BusinessMirror April 16, 2020

BIR extends ITR filing to May 30

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PROPOSALS PUSHED FOR FIXING PHL’S PATH TO PROSPERITY POST-PANDEMIC

By Bernadette D. Nicolas

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HE Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) further extended to May 30 the deadline of the filing for annual income tax returns (ITRs) and payment of taxes due thereon.

BIR Commissioner Caesar R. Dulay and Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez signed Revenue Regulations 10-2020 granting the extension of statutory deadlines and timelines for the filing and submission of any document and the payment of taxes.

The deadline for the filing of annual ITRs was previously extended to May 15 from the original April 15 schedule, to give taxpayers more time to prepare as President Duterte imposed a monthlong Luzon-wide lockdown in the race to stop the spread of Covid-19. That enhanced community quarantine was to end on April 13, but has since been extended to April 30.

RESIDENTS display Philippine flags from their windows as they pay tribute to health workers, essential personnel and security forces during an enhanced community quarantine in Manila, April 12, 2020. AP/AARON FAVILA

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According to RR 10-2020 dated April 9, if the new extended due dates fall on a holiday or nonworking day, then the submission and or filing contemplated herein shall be made on the next working day.

If the enhanced community quarantine period will be extended further, the filing of returns and payment of the corresponding taxes due thereon and submission of reports and attachments falling within the enhanced extended period shall be extended for 30 calendar days from the lifting of the ECQ, the BIR said in the document.

Despite the deadline extension, the BIR still encourages taxpayers to pay taxes and file their returns early to help the government raise funds to fight Covid-19.

“Doctors, nurses, medical staff and other frontliners are risking their lives to help fight Covid-19. Paying our taxes early is our own share to help the fight against Covid-19. I already filed my own 2019 ITR and paid my income taxes,” BIR Deputy

Commissioner Marissa O. Cabreros said in a message to the BusinessMirror.

BIR has since said taxpayers who file their tax returns within the original deadline or prior to the extended deadline can amend their tax returns at any time on or before the extended due date.

An amendment that will result in additional tax to be paid can still be paid without the imposition of corresponding penalties, if the same is done not later than the extended deadline as provided under existing rules and regulations.

A taxpayer whose amended returns will result in overpayment of taxes paid may opt to carry over the overpaid tax as credit against tax due for the same tax type in the succeeding periods’ tax returns, aside from filing for claim for refund.

The BIR has also extended the deadline to avail of the tax amnesty on delinquencies from May 23 to June 8, 2020, according to Revenue Memorandum Circular 38-2020.

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Thursday, April 16, 2020 Vol. 15 No. 189

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IN PANDEMIC, KEEP HEALTHY CAPITAL LEVELS, BANKS TOLD

THE “stay home” order during the lockdown sounds ironic to 40 families rendered homeless by a fire on Wednesday at Muelle de la Industria Street near the Manuel A. Roxas Memorial (Delpan) Bridge in Tondo, Manila. ROY DOMINGO

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A PERSON in a hazmat suit buys fruits at a roadside fruit stand on Dela Rosa Avenue in Makati City. BERNARD TESTA

By Cai U. Ordinario

HE National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) and local economists expect the economy to post a deep contraction in the second quarter this year due to the coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

Neda Undersecretary Rosemarie G. Edillon told the BusinessMirror on Wednesday GDP could still post a growth just below the country’s historical average of 5 percent to 6 percent in the first quarter.

The full impact of the pandemic was felt toward March as the President placed Metro Manila on community quarantine which he subsequently expanded to the entire Luzon island with an enhanced community quarantine (ECQ). The ECQ was then extended to April 30.

“[Will GDP in Q1 and Q2 be negative?] Probably not in Q1,” Edillon said. “Hopefully, [Q1 GDP] will be just below the historical average.”

Ateneo Center for Economic Research and Development (ACERD) Director Alvin P. Ang said the contraction in the second quarter may reach double digits if the ECQ is extended.

This will be followed by another contraction in the third quarter, Ang said, marking a technical recession of the Philippine economy. A technical recession occurs when GDP growth contracts in two quarters.

The only factor that could complicate GDP growth in the third quarter will be the impact of La Niña on the economy. The third quarter is also, historically, typhoon season in the Philippines.

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 50.5920

However, first- and fourthquarter growths will be positive, with the fourth quarter allowing the economy to post its best GDP performance for the year. “[The contraction in Q2 and Q3] depends on how long the enhanced community quarantine will be in effect,” Ang told the BusinessMirror. “[Growth will remain weak] until majority of industries are closed. [The growth in Q4] assumes that 50 percent of businesses become operational.”

For his part, economist Calixto V. Chikiamco said: “The government is projecting -1 percent growth in 2020. That means economic contraction in the first and second quarter. The magnitude of the contraction will depend on the size and timing of the economic relief and emergency fund of the government. As of now, only about 5 percent of GDP is being set aside compared to other countries like Malaysia at 15 percent of GDP and Thailand at 10 percent of GDP.”

Only 2nd quarter

UNIVERSITY of Asia and the Pacific School of Economics Dean Cid

Terosa told this newspaper that by his estimates, only the second quarter will post a negative growth this year.

Terosa is not as optimistic as the Neda, however, when it comes to first-quarter GDP growth—expecting it to be close to zero to as much as 2 percent in the April to June period.

“I don’t think there will be any [growth drivers] as long as the ECQ is in place. If the ECQ is lifted by the end of April, we can rely on domestic consumption spending and government pump priming to drive growth,” Terosa said.

Terosa said the La Niña phenomenon would likely take its toll on third-quarter GDP growth this year.

International organizations are predicting a La Niña weather event toward end-2020. For the Philippines, this could coincide with the rainy and/or typhoon season.

Nonetheless, Terosa said, July-September growth would likely be positive especially if the negative effects of the ECQ have waned and the pandemic is controlled.

“If the effects of La Niña are Continued on A2

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By Tyrone Jasper C. Piad

ANKS across the world should be well-capitalized to soften the economic blow of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said, urging policy makers to strike a balance between addressing financial stability and boosting economic activities.

According to the IMF’s recent Global Financial Stability Report, the pandemic has brought about unprecedented economic crisis, and banks play a major role in addressing such concern, but the sector should maintain a robust financial health to do so.

“Banks’ existing capital and liquidity buffers should be used to absorb losses and funding pressures,” the report reads.

In the Philippines, analysts are not worried about this. Capitalization of the local banking industry remains above the minimum requirements set by the regulators and beyond acceptable international standards, RCBC chief economist Michael L. Ricafort said.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), in its latest report, noted that capitalization of local banks rose by 14 percent to P2.07 trillion in 2018 from P1.76 trillion the previous year. Moody’s Investor Service, meanwhile, said that capitalization of the industry will remain stable given that rated local banks have an average common equity tier-1 capital ratio of 13.7 percent as of end-2019.

The Washington-based multilateral lender said that authorities should take targeted actions toward the banks if the capital adequacy has been affected already due to “sizable” impact of the pandemic, including submission of capital restoration plans.

“Authorities may also need to step in with fiscal support—either direct subsidies or tax relief—to help borrowers to repay their loans and finance their operations, or provide credit guarantees to banks,” the IMF said.

Banks were also encouraged to adjust payment deadlines for the loans of companies and households during financially challenging times.

‘First line of defense’

THE IMF recognized that central banks worldwide have been implementing initiatives to jolt the economy currently in slump.

See “Pandemic,” A2

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Source: BSP (April 15, 2020)

News BusinessMirror

A2 Thursday, April 16, 2020

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DA asks LGUs not to disrupt food trade with arbitrary rules

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By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

HE Department of Agriculture (DA) on Wednesday appealed anew to local government units (LGU) to refrain from imposing rules that could block food trade, emphasizing that this may result in artificial supply shortage and price spikes.

Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar issued the statement after certain LGUs issued directives preventing farmers and workers from doing their jobs with some plantations and sugar mills being shut down.

“We urge the provincial governors, city and municipal mayors in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, to allow their respective farmers, fishers and workers in food processing

and manufacturing facilities to continue to do their jobs, provided they strictly observe physical distancing, health and sanitation measures,” Dar said.

“Such LGU policies counter the DA Memorandum Circular No. 7, issued on March 17, 2020, implementing a Food Resiliency Protocol approved by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases

(IATF-EID),” Dar added.

In particular, Dar appealed to Bukidnon Governor Jose Maria Zubiri Jr. to lift his recent directive of placing the whole province under total lockdown, with some sugar mills, pineapple and banana plantations being ordered to shut down. Zubiri ordered the total lockdown after Bukidnon recorded its first Covid-19 case.

The agriculture-related businesses were ordered to suspend operations for the two weeks or the whole duration of the total lockdown from April 13 to April 26.

In a letter to Zubiri, Dar said the closure of the firms is a “restrictive policy” that would “only result in artificial shortage and thus price spikes.”

“I laud your efforts to regulate the spread of Covid-19 in your province, the highland paradise in the heart of Mindanao. However, when acting to protect the health and well-being of their citizens,

we should ensure that any healthrelated measures will not disrupt the food supply chain,” he said.

“Thus, we appeal for your deeper understanding of the importance of the unhampered movement of food and agricultural workers in minimizing the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic,” Dar added.

