Justice Leonen will heed this appeal as he needs all the time in the world today more than ever to prepare to answer the verified impeachment complaint filed against him in the House of Representatives, and to clear his desk of ageing cases in the Supreme Court as well as the unresolved cases in the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal where he sits as its chairman,” added Cordevilla.

“May Associate Justice Leonen see the wisdom in resigning as 2020 /21 Bar Examinations Chairperson for good.”

Charged with betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution, Leonen has been accused of defying the law requiring government officials and personnel to file Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth. Rey E. Requejo

Solon to hand out ivermectin in QC A LEGISLATOR said Monday his office was all set to launch a program for the free distribution of Ivermectin to help the government in solving the continued increase in COVID 19 infections in various parts of the country.

Anakalusugan Rep. Michael Defensor says the program will initially cater to the residents of Quezon City.

He says the residents, particularly the poor people, will have an “access” to Ivermectin.

“It will be given for free to those who are in need and there will be priorities among the city residents”, Defensor said.

He says the residents who are sick and senior citizens will be the priority.

Other residents will also get Ivermectin later on in order to end their worries.

Due to the limited stocks of Ivermectin, Defensor’s office

will ensure that those who need an urgent solution to address the COVID 19 problem will receive their Ivermectin.

Defensor says a big number of doctors and nurses in the Philippines who have already taken Ivermectin will give them sufficient protection from the COVID-19.

“Ang sinasabi ko lang naman, maraming tayong naririnig na kuwento, hindi lamang sa ating bansa kundi sa iba’t ibang panig ng ating mundo., maraming natutulungan etong Ivermectin,” Defensor said.

“At kung baga, ang mga doctor mismo sa atin (bansa), mga nurse umiinom sila ng ivermectin….at marami sa kanila ang nagsasabi na yung iba nahawa na, nagproblema na…pero sila dahil uminom sila ng Ivermectin eh hindi sila nagkasakit.”

Maricel V. Cruz

NEW OFFSITE HOSPITAL. Photo shows one of the newly built off-site Modular Hospital at the

compound of Quezon Institute along E. Rodríguez Ave. in Quezon City. This is an extension of the Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center that can hold 110 patients, and was built due to the rising number of COVID-19 patients. Manny Palmero

Tabaco artists adorn walls of port A POP of colors greets travellers and homebound residents to the island of San Miguel, a fishing community off the eastern shores of Tabaco City in Albay. The mural artworks painted by Tabakkurit artists have transformed the otherwise dull and plain walls of the Philippine Ports Authority into exciting, engaging, and feel-good Instagrammable spots.

In November 2020, San Miguel Island was devastated by the 315 kph Super Typh oon Rolly. Hundreds were homeless; infrastructure destroyed; fishing boats wrecked. No water and power for almost four long months.

Community art murals have been positively linked with social, cultural, economic, and health benefits. These public artworks are the examples of the “broken window theory” in reverse – a well-cared for community enhances peace and development and improves quality of life.

TABACO ARTISTS. Talented young artists transform the PPA wall at the Maritime Complex (inset) into colorful murals in time for the Tabaco’s 20th Cityhood anniversary last March 24—a welcome sight for San Miguel Island residents and visitors. Norman Cruz

It is for this reason that the City Government of Tabaco engaged 28 Tabakkurit artists to use the 90-meter long PPA wall at the Maritime Complex as their canvas.

Tabakkurit—The Art Within Tabaqueños, composed of 100 amateur local painters, sketchers, and illustrators officially became a group on January 10, 2020. Most of their members met in competitions and art exhibits. The group’s name was coined from two Bicolano words: Tabak, which means bolo or machete, and Kurit or guhit in Tagalog, which means to draw or to sketch.

“It was a dream project for me”, says April Joy Bronia, a member of Tabak Kurit. The 19-year-old Mining Engineering student turned her hobby into an opportunity to earn extra income through commissioned art works.

The wall paintings depicted some of Tabaco City’s finest products – tabak, banig (mat), the famous pili nut (java al-

Muntinlupa City Hall cuts workforce, office hours amid case surge THE local government of Muntinlupa is reducing the composition of its skeletal workforce including its operating hours following a surge of COVID-19 positive cases among staff.

Mayor Jaime Fresnedi signed Executive Order 13 s. 2021 ordering the reduction of manpower reporting in the City Hall premises and the local government’s operating hours after recording a high attack rate of up to 211 cases per 1000 population among em-

and 12,000 yesterday.”

Yet, Domagoso also noted that a total shutdown was not an option especially for the city of Manila since it was where the ports were located.

Domagoso said the LGU has continued its mass vaccination sessions throughout the ECQ. In fact, the mayor noted, the city is now fully compliant with the minimum requirement of having 1 percent of its A3 (persons with comorbidities) population vaccinated.

The total number of vaccinated A3 individuals in Manila reached 21,600 over the weekend. With the A1 (doctors, nurses, and other medical frontliners) and A2 (senior citizens aged 60 and above) categories included, Manila has already vaccinated a total of 43,603 people as of April 4.

“If the infection is fast, then the vaccination must be faster,” Domagoso had said in an earlier interview. Prior to the implementation of the ECQ, Manila had already been

ployees from March 27 to April 2.

Fresnedi said the reduction in the workforce covers offices in the Main Building, Annex Building, and People’s Center starting April 5, 2021 to give way to intensive disinfection, testing, and quarantine measures.

On April 5, the City Health Office conducted a mass antigen testing of staff who reported physically for work. The CHO is set to closely monitor all positive and probable

COVID-19 cases among the workforce and implement strict isolation protocols, including contact tracing.

He added that the office hours shall be limited from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Daily disinfection of offices and other facilities within the compound shall take place starting at 3:00 PM. “We ensure our constituents that the local government is enforcing preventive measures to manage and prevent risks

against COVID-19 to ensure the safety of our employees and the public who will transact in the City Hall. While we are running business-as-usual, we enjoin the \ public to take advantage of online platforms in transacting with the local government,” Fresnedi noted.

A satellite work station shall be installed in the City Hall Quadrangle which aims to reduce the impact of COVID-19 transmission in outdoor environments.

A4

News

TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 2021

BACK ON TRACK.

The MRT-3 line resumes operation at limited capacity on April 5, 2021 after conducting its annual maintenance and rehabilitation activities during Holy Week.

Only 10 to 12 train sets travel on the main line, where passenger capacity remains at 30 percent.

Protect Asians from US hate crimes—Leni

By Rio N. Araja VICE President Leni Robredo has called on US President Joe Biden to ensure the safety of all Asians and other minority groups following a series of hate crimes in the United States.

“Hatred has no place in any society that wishes to heal,” she said.

“I am hopeful that the United States government, under the leadership of President Joseph Biden Jr., will ensure the safety of all Asians and minority groups, even as it works to address the deeper issues of racism and racial violence,” Robredo added.

Earlier, a 65-year-old FilipinoAmerican woman was punched and kicked by a man in broad daylight in New York City.

The attacker yelled, “You don’t belong here,” then kicked the woman several times on the head and stomach.

Reports showed that no one came to the victim’s aid, and a doorman who witnessed the attack in front of a building where it happened closed the door on her.

“The recent attacks against Asians in the United States are deeply concerning, and an appalling turn of events,” Robredo said.

“At a time when the world should come together in solidarity against the greater threat of the pandemic, Asians, some of them Filipinos, have been singled out as targets of rage and racial hatred. This has contributed to a climate of growing fear in an atmosphere already made volatile by COVID-19,” she added.

In February, the Philippine Embassy in Washington advised Filipinos in the United States to exercise “utmost caution” amid rising incidents of hate crimes against Asians in the country.

Consider mayors vax priority—LMP

T

HE League of Municipalities of the Philippines has appealed to President Rodrigo Dutete to include local chief executives in the priority list for COVID-19 vaccination.

“Mayors are active frontliners taking the lead in ensuring the health and medical wellbeing of their constituents,” said LMP national president and Narvacan, Ilocos Sur Mayor Luis Singson in his letter to Duterte.

“They also supervise social amelioration programs and the distribution of relief goods to affected constituents and in overseeing the functionality of the local IATFs, including the operations of isolation facilities and the municipality’s Temporary Treatment and Monitoring Facilities as mandated by the national government,” Singson added.

Duterte earlier approved the clas-

sification of governors and mayors as frontliners, but only those in areas considered as “high risk.”

National Task Force Against COVID-19 deputy chief implementer Vince Dizon said of the 1,700 governors and mayors across the country, 400 are in high risk and critical areas, including those in the NCR Plus bubble.

“If this was war, they are our commanders in the frontlines. They need to be protected,” Dizon said.

Singson noted how mayors and other local leaders have contracted the disease, sometimes more than once, in the course of doing public service.

“Mayors first and foremost must ensure that they are strong and healthy to protect their people and fight for them.

People rely on their chief executives to safeguard their communities. A COVID-infected mayor is tantamount to a disruption in the management of COVID-response in the locality, thus this appeal to include our mayors in the vaccination priority list,” he said.

“The reality on the ground demands the urgency of vaccinating our local chief executives. During this pandemic, our mayors never stop working 24/7, exposing themselves and their families to the dangers of COVID,” Singson added.

The League of Cities of the Philippines also sent a separate letter to Duterte seeking the inclusion of local chief executives in the top vaccine priority group.

ROAD MISHAP.

A vehicular accident occurred Monday morning along the national road at Galonogon, Aguinaldo in Ifugao province involving a mini bus.

Passengers survived the accident with minor injuries.

Dave Leprozo

PhilHealth must rationalize coverage standards—Salceda

By Maricel V. Cruz THE chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means has called on the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation to rationalize its standards for coverage.

Albay Rep. Joey Salceda made the statement amid reports that hospital fees triage care, including being cared for in tents set up by hospitals when they are full, will not be covered “due

to lack of standards” for the fees.

“How can we lack so much common sense? And why is it the patient’s fault?

It’s PhilHealth who sets the standards.

And tents are merely extensions of hospitals. You are in a tent because the hospital proper cannot yet accommodate you, but you are being given hospital care. This is the height of bureaucratic absurdity,” Salceda said.

“If it’s in the hospital bill, whether

it’s in the hospital building or a tent, it’s healthcare. This is so elementary. There will be a change in policy only because some congressman raises hell about it.”

“This is so exhausting. PhilHealth has to be proactive. They always knew hospitals were going to set up extensions because of overutilization. This is seriously frustrating,” Salceda added.

The lawmaker made the remarks in response to a statement by PhilHealth

Acting SVP Neri Santiago that PhilHealth will not cover the bills incurred from hospital-built tents due to lack of standards for these procedures.

“How is it elementally different from being in some other hospital facility?

When we argue over questions like this that could possibly discourage people from seeking medical care, we are harming the COVID-19 response,” Salceda said.

Palace: Better water service with new deal

By Vito Barcelo THE government has completed the renegotiation of a new concession deal with Manila Water Inc. over a year after President Rodrigo Duterte alleged that the existing agreement was disadvantageous to the public.

“A revised concession agreement was formed that gives better water service in Metro Manila, and is advantageous to government and consumers,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said.