The DA said the two sugar mills shut down—Crystal Sugar Company Inc. and Bukidnon Sugar Milling Co.—account for 82 percent of Mindanao’s total sugar output and 16 percent of the country’s total production.

Dar said the stoppage of operations of the agricultural firms would also displace about 19,000 employees.

“Subsequently, disruption in the operations will have a negative impact on the supply chain and will ultimately result in the financial dislocation of thousands of their employees,” he said.

Food passes extended

IN a related development, Dar has extended the validity of previously issued food passes until the lifting of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) to ensure smooth flow of food trade.

“The extension shall ensure the continuous unhampered food production and movement of all cargoes, agriculture and fishery inputs, food products and agribusiness personnel across the country amid the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic,” Dar said in Memorandum Circular 11 Series of 2020.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority-Navotas Fish Port Complex (PFDA-NFPC) denied allegations that they barred individuals from entering the premises due to expired permits.

“Today, we were made aware of unsubstantiated allegations that several individuals were prohibited entry from Philippine Fisheries

By Joel R. San Juan

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HE Supreme Court is set to hold a special en banc session on Friday to discuss important issues including the plea of several individuals and groups for it to order the release of elderly, sick and other prisoners vulnerable to Covid-19 infections.

SC spokesman Brian Keith Hosaka said lawyer Ed Aricheta, the Clerk of Court En Banc, confirmed the meeting of the SC en banc on April 17, 2020.

The last SC en banc session was held on March 13, when the SC issued administrative orders limiting court operations to protect the judges, justices, officials and personnel from being infected by the virus.

The SC eventually decided to suspend operations in all courts in the country while the state of public health emergency remains in effect.

When asked if it will be the first time for the 15-man High Tribunal to hold a virtual en banc session, Hosaka replied: “I believe this will be the first time.”

Hosaka, however, said the Court has yet to determine the platform to be used in holding the virtual en banc session.

“We still don’t know what platform will be used. Our MISO [Management Information System Office] is handling the technical aspect taking into consideration security concerns.”

“As to the signing of resolutions and decisions, it will go through the usual process as before. There would not be any difference,” Hosaka added.

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Petition to free at-risk prisoners tops SC’s first virtual en banc

Citing humanitarian reasons, relatives of several persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) filed a petition before the SC seeking the issuance of an order directing the temporary release of their relatives, considered as political prisoners, due to the Covid-19

pandemic.

The petitioners also requested the Court to create a Prison Release Committee to urgently study and implement the release of all other similarly vulnerable prisoners in congested prisons throughout the country.

Likewise, members of the Makabayan bloc said the SC should use its “extraordinary powers” to order the immediate release from prisons of PDLs who are vulnerable to Covid-19.

In a letter addressed to Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta, the Makabayan bloc cited several countries that have freed their PDLs as a measure amid the outbreak.

Among these countries, according to the party-list solons, are India, Canada, Iran, Turkey, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Egypt, Ireland and Wales, Morocco, Sudan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Germany, Indonesia and the United States.

They explained that the country’s congested prison and detention facilities are a hotbed for infection, amplification and spread of the virus.

DEEP Q2 CONTRACTION IN PHL SEEN ON COVID Continued from A1

severe, it will hold back the positive effects of economic rebuilding activities and dampen economic growth,” Terosa said.

For his part, ING senior economist Nicholas T. Mapa sees first-quarter GDP at around 4 percent; while the second quarter would be close to negative at 0.2 percent growth.

The main drivers of growth, particularly for the second quarter, will be government spending and household consumption, given that Filipinos need to stock up on food and nonfood essentials while in quarantine.

Mapa said if the La Niña phenomenon occurs in the second half, this “may complicate a recovery as it hampers agriculture at a time growth prospects are at their most vulnerable.”

“Food takes up the lion’s share of household consumption in GDP accounting, and surging demand for this subcomponent may offset weakness in other sectors like capital formation,” Mapa said.

Worst recession since Great Depression

ON Wednesday, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) released its estimates for Philippine GDP, which showed the economy will post a 0.6-percent growth this year

RECOVERIES SURPASS NUMBER OF COVID-19 DEATHS IN PHL

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before bouncing back to 7.6 percent in 2021.

Edillon said the Neda is aware of the growth forecast of the IMF and is now determining whether their assumptions are aligned with the government.

Growth this year is worse than the full-year GDP growth posted by the Philippine economy in 2009 during the Global Economic Crisis (GEC). GDP growth that year was at 1.1 percent with the third quarter posting the weakest growth at 0.5 percent.

However, the IMF’s projected growth is better than the contraction of 0.6 percent posted in 1998 when the Philippines experienced a severe El Niño. The fourth quarter posted the weakest growth that year with a contraction of 3.1 percent.

The IMF also estimated that inflation will be benign at 1.7 percent in 2020 and 2.9 percent next year. Earlier, this newspaper reported that low inflation is due to the slowdown in consumption of various food and nonfood commodities (See businessmirror.com. ph/2020/03/06/february-inflation-eases-onslower-consumption/).

The IMF’s estimates also showed the country’s unemployment rate rising to 6.2 percent in 2020 before sliding back to 5.3 percent in 2021.

The Labor Force Survey (LFS)

HE number of persons who have recovered from Covid-19 has surpassed the number of fatalities, as the country reported 353 recoveries while deaths stood at 349 nationwide as of April 15.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire also announced that as of 6 p.m. of April 14, at least 39,947 individual tests were already conducted. Of the number, 5,782 are positive cases, while 34,116 tested negative of the disease.

“The number of positive results is higher compared to the confirmed results because of validation and processing, while admitted patients will undergo repeat tests,” Vergeire explained at a virtual press conference.

for April will be conducted next week and the results will be available in June 2020. In the January LFS round, the jobless rate was at 5.3 percent representing 2.39 million workers.

Due to the pandemic, the IMF revised its forecast for global GDP to a contraction of 3 percent this year, a 6.3-percentage-point decline from its January 2020 forecast.

“This makes the great lockdown the worst recession since the Great Depression, and far worse than the Global Financial Crisis,” IMF Research Department economic counselor and director Gita Gopinath said in a virtual briefing.

Gopinath said global growth will rebound to 5.8 percent in 2021 on the back of expectations the pandemic will fade in the second half of 2020. The forecast also considers the effective prevention of firm bankruptcies, extended job losses, and system-wide financial strains.

Death and tolls

ON Tuesday evening, a team of Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) researchers led by research fellow Michael R.M. Abrigo estimated that the pandemic will cost the Philippine economy P276.3 billion to as much as P2.5 trillion.

The PIDS researchers said the transport, storage and communi-

The Department of Health (DOH) reported 230 new cases (PH5224-PH5453) of Covid-19 as of 4 p.m. (April 15). The total number of cases in the country is now at 5,453.

The DOH also announced 58 new recoveries and 14 new deaths.

Expanded testing AS the government has rolled out its expanded testing on April 14, Vergeire also clarified that the most at risk for Covid-19 will be prioritized for the expanded testing as prescribed by DOH Department Memorandum 2020-0151, and reiterated by Department Circular 2020-0179.

“Those who think they are infected will

cation sector is expected to suffer substantial losses due to tourism declines worth P11.7 billion to as much as P124.3 billion.

The study also showed that losses in other services could reach P41.5 billion to P356.9 billion; manufacturing, P82.1 billion to P855.2 billion; and wholesale and retail trade, P93.2 billion to P724.8 billion.

“Extending the ECQ by one more month may potentially cost the Philippine economy at least P150 billion due to possible declines in household consumption as workers remain unemployed for longer periods,” the researchers said.

However, Abrigo and the other researchers said the cost of inaction may be larger at P2 trillion in foregone gross value added. This will be due to weak household demand and unemployment of workers for extended periods of time.

The country’s Employment to Population Ratio (EPR) could decline by 12 percentage points to as much as 30 percentage points. With an EPR of 60 percent, the worstcase scenario means there could be a 50-percent reduction in the total number of workers nationwide.

In terms of infections and deaths, the researchers estimated that if the government does not put in place any interventions, around 18.9 million or nearly 20 percent of the Philippine population will be

still need to be assessed by a health professional.

They can do this in the comforts of [their] home through Telemedicine consultations,” Vergeire said, adding that assessment by a licensed health professional remains a prerequisite before one could get tested for Covid-19.

According to Vergeire, those who belong to these two priority subgroups are: (1) patients or health-care workers with severe or critical symptoms and history of travel or exposure, and (2) patients or health-care workers with mild symptoms, relevant history of travel or exposure, and considered vulnerable (e.g., 60 years old or older, has other illnesses such as hypertension and diabetes, or is immunocompromised).

infected by August 2020.

Of this number, around 9.88 million will be considered mild cases; 3.39 million, severe; and 1.03 million, critical. The cumulative deaths estimated at peak day are at 1.66 million.

But under an extended ECQ, partial lifting of quarantine, better testing, and the symptomatic persons isolated at the onset, the total cases will peak in June if the ECQ is partially lifted for two weeks or May if it is partially lifted for four weeks with a total of 904,000 cases.

The results come as no surprise given that Hong Kong-based Deep Knowledge Group (DKG) said the Philippines is included in the top 10 high health and economic risks for Covid-19.