Roque said the revised concession deal was now “advantageous” to both the government and the consumers.

He said the deal removed clauses that ban government “interference,” and recognized Manila Water as a public utility that makes it “more accountable” to the government and the public, among other things.

“After a year, we confirm that the renegotiation of the 1997 MWSS concession agreement with Manila Water Corporation has been completed. Next will be with Maynilad,” Roque said.

Duterte had previously slammed Manila Water and Maynilad for allegedly milking billions from the people and the government over the disadvantageous 1997 water contract.

The President had threatened to sue the water firms due to the “onerous” provisions of theirs contract with the government.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said officials of the Ayala group-led Manila Water Co. Inc. and the state regulator, Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System signed the revised contract.

DOJ to probe murder of CA justice

By Rey E. Requejo THE Department of Justice has designated prosecutors to a preliminary investigation into the murder case filed by the National Bureau of Investigation in connection with the killing of retired Court of Appeals Associate Justice Normandie Pizarro.

Prosecutor-General Bendicto Malcontento, head of the DOJ’s National Prosecution Service, said he has assigned Assistant State Prosecutor Mike Humarang and Assistant Prosecution Attorney Grace Arboladura to conduct the preliminary investigation to determine whether there is probable cause to indict suspect Ramon Pangan for murder.

On March 23, the NBI filed a murder case before the DOJ five months after it conducted a parallel investigation into Pizarro’s disappearance last year.

Pizarro’s car was found abandoned on October 23, 2020 by residents of Manabak Road in San Simon, Pampanga.

Blood stains and other items were found inside the vehicle but Pizarro could not be located.

On October 30, police officers from the Capas Police Station in Tarlac received a report from barangay officials about their discovery of a decomposing cadaver.

Following forensic examination of the body by the NBI, it was established that the victim died from a gunshot wound to the head.

A DNA analysis report released on December 21, 2020 disclosed that the body was that of Pizarro.

According to Malcontento, the preliminary investigation on Pizarro’s murder case would start once the enhanced community quarantine is lifted in the National Capital Region.

The NBI filed the case against Pangan based on the sworn affidavit of witness Raul Concepcion that prior to his death, Pizarro confided to him through a text message about Pangan’s unpaid cash loans amounting to P90,000.

Embassy vetting claim Tunisia suicide bomber was Filipina THE Philippine Embassy in Tripoli, Libya, on Monday said it is working with authorities to identify and confirm claims that the suicide bomber in the Kasserine region of Tunisia was a Filipino woman.

In a statement, the embassy said Tunisia’s Garde Nationale Tunisienne killed a suspected terrorist during a counterterrorism operation whose wife blew herself up with an explosive belt.

“The incident left three people dead, including a baby the suicide

bomber was carrying in her arms.

News reports from local media in Tunisia and international media claimed that the suicide bomber is a Filipino national,” the embassy said.

The incident occurred Thursday last week in the remote Mount Selloum area of Kasserine, near the Algerian border, a known jihadist hideout.

Another Islamic extremist was also killed on the same day during a separate operation in Mount Mghila, also in the Kasserine region.

PROTECTION FROM COVID. The local government of Rosario, Cavite on Monday launched its COVID-19 vaccine drive at SM City Rosario, the first mall to be chosen as a partner venue for the jabs. A total of 380 government frontliners were inoculated with Sinovac vaccine during the rollout. Norman Cruz

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World

TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 2021

UK to deploy ‘traffic light’ travel system LONDON—Britain will on Monday set out plans to restart international travel, using a “traffic-light” system as the country cautiously emerges from lockdown.

The announcement comes as the UK has set a tentative date of May 17 to relaunch international travel.

Travel destinations will be ranked green, amber or red according to virus risk, Downing Street said in a statement late Saturday, with the government to provide more details on Monday.

International travel is currently banned except for a handful of permitted reasons.

This has created massive pent-up demand for summer holidays abroad.

“We are doing everything we can to enable the reopening of our country... as safely as possible,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.

The government said the new system “will help ensure the UK’s vaccine progress isn’t jeopardised and provide clear guidance for travellers”.

People heading to low-risk “green” countries will simply take a virus test before and after they travel, the government said.

But those going to amber or red countries will have to self-isolate or quarantine afterwards.

Currently people arriving in the UK from abroad are required to selfisolate for 10 days.

British nationals who arrive from a banned “red list” of high-risk countries face costly quarantine in government-approved hotels. AFP

Crowdfunding lets blogger pay for dissent case SINGAPORE—A Singaporean blogger said he had crowdfunded almost $100,000 that he was ordered to pay as damages for defaming the prime minister by sharing an article on Facebook.

Leong Sze Hian was sued by Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong after sharing the piece, which linked Lee to the money-laundering scandal at state fund 1MDB in Malaysia.

Critics say the case is the latest example of the government seeking to silence dissent online in the tightly regulated city-state.

A court last month found in Lee’s favour and ordered the blogger to pay the prime minister Sg$133,000 (US$99,000) plus costs, which are yet to be determined.

Leong launched an online fundraising drive and said late Sunday more than 2,000 people had contributed the full amount after 11 days.

“We hit 133k, thanks to all Singaporeans,” he wrote on Facebook.

“It’s thanks to your help that we had the courage to face them.”

The article that Leong shared, originally published on a Malaysian news portal, alleged that Lee was the target of an investigation in neighbouring Malaysia over the 1MDB state fund.

Billions of dollars were looted from the investment vehicle in a scandal that involved Malaysia’s former leader Najib Razak and his inner circle. AFP

GOOD RIDDANCE.

People cheer after setting a dummy depicting the COVID-19 coronavirus during the traditional ‘burning of Judas’ on Easter Day at a square in Caracas, Venezuela on April 4. AFP

Millions mark 2nd Easter under coronavirus curbs R

OME—Millions of Christians around the world celebrated a second Easter under coronavirus restrictions on Sunday with Pope Francis calling for vaccines to be shared among the poorest nations as Covid-19 surges.

Despite vaccine rollouts gathering pace in many richer countries, dramatic spikes in cases have seen deeply unpopular restrictions enforced from Canada to Europe and South America.

Vaccination was “an essential tool” in the fight against the virus, the pope said in his Easter Sunday address, with Italy under a strict lockdown over the weekend.

“I urge the entire international com-

munity... to commit to overcoming delays in the distribution of vaccines and to facilitate their distribution, especially in the poorest countries,” he said to a congregation of only around 100 people inside the vast St. Peter’s Basilica.

Stricter curbs have come into effect in Belgium as well as in France, where authorities are scrambling to deal with a serious spike in cases that has overwhelmed hospitals in Paris.

In the Covid-19 intensive care unit of the Antony Private Hospital south of Paris, no bed stays free for long.

Nurse Louisa Pinto gestured to a vacated room where a cleaner was already at work, scrubbing down the mattress for the next arrival.

“The bed won’t even have time to cool down,” she said.

Across the Atlantic, Canada crossed the threshold of one million coronavirus cases, forcing several provinces to tighten restrictions for the Easter weekend.

And celebrations have been dampened in South America too, where Brazil is in the grip of a devastating outbreak likely fuelled by a more contagious variant. AFP

BEFORE BURNING. This screengrab provided via AFPTV video footage taken on April 5 shows protesters holding up the three-finger salute before burning a Chinese national flag during a demonstration against Beijing’s support for the Myanmar military in Yangon. AFP

LEMBATA, Indonesia—More than 75 people have died and dozens are still missing after flash floods and landslides hit Indonesia and neighbouring East Timor, officials said Monday, turning small communities into wastelands of mud and uprooted trees.

Sparked by torrential rain, the deluge and subsequent landslides sent thousands fleeing into shelters as dams overflowed and their homes were submerged.

Mud and continued extreme weather have made it difficult for rescue workers to reach trapped survivors.

“There are 55 dead, but this number is very dynamic and will definitely change, while some 42 people are still missing,” Indonesia disaster management agency spokesperson Raditya Jati told broadcaster MetroTV. At least 21 people had also died in East Timor, said an official in the tiny half-island nation of 1.3 million that lies between Indonesia and Australia.

Many of the deaths were in Timor’s inundated capital Dili.

In Indonesia’s remote East Flores municipality, mud has washed over homes, bridges and roads, while strong waves have prevented search teams from accessing the hardest-hit areas.

On Lembata, an island east of Flores, parts of some villages were swept down a mountainside by torrents of mud and carried to the shore of the ocean. AFP

IN BRIEF Israel’s Netanyahu in corruption trial

Vietnam’s pandemic response leader PM Phuc sworn in as president HANOI—The man behind Vietnam’s successful handling of the coronavirus pandemic, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, was formally sworn in as president in Hanoi on Monday.

Phuc, 66, was Vietnam’s prime minister for the last five years, a period in which the economy boomed, and his government’s Covid-19 response won plaudits at home and abroad.

Over 75 dead in Indonesia, E. Timor floods

Following secret voting on Monday, Phuc scored the maximum votes among the almost 500-member rubber-stamp national assembly.

“This is his well-deserved award,” said Nguyen Khac Giang, a Vietnamese politics expert from New Zealand’s Victoria University of Wellington.

Authoritarian Vietnam is run by the

Communist Party and officially led by the party general secretary, president, and prime minister, with key decisions made by the 18-member politburo.

Vietnam is in the midst of its twicea-decade leadership transition, with 76-year-old Nguyen Phu Trong re-elected in January as party general secretary, the most important of the three roles.

Phuc was the only candidate nominated for president, as Trong -- who had held the presidency since 2018 after the sudden death of his predecessor -stepped down.

The National Assembly said earlier this was “the first time ever a prime minister was nominated to the position of the president”. AFP

Wastewater leak now ‘catastrophic’

SURVIVOR SEARCH. A rescuer searches for survivors of a capsized boat in Shitalakshya River, in Narayanganj, Bangladesh on April 5. AFP

MIAMI—Emergency crews in central Florida were working Sunday to prevent an environmental catastrophe at a leaking reservoir that risked sending millions of gallons of contaminated wastewater toward nearby homes and into the Tampa Bay. More than 300 homes near the site of an abandoned phosphate mine and fertilizer-production facility in Manatee County were under mandatory evacuation orders, and Governor Ron DeSantis on Saturday declared a state of emergency to free up funds to tackle the crisis.

“What we are looking at now is trying to prevent, and respond to if need be, a real catastrophic flood situa-

tion,” DeSantis told a press conference after viewing the site by helicopter Sunday.

He said emergency workers, assisted by the Florida National Guard, were pumping about 33 million gallons of water daily out of a wastewater reservoir at the site, which has sprung a growing leak in its plastic lining.

“According to on-site engineers, a controlled release was necessary to prevent a catastrophic failure,” the governor said.

The wastewater “meets water-quality standards for marine waters,” he said, with the exception of phosphorous and nitrogen levels. AFP

JERUSALEM—Israel’s legal and political dramas converge Monday, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu due in court for his corruption trial and the president to launch talks to help form a government.