The framework of DKG measures risk using 24 indicators grouped in four major areas: infection spread; government management; health-care efficiency; and regional specific risks.

The countries in the top 10 are led by Italy followed by the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Sweden, Iran, Ecuador, the Philippines and Romania.

Other countries considered high risk are Nigeria, Russia, Bangladesh, Mexico, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos.

Patients or health-care workers not considered vulnerable but with mild symptoms and relevant history of travel or exposure, and those with no symptoms but have relevant history of travel or exposure, will also be tested under the expanded testing scheme.

While subgroups 1 and 2 are given priority, anyone who requests to get tested must be assessed by a licensed health professional who shall determine whether he or she falls under any of these prioritized groups and whether he/she should get tested immediately.

Upon assessment, the patient will be instructed to proceed to the most accessible health facility for testing. Otherwise, they will be advised

Development Authority-Navotas Fish Port Complex, in view of their expired permits, and that our port management arbitrarily refused to renew the same,” it said in a statement on Wednesday.

“We vehemently deny this unfounded accusation. A responsible inquiry into the situation and circumspect observation of our port’s operations will show that the PFDA continues to serve the public while promoting the objectives of the enhanced community quarantine,” it added.

PFDA-NFPC said it will continue to issue permits to stakeholders with “legitimate” business within its ports while it observes required health protocols against Covid-19.

They will also continue to “exercise due diligence in evaluating permit applications in order to discourage occurrences that may be detrimental to the well-meaning goals of the ECQ.”

Pandemic…

Continued from A1

“To preserve the stability of the global financial system and support the global economy, central banks worldwide have been the first line of defense,” IMF Monetary and Capital Markets Department Director Tobias Adrian said in a recent digital press briefing.

Among the efforts of central banks were easing of monetary policy and provision of liquidity to support the economy, he enumerated.

On the local front, the BSP’s overnight reverse repurchase facility has been reduced by a total of 75 basis points (bp) to 3.25 percent, bringing the lending and deposit rates to 3.75 percent and 2.75 percent, respectively.

Industry observers are expecting another 50-bp cut during the next monetary policy meeting on May 21. An analyst is even anticipating a reduction ahead of the meeting after BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno gave a hint.

The BSP also trimmed reserve requirement ratio (RRR) on reservable liabilities of universal and commercial banks by 200 bp to 12 percent, which is seen to release around P180 billion worth of liquidity into the banking system. The Monetary Board said that the RRR could be slashed by another 200 bp before the year ends.

While the pandemic has triggered financial pressure on the sector, Adrian said that most banks and banking systems were expected to be generally stable this year.

“So, there might be some additional struggles in some banking systems, and for some banks around the world. But in general, banks are in a much better place today than they were at the onset of the 2008 crisis,” he said.

Market sentiment

THE IMF official said the response of the central banks has calmed the investors— who have shifted to safe assets amid uncertainties due to the pandemic—in the financial markets.

Adrian said prices of risk assets have declined since the pandemic began, with markets seeing heavy sell-offs. Risk assets refer to financial security and instrument, like equities and bonds, whose prices are likely to fluctuate depending on market appetite.

“Market resilience should be promoted through well-calibrated, clearly defined, and appropriately communicated measures, such as circuit breakers,” the report added.

The Philippine Stock Exchange has pulled the circuit breaker three times since the pandemic due to massive sell-offs.

The circuit breaker rule, which was approved in September 2008, provides the investors time to react on the steep index decline during intraday trading.

A 15-minute trading halt is imposed when the main index drops by at least 10 percent from the previous day’s closing. to undergo home quarantine or proceed to a community quarantine facility.

“We want to avoid people crowding and lining up in our testing centers to demand for tests even if they do not experience any symptom,” Vergeire explained, adding that if this happens, it might result in increased cases of transmission.

The DOH also recommends calling 24/7 Telemedicine Hotlines for those who wish to consult health professionals from their homes.

Metro Manila residents may call 02-8424-1724 or 02-7798-8000. Those outside of Metro Manila may use 1555 (for all networks) and the (02) 894-COVID hotline to seek medical advice.

Claudeth M. Ciriaco

News BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Metro Manila assured of sufficient water supply during lockdown period

By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga

A

SSURING adequate supply from Angat Dam, the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) said it has no plan to reduce water allocation for the National Capital Region (NCR) and several towns in Rizal and Cavite provinces.

Sevillo David, executive director of the NWRB, told the BusinessMirror that there is an adequate water supply from Angat Dam, assuring that water level at the reservoir even went up slightly over 193 meters above sea level (ASL) on Tuesday.

He attributed this to local thunderstorms experienced in the Angat watershed area the past few days.

The onset of the rainy season in June, or July, is expected to replenish the Angat-Ipo-La Mesa River System with fresh water supply.

“At this level, given Pagasa’s [Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration] weather forecast that we

will experience normal, or neutral weather condition, we are confident that there will be adequate water to last until the end of the dry season,” David said.

He underscored the need for clean water as Covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus that originated from Wuhan, China, continues to grip the country, particularly Luzon, which is now on an extended enhanced community quarantine.

“Water is very important for health and sanitation, especially now, that’s why we are maintaining the maximum capacity of 4,000 MLD,” David said.

To recall, a day before President Duterte’s quarantine order, the NWRB increased water allocation from the previous 3,600 MLD to the maximum capacity of 4,000 MLD to assure tap water supply to every water consumers serviced by the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System through its agents and contractors, Manila Water Co. Inc. and Maynilad Water Services Inc.

briefs PHL RECEIVES FACE MASKS DONATION FROM TAIWAN THE Republic of China’s (Taiwan) donation of 300,000 face masks to the Philippines were flown in on Tuesday by Eva Air at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia).

This is apart from the island nation’s pledge of 6 million masks to other regional countries to help them fight the new coronavirus pandemic.

The quantity of the donation was disclosed by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines in a news statement issued on Monday evening.

According to airport sources, the masks arrived at the premier airport and was received by the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (Meco) officials at the Paircargo warehouse.

Taiwan’s “mask diplomacy” campaign was launched on April 1 when it pledged to donate 10 million masks to European countries, the US and diplomatic allies.

Recto Mercene

TARLAC FARMERS GET RELIEF PACKS FROM NOLCOM TARLAC CITY—At least 200 members of the Magsasaka ng Asyenda Luisita (Malaya) affected by the enhanced community quarantine, were given assistance by the Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom) and the 3rd Mechanized Infantry Battalion (3rd MIB) here.

Each farmer received a food pack consisting of 3 kilos of rice, one loaf of bread, nine eggs, two packs of instant noodles, three canned goods and five sachets of peanut butter.

“The Armed Forces of the Philippines is here to help and support every Filipino no matter what happens,” 3rd MIB Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Norberto Aromin Jr. said. Ashley Manabat

B.I. OFFICIALS TOLD TO DON PPEs WHILE ON DUTY AIRPORT immigration officers have been instructed to always wear complete personal protective equipment (PPE) when attending to stranded passengers on special flights.

Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente issued the reminder amid the upsurge of repatriations by so-called sweeper flights at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) in the past several days.

“It is very important that our officers are protected against the virus when attending to these special flights, especially since there are Covid-19 cases in the country already,” Morente said.

The BI chief said the bureau is anticipating a tremendous surge in passenger volume at the Naia and other international airports and seaports after the government decides to lift the enhanced community quarantine by the end of the month. Recto Mercene

GOV. YAP DONATES 3-MONTH WORTH SALARY FOR KITS TARLAC CITY—The purchase of about 500 units of Rapid Diagnostic Test Kits to aid this province in its fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) got a major boost after Gov. Susan Yap donated her three-month worth of salary for test kits’ procurement.

The rapid test kits totaling to P375,000 will be used by the Tarlac Provincial Hospital (TPH) and other hospitals in the province in testing probable Covid-19 cases.

“This is the bayanihan spirit in our fight against the Covid-19 and this is for our fellow Tarlaqueños,” Yap said. Ashley Manabat

Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • Thursday, April 16, 2020 A3

SSS opens calamity loan program for members affected by pandemic

By Bernadette D. Nicolas @BNicolasBM

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TATE-RUN pension fund Social Security System (SSS) allotted a total of P20.4 billion for its Calamity Loan Assistance Program (CLAP) for its more than 1.74 million member-borrowers affected by the Luzon-wide lockdown due to the pandemic.

In a webinar on Wednesday, SSS Member Education Department Officer in Charge Section Head Jeric R.

Mallari said the program, which offers a calamity loan of up to P20,000 is targeted to be implemented on April 24.

All SSS members who are residents of the Philippines affected by the community quarantine due to the global health pandemic Covid-19 are qualified to avail CLAP. CLAP covers contingencies starting March 2020 to May 2020.

The filing of CLAP applications shall be made online through the SSS web site (www.sss.gov.ph) or

SSS Mobile Application by accessing My.SSS account.

Once approved, loan proceeds will be credited through the member’s enrolled bank account.

Filing of CLAP applications will be announced immediately when the system is ready for launch.

The loan is also payable in 27 months, inclusive of three-month moratorium period. Amortization shall start on the fourth month after the date of approval of the loan.

The loan is subject to an interest rate of 10 percent per annum which will start on the fourth month, computed on a diminishing principal balance.

SSS also waived the service fee of 1 percent of loan amount.

The pension fund earlier announced that it is imposing a 3-month moratorium on shortterm loan payments of SSS members affected by Covid-19 situation for applicable months of February to April.

55 cops on frontline duty Rice imports hit 6-month high catch novel coronavirus at 229,416.65 MT in March–data

By Rene Acosta @reneacostaBM

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HE Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters at Camp Crame reported on Wednesday that 55 police personnel have already been infected by the novel coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19).

The increase in number of virusaffected policemen spiked after PNP Health Service Director Brig.

Gen. Herminio Tadeo Jr. reported that an additional five policemen have been found positive for the virus.

The new cases are PNP patient-51, a 43-year-old policeman from Laguna; PNP patient-52, a 36-yearold policeman from Laguna; PNP patient-53, a 29-year-old policeman from Muntinlupa City; PNP patient-54, a 29-year-old policeman from Taguig City; and PNP patient-55, a 50-year-old male from Bulacan province.

Tadeo emphasized that close monitoring is being observed for 105 PNP personnel who are now considered as probable persons under investigation (probable PUIs), which includes 20 police

commissioned officers, 84 police non-commissioned officers and one non-uniformed personnel.

In addition, a total 456 personnel were recommended as suspected persons under investigation (suspected PUIs) composed of 99 police commissioned officers, 320 police non-commissioned officers, and 37 non-uniformed personnel.

The PNP Health Service reported that eight policemen have recovered from the novel coronavirus.

The PNP also reported that its Anti-Cyber Crime Group (ACG) has arrested 49 suspected purveyors of fake news and other online scammers.

From March 9 to April 13, the ACG has recorded 24 cases filed against spreaders of fake news and unverified information on social media with 47 personalities arrested along with two online scammers who figured in a face mask scam scheme.

Meanwhile, PNP spokesman Brig.

Gen. Bernard Banac clarified that the “rumors” on the standardization of salary pension of policemen which spread through chat groups and text messages remain as rumors.

Govt imposes tight check on private vehicles amid hike in ECQ violations in Metro streets

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MID the rising number of quarantine violators nationwide, the Philippine National Police (PNP) will now be imposing strict inspection of private vehicles in Metro Manila.

In an online news briefing on Wednesday, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said President Duterte issued the directive after receiving reports that PNP has already registered 108,088 violators from the extended enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Luzon.

“President Duterte, who is part of the IATF [Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases], [noted] that the people are getting lax when it comes to the ECQ,” Nograles said.

“So to address this and the reported increase in the number of vehicles traveling along Edsa and other major thoroughfares of

Metro Manila, upon the orders of the President, the Philippine National Police will strictly impose the policy on authorized persons outside of residence [APOR],” he added.

He explained the PNP Highway Patrol Group will be issuing Land Transportation Office (LTO) violation receipt, or Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Ordinance Violation Receipt, against drivers of private vehicles transporting unauthorized persons.

Within the duration of the ECQ in Luzon, Nograles said only those authorized by the IATF, such as medical workers and other essential frontliners, will be allowed to travel outside of their homes.

“This is all being done for us and for our families in order to prevent the virus from spreading,” Nograles said. Samuel P. Medenilla

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas & Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

O

VER 130 rice traders and importers used 853 sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances (SPS-IC) to import nearly 600,000 metric tons (MT) of rice from January to April 3, Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) data showed.

Latest BPI data showed that 134 eligible rice importers, comprised of private firms, traders, farmers groups and cooperatives, imported 594,688.517 MT during the reference period.

Private agricultural trading firm Arvin International Marketing Inc. topped the list of importers as it accounted for 5 percent or about 29,625.02 MT of the volume during the reference period. AIMI used 27 of its 108 approved SPS-ICs in importing the said the volume.

AIMI was followed by private firms Gold and Perfect Corp., which imported 26,624 MT and Sodatrade Corp. that brought in 22,699.5 MT of rice from January to April 3, BPI data showed.

Vietnam rice

BPI data showed that bulk of the rice imports during the reference period, or about 504,625.3 MT came from Vietnam.

BPI data also showed that rice imports in March rose to a sixmonth high of 229,416.65 MT, with nearly 89 percent of the volume coming from Vietnam.

BPI data indicated that nearly 1.5 million MT (MMT) of rice are still expected to enter the country due to some 1,772 unused and valid SPS-ICs. Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar earlier announced that about 400,000 MT of rice from Vietnam will arrive in the country this month, following Hanoi’s assurance that it will honor existing supply contracts with Philippine importers.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) has been

urging the private sector to continuously apply for SPS-IC and bring in rice shipments to ensure that the country has sufficient stockpile during and beyond the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ ) amid Covid-19 pandemic.

In fact, the Philippines is pursuing a P8-billion 300,000MT rice importation via government-to-government (G2G) transaction to further augment domestic supply.

Enough rice stocks assured

DESPITE higher consumption demand for rice amid the novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19) crisis, the National Food Authority (NFA) said it has sufficient supplies to last this month.

At a news briefing on Wednesday, NFA Administrator Judy Dansal said the market participation have increased from the usual 10 percent to 17.31 percent since last month.

“This is a big increase. But we still have enough stock inventory for this,” Dansal said.

This comes as more local government units (LGUs) start buying NFA rice to feed their constituents, who were affected by the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Luzon, as well as the lockdowns in other parts of the country due to Covid-19.

During the lockdown, many people were unable to earn their living, thus, forcing them to rely on government support.

Last month, NFA reported it has 400,000 bags, or 20,000 metric tons (MT), of rice in its warehouses around Metro Manila.

While they have sufficient supplies, Dansal admitted they initially had difficulty delivering their rice to LGUs, particularly in Luzon, due to checkpoints.

She said they were able to remove the disruptions after they coordinated with the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

‘Lifeline’ power consumers granted free electricity use for two months

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ROUND 3 million “poor” consumers of electric cooperatives nationwide will have free electricity for two months.

During an online news briefing on Wednesday, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said “lifeline consumers,” or those consuming less than 50 kilowatt per-hour (kWh), will not be charged for their electricity use for the March and April billing

period under the Pantawid Liwanag program of electric cooperatives.

He, however, noted that the benefit will not apply for the electricity bills which are already covered by the one-month grace period for bill payment imposed by the government due to the novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19) crisis.

Nograles said the National Electrification Administration (NEA),

Philippine Rural Electric Cooperative (Philreca), and other electric cooperative launched the program as part of its contribution for government efforts to address the impact of Covid-19.

“Thank you NEA, Philreca and the other electric co-ops for your help and contribution,” Nograles said.

Enough supply

IN a related development, the In-

ter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), Nograles also reported there will be sufficient energy and water supply in Metro Manila for the duration of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Luzon.

Citing a report from the Department of Energy (DOE), he said Luzon has an available capacity of

11,795 megawatt (MW), which is greater than the actual peak demand of 7,323 MW in the country’s largest island.

“This means we currently have an excess capacity of 4,742 MW. We still have excess supply of electricity in Luzon,” Nograles said.

Likewise, he said the National Water Resources Board reported it has given the full water allocation of

46 cubic meters per second to Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System from the Angat Reservoir until April 30, 2020 to ensure the continuous supply of water in the National Capital Region (NCR).

“So we can expect there will be constant supply of water in NCR in the middle of the [extended] enhanced community quarantine, or ECQ,” Nograles said. Samuel P. Medenilla

TheBroa

Business

A4 Thursday, April 16, 2020 | www.businessmirror.com.ph

Proposals pushed for fixing PHL’s p

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco Tyrone Jasper C. Piad Elijah Felice Rosales @alyasjah

T

Reporters

HE indefatigable spirit of the intrepid Filipino has always driven many bright minds to offer what little hope there is; a solace for taking up the journey from the vicissitudes the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic has wrought.

Foremost among these Filipinos is Rep. Jose Sarte Salceda of Albay.

Salceda, who also heads the House Committee on Ways and Means, has a somber appreciation of the condition of an economy at the edge of a crevice.

“Economic growth is always in the future. We have many economic tools to restore economic growth,” Salceda said. “But no economic tool has ever succeeded in bringing the dead back to life.”

The lawmaker emphasized that history and economics do not show that the implementation of the 35day enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) is a “tradeoff” between lives and economic growth.

“The more lives we lose and the more panic this virus creates if it gets worse, the less our chances are of any quick recovery,” Salceda said. “Our people and our confidence – these are the two greatest resources in any economy; and they are the only irreplaceable ones.”

Indeed, as Covid-19 spreads and adds pressure to burst the filament of the Filipino spirit, there is hope one of the “Sick men of Asia” would resume treading the path to prosperity.

Waiting for a vaccine

ACCORDING to Salceda, the key driving forces to resumption of growth are: mass testing, vaccines discovery and stimulus response.

“While awaiting a vaccine, it is testing that would determine the gradual return to normal business operations and societal functions,” he said. “We assume that the Philippines will make inroads starting May.” “The discovery of a vaccine is actually the most critical determinant of recovery. We assume that a vaccine will found later in 2021 and it would be implemented in 2022,” he added. A vaccine, however, could only address the real possibility of a recrudescence of the disease.