Judges have ordered Netanyahu appear at the Jerusalem District Court for the prosecution’s opening arguments in the case where he is charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust -- allegations he denies.

While lead prosecutor Liat Ben-Ari will be laying out the criminal case against Israel’s longest-serving leader, across the city President Reuven Rivlin will hold discussions that could determine Netanyahu’s political fate.

Israel’s March 23 election was its fourth inconclusive vote in less than two years, prolonging the worst political crisis in the nation’s history. AFP

Jordan in turmoil over ex-prince’s ‘plot’ AMMAN, Jordan -- Jordan said Sunday it had foiled a plot against the kingdom involving a half-brother of King Abdullah II, arresting at least 16 suspects it accused of “sedition” and alleging foreign complicity.

Hamzah bin Hussein -- a former crown prince stripped of that title by Abdullah in 2004 -- and the others had worked with foreign parties to “undermine the security” of Jordan, Deputy Prime Minister Ayman Safadi said.

Washington, Gulf allies and the Arab League were quick to stress their support for Abdullah’s pro-Western government, seen as an anchor of stability in the Middle East. AFP

Business PSEi April 5, 2021

TOP GAINERS 1

GPH

LAST PRICE 11

% CHANGE CHANGE 3.21 41.21%

2

PRMX

2.75

0.65

30.95%

3

LAND

2.9

0.65

28.89%

4

PHES

0.75

0.12

19.05%

5 6

CDC VUL

1.07 2.24

0.12 0.21

12.63% 10.34%

7

BC

2.7

0.22

8.87%

8

IDC

2.7

0.22

8.87%

9

EVER

0.105

0.008

8.25%

10

DAVIN

3.05

0.23

8.16%

TOP LOSERS LAST PRICE

% CHANGE CHANGE

1

ALHI

7.33

-1.16

-13.66%

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

NI OV PAX SFIP AUB APC MRSGI PSB FGENG

1.89 0.012 2.3 1.68 41.65 0.385 1.3 54.1 107

-0.22 -0.001 -0.18 -0.07 -1.65 -0.015 -0.05 -2.05 -4

-10.43% -7.69% -7.26% -4.00% -3.81% -3.75% -3.70% -3.65% -3.60%

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TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 2021 || extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market bounces back; PLDT rises

T

HE stock market rebounded Monday on profit taking along with other equities in Asia following a forecast-busting US jobs report and as investors kept tabs on the progress of Joe Biden’s latest economy-boosting spending package.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index rose 52.06 points, or 0.8 percent, to 6,495.15 on a value turnover of P5.4 billion. Gainers beat losers, 117 to 85, with 48 issues unchanged.

AC Energy Corp., a unit of conglomerate Ayala Corp., advanced 5.3 percent to P7.31, while PLDT Inc., the biggest telecommunications firm, climbed 4 percent to P1,270.

Metro Pacific Investments Corp., which is into toll roads, water and electricity distribution, hospitals and infrastructure, increased 4 percent to P3.89, while SM Investments Corp. of the Sy Group added 2.5 percent to P984.

Meanwhile, equities mostly rose

in Asia on Monday. With holidays keeping business limited, trading was light, but the strong employment reading on Friday provided healthy support, while eyes turn to the upcoming earnings season.

The US Labor Department said the world’s top economy created more than 900,000 jobs in March, far more than expected and reinforcing the view that it is well on the recovery track after last year’s virus-induced collapse.

“We can expect one million-plus prints if the US vaccination efforts stay on track,” said OANDA’s Jeffrey Halley.

Meanwhile, upward revisions to figures in January and February meant

156,000 more jobs than previously flagged were created.

Tokyo, Seoul and Singapore were all in positive territory, though Jakarta and Bangkok fell.

And Mumbai sank more than two percent as India continues to struggle with surging virus infections, which have forced the government to impose limited lockdowns in Maharashtra state.

However, observers said that while they expect markets to continue their upward march this year as vaccination programs progress and the global economy reopens, they expect the gains to be a little harder.

“We are not doubting the market’s expectations of strong US economic momentum,” Eric Robertsen, of Standard Chartered Bank, said. “But the market has also priced in much of the good news up front.”

Focus now turns to Washington, where

Greece opts to reopen retail shops despite high infections

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

BDO ACEN ALI PHES LAND SMPH MM GLO TEL SM

VOLUME 3806970 43153100 7539700 217077000 55111000 4098000 25807100 74150 108685 131550

VALUE (PHP) 387087936 311999036 260502485 158838160 155927390 142194200 140677185 137548665 136333540 128475605

HK bar owners in ‘hunger strike’ over shutdowns HONG KONG, China—A group of bar, karaoke and mahjong parlor owners have gone on a symbolic hunger strike in Hong Kong over anti-coronavirus measures that have kept them shuttered for most of the last year.

The four-day protest started on the pavement outside the Hong Kong government’s headquarters on Sunday—the one-year anniversary of when authorities first ordered a round of closures to stem infections.

Those taking part are refusing food in shifts, more an act of protest than a full hunger strike.

“People are queueing for beaches... restaurants are full but only we are in pain and barred from opening,” Leung Lap-yan, founding president of the Licensed Bar and Club Association, told reporters.

Hong Kong’s bars—a major early source of infections—have been hit particularly hard by social distancing measures that have been tightened and relaxed depending on infection rates.

Over the last year, they have been fully closed for 230 days, opened with restrictions for 101 days, and allowed to run normally for only 24 days.

The latest closures have been in place since November, meaning bar owners missed out on the usually peak Christmas, New Year and Easter holiday seasons.

Densely populated Hong Kong was one of the first places to be hit by the coronavirus, but strict social distancing and universal mask wearing has helped keep infections to just over 11,000 with 205 deaths.

Those measures have caused economic devastation, however, and prompted accusations that authorities are more willing to relax curbs for politically connected industries.

Restaurants have remained open in recent weeks—with a cap on four people per table—while Hong Kong’s malls and theme parks have been packed.

Gyms have also been allowed to reopen despite being at the center of a major recent cluster.

The protesting owners said their industries were willing to adopt stringent measures including capacity restrictions and even requiring customers to drink with a straw.

But so far they have not won any government approval to reopen. AFP

lawmakers are preparing to discuss Biden’s $2.25-trillion infrastructure plan, which he has said will create millions of jobs for struggling Americans.

Talks on the package come as the White House’s recently passed $1.9-trillion stimulus begins to filter through, with $1,400 cash handouts being delivered.

And the chances of the latest spending spurge getting through Congress were given a boost at the weekend after a top Senate Republican said the president could get an “easy bipartisan win” if he concentrated on physical improvements such as rebuilding roads, bridges and airports.

While many in the party oppose the planned tax hikes pencilled in to pay for the scheme, Roy Blunt, the chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee, called on Democrats to focus on the traditional pillars of infrastructure. With AFP

RE-OPENED. People gather and swim at Repulse Bay as beaches re-open in Hong Kong on April 3, 2021, along with swimming pools and the relaxing of COVID-19 related social distancing rules. AFP

France deficit climbs as COVID stalls recovery PARIS, France—France’s government deficit will deepen and public debt rise after a lingering COVID crisis smashed hopes of a rapid economic rebound, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Sunday.

The annual deficit, which has spiraled as President Emmanuel Macron’s government tries to prop up the struggling economy with massive spending, is now expected to reach nine percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2021, he told reporters.

This compares to an 8.5 percent estimate included in the government’s 2021 budget plan, and a three percent deficit limit EU members must usually respect but have swept aside as they deal with COVID. The minister had already told Sunday paper JDD that economic growth was now likely to come in at 5.0 per-

cent this year and not 6.0 percent as believed earlier.

The government last week extended COVID restrictions to cover the entire country and said they would remain in place for at least a month.

“These measures will affect the French economy,” Le Maire said.

France’s debt level was now likely to hit 118 percent of GDP this year, Le Maire told the Grand Jury LCI-RTL-Le Figaro TV program, up from an earlier 115 percent estimate and around double the EU’s 60-percent debt ceiling.

The minister called the new forecasts “exact and sincere.”

France is going through a third wave of the pandemic which has seen daily new cases surge to 40,000, around double their level a month ago.

Le Maire also said he had reached an outline agreement with the European

Commission allowing France to pay more aid to flagship carrier Air France which has been struggling due to COVID restrictions along with the rest of the world’s airlines.

In return, Air France would have to give up some slots at Orly, Paris’s second-busiest airport after Charles-deGaulle, he said.

The sums involved would be discussed with the carrier which was expected to vote on the deal at a board meeting Monday, Le Maire said.

Rival airline Ryanair has lambasted French state aid for Air France, saying it distorts competition.

Although the Irish airline lost its legal case against state aid for the French carrier, it has argued that any additional help should be made contingent on Air France giving up airport capacity. AFP

ATHENS, Greece—Greece on Monday relaxed a nationwide lockdown by opening most retail shops despite a high level of COVID-19 infections and fatalities.

By allowing people to “decompress” outside their homes as the weather improves, the government hopes to also stem damage to the economy that has taken a major revenue blow from reduced tourism.

Customers must pre-book appointments before visiting shops, and up to 20 people will be allowed inside at a time.

“We are fully booked till Saturday.

It’s going to be a good month,” Filippos Hortis, an Athens sports store owner, told Skai TV. Critics have noted the paradox of the lockdown being relaxed while new cases of the virus are reported at a rate of over 3,000 daily.

That is around 1,000 more than when the restrictions were announced in November, with the daily number of deaths now more than double.

“I too was surprised when informed of the recommendation (to reopen stores) seeing the daily increase (in infections),” the governor of Central Macedonia prefecture Apostolos Tzitzikostas told Skai TV. Monday’s reopening does not affect department stores and malls, whose operation will be re-evaluated later in April.

Restrictions on retail also remain in place in areas around Thessaloniki and Patras, Greece’s largest cities after Athens, because of spiking infections.

The finance ministry on Monday announced additional support measures for closed stores to mitigate anger among retail owners in affected areas.

Greece has so far registered more than 275,000 coronavirus cases and over 8,300 deaths since the start of the pandemic, including nearly 150 over the weekend.

Some 750 people are in intensive care.

A firm backer of European vaccine passports, Greece is hoping to kickstart its tourism season from mid-May onwards to claw back some badly needed revenue. AFP

Facing pressure at home, Chinese tech giants expand in Singapore

By Martin Abbugao SINGAPORE—Chinese tech giants are expanding in Singapore as they face a crackdown at home and growing pressure in other key markets—but they may struggle to find talent in the city-state.

Messaging-and-gaming behemoth Tencent is opening a hub and TikTok owner ByteDance is on a hiring spree after establishing a regional HQ, while e-commerce giant Alibaba is investing in property and recruiting.

The tech firms are shifting their focus to booming Southeast Asian markets as authorities tighten the screws at home amid concerns about the platforms’ growing power.

Regulators have launched a blitz on the sector, hitting several firms with heavy fines, and threatening to slice up massive companies whose reach now extends deep into the daily lives of ordinary Chinese.

Meanwhile, festering tensions between Washington and Beijing after an assault on Chinese tech titans during Donald Trump’s presidency make the United States an unattractive prospect, and problems abound elsewhere.

“Chinese tech companies are facing regulatory pressures and sanctions from governments in other countries, notably the US but also other nations such as India,” Rajiv Biswas, Asia Pacific chief economist at IHS Markit, told AFP. India has banned a swathe of Chinese

People take pictures beside the pond of the ArtScience Museum against the city skyline in Singapore on March 31, 2021. AFP apps since a border clash last year, while the European Union and other Western powers recently imposed sanctions over China’s treatment of the Muslim Uyghur minority, prompting retaliatory sanctions.

But Singapore, a prosperous financial hub, maintains good ties with Beijing and the West, and tech firms have come to view it as a safe bet to expand their operations without upsetting either side.

In the current climate of geopolitical un-

certainty “Singapore is considered as a more neutral country,” Chen Guoli, professor of strategy at the Singapore campus of business school INSEAD, told AFP. Hiring spree In addition, long-running turmoil in traditional rival Hong Kong may have dimmed its appeal, although observers stress other factors are likely more important.

The influx of Chinese cash will be welcome in Singapore, whose economy has

China, with a focus on hiring specialized engineers, said Ajay Thalluri, an analyst with data and analytics firm GlobalData.

Meanwhile, Alibaba last year bought a 50-percent stake in an office tower, where its e-commerce unit Lazada is the main tenant, while its affiliate, fintech giant Ant Group, won a license to operate a wholesale digital bank in the city-state.

Alibaba “is building teams in Singapore with significant key senior and mid-level job postings related to talent acquisition, product management, and legal compliance,” said Thalluri.

The e-commerce firm, co-founded by Jack Ma, has come under fierce pressure in China, with authorities pulling the plug on Ant’s record initial public offering in November.

Talent crunch ByteDance and Tencent, which announced its Singapore expansion plans in September, say they are primarily focused on growing their businesses in Southeast Asia, a booming region of 650 million, rather than avoiding tensions elsewhere.

By building up their Singapore presence, the tech giants are hedging their bets in case frictions with the West hit a new nadir, analysts say.

Chen of INSEAD said Chinese companies needed a “plan B” in case they had to separate their global and Chinese operations, in which case Singapore could become their international hub. AFP

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

B4

TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 2021

IN BRIEF Shakey’s Pizza sees 2021 profit RESTAURANT operator Shakey’s Pizza Asia Ventures Inc. said Monday it expects to return to profitability this year despite the lingering uncertainty around the COVID-19 pandemic.

Shakey’s said in a disclosure to the stock exchange it decided to restart store network expansion, which it put on hold last year because of the pandemic.

The company said, however, new stores would have smaller footprints and reduced investment requirements compared to traditional brick-and-mortar stores.

This strategy ensures payback periods are kept short and return on capital remains high, it said.

Shakey’s is also looking to build locations that have all its brands, namely Shakey’s, Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken and R&B Milk Tea brands to maximize the existing asset base. Jenniffer B. Austria

JCR affirms ‘A-’ rating of Security Bank Corp.

JAPAN Credit Rating Agency Ltd. affirmed last week its ‘A-’ investment grade credit rating with stable outlook on Security Bank Corp., the eighth-largest private domestic universal bank in the Philippines.

The rating is at the same level as the Philippine sovereign rating.

JCR said in a statement the rating reflects Security Bank’s relatively robust domestic business base, high profitability and solid capital base. JCR also incorporated into the rating the synergy effects of Security Bank’s alliance with MUFG Bank.

“Security Bank’s financial durability stays strong as indicated by its high loanloss provision coverage ratio and capital adequacy ratio in addition to its high profitability ensured by a high net interest margin,” JCR said.

The bank kept its provision coverage ratio high at 115 percent at the end of 2020. JCR also holds that Security Bank’s NPL ratio will continue to be controlled at a manageable level if the economy recovers steadily as the pandemic subsides because the bank has strengthened its credit management for individual borrowers.

Julito G. Rada

Business

Fitch unit cuts PH growth target amid new lockdown

By Julito G. Rada

F

ITCH Solutions, a unit of Fitch Group, said Monday it reduced the 2021 gross domestic product outlook for the Philippines to 5.8 percent from a previous estimate of 7.6 percent, as the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, including the slow rollout of vaccines, are expected to disrupt economic recovery.

Fitch Solutions said in a report the surge in new infections and the resulting tightening of mobility to prevent the further spread of the disease would stifle the expected bounce-back of the economy.

“The likelihood of further outbreaks in other regions remains high and given the slow vaccination rollout in the country [less than 1 percent of the population has been vaccinated as of end-March], we believe the Philippines’ recovery will continue to be hampered by the pandemic,” said Fitch Solutions which operates independently of Fitch Ratings.

“As such, we are revising down our

growth outlook for the Philippines from 7.6 percent to 5.8 percent, with risks very much tilted to the downside,” it said.

According to OCTA Research, the number of COVID-19 cases was expected to continue to surge in the next couple of weeks despite the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases’ decision to place NCR Plus (Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal) under a strict community quarantine bubble until April 11.

Under the ECQ bubble, travel to and from Metro Manila and the four adjacent provinces was not allowed unless deemed

as essential. With these restrictions, the government hopes this will result in slower increase in COVID-19 cases.

The government decided to extend the enhanced community quarantine in the ‘NCR-Plus’ bubble for another week starting April 5 to prevent the further spread of the disease.

Fitch Solutions said, however, there were some signs of a gradual recover in activity in the first quarter. It cited the Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index which reached 52.5 in February, indicating a gradual improvement in activity.

“Indeed, respondents noted supportive demand dynamics and increased inventory building on a more positive outlook. This will likely reverse with the more recent lockdown measures but growth is likely to have continued on a recovery path through the quarter,” it said.

It said the Philippine economy was highly vulnerable to lockdowns given its high reliance on domestic consumption and investment, and thus growth would likely fall again until lockdown measures were eased.

MSU-Marawi wins Enactus-Unilever tilt MINDANAO State University-Marawi Campus bested four other finalists at the recently concluded Unilever Topic Competition held virtually on March 27, 2021.

The five finalists were selected from ten semifinalists after submission of a 77-second video.

The Enactus MSU team’s project is N’ditarun Tano, a social enterprise that supports different youth sub-sector groups in Lanao del Sur by providing educational and other assistance through peace-building activities and social interventions.

The four other finalists were University of Southeastern Philippines of Davao City (1st runner-up), University of Luzon of Dagupan City (2nd runner-ip), Holy Trinity College of General Santos City and Lyceum of the Philippines University-Batangas.

“Working with Enactus Philippines continues to be an important opportunity for Unilever to help shape the leaders of tomorrow. We are grateful for the collaboration of over six years, and we look forward to helping build sustainable businesses that involve innovations that are proudly Filipino, powered by purpose, and world-class in execution,” said Unilever vice president for communicationsSoutheast Asia Ed Sunico.

PH-FRANCE TIES. Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez (top row, right) points out the potential trade and investment opportunities for French companies in a virtual courtesy call with newly-appointed French Ambassador to the Philippines Michèle Boccoz (left). The two sides discussed further exploring trade and investment deals in aerospace, electronics, shipbuilding, clean energy, agribusiness and healthcare. With them are (second row, from left) French Embassy economic counselor Olivier Ginépro, Trade Undersecretary and Board of Investments managing head Ceferino Rodolfo and Philippine Trade and Investment Center-Paris commercial attaché Froilan Pamintuan.

SMC SLEX allots P4.6b for Batangas-Quezon road

By Darwin G. Amojelar SMC SLEX Inc., formerly South Luzon Tollways Corp., said Monday it is spending P4.6 billion this year to partially fund the construction of an expressway from Sto. Tomas in Batangas province to Lucena City in Quezon province.

The company said Toll Road 4 Project, which involves the construction of a new 66.74-kilometer, four-lane toll road, would extend the South Luzon Expressway from TR3 in Sto. Tomas, Batangas to Lucena City at a total cost of P26.1 billion.

The target completion of the project is 2024.

It said construction works in Alaminos, Laguna and Tiaong, Quezon were ongoing. The right-of-way acquisition is also underway.

The new toll road will shorten the travel time from Sto. Tomas, Batangas to Barangay Mayao in Lucena City from the usual three hours to just 45 minutes.

TR4 is a part of SLTC’s 30-year concession which will last until 2036.

SMC SLEX reported a net income of P1.75 billion in 2020, down by 44.2 percent from P3.14 billion in 2019. With the

significant decrease in traffic volume due to the implementation of enhanced community quarantine on March 16 in Luzon, toll revenue decreased by 27 percent to P4.55 billion last year from P6.23 billion in 2019.

“The restrictions that were imposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic which allowed only essential travel during the period resulted in significant decrease in traffic volume,” the company said.

SMC SLEX said around 3 percent of the total monthly traffic volume were granted toll-free passage for health workers with private vehicles.

PSE INDEX CLOSING Monday, April 5, 2021

52.06PTS. 6,495.15

TOTAL VOLUME TOTAL TRADES TOTAL VALUE ADVANCES DECLINES UNCHANGED

1,853,029,133 99,047 5,361,480,323.81 117 85 48

F OREIGN E XCHANGE R ATE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • MONDAY, APRIL 5, 2021

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

48.544

Japan

Yen

0.009037

0.4387

UK

Pound

1.383

67.1364

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128607

6.2431

Switzerland

Franc

1.061121

51.5111

Canada

Dollar

0.795165

38.6005

Singapore

Dollar

0.743218

36.0788

Australia

Dollar

0.7604

36.9129

Bahrain

Dinar

2.655408

128.9041

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266667

12.9451

Brunei

Dollar

0.740466

35.9452

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000069

0.0033

Thailand

Baht

0.031959

1.5514

UAE

Dirham

0.272272

13.2172

Euro

Euro

1.1759

57.0829

Korea

Won

0.000886

0.043

China

Yuan

0.152311

7.3938

India

Rupee

0.01363

0.6617

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.241663

11.7313

New Zealand

Dollar

0.7025

34.1022

Taiwan

Dollar

0.035039

1.7009 Source: BSP

FGEN LNG, BW Gas sign storage deal in Batangas

By Alena Mae S. Flores FGEN LNG Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of First Gen Corp., said Monday it signed a five-year contract with BW FSRU IV Pte Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of BW Gas Ltd., for the charter of a floating storage re-gasification unit in Batangas City.

“The project will allow FGEN LNG to accelerate its ability to introduce LNG to the Philippines as early as third quarter 2022, to serve the natural gas requirements of existing and future gas-fired power plants of third parties and FGEN LNG affiliates,” First Gen said in a disclosure to the stock exchange.

An FSRU is a liquefied natural gas carrier capable of storing LNG. It has an onboard re-gasification plant capable of returning LNG into a gaseous state and then supplying it directly into the gas network.

The FSRU BW Paris has an LNG storage capacity of 162,400 cubic meters and a nominal and peak gas send-out capacity of 500 million standard cubic feet per day and 750 MMscfd, respectively.