According to Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP) Teodoro E. Padilla, they are in a “unique” position as the importance of research and development (R&D) has come to the fore.

Oftentimes, the value of R&D is unappreciated with the imposition of policies that restrict, disincentivize and discourage innovation, Padilla explained.

The presence in the Philippines of pharmaceutical companies involved in the R&D for Covid-19 offers opportunity for timely dialogue, collaboration and action to urgently bring in required medicines in the country, he told the BusinessMirror.

Pa d i l l a s a id he con s id e r s the R&D undertaken by PHAP members on vaccines, treatment and diagnostics for Covid-19 as contributing to addressing the pandemic.

The other two PHAP contribu-

tions are: helping ensure the uninterrupted supply of life-saving medicines and supplies and individual and collective corporate social responsibility efforts.

Engaging in R&D

According to Padilla, pharmaceutical companies involved in the R&D for Covid-19 offer opportunity for collaboration.

He said these firms “have individually reached out to the government on their readiness to collaborate on specific partnerships.” he added.

Padilla said pharmaceutical companies undertaking research for Covid-19 treatments and have presence in the Philippines include AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche and Takeda.

Meanwhile, pharmaceutical companies engaged in the research of vaccines operating in the Philippines are GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer and Sanofi.

On the development and production of diagnostic tests, Abbott, Roche and Takeda are in the forefront, according to Padilla.

He said these companies and the PHAP are willing to work with the government in planning for and securing sustainable strategies for future public health emergencies.

“Moving forward, PHAP hopes the government can help make the environment more conducive to innovation so that these researchbased pharmaceutical companies continue to operate here in the Philippines,” Padilla said.

“Policies that enable, support, incentivize and protect innovation are necessary for these research-based companies, and other global companies to invest in the Philippines.”

Long run

SALCEDA, a senior vice chairperson of the House Committee on Economic Affairs, said a strategy must be implemented to help the government address the pandemic.

According to the lawmaker, he is set to submit to President Rodrigo Duterte a 109-page Philippine National Stimulus Strategy.

“We must change strategy and look at one that can be in force until a cure is found,” he said. “This may be soon or it can be a long way from today so our strategy must allow for that.”

Salceda, an economist, said this strategy seeks to provide relief for firms and individuals, reduce permanent structural damage of a temporary crisis and pursue a policy for full employment.

Under his strategy, Salceda proposed survival, transitional and structural measures to cope the impact of the deadly virus.

Salceda’s survival measures include the following: the ECQ ; emergenc y subsidy prog ra m; and, other forms of cash and

in-k ind assistance especia l ly for the vulnerable sector. The government is currently implementing these measures.

Padilla told the BusinessMirror that, from the medical sector’s viewpoint, the ECQ is a necessary measure to contain the spread of the pandemic.

“We are aware that more lives could be lost and the impact on the economy could be greater in the long run if we do not take such unprecedented measures,” he said.

Continued movement

SINCE the initial implementation of the ECQ on March 17, PHAP members have endeavored to manufacture, import, distribute and make available essential medicines and diagnostics equipment across checkpoints, according to Padilla.

“Our industry has also endeavored to find alternative sources of supplies and new transportation modes, including chartering private aircraft, to bring into the country medicines and medical device, both for Covid-19 and other diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart and respiratory illnesses,” he said. Padilla said PHAP member-firms are accelerating production to manage a good level of inventory.

The group said it is working with the government for the unhampered transport and distribution of medicines from ports to end-users.

However, the PHAP is asking that government also provide alternative routes, especially to and from Metro Manila, for the continued movement of these medicines in cases of port closures.

Once in ports, the immediate release of medicines is necessary, he said, because these are often “urgently needed by patients in hospitals” or by those who are “taking medications at home.”

He explained: “Expedited clearance especially for products that are temperature-sensitive is important. Some medicines also require specific storage temperature to retain its safety and efficacy.

Some products, such as certain vaccines as well as other medicines needed for Covid-19 need to be transported within a cold chain and stored at -20-degrees Celsius.

“Every step of the way, we are responsible in protecting the integrity of the supply chain.”

Conduct in work

BUT the absence of a vaccine for the disease prompts officials to rely on the following survival measures: physical distancing, basic hygiene, use by health workers of personal protective equipment (PPE); and, access to testing kits to restore a semblance of normalcy in business operations. These, even after the lifting of the ECQ expected on the eve of Labor Day. However, as in many proposed solutions, the devil is in the details.

For some businesses, these are unnecessary since their workers can work from home.

For those who can’t and need their employees to be onsite and working in close proximity with one another, threshing out the details for such policies will be crucial.

“In production lines workers should be obliged to wear face mask and congregation in offices, pantries, comfort rooms, canteens and locker rooms should be prohibited for everyone’s safety,” Partido Manggagawa (PM) Chairman Renato G. Magtubo told the BusinessMirror.

Operating mass transport

THERE is also the concern of public utility vehicles (PUVs), which

A man wearing a protective mask walks beside a poster of American WWII icon Rosie the Riveter, an inspirational image to boost female worker morale, at the Quezon City hall where volunteers and workers help prepare food during the community quarantine aimed to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, March 24. AP/Aaron Favila

will no longer be allowed to ply their routes in full capacity due to physical distancing.

However, this “means their [PUV drivers] earnings would be cut in half at best,” Federation of Free Worker Vice President (FFW) Julius Cainglet said.

“Would government be willing to shoulder the cost of their lost incomes? Would they promote fare hikes themselves?,” Cainglet asked.

Cainglet’s concern is shared by the PCCI, which is requesting that public transport be included in the list of essential services allowed to operate under the ECQ. This, the employers’ group said, should ensure that workers can move freely from home to site, removing the need for firms to find temporary houses for their personnel.

“For companies that were allowed to continue their operations amid the ECQ, restrictions on public transportation have disrupted the mobility of workers and posed additional costs to employers.

Many business process outsourcing companies, for example, are giving remaining on-site staff temporary accommodation,” the statement read.

In permitting modes of mass transport to ply their routes under the lockdown, their operators

should implement social distancing policies to ensure public health is not compromised.

The PCCI is also pitching for a unified queuing and dispatching scheme similar to what Singapore and Japan are doing under their quarantine.

Occupational safety

THE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said it is still waiting for the recommendation of a technical work group (TWG) before it starts crafting specific guidelines for the labor sector.

Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III said they already convened the National Tripartite Industrial Peace Council (NTIPC) to start getting inputs from business and labor representatives on the matter.

Bello said he has assigned a labor official to come out with an initial study for the “preparation for a post-Covid scenario.”

Former dean of University of the Philippines-School of Labor and Industrial Relations Rene E. Ofreneo said the DOLE will have its work cut out for it.

Ofreneo noted that addressing these matters should go beyond just consultations. He also urged the labor department to conduct onsite study to determine specific nuances per industry, especially

since such physical distancing has yet to be fully included in existing occupational safety and health (OSH) standards.

“The Secretary and his top officials should try working at the shop floor for at least a few days, to find out what works and what doesn’t,” Ofreneo said.

The former labor undersecretary also suggested that DOLE look into the experience of other countries like Sweden, which allowed the continuation of business operations, although at a limited scale, despite the pandemic.

Measures for MSMEs

WHILE the labor sector grapples with OSH issues, Salceda is forwarding transitional measures that emphasize support to micro-, small- and medium-scale enterprises (MSMEs).

These measures must include the following: regulatory and taxpayer relief for MSMES; MSME regularization program; temporary bridging loans for MSMEs; waiving of fees, charges and other friction costs; and, wage subsidies.

“The objective of these transitional measures is to ensure that MSMEs are able to avail program and to broaden the tax base and encourage business practices that are compliant with the law,” Salceda said.

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Editor: Dennis D. Estopace | Thursday, April 16, 2020

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path to prosperity post-pandemic Yielding no income

SALCEDA’S view is shared by the National Tripartite Industrial Peace Council (NTIPC), a consultative body composed of representatives from the labor sector, employers’ organization and government.

Na g k a i s a L abor Coa l it ion Chairman and FFW President Jose G. Matula said that during the discussion, employers and labor representatives pushed for “guaranteed income and support for SMEs.” Matula said the “guaranteed income” should be at the minimum wage level and should be extended by the government up to May 15, 2020 to prevent massive permanent displacement due to Covid-19.

The labor leader said SMEs, with an average of 10 workers to 15 workers, are unlikely to afford the payroll of employees as they shuttered operations, yielding no income, during the ECQ. “They are now down so they will really need to survive in the next six months through the assistance of the government. Labor unions will also support to survive,” Matula said.

Meanwhile, Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) Spokesman Alan Tanjusay said they support the new “life-saving stimulus” package from the government.

“Government subsidy must be targeted at industries that provide critical and essential services to the economy,” Tanjusay said.

Relief for businesses

The lawmaker explained that under the MSME regularization program, the Internal Revenue Commissioner must have the power to rela x revenue regulations and waive applicable registration and similar fees on MSMEs registering and renewing their license. The program, he said, should be implemented for a period of not more than 18 months.

L i k e w i s e , S a l c e d a re com mends giving the Trade Secretary the power to relax rules and regulations governing the registration of MSMEs. He also recommends that the local government units be encouraged by the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Bureau of Loca l Gover nment Finance to waive similar local registration and processing fees.