“To put this in context, the nominal send-out capacity of the BW Paris is 25 percent more than the production capability of Malampaya, which at its peak produced a maximum gas volume of approximately 400 MMscfd, and which is now declining,” said First Gen which is controlled by the Lopez Group.

BW Paris is also capable of providing ancillary services such as the reloading of LNG into trucks and small-scale LNG vessels, which can then distribute LNG to nearby industrial areas and the rest of the Philippine archipelago.

The BW Group has strong connections to the Philippines, having established BW Shipping Philippines Limited in 1988, which has become a leading provider of more than 2,700 highly competent Filipino seafarers.

The group employs more than 3,700 Filipino seafarers estimated by BW to contribute more than $80 million per annum to the Philippine economy.

LRT Line 1 increases train speed IPOPHL asks gov’t agencies to stop using pirated software to 60 kph after safety certification

By Othel V. Campos

LIGHT Rail Manila Corp. said Monday it raised the train speed at LRT Line 1 after securing a safety certification from a reputable international testing facility.

LRMC said LRT-1 would now run at a maximum speed of 60 kilometers per hour from 40 kph after completing improvement works needed for the 36-year-old railway system.

This will result in a shorter trip time from Baclaran to Balintawak (vice-versa) and increase the daily number of trips made by LRT-1 trains. The reduced travel time will allow passengers to reach their destinations sooner.

The LRT-1 system is designed for a maximum service speed of 60 kph, but the speed was reduced to 40 kph in 2011 because of the deteriorating condition of its tracks and uncertainties in the railway subsystems such as rolling stock (railway vehicles), power distribution and signaling system.

LRMC took over the operations and management in 2015 and invested P11.6 billion for the rehabilitation, restoration and upgrade of the system.

Recognizing the importance of maximizing LRT-1’s operational capacity, LRMC embarked on a project to increase the service speed by

tapping an international partner to assess, perform verificatory tests and identify the corrective works needed to be in agreement with European standards.

“Despite the challenges brought about by the pandemic, we continue to improve the LRT-1 in order to provide our passengers a safer, more comfortable, and reliable commute especially in this new normal,” said LRMC chief operating officer Enrico Benipayo.

“All these upgrading works also serve to complement the team’s preparations for the commercial service of our new Gen-4 trains in the latter part of the year to further bring comfort to Filipino commuters,” he said.

LRT-1 resumed operations on Monday after the Holy Week shutdown from March 31 to April 4, 2021 for the line’s annual preventive and maintenance works.

LRT-1 will follow a new service schedule starting April 5 for northbound train (4:30 a.m. to 9:15 p.m.) and southbound train (4:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.).

The shortened operating hours will allow LRMC to perform further safety and integration tests for Generation-4 train sets.

Darwin G. Amojelar

THE government expects to remain outside the United States Trade Representative Special 301 watch list as the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines cautioned public offices against using unlicensed software.

The IPOPHL confirmed that the Philippines was flagged twice—in 2019 and 2020 reports—for using counterfeit software in government offices, both by the national and the local government units.

“That was mentioned by the USTR for the last two years during the 2019 and last year, in spite of the fact that we have already answered it. Structurally, the Philippine government has really put on so many safeguards for keeping the use of all softwares which are genuine and not pirated within even government offices,” IPOPHL deputy director general Teodoro Pascua said in a virtual briefing Monday.

He said the Philippine government was not sitting on any “comments that may be against our interest.”

“We are fully working on it and we thank USTR for calling our attention to it.

We’re not perfect, but we will always do what must be done when our attention is called,” he said.

The government spent billions to update systems and buy original software, Pascua said. It was obtaining most of its software needs through the Department of Budget and Management.

IPOPHL is closely working with the

Department of Information and Communications Technology and with the National ICT Confederation of the Philippines to spearhead the auditing of all government offices with respect to the use of genuine software.

“The government must be the first one to

be the example. And we are not letting down our guard with respect to our fight against pirated softwares,” Pascua said.

The Special 301 is released annually by the Office of the US Trade Representative as an assessment of IP rights enforcement environments of US’ trade partners.

BDO AWARDS. The International Association of Business Communicators Philippines recognizes BDO Unibank during Arise: The 18th Philippine Quill Awards, which honors exemplary communication research, programs, skills and creative work.

The bank received awards of excellence and merit for its effective communication campaign, media and influencer engagement and financial advocacy videos.

Tavatanakit takes ANA Inspiration; Saso 50th LOS ANGELES—Thailand’s Patty Tavatanakit steered a steady course to hold off charging Lydia Ko and win the ANA Inspiration on Sunday, making her first LPGA title a major championship.

Patty, 21, started the day with a fiveshot lead and fired a four-under par 68 at Mission Hills in Rancho Mirage, California.

Her 18-under total of 270 put her two strokes in front of New Zealand’s former world number one Ko -- who stormed from eight adrift with a sensational 10-under 62 for 272.

Four players shared third on 277: South Korean Kim Sei-young, American Nelly Korda, Denmark’s Nanna Koerstz Madsen and China’s Feng Shanshan.

The Philippines’ Yuka Saso finished in a seven-way tie for 50th, after firing a one-under 71 in the last round.

“I had no idea,” Patty said of Ko’s spectacular round, which matched the tournament record established by Mexican great Lorena Ochoa in the first round in 2006.

“I just played my own game, didn’t look at the leaderboard at all ... I just wanted to play my own game and I did -- I did a really good job of that today.”

Patty, who played collegiate golf at the University of Southern California at Los Angeles, padded her overnight cushion with a chip-in eagle at the parfive second and picked up another stroke at the eighth.

She was unable to take advantage of the par-five 11th, but left herself less than two feet for a birdie at the 12th.

She needed a few par saves on the back, her eight-foot par putt at the 15th circling the rim of the cup before dropping in. She missed the green at 17 but chipped to within inches.

Patty said she just told herself to “keep hitting good shots.”

“My putts were rolling well, just didn’t read it well today. Overall I feel like I stuck to my game plan, I overcame the adversity out there.”

Patty said she didn’t get much sleep on Saturday night, and felt nervous in the early going.

“It was tough mentally and I feel like it was a lot going on and I handled it pretty well.”

Patty, still designated an LPGA rookie after the coronavirus pandemic disrupted her first season on tour, is the first rookie to win the ANA Inspiration since Juli Inkster in 1984.

She’s the fourth wire-to-wire winner, with no shared overnight leads, and the first since Australian Karrie Webb in 2000.

“It feels great to be a major champion. It still hasn’t really sunk in yet the fact that I’m like -- I just turned 21 six months ago and now I’m a major champion in my rookie year. Just crazy.” AFP

Sports

Patty Tavatanakit of Thailand celebrates after winning the ANA Inspiration at the Dinah Shore course at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California. AFP

Knott earns coach’s praise for silver effort

By Peter Atencio

F

IL-AMERICAN Kristina Knott raced against the best in the region and settled for a silver medal in the women’s 100-meter sprints on Sunday (Monday in Manila) at the Pure Athletics Spring Invitational athletics meet in Clermont, Florida.

In one of her most challenging encounters in a year, Knott submitted a time of 11.36 seconds in the finals, battling Ecuadorian trackster and Continental Cup 100-meter relays champion Angela Tenoria, who took the gold medal in 11.33 seconds, Following the silver finish, Knott drew raves from her coach Rohsaan Griffin, who said the performance was the best that the Fil-American has done so far, considering that she ran three races that were minutes apart from each other.

Khalifa St. Fort, a member of the Trinidad and Tobago national youth team, earned the bronze in 11.9 seconds.

Knott reached the finals after topping

the third heat in 11.57 seconds.

Griffin felt that Knott is within range of the 11.15-second clocking that she is trying to achieve in order to hit the qualifying standard for the Tokyo Olympics.

Later, Knott faced off with Rio Olympics 400-meter gold medallist Shaunee Miller-Uibo in the star-studded women’s 200-meters, submitting a time of 23.61 seconds in the heats and finishing seventh overall.

Miller-Uibo hit the Olympic standard time of 22.8 seconds when she reached the finish line for the gold in 22.03 seconds.

And so did 4x400 meter relays World

Champion Quanera Hayes, who settled for the silver in 22.68 seconds.

Pan American Games 400-meter relay gold medal winner Lynn Irby also breached the 22.8-second mark with a 22.75 second clocking.

“Knott’s 23.61 for 200 meters? Not a bad start after not running a 200 in close to over a year and having three races in one day roughly each an hour apart,” noted Griffin.

Knott’s time in the 100 was the second fastest she has done since breaking the Philippine national record back in August last year.

The last time she ran competitively in the 100 meters seven months ago, Knott came up with an 11.27 during the powerhouse Drake Blue Oval Showcase meet at Drake Stadium in August, bettering the 11.28 record of Lydia de Vega-Mercado in 1997.

But it remains unrecognized by the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association because of a tailwind of 1.5 meters per second that was measured during the event.

Adiwang wants to carry momentum of recent victory The 28-year-old Adiwang is keen on taking the momentum of that momentuous win in his coming battle with Brooks, also known as the “Monkey God.” Adiwang said he has studied Brook’s style.

“Once na makuhanan ka ng magandang position, mahirap nang makawala. Ito, ine-expect ko sa kanya,” said Adiwang.

The 27-year-old Brooks is coming off back-to-back wins, the last being a unanimous decision result over Haruo Ochi on Dec. 28 at the Bellator 237.

Last October, Brooks won by rear naked choke in 4:19 of the second round over Victor Altamirano at WXC 83.

Adiwang started as a member of the national boxing team and later saw action in the 2008 Asian Games.

A year later, he found another calling in wushu and has never looked back since then. Peter Atencio

LITO “Thunder Kid” Adiwang is coming off a short break following a successful fight two months ago.

After getting over his loss to Japanese fighter Hiroshi Minowa 14 months ago with a second-round victory over Namiki Kawahara last January, the mixed martial artist nicknamed “Thunder Kid” feels he is ready for the challenges of his next bout.

“Nu’ng binigay sa akin ang fight, ready na. Pinaghahandaan ko na,” said Adiwang, who is set to meet strawweight bet Jared Brooks in the undercard of “ONE on TNT II” on April 14 in Singapore.

Adiwang said he has had enough to get his bearings again after getting past Minowa.

Last Jan. 22, Adiwang made his victory memorable by dedicating it to his late mother, who passed away at the end of 2020.

Adiwang floored his debuting opponent with a left hook in the second round of their strawweight bout.

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

TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 2021

C1

Spieth ends title drought in Texas a week before Masters LOS ANGELES—Former world number one Jordan Spieth ended his near four-year victory drought Sunday, gearing up for next week’s Masters with a triumph at the US PGA Tour Texas Open.

Spieth, who hadn’t won since capturing his third major title at the 2017 British Open at Royal Birkdale, signalled he’s again a force to be reckoned with as the game’s best look toward the first major championship of 2021 at Augusta National.

“This is a monumental win for me,” Spieth said. “It’s one that I’ve certainly thought about for a long time.”

Spieth fired seven birdies in a sixunder-par 66, holding off tenacious playing partner Charley Hoffman to win by two strokes with an 18-underpar total of 270.