Expensive option

SALCEDA said the government should also waive non-tax fees and charges to reduce friction costs in doing business and barriers to regularization while all national government agencies shall waive non-tax and non-duty fees and charges on all MSMEs for a period of six months.

The lawmaker also called for temporar y bridging loans for MSMEs where each borrowing

enterprise or corporation, duly registered with the appropriate regulatory agency, may borrow not more than P100 million.

The borrower shall ser vice only the interest for the first 12 months of the loan, after which the principal and the interest shall be serviced for the remaining period of the loan tenor, which shall not exceed five years, Salceda said.

He added the loan shall be issued without collateral. Where applications exceed the funds available, priority shall be given to the aviation, tourism, transport, and hospitality sectors as defined jointly by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda).

On wage subsidies, Salceda said a wage subsidy should be given where it is cheaper to subsidize a job than to create a new one.

“In the medium-term and longterm, contracting an otherwise going-concern company is more expensive for the economy than keeping it operating at current capacity,” he said.

“A payroll support program will be necessary to support MSMEs that will face liquidity issues in the wake of the ECQ, as well as their workers, who are at risk of being terminated if these MSMEs

are unable to pay their wages and maintain operations,” he added.

Temporary relief

APART from supporting business, Salceda said the transitional measures would also provide relief to formal economy workers, entrepreneurs and self-employed individuals, who typically belong to the middle class.

Income support will also be necessary for freelancers and those in the gig economy who were unable to earn income due to the ECQ, he added.

Citing Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) data, the lawmaker said MSMEs employ around 4.1 million formal economy workers and some 380,000 entrepreneurs are sole enterprises.

He cited the 2018 Global Freelancer Insights Report that estimates about 1.5 million Filipinos as freelancers.

“Together, these sectors have a combined workforce of 5.98 million workers.”

“The average monthly minimum wage is around P9,500 per month. We propose a wage subsidy that covers around a quarter to a third of this amount,” Salceda said. “The cost of supporting their income, at P2500 to P3000 per month for two months, is P44.85 billion to P53.82 billion.”

FOR structural measures, Salceda said government interventions are needed for the following: implementation of negative interest loans (NIL); creation of a National Emergency Investment Corp. (NEIC); credit refinancing and mediation service (CRMS) for MSMEs; and, enhanced “Build, Build, Build”—Salceda calls it BBBPlus—infrastructure projects.

T he net f isca l cost of the proposed str uctural measures, pa r t ic u l a rly t he N I L , N EIC , CR MS wou ld be P25 bi l l ion, the law ma ker said.

According to Salceda, the net fiscal implication of these structural adjustment proposals includes high initial-cash outflow and primarily outright or convertible loans, which would address the issue of moral hazard.

He said the NEIC is expected to assume obligations of firms that under normal circumstances would have been viable, but underwent difficulty during the pandemic. This would make it a potential revenue earner under less difficult conditions.

“Debts assumed by NEIC and CRMS can be counted as national government debt directly instead of being part of the year’s deficit,” he said.

With these measures, he said the government also has the capacity to restructure privatesector obligations at an advantageous negotiating position with banks, as the government is a lower-risk borrower.

Opportunity for repairs

ADDITIONAL proposals by the PCCI include the resumption of the state’s “BBB” infrastructure program to take advantage of the travel restrictions in place that cleared roads of the usual Metro traffic.

“PCCI strongly supports the initiative of the Department of Transportation to resume railroad projects and maintenance works of the Metro Rail Transit,” the PCCI statement issued on April

12 read. “With travel restrictions limiting the use of roads, rails and ports, the ECQ period is the best opportunity for government and private sector partners to undertake the rehabilitation of existing infrastructure.”

In resuming the Duterte leadership’s infrastructure binge, the PCCI suggests that priorit y be g iven to public works projects that wou ld enhance agriculture and manufacturing supply chains.

In doing so, “a fiscal stimulus program focused on infrastructure spending will help bring the economy back on track,” on top of the P275-billion war chest that is largely for subsidy to affected households.

Need for incentives

ON the other hand, Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza) Director General Charito B. Plaza told the BusinessMirror that Peza should be allowed to keep its menu of fiscal incentives once the pandemic is over. Peza’s tax perks will be overhauled if lawmakers push through with passing the Corporate Income Tax and Incentives Rationalization Act (Citira) bill.

The Citira bill, which awaits the approval of senators, is the second package of the Duterte administration’s comprehensive tax reform program. On one end, it will lower corporate tax to 20 percent by 2029, from 30 percent at present, but will rationalize incentives granted to investors on the other.

“Investors in Peza say, despite the high cost of doing business— lack of logistics and transportation hubs, high power rate, low density of Internet infrastructure, lack of raw materials—in the Phi lippines, Peza’s package of incentives, ease of doing business and one-stop shop and other best practices of Peza compensate other efficiency factors lacking in the Philippines,” Plaza argued.

Peza’s investments have suffered a steep decline in the first quarter, crashing nearly 28 percent to P16.49 billion, from P22.9 billion during the same period last year. Not a single peso was tallied in March, the start of the lockdown, as board members were unable to convene.

Ensuring access

UNDER his proposed negative interest loans measure, Salceda said the maximum loanable amount shall be 50 percent of the company’s direct labor costs. The loan shall be payable for three years to five years with a rate from 5 percent to 9 percent.

“To ensure that eligible micro, small, and medium enterprises will have access to negative interest loans, the LandBank [Land Bank of the Philippines] and DBP [Development Bank of the Philippines] shall open an ‘SME safeguard facility’ dedicated exclusively to these enterprises,” he said.

A lso, to ensure that MSMEs can f u lf i l l obligations under more favorable ter ms of credit, he said the Sma l l Business Cor p. (SBCor p) can prov ide an “MSME Credit Mediation and Restr uctur ing Ser v ice.”

This service, Salceda said, will help MSME negotiate more favorable credit terms with banks, lending institutions and financ i a l i nter med i a r ies; prov ide technical advice and assistance with credit mediation and offer loans with favorable terms for refinancing the obligations of MSMEs.

The PCCI is also keen on government adapting f lexible arrangements in facilitating loans for MSMEs. The group argues that “most MSMEs do not have the expertise to tap into formal credit facilities.”

The PCCI also asks the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, SBCorp. and banks to simplify their loan procedures.

Bailout company

TO minimize permanent damage to the economy by bailing out firms that could go bankrupt because of current Covid-driven difficulties, Salceda points to the NEIC. The lawmaker said the NEIC will be supervised by the Department of Finance as the DOF does so for the Government Service Insurance System and the Social Security System.

Under Salceda’s proposal, the NEIC will perform the following functions: n Consolidate troubled businesses and decide simultaneously how these would be resolved in a common procedure n Offer loans in exchange for equity of the same value in corporations that would otherwise have continued operations but are at risk of bankruptcy due to the impacts of Covid-19 n Assume in exchange for equity of the same value the financial obligations of corporations that would otherwise have continued operations but are at risk of bankruptcy due to the impacts of Covid-19 n Evaluate the performance and ensure good corporate governance in the corporations it is invested in n Perform due diligence activities inherent in its nature as a capital allocation firm of the Government n Perform such other functions as may be inherent or necessary to dispense of its role as a capital allocation firm from which reasonable returns are expected.

“Upon fulfilling all assumed obligations, the NEIC may either be dissolved, or may per for m a n i nst it ut ion a l f u nct ion a s the gover nment’s bailout company for similar emergencies,” Sa lceda added.

More health issues

CAINGLET said they anticipate more health-related issues will be included in future negotiations between employers and workers in Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs).

“We will also demand hazard pay should workers be asked to work during events such as pandemics. Where applicable we will demand clearer guidelines and benefits due workers under telecommuting or work from home arrangements,” Cainglet said.

P r ior to t he Cov id- c r i si s, Cainglet noted health-related issues were seldom discussed in CBAs, which usually focus on wage benefits.

But Magtubo said rather than ask the labor sector, the question on the future of the Philippine economy rests largely on the shoulders of government.

“To date, we are looking seriously at the national action plan [that] the government would undertake to address the effect of Covid-19 on employment, workers’ income and recovery of affected industries,” Magtubo told the BusinessMirror.

“Unfor tunately, we see no concrete pl a ns yet f rom t he government,” he added. “ This is where labor unions–the organized force of the working class– should engage the government.”

A6 Thursday, April 16, 2020 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

Opinion BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

editorial

‘Let us surmount this crisis together’

T

he 27 member-states of the European Union showed the world the inadequacy of individual efforts to fight the pandemic. In a Bloomberg Opinion article, Lionel Laurent said: “Despite a common market, a [mostly] common external border, and a common health-care challenge in the shape of an aging population, the EU’s 27 member-states have scattered like mice when fighting the coronavirus. At the beginning of the crisis, Italy, the first and worst hit in Europe, begged its partners for masks and equipment—not money. The response was a string of border closures and the hoarding of medical supplies for domestic consumption. By the time France, Spain and Germany instituted their own lockdowns, it was clear there would be 27 different responses to the coronavirus, not one ‘European’ one.”