Hoffman had cut Spieth’s lead to one before Spieth birdied the 17th hole at TPC San Antonio, Hoffman’s own 66 putting him on 16-under 272.

Now Spieth heads to Augusta National, where he was just 21 when he won his first major title at the 2015 Masters, going on to win the US Open the same year.

After years in the wilderness the 27-year-old American had been knocking at the door, holding the 54hole lead at both Phoenix and Pebble Beach this year.

He was tied for the lead going into the final round on Sunday with England’s Matt Wallace, with Hoffman two shots back.

Wallace closed with a two-underpar 70 for third place on 274.

“I actually felt really light, felt like I just wanted to come out and smile and try to have some fun,” Spieth said, adding that “lightness” was something he’d struggled to find even as he contended earlier this year.

“I never really doubted in myself to be able to get back to where I wanted to go, but when you lose confidence it’s a lot of times hard to see the positives going forward,” he said.

Spieth got his day going with birdies at the second and third -- where he stuck his tee shot two feet from the pin.

He followed a bogey at the fourth with an 11-foot birdie at the sixth and six-footer at the eighth.

He kept the momentum going with a par save at the 11th, where his secondshot from 116 yards out found a greenside bunker.

He limited the damage with a seven-foot par-saving putt, then rolled in a 13-footer for birdie at the 12th that pushed his lead to three shots.

Playing partner Hoffman, who followed three birdies in his first six holes with a series of par saves, chipped in for birdie at the 13th to again narrow the gap to two strokes.

After Hoffman tapped in for birdie at the par-five 14th, Spieth rolled in his eight-foot birdie to maintain the margin.

- ‘Fun battle’ And he kept rolling with a par save at 15, where he was short of the green from a tough lie in a fairway bunker but chipped to within a foot.

Hoffman applied the pressure with a 20-foot birdie putt at the par-three 16th, where Spieth’s putt from off the green left him a tense short putt for par.

He made that, then pushed his lead back to two with a five-foot birdie at 17, both Spieth and Hoffman making par at the par-five 18th.

“I honestly thought that I would be more emotional at the end, but I’m kind of glad I’m not,” Spieth said.

“It was a fun battle,” he added, saying Hoffman’s challenge made the victory all the more rewarding. AFP

Quartararo to celebrate MotoGP win with McDo dinner DOHA—Fabio Quartararo of Yamaha won the Doha MotoGP on Sunday with French compatriot Johann Zarco of Ducati-Pramac finishing second.

Spanish rookie Jorge Martin, the teammate of Zarco, was third after starting the race on pole position.

It was the first time two French riders had been on the podium in the sport’s elite class since 1954 when Pierre Monneret won and Jacques Collot was third on home soil in Reims.

Quartararo joked modestly that he “will enjoy the moment with a nice McDonald’s tonight” following his win.

“It is easy to say I’ve not won a lot of races -but wow!” he added.

“I came from eighth, the pace and track were totally different from the fourth practice and warm-up.

“I always dreamed to win in Qatar, unfortu-

nately I was not the first (this season).”

Zarco’s second-place finish was enough to put him on top of the world championship after two rounds.

He has 40 points with Quartararo in second, just four points behind.

- ‘Happy for both of them’ “I was pretty happy that Jorge (Martin) took the pace, after half a race he had the pace -- but I was still able to stay behind him,” Zarco said.

“He was so clean in the style. It was this situation in four laps to the end, Fabio came in the right place to overtake Jorge.

“I tried to overtake Fabio but I could not pass him.

“I’m so happy for both of them -- victory of a French rider and podium for a teammate.”

Spain’s Alex Rins, on a Suzuki, and Yamaha’s

Maverick Vinales, the winner of the seasonopening Qatar MotoGP on the same Losail track last week, filled out the top five.

Vinales had an eventful race after a poor start and his frustration was visible after the chequered flag fell.

Valentino Rossi, the seven-time MotoGP world champion, was 16th on the Yamaha-SRT, after starting in 21st place, the Italian’s worst ever qualifying performance.

Italy’s Francesco Bagnaia, on a Ducati, defending world champion Joan Mir of Spain on a Suzuki, South Africa’s Brad Binder, of KTM, Australia’s Jack Miller, on a Ducati, and Spanish Aprilia rider Aleix Espargaro completed the top 10.

Miller had a second ninth-place finish in as many Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s French rider Fabio Quartararo weeks despite a strong showing in free practice, celebrates after winning the Moto GP Grand Prix of Doha at the Losail International Circuit, in the city of Lusail. AFP with a bump with Mir dominating his race. AFP

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Sports

TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 2021

Morris stars as Clippers zap Lakers L OS ANGELES—The Los Angeles Clippers didn’t have to lean heavily on their superstar duo against the defending NBA champions on Sunday, getting help from their supporting cast in a 104-86 rout of the shorthanded Los Angeles Lakers.

The Clippers got a game-high 22 points from Marcus Morris while all-stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George finished with 19 and 16 points respectively at Staples Centre arena.

Luke Kennard tallied 15 points off the bench and guard Rajon Rondo made his Clippers’ debut, playing 13 minutes in the win which comes in the middle of a ninegame homestand.

“We were great defensively. We set the tone early. We were physical and we got into bodies,” said Clippers coach Tyronn Lue.

Kennard and Terance Mann have stepped in nicely to fill the void left by an injury to starting guard Patrick Beverley.

Mann finished with seven points.

Lue was pleased with what he saw from Rondo who finished with two points and two steals in limited playing time.

“He going to be good for us in the long run. He makes the game easier. It is just good to see him out there,” Lue said.

Marc Gasol with 11 points was the only starter to finish in double figures Sunday for the Lakers, who are without the injured LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Reserve Montrezl Harrell scored a team high 19 for the Lakers who have lost six of their last 11 games.

- Daunting road trip It doesn’t get any easier for the Lakers. Sunday’s defeat was their final home game before embarking on a five-game road trip that begins Tuesday against the Toronto Raptors, who crushed Golden State by 53 points, 130-77 on Friday.

“We didn’t handle their defensive pressure well at all,” said Lakers coach Frank Vogel of the Clippers. “We had a tough shooting night. Tough shooting night at the rim, missed nine layups and 21 shots in the paint.”

The loss of James and Davis has jolted the Lakers season.

James has been out two weeks nursing a right, high-ankle sprain suffered on March 20 against the Atlanta Hawks. Davis has missed over two dozen games this

season, the last 22 due to a strained right calf.

They tried to fill the void by signing centre Andre Drummond, but he has not played since injuring his toe in his Laker debut last Wednesday.

Elsewhere, Zach LaVine scored a game-high 25 points as the Chicago Bulls snapped a six-game losing skid with a 115-107 win over the under-manned Brooklyn Nets in Chicago.

Tomas Satoransky finished with 19 points and 11 assists, centre Nikola Vucevic tallied 22 points and 13 rebounds for the Bulls who gave their playoff hopes a much needed boost at United Center arena.

Thaddeus Young had 12 points, Patrick Williams scored 11 and Daniel Theis added 10 for the Bulls, who overcame a slow start with a spirited second quarter in which they outscored the Nets 32-18. AFP

Markieff Morris (88) of the Los Angeles Lakers handles the ball against brother Marcus Morris Sr. of the Los Angeles Clippers during the third quarter at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. AFP

Ikee nails Olympic berth after bout with leukemia TOKYO—Japanese swimmer Rikako Ikee said she “didn’t know what had just happened” after qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics medley relay on Sunday, just two years after being diagnosed with leukaemia.

Ikee, who only resumed training in March last year after being hospitalised for around 10 months, won the 100-metre butterfly race at Japan’s Olympic trials in Tokyo in a time of 57.77 seconds.

That was not enough to earn her an individual spot at the coronavirus-delayed Tokyo Games, but it did make her eligible for Japan’s relay team, capping an incredible comeback for the 20-year-old.

“I was really happy but also really surprised,” said Ikee, who was in floods of tears as she addressed the crowd after the race.

“I didn’t knowFREE what THROW had just happened. It was a feeling I had never experiSHOOTER enced before.”

Ikee had downplayed her chances of NATHANIEL appearing at the Tokyo Games after resumDELA CRUZ ing racing in August last year, claiming she was focused on Paris in 2024 instead.

But she reached her goal ahead of

FREE THROW SHOOTER NATHANIEL DELA CRUZ

Basketball art THEY say art should comfort the disturbed.

As the team I am rooting for remains a ship in the storm still far from the safe harbor of a playoff spot, and from its bow the image of a playoff spot still blurry, appearing and disappearing from a distant horizon while the ship is tossed by the waves of misfortune, I find comfort in art.

That is why I appreciate basketball players who make watching basketball a source of comfort. It is art, a thing of beauty, removed from your partisan obligations as a fan. It becomes easy when you’ve embraced the preeminence of the beauty of basketball over a championship of a favored team; your team will not be the champion all the time; heck, it may never even ascend that peak in your lifetime - but the beauty of basketball is constant. It is always there.

I have always been an admirer of the systematic aesthetic of the game and the minds

schedule, admitting after the race that she “thought it would be much later that I would be able to start winning.”

“I felt I was swimming pretty well in my first qualifying race yesterday, but then in the semi-finals I had the tiredness of swimming in a second race,” she said.

“I could hardly move in the second half of the semifinal. Today was just a one-off, so I wasn’t so worried about that.”

Ikee missed a place in the Olympic 100-metre butterfly competition after failing to meet the 57.10-second qualifying time.

But she will have other chances to clinch an individual spot this week at the Japanese trials, and is set to appear in the 50m and 100m freestyle.

“I didn’t think I had a chance in the butterfly at all,” she said. “I thought if I was to get in, it might be the 100m freestyle relay.

“I thought if it wasn’t to be, it wasn’t to be. I thought if I did get in, it would be good experience to take to the next Olympics.”

Ikee was named MVP of the 2018 Asian Games after claiming six golds and two silvers. that made it possible. I guess that is why they call it designing a play. It is not just putting things together and hoping it will work; rather, there is deliberate intention -- every choice of space and angle, every choice of size and formation, these are all purposeful. Designing means making what works elegant. It means you can give Reggie Miller the ball and there is a good chance he can make the shot even under pressure, but if you set staggered screens to free up the shooter, it is not just functional serving its purpose, it is also majestic. The art of the offensive set is a sight to behold.

And consistent in the nature of art to supersede older and current movements - like how Renaissance Art superseded Medieval Art and how the distortions of Expressionism superseded the eye for accurate detail of Realism - evolution renders things obsolete. Basketball is no exception.

But I think everyone is their own curator; find comfort in the art that appeals to you, even if your choices are old or unpopular. I, for one, like the art of three-point shooting, but only from those who make it look good. I find the work of others labored, derivative, uninspired, and counterintuitive to the goal of team play and winning. I don’t like that everyone is doing it because it has reduced basketball to a three-point shooting contest and on most days, it is an ugly montage of throwing bricks, like a slapstick comedy that is funny in the first 30 seconds and then gets old fast.