Bearing in mind the importance of solidarity, the heads of state of the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations held an online summit on Tuesday to discuss ways on how the regional bloc can collectively address the Covid-19 pandemic. In their “Declaration of the Special Asean Summit on Coronavirus Disease 2019,” the Asean leaders reaffirmed their “determination and commitment, in the spirit of a cohesive and responsive Asean, to remain united, and to act jointly and decisively to control the spread of the disease while mitigating its adverse impact on our people’s livelihood, our societies and economies.”

In his intervention speech, President Duterte said members of the regional bloc—Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam—must work together to defeat the virus that has exacted a heavy toll on people’s lives. The President said retreating from the regional and global connections would be counterproductive. To effectively overcome the challenge of the pandemic, he said, “Asean must collaborate and coordinate within our region and beyond.”

Welcoming Thailand’s proposal to establish a Covid-19 Asean Response Fund, the President cited the need to improve and expand existing Asean mechanisms to cover public health emergencies. The current emergency has triggered a crisis of solidarity in the other parts of the world. But for the Asean, he said the group stands in unity, mutual assistance and confidence.

The President spelled out areas of cooperation for the regional bloc: First, Asean must fortify its health-care systems, which is under increasing stress as a result of rising number of infections. With the impending shortage of vital medicines, medical equipment and supplies, Asean must boost production and facilitate intra-Asean trade.

Second, to ensure food security during the period of lockdowns, he underscored the need to ensure sufficient supply of rice for the people. The President said: “Asean must remain open for trade. Crisis or no crisis, as no country can stand alone. Let us, therefore ensure the supply chain connectivity and the smooth flow of goods within our region. Food security is key in maintaining socioeconomic and political stability, especially at a time of great difficulty for our people. We can ignore this only at our own risk.”

Another measure is for Asean member-states to aggressively pursue vaccine and research and development initiatives, the President said, stressing that without a vaccine or a cure, Covid-19 will continue to spread, putting the region in dire socioeconomic uncertainty.

Cooperation with Dialogue Partners on the pandemic must also be fasttracked, according to the President, adding the Philippines is ready to join the conduct of clinical trials for Covid-19 treatment. The President added: “We have to improve and expand existing Asean mechanisms to cover public health emergencies. Specifically, we should establish an early warning system for pandemics in the region. This is something vital and concrete that we can do in a collective manner.”

The present challenge has transcended borders and exempted no one, he said. Regardless of how nations handle the crisis within their own territories, every country would be safe if the virus is defeated completely. “Let us therefore strengthen our networks of solidarity and cooperation. Let us surmount this crisis together,” the President said.

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Evolve or die James Jimenez

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ast March 6, I tweeted “TikTok will be a significant platform for the 2022 National and Local Elections.” The tweet elicited a lot of reactions, ranging from concurrence to violent disagreement; from mild amusement to personal attacks leveled at me for supposedly encouraging this nonsense when I should be suppressing it. Fast forward to earlier this week when I received an already much shared TikTok video of a politician doing a dance. And it’s still only 2020.

The 2016 elections proved that social media was a force to be reckoned with. Up until that point, the great hope was that social media would blossom primarily as a voter information and voter education platform. What transpired, however, underscored how naive that point of view actually was. Instead of being a useful tool for benign purposes, social media’s potential as a tool for malignant partisanship took center stage and has refused to relinquish it ever since. Just like this quarantine we’re all suffering under, it doesn’t look like things will be getting

better any time soon.

Post-2016, the Commission on Elections tried to address the weaponization of social media by asking legislators to draft rules that would regulate the use of online platforms for political campaign purposes. Unfortunately, they took a hard pass, leaving the Comelec with only two options. Either do nothing, knowing full well that the elections of 2019 would see political campaigns taking maximum advantage of the lack of any social media regulatory framework; or try to get some sort of regulation on the books, based on whatever

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OUTSIDE THE BOX

N

obody really likes another person saying to him or her, “I told you so” (ITYS). However, listening is valuable because the ITYS is part of a timeline. If you had listened to that person earlier, you might not have suffered or be surprised by the consequences today.

No husband ever wants to hear his wife say “I told you to get gas before we left” while they are stranded by the side of the road.

On August 3, 2012 Natalie Wolchover wrote an article titled “Will the US Really Experience a Violent Upheaval in 2020?” for Live Science, an online magazine that is part of the Future plc group, a British media company founded in 1985.

The article’s basic premise is that there have been major violent upheavals in the United States every 50 years. “The Vietnam War and Civil Rights Movement triggered a third peak in violent political, social, and racial conflict. Fifty years after that will be 2020.” Wolchover quotes Peter Turchin, a Russian-American

scientist specializing in cultural evolution. Turchin coined the term “cliodynamics,” which he describes as an “attempt to find meaningful patterns in history.”

Some of us do cliodynamics every day trading the financial and asset markets. It is all about patterns, which lead us to cycles.

Allow me then my ITYS moment.

In the BusinessMirror October 9, 2018, PHL and the economic chaos: “Political chaos is always followed by ‘economic chaos’ and that is what we are entering.” “Economic chaos: 2020”—July 25, 2019: “The cycle will change again in January 2020 to a period of economic chaos.” On July 30, 2019 I wrote: “The turning of the economic cycle in 2020

authority the Comelec already had under existing laws. The Comelec opted to do something—but what?

As far as election management is concerned, there are two key areas that need attention: the unregulated spending on social media as a platform for political campaigning; and the use of social media as a means of misinformation and disinformation. Early on, it was clear that the Comelec could do little against misinformation and disinformation without potentially encroaching on free speech. And, in any case, controlling people’s access to social media—one of the more popular proposed solutions whenever talk turns to fake news—lay well beyond the scope of the Comelec’s authority.

This left unregulated spending as the most logical entry point of Comelec into the fray. By placing social media within the coverage of the Fair Elections Act (Republic Act 9006), essentially treating it as a form of mass media, the Comelec was able to require social-media corporations and other entities providing Internet-related services to provide information regarding political advertisement, as well as call for the registration of official campaign Web pages, blog sites, and socialmedia pages. These moves, despite

some early misapprehensions by the public and political players, sought only to provide the Comelec with a means to monitor how much money the campaigns poured into social media; knowing how much was spent makes enforcement of the spending caps possible. There was never intent nor attempt to regulate the content of political adverts or throttle the right of private citizens to express their political preferences online.

But 2022 is still two years down the road. Between now and then, who knows what new platforms will emerge. The pace of technological development may very well make the Comelec’s social media regulation measures—which were arguably cutting edge in 2016—woefully obsolete by the time the next election comes. TikTok didn’t even exist in 2016 and it’s already well on its way to being adopted by every politician with enough confidence to gyrate in front of a video camera for up to a minute. Even now, it is difficult to see how the Comelec’s regulatory framework as written would have any meaningful impact in the face of a campaign built around such video sharing apps. Clearly, there is a need for the regulatory framework to evolve, and evolve quickly. It’s almost Darwinian.

All the theories about the how and why of Covid-19 and all the never-ending analysis of what global governments should or should not have done are great intellectual exercises when you are locked down at home. The cycles said 2020 would be a time of economic chaos. The reasons are not important.

my every day for the past 10 years.

Finally, they have their rain.

But the economic cycle said 2020 without equivocation. But it is only because of the Covid-19 crises you might think. Strangely enough—or maybe not strange at all—events fit the cycle rather than the cycle following the events.

During the 1918 global flu pandemic, 28 percent of the US population—105 million—was infected, with 675,000 deaths. The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis published a report in 2007. “Most of the evidence indicates that the economic effects of the 1918 influenza pandemic were short term.” The economic cycle was on an upswing since 1916 that carried through until the major economic cycle ended in 1929.

All the theories about the how and why of Covid-19 and all the neverending analysis of what global governments should or should not have done are great intellectual exercises when you are locked down at home.

The cycles said 2020 would be a time of economic chaos. The reasons are not important.

is inevitable. A continuation of the trending global economic slowdown will see a fall in oil prices because of decreased demand.” Then on September 26, 2019: “The period of Political Chaos began in October 2015.

The period of Economic Chaos will begin in January 2020.”

These were not predictions like the one I wrote on January 3, 2019 about the local stock market. “Don’t worry—be happy. 2019 is going to be a good year. 2018 was a correction.

Now we write a new uptrend.”

Predictions—like mine—are meaningless, even worthless, because they forecast an event or events happening without any context. If I go out every morning and say that it is going to rain, eventually that “prediction” will come true.

The “Bubble Boys” have been calling for a “collapse” in the global econo-

E-mail me at mangun@gmail.com. Visit my web site at www.mangunonmarkets.com. Follow me on Twitter @mangunonmarkets. PSE stockmarket information and technical analysis tools provided by the COL Financial Group Inc.

Opinion BusinessMirror

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A thing called society: Social protection for all

Our Easter faith and the divine mercy Msgr. Sabino A. Vengco Jr.

Alálaong Bagá

Dr. Rene E. Ofreneo

LABOREM EXERCENS

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here really is such a thing as society,” said the Covidstricken UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson during his medical isolation. After his ICU recovery, Johnson thanked profusely the UK’s community of health workers and told the larger British society—repeatedly—that, “we are going to do it together.”