When I am disturbed by the misfortune that has befallen my favorite team, I find comfort in watching players from other teams play with grace, form,

Japanese swimmer Rikako Ikee raises her arm in triumph after winning the 100m butterfly final during the Japan National Swimming Championships, which doubles as a qualifying event for the coronavirus-delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics, at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre. AFP

She won the 50m butterfly at the Tokyo Open in February to claim her first victory since she started her comeback.

“I thought it would be a while before I was able to compete in the 100m butterfly, but I was looking at it like, even if I did lose this year, I wouldn’t lose next

year,” said Ikee, who finished 0.41 seconds ahead of Suzuka Hasegawa.

Elsewhere at the Japanese trials, Waka Kobori and Miyu Namba both clinched a spot in the Olympic women’s 400m freestyle competition after meeting the qualifying standard of 4:07.10. AFP

and beauty. That is what’s great if you are a fan of the sport and you know it is bigger than being a fan of a particular team. If I was two decades younger I would’ve entertained the idea of trying to learn and mimic the work of masters past and present; after all, imitation is the greatest form of flattery and that is so true especially in art. Many works of art are already enshrined in the Hall of Fame and those who copy any of these patented and signature moves are judged too harshly in failure and praised generously for a successful imitation - with bonus points for improving on a classic. The Dream Shake. The Iverson Crossover. The One-Legged Fadeaway (Dirk Nowitzki). The Triangle Offense. The San Antonio Ball Movement. Golden State Small Ball.

I’m not high-brow and I am easy to please. I see art in a good pick-and-roll set, a good swarming half-court trap defense - or better, an effortless press break. Every time, I go “wow”.

I’ve always had a soft spot for players reviving lost art, like DeMar DeRozan and the beauty of the mid-range game. How he finds the angle of attack, the pace of incursion, the fundamental use of timing and pump fake and footwork - each part is rudimentary and easy to learn (and yet so few have displayed masterful use of the craft). All DeRozan needs is 10 seconds in offense and he can show us the kind of masterpiece he can make using these basic tools.

If basketball players are artists, their game is their artwork, then I’d like to call Zion Williamson’s brand of basketball Brutalist art. Brutalism emphasizes the essential -- the bare building materials and structural elements -- over decorative design, and

the resulting geometry, the image of strength and sturdiness, earns aesthetic value, the same way Zion emphasizes playing beautiful basketball without decor, stripped of fanciful albeit unnecessary motion.

And like Brutalism which is enjoying a semblance of revival after a decline in recent years, Zion is bringing physical play back.

In a time when basketball and basketball players are defined by speed, agility, three-point shooting, and calls of flagrant fouls that have poisoned hardnosed defense, Zion plays old school, when playing back to the basket in the low post means letting the defender feel your forward motion, your deliberate intent to push, your full mass and weight, and your power. Physical, but not dirty. In local streetball lingo, we call it banggàan. It is nice to see Zion unaffected by the trend of the big man shooting threes, to see his genuine confidence in his game -- a combination of finesse and brute force; a young man bringing back the larong mamà - grown man basketball. That he oftentimes obliterates defenders with a brutal finish is perhaps him giving Brutalism another dimension as it applies to the art of playing basketball.

I find comfort in art I see in basketball. It makes following the games worthwhile, exciting, and rewarding, to balm the wound and to soothe the sting of loss to which my favorite team seem to succumb to over and over again. It is not a consolation for a ring-less, disappointing year, for art and championship are two separate pursuits: art is about beauty, while a championship is about glory, and we can be a fan of both. There is comfort behind each door.

NBA’s Bucks sign Holiday to $135-M deal LOS ANGELES—The NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks have signed guard Jrue Holiday to a contract extension worth a reported $135 million over four years.

The Bucks said Sunday they had agreed to a multi-year extension with Holiday, the guard declining his player option for the 2021-22 season.

ESPN, citing Holiday’s agent, reported the financial terms of the max extension which includes bonuses that could make it worth $160 million.

Holiday arrived in Milwaukee from the New Orleans Pelicans in November as part of a four-team trade.

The two-time All-NBA Defensive Team honoree has appeared in 38 games and is averaging 17.0 points, 5.4 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.82 steals in 31.7 minutes per game.

He missed seven games after testing positive for Covid-19 in February.

Since March 20, Holiday has averaged 23.3 points on 58.7% shooting, 7.3 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.9 steals in his last eight games.

The announcement comes a day after Holiday scored a season-high 33 points with 11 assists and seven rebounds in the Bucks’ 129-128 victory over the Sacramento Kings.

Meanwhile, Charlotte Hornets forward Gordon Hayward will miss at least four weeks with a sprained right foot, the NBA team said Saturday.

The injury means Hayward, who joined Charlotte as a free agent on a four-year, $120 million contract in November, won’t make the trip to Boston on Sunday to face his former team the Celtics.

Hayward, who was hurt in the second quarter of a 114-97 victory over the Pacers on Friday, will be re-evaluated in about four weeks, the Hornets said.

“The initial diagnosis was confirmed via a physician’s exam and studies (Saturday) in Indianapolis,” the team said in a statement.

“Further updates on his status will be provided as appropriate.”

Hayward is averaging 19.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 34.0 minutes per game over the course of 44 appearances (all starts) this season with the Hornets.

He is shooting 41.4% from the three-point line and set a career-high in scoring on January 6 with 44 points against the Atlanta Hawks.

It’s another injury blow for a Charlotte team that is already without star rookie LaMelo Ball, who is out indefinitely with a broken wrist as they try to maintain or improve upon their fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

AFP

PSA Forum to tackle combat sports COMBAT sports will be the featured topic of discussion as the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum webcast edition resumes Tuesday following the Holy Week break.

Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines Secretary General Ed Picson serves as the main guest in the two-part session presented

by San Miguel Corporation, MILO, Amelie Hotel Manila, Braska Restaurant, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.

Meanwhile, ONE strawweight world champion Joshua Pacio and 2019 Southeast Asian Games silver medalist Jenelyn Olsim of Team Lakay open the public sports program that starts at 10:00 a.m.

Powered by Smart and with Upstream Media as the official webcast partner, the Forum is livestreamed via the PSA Facebook page fb.com/ PhilippineSportswritersAssociation and also shared by Radyo Pilipinas 2 Facebook page.

Entertainment

Nickie Wang, Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 2021

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‘FAN GIRL’ dominates

4th Entertainment Editors’ Choice

By Nickie Wang

Television personality Robi Domingo gives The 4th EDDYS a millennial flavor with his humor and natural flair for hosting.

ANTOINETTE Jadaone’s Fan Girl, a coming-of-age film about an obsessed teenage girl who spent an unforgettable night with her idol, bagged the major awards in this year’s edition of The EDDYS or The Entertainment Editors’ Choice held virtually on Sunday.

Fan Girl took home the Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Sound, Best Editing, Best Actress for Charlie Dizon, Best Actor for Paulo Avelino, and Best Director for Jadaone.

In her acceptance speech, the awardwinning director shared the Best Picture plum with all the nominees and all the films produced in 2020. She also underscored the relevance of Jane, the film’s heroine played by Dizon, in a modern society where human rights violations still remain rampant.

“Maraming salamat po sa matatapang na producers ng Fan Girl. We share this award with all the nominees in the Best Film [category] and with all the films produced in 2020 dahil isang tagumpay ito na hindi natin hinayaang mamatay ang industriya natin sa gitna ng pandemya.

Sana ang Pilipinas na ipapamana natin sa mga kabataan ay parang si Jane sa Fan Girl na alam ang respeto sa kababaihan lalu na sa karapatang pantao,” Jadaone said alluding to the film’s heroine played by Charlie Dizon.

Organized by the Society of Philippine Entertainment Editors, in partnership with the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), the first digital edition of The EDDYS was hosted by Robi Domingo and directed by Ice Seguerra.

Among the presenters were FDCP's Liza Diño, actor Dingdong Dantes, and Star for All Seasons Rep. Vilma SantosRecto.

Other winners were: Best Supporting Actor - Edgar Allan Guzman (Coming Home); Best Supporting Actress Shaina Magdayao (Tagpuan); Best Cinematography - Rody Lacap (Magikland) Best Visual Effects Magikland; Best Musical Score - On Vodka, Beer and Regrets and The Boy Foretold by the Stars; Best Production Design - Ericson Navarro (Magikland); Best Sound - Vincent Villa (Fan Girl); and Best Original Theme Song —"Ulan" (The Boy Foretold by the Stars).

Charlie Dizon wins another Best Actress plum for her exceptional performance in ‘Fan Girl’.

FDCP chairman Liza Diño welcomes viewers to the first digital edition of the annual film event that honors craftsmen, actors, writers, directors, workers, and producers in the Philippine film industry.

Janine Gutierrez, JC Santos

locked in new normal romance in

‘DITO AT DOON’

for the whole team, but one that has everyone’s best interest in mind,” said E. A. Rocha, TBA Studios’ CEO. Set during the pandemic, Dito at Doon revolves around political science graduate Len (Janine Gutierrez) and her online/offline frenemy Caloy (JC Santos).

With polarizing views and challenges of not being physically together, will their relationship survive?

The romantic picture also features host and stand-up comedian Victor Anastacio and theater actress Yesh Burce, with the special participation of Janine's mom Lotlot de Leon.

Dito at Doon was developed and shot during the pandemic, and was slated to be the first big local movie to be released a year since the pandemic started.

“We know how much it means for a lot of people to finally share this experience together on the big screen and we feel positive that there would still be a chance for us to do so. But for now, we are happy to offer an accessible and convenient alternative for Filipino movie fans eagerly waiting to see Dito at Doon,” Rocha added.

Film aficionados outside the Philippines will have a chance to see Dito at Doon (Here and There) too as TBA Studios prepares a worldwide release via TBA Play, the company’s premium video-ondemand (PVOD) platform soon.

“We are so grateful to everyone who has shown love and support for this film. We hope that they would continue to extend that support not just for ‘Dito at Doon’, but the whole Philippine Film Industry as well. It has been a challenging year, but we at TBA Studios remain hopeful. We appreciate everyone’s patience and we look forward to bringing this timely yet timeless, heartwarming film to you very ‘Dito at Doon’ stars Janine Gutierrez (center) and JC Santos with director JP Habac (right). soon.” Rocha expressed.

Need help in booking your tickets via GMovies?

Follow these easy steps: FTER a year in quarantine, TBA Studios is bringing Download the GMovies app or go to Dito at Doon, a lockdown romance film featuring the gmovies.ph.

Select “Dito at Doon” from the “Home” screen pairing of JC Santos and Janine Gutierrez, or “Stream Now” page. to major online platforms including KTX, Cinema76@Home, Tap the “Pay” button. On the “Payment” page choose your payment option. Tap Iwant TFC, Upstream, and Ticket2me.

“Confirm Payment” and complete the checkout process.

Click “Stream Now on UPSTREAM” The film, directed by JP Habac (I'm with everyone’s health and safety as their or watch later from the “My Shows” tab.

Drunk, I Love You), was supposed to utmost priority.

If you need further assistance, you “We have decided to release ‘Dito at arrive in theaters nationwide on March 17. The change comes after careful Doon’ exclusively online for the time can send us an email at support@ decision among the film’s producers being. This was a very difficult decision gmovies.ph.

A

MAKE the most of your children’s birthday celebration in quarantine with virtual “Happy BirthYeY” shout-outs via ABS-CBN’s child-friendly edutainment portal Just Love Kids.

Previously seen on YeY channel, the monthly birthday greeting “Happy BirthYeY” is now on digital, giving out surprise birthday shout-outs for kids 12 years old and below.

Parents may register in advance to make sure their children will be part of the monthly birthday greeting.

Meanwhile, the video lesson series for Elementary English titled Ready, Set, Read is now part of the Just Love Kids’ playlist. The new Knowledge Channel program utilizes

‘Happy BirthYeY’ returns, now on Just Love Kids portal

Kelsey Day replicates last year’s Philippine bet’s performance by winning second in Miss Eco International 2021 pageant.

Philippines’ Kelley Day crowned 2nd place at Miss Eco International PAGEANT CONCEPT ETON CONCEPCION MODEL and actress Kelley Day achieved a double, back-to-back first runnerup finish after placing second to South Africa’s Gizzelle Maundy Uys at the Miss Eco International 2020 pageant, held in Egypt, Sunday night.

Day duplicated Maureen Montage’s first runner-up finish in the 2019 edition of the annual beauty tilt and Samantha Bernardo’s at the recent 2020 Miss Grand International pageant.

This year’s winner is a 24-year-old model, actress and dancer, and a graduate in heritage and cultural tourism. She bested 38 delegates from around the world including USA's Alexandria Kelly who finished as 2nd runner-up, Venezuela's Stefania Rodriguez, and Costa Rica's Kristell Ruiz, 3rd and 4th runners-up, respectively.

“Unfortunately, as the world is going through a lot of changes right now, there is violence. The best thing we can do right now is to improve security in schools.

There have to be things like security checks and metal detectors. That's really all we can do right now. As I am standing here on this stage, I have the opportunity to tell anyone who is planning to do something to children. Look after our generation, please," Day said when asked the Top 5 question “how she will promote safety amid rising violence in schools.”

The 24-year-old Fil-British model and GMA-7 talent was also named Best in National Costume, an intricate, embroidered, red Filipiniana gown designed by Louis Pangilinan. She wore a gray-white, gown made entirely of recycled rubbers also by Pangilinan, during the Eco-dress round.

Other special award winners were Japan’s Mayuko Hanawa,, Best in Talent; Argentina’s Barbara Cabrera,, Best in Evening Gown; and Palestine’s Lauren Imseeh, Miss Eco Fitness.

'Ready, Set, Read' with Joji and friends

The Eco-delegates shared their inputs on pressing issues in their respective countries on UNDP’s Sustainable Development Goals and how to help in their own little ways, during a forum organized by the Miss Eco International organization.

Day, who advocates for the prevention of alopecia, said in her tourism video, “to represent the Philippines at Miss Eco International stage is a remarkable honor. I will carry with me the pride and diligence of my fellow Filipinos who have put their trust in me in this journey.”

rhymes, dances, graphics, and animation for learning based on DepEd’s Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELC) and Teacher’s Guides.

Ready, Set, Read features Joji and his animal friends Mark (lizard), Ogot (goat), Cathy (cat), and Nene (beetle) who embark on daily adventures to discover and understand the various concepts of the English language.

Just Love Kids is one of ABS-CBN’s digital ventures that streams on-demand new and well-loved Kapamilya programs for free for children’s learning, entertainment, and play.

Discover the fun in learning in Just Love Kids at justlovekids.abs-cbn.com.

Life

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

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Green artist Gilbert Angeles uses eco paint, a mix of shredded plastic and acrylic paint, in creating his artwork.

HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT

TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 2021

No waste wasted

with Gilbert Angeles

By Bernadette Lunas

G

ILBERT ANGELES is doing it for his family.

Seeing the mountains of plastic waste in landfills and ocean, he knew he had to do something. Those landfills and oceans, he realized, are the same landfills and oceans his children and their children will inherit.

“We only have one Earth, one life,” he said. “Everything is interconnected; a simple decision that you make will influence or affect other persons.”

The simple act of throwing a piece Angeles demonstrates how to make an eco of plastic candy wrapper or shampoo painting as Conrad Manila general manager sachet, Angeles said, was not as minor Linda Pecoraro (seated, right) looks on. as they seem to be because they are the very small things that contribute with Green Antz Builders, a building solutions provider that collects plastic to the big problem.

“A wrong decision can lead to de- waste and transforms it into construction products such as eco bricks. struction.”

Waste collected from Angeles’ stuThe Philippines ranks third in the world’s biggest plastic polluter, generat- dio is turned over to Green Antz for ing 2.7 million metric tons every year, shredding, allowing the self-avowed according to a 2017 report by the Ocean “green artist” to mix the shredded Conservancy and the McKinsey Center single-use plastic waste with leftover acrylic paints resulting in what he for Business and Development.

Despite the country’s high garbage calls the “eco paint.”

In 2019, Green Artz was born to crecollection rate, a 2018 report by the World Wide Fund revealed up to 74 per- ate “awareness of the harmful effects of cent of plastic that ends up in the ocean post-consumer waste through art.”

“We treat waste as a resource. From is from the waste already collected.

While he “was looking for a perfect waste, we create something of value,” medium” for himself, he had a eureka shared the University of Santo Tomas moment: “If you’re doing something, fine arts graduate. “Eco painting is a MADE WITH PLASTIC. Gilbert Angeles’ eco paintings showcase colors and textures and the important message of responsible waste tangible example of creating something disposal. (Photos from Green Artz by Gilbert Angeles/Facebook) make sure you’re solving a problem.”

Creativity, resourcefulness, and a of value from waste. By doing this, it ant Nes Jardin seconded, “I’m excited genuine concern for the environment reminds us to be more responsible in to make an eco painting: On a canvas, recovered from construction sites. he first applied a binder (glue) then add“‘New Earth, New Life, New Hope’ about this exhibit because it promotes led the Bulacan-based artist to ask throwing our waste.”

Angeles has since then created sev- ed the shredded plastic. He painted over celebrates life and nature, which is Conrad Manila’s sustainable practice friends and neighbors for their plastic eral artwork made using this medium, the plastic (alternative method is mix- echoed by Conrad Manila through our in hotel management.” waste, “anything out of value.”

For her part, SMHCC president ElizaBut there was a small problem in us- while actively sharing the process to en- ing the shreds and paints beforehand) Travel With Purpose corporate social responsibility campaign which we share beth Sy lauded the efforts of everyone ing the collected waste as medium. “De- courage others to try and create some- and let the canvas dry.

The “Of Art and Wine: New Earth, with our guests and team members,” involved in the show, “I congratulate pending on the space and structure of thing out of what could have ended up New Life, New Hope” exhibit showcas- said Conrad Manila general manager and thank Gilbert Angeles, Green Artz, the products, we found the art limiting.” in landfills and ocean.

During his demonstration at Conrad es Angeles’ 23 eco paintings. Accord- Linda Pecoraro. and Conrad Manila for showcasing how That was when he SM Hotels and Conventions Corpo- sustainable art can be a tool for environgot con- Manila, as part of his ongoing exhibit at ing to the hotel, some of his canvases nected Gallery C until May 9, he showed how are also made of used wooden panels ration (SMHCC) executive consult- mental preservation.”

Be healthy to be a millionaire

Caring for pets and practicing mindfulness are some of the expert advice on achieving and maintaining a positive outlook.

7 ways to take care of your mental health WHEN emotionally and psychologically overwhelmed, an expert suggests seven ways to overcome stress and maintain a positive outlook.

“The stress of this pandemic has really taken a toll on people, and everybody feels it,” Brain and Behavior Research Foundation president and chief executive Jeffrey Borenstein, MD said in an article published by the Brown Brothers Harriman.

“It has especially challenging for those who already have pre-existing psychiatric conditions, which stress and social isolation both exacerbate.”

The Benilde Well-Being Center lists down the expert advice of Dr. Borenstein on achieving and maintaining a positive outlook.

Practice self-care

YOU have 24 weeks left to get a chance to be 2.5-million-peso richer by simply leading a healthy lifestyle.

In celebration of its 25th anniversary, insurer Pru Life UK has launched a 25-week raffle starting March 29, during which individuals who download and use the features of its Pulse app stand a chance to be one of the more than 600 winners of P6million worth of prizes up for grabs.

“We are proud of Pru Life UK’s legacy of nurturing the health and wealth of Filipinos for the past 25 years. We have reached this milestone because of all customers and agents who have trusted us through the years,” Pru Life UK president and chief executive Antonio G. De Rosas said in a statement.

Every week, one winner will get an iPhone 12 mini 64GB and 24 lucky Pulse app users will each receive electronic gift certificates worth P2,500. The raffle draws will culminate on Sept. 28, where one lucky winner will take home the grand prize of P2.5 million.

Except for the firm’s employees, agents, and relatives (up to second

degree), anyone can join the We Do Health and Wealth: 25th Anniversary Celebration raffle – Pru Life UK policyholders and non-policyholders alike.

To join the raffle, download the Pulse app and register. Upon registration, tap the Pru Life UK 25th anniversary tile and sign up. Participants who sign up to be contacted by an agent will automatically get one raffle entry. To earn more raffle entries, they can use the Pulse features, subscribe to Pulse Gold and use its features, and share the Pulse app with friends.

Pulse app is an AI-powered health management app that “aims to empower its users to take control of their wellbeing with tools like Health Check... and Symptom Checker.”

Registered users get access to detailed insights into their current health, as well as an AI-powered chatbot that will analyze their condition based on their symptoms.

The app also offers health and lifestyle tips (Health Awareness Channel), relevant health information, fitness challenges (Wellness Goals and Habits), and a forum where users can connect with other users.

Get enough sleep.

cover new hobbies – these may include Avoid heavy substance use making art, caring for pets and plants, Keep alcohol to a minimum. Avoid taking an online class, and spending drugs. Substance use may hinder a staquality time with people special to you. ble home life and capability to handle life’s difficulties and relate to others.

Meditate

Relaxation exercises can bring a posiVolunteer They say you cannot pour from an Explore individual and group volunempty cup, so make sure to make your- tive state of mind and outlook on life. teer opportunities. Helping others can self a priority. Eat a healthy diet, work Disconnect from electronics enrich your life. out, get enough sleep.

and social media

Take time to unplug and disconnect Get help from a licensed from the constant stream of emails and mental health professional Should the need arise, seek help for it Partake in projects that are produc- alerts. This will help reduce the anxieis a sign of strength – not a weakness. tive. Challenge your creativity and dis- ties social media can often induce.

Engage in activities that provide meaning

Top: Pru Life UK assistant vice president of brand and advertising Kahlil Robles explains (via Zoom) the mechanics for the 25-week raffle. Bottom: Pru Life UK executives and host RJ Ledesma toast to the insurer’s 25th anniversary.