Johnson’s stance contradicts his Conservative predecessor, Margaret Thatcher, who told the world that “There is no such thing as society.” In the 1980s, Thatcher and US President Ronald Reagan led the global promotion of the economic philosophy of “rugged individualism” in a laissez faire policy environment. Under the ThatcherReagan privatization framework, governments have no business providing public services. Let the private sector take over the public utilities engaged in the delivery of public services such as transport, water, medical, power, communications, and so on.

Today, the world is rediscovering the central and strategic importance of having a strong government that is able to persuade (sometimes command) the population to observe the virus containment protocols while mobilizing resources to combat the virus spread, rebuild broken public health system and infras, and provide the people, the poor in particular, the means to survive any economic lockdown. All in the name of the common good. All in the name of a collectivity called society.

In a pandemic, no man or woman is an island. A contagious virus does not distinguish whether one lives in a gated village or a congested community of informal settlers. Nor does the virus respect national borders. The rich and the poor, the developed and developing countries are all vulnerable. Clearly, the health of one depends on the health of all. Els Hertogen, the director of a Belgian agency, summed it up neatly: “In the global battle against corona, we are only as strong as our weakest link.”

But the problem is that the weakest link is not sufficiently being strengthened in Covid times. The needs of the most vulnerable are often addressed in a limited, stop-gap and ad-hoc manner.

This is especially true in the developing economies.

There are huge gaps in the delivery of health and social protection for the poor. First, the public health system is either underdeveloped or broken due to underfunding, official neglect and the obsession of some officials to privatize health and public services. Second, there is no well-functioning public distribution system in the delivery of essential goods during emergency health situations. This is vividly illustrated in the inability of vegetable farmers in Northern and Southern Luzon to deliver their fresh produce to Metro Manila, whose poor inhabitants are being fed mostly with rice, canned sardines and cheap noodles.

Third, budget-strapped governments cannot make up their minds on whether to give full, partial or selective social protection assistance to the poor such as food packages and replacement incomes during the quarantine periods.

Fourth and relatedly, they cannot also decide whether to cover all or select groups of the poor and needy.

The last issue—universal or select/targeted coverage for social assistance—has become a battleground in the Philippines. Some Metro Manila mayors complain that the Department of Social Welfare and Development has been excluding so many poor households in the list of beneficiaries because the DSWD is using an outdated 2015 Census and an error-prone list of CCT families. Mayor Rex Gatchalian of Valenzuela gave one reason for the huge gap in the DSWD list of poor households and the actual count by the local government units—the noninclusion in the DSWD list of migrant families, particularly those renting single rooms or occupying informally built dwellings. Very often, these migrant families, along with the domestic workers and street dwellers, do not bother to formally register with the barangays.

And yet, these workers are among the poorest of the poor.

On the other hand, there is the complaint by some local government officials on how the so-called middle class families are also being impoverished by the pandemic and yet are not receiving any assistance from the government.

The trouble is that there is no established definition of what is a “middle class.” First, there is the assumption by some economists that those above the poverty line are nonpoor and, therefore, belong to the middle class. However, the poverty line is set at a ridiculously low level—around P70 per person a day in the first semester of 2018, resulting in a poverty incidence rate of just over 16 percent for the country. If this threshold is raised to a more realistic level, at about twice or thrice P70, the poverty rate easily shoots up to 50 percent or so, which is close to the self-rated poverty figure given by the Social Weather Station.

National Economic and Development Authority itself has difficulty establishing the size of the middle class.

Neda’s Philippine Institute of Development Studies estimates that 40 percent of the country’s population belong to the middle-income class, while majority or 58 percent belong to the lower-income class. In a PIDS study, the poor and lowincome earn up to P18,200 a month, the “middle income” (low, middle and upper) between P18,200 and P109,200, the “upper income” between P109,200 and P180,000, and the rich between P180,000 and above. The last earns at least 20 times over the poverty line.

But here comes Neda’s Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022, a blueprint that tries to promote the vision of a developed Philippines, one that is prosperous and “predominantly middle class society” by 2040. It gave the following indicators of a middle-class family: home ownership, steady source of income, college education for the children, a motor vehicle, stable finances to meet daily needs and all contingencies, savings for retirement, and time for travel and vacation. Estimated income of a middle-class family? P120,000 monthly based on 2015 prices!

Clearly, the poor and the near poor constitute the overwhelming majority, at least more than 80 percent of the total population. The poor listed by the DSWD, the excluded poor (mostly migrant families and those unregistered with the barangays) and the so-called nonpoor who earn below the minimum P120,000 a month all deserve social protection assistance in Covid times.

In this connection, the proposal of the Social Watch Philippines is worth heeding. Like many concerned CSOs, the SWP is worried over the delay in the delivery of urgent assistance (cash and noncash) to the poor. The government’s Social Amelioration Program has targeted 18 million families (roughly equal to 75 percent of the estimated total of 24 million families in the country. The SWP argues that assistance to “all those living in impoverished or low-income communities” should be universalized, meaning there is no need to conduct the bureaucratic, time-consuming and error-prone means of testing and validation processes just for the purpose of coming with a list of the included and excluded.

As to the poor in upscale neighborhoods and gray areas, e.g., hidden alleys in rich subdivisions and cemeteries converted into homes of the homeless, special targeting and listing operations can be done by the DSWD and LGUs. To SWP, a more universal and inclusive approach in social protection delivery reduces errors in the listing of the poor and vulnerable, minimizes patronage politics and “palakasan” in the listing of beneficiaries, and prevents social unrest. And yes, such an approach promotes social cohesion and solidarity.

To repeat what Els Hertogen said, we can only be as strong as the weakest link.

Thursday, April 16, 2020 A7

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very year the Sunday following Easter has the same gospel account of the appearance of the risen Jesus to His disciples (John 20:19-31). Paradigmatic for us is the way the followers of Jesus, to carry out their mission to the world, have to move on from seeing to believing, even as the divine mercy (which gives the title to this Sunday since 2000) envelops humanity.

The bringer of peace and mercy IT was the glorified Jesus who appeared to His disciples in the evening of that first day of the week when the tomb was found empty. The disciples were gathered behind locked doors, yet Jesus appeared in their midst all of a sudden. No longer restricted by space and time, He exhibited to them the marks of the nails in His hands and that in His side in ostensible continuity between the crucified Jesus and the risen one. He is the Living One “seated at the right hand of the Father” in glory and now present to and for all creation and His followers in particular whom He has not left orphans as He promised.

His unstoppable “coming” now in triumph from His Father means finally the peace and the mercy-filled

reconciliation with God humankind has been waiting for. The conventional Jewish greeting of “Shalom” (peace) has assumed a markedly radical significance as bestowed by the risen Lord. He has definitively inaugurated the messianic era of peace and exultant joy (Isaiah 11). He now brings the peace to Earth born of his own union with the merciful Father (John 14:27ff).

The mission and faith

“AS the Father has sent me, so I send you.” His disciples must now proclaim to the world the good news of divine mercy victorious. The new future of love and compassion, which the resurrection of Jesus has established for humanity, needs to be made known to all people. Empowering them, he

The pandemic diaries Val A. Villanueva

Businesswise

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S of April 15, 2020, the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases worldwide has reached 1,998,111 with the death tally at 126,604 and recoveries at 478,659. The United States tops the list with 613,886 confirmed cases, 26,047 deaths, and 38,820 recoveries.

Here at home, the Department of Health (DOH) has reported 5,223 Covid-19 cases as of April 14 with the death toll at 335, and 295 recoveries.

If we go by the latest pronouncement of President Duterte, the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) may not be lifted as long as no vaccine is made available to stop the spread of the disease.

Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion, however, offers selective lockdown at the barangay level, reopening of some industries, and allowing some forms of public transportation. Concepcion also represents the private sector in the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF).

The urgency of restarting commerce has also not been lost on the private-sector representatives in the IATF. The private sector has taken its cue from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) report, which says the world could plunge into its deepest recession in a century, cutting world output by 3 percent this year. The lockdown, meant to contain the virus, could also result in “severe risks of a worse outcome, due to the extreme uncertainty around the strength of the recovery.”

As the IMF report cautions, “Much worse growth outcomes are possible and maybe even likely if the pandemic and containment measures last longer, emerging and developing economies are even more severely hit...or if widespread scarring effects emerge due to firm closures and extended unemployment.”

This scenario is particularly and understandably worrisome for local business and millions of Filipino workers who have been most affected by the brunt of the Luzon-wide ECQ. The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts that the vaccine could be had in a year’s time or maybe longer. If the government is relying on a vaccine’s availability, experts believe that a local catastrophic business meltdown never seen before becomes a possibility. There is, however, some

hope as pharmaceutical companies race to develop such a vaccine. Seattle’s Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute recently administered to a 44-year-old Seattle mother the first experimental Covid-19 vaccine. Called mRNA-1273, the vaccine has shown promise after being tested on animals. In the clinical trials, participants would receive two doses of the experimental vaccine 28 days apart, and would then undergo a year of monitoring. Since the results of the experiment will take time, should we brace ourselves for the worst in the meantime?

What’s in the name?

Communist China has become allergic to how some people are referring to the source of the pandemic as either “China virus” or “Wuhan virus.” The WHO, which some observers say is being “soft” on the communist state, has coined the name “Covid-19” allegedly to “erase the stigma” of the pandemic being named after the origin of the virus.

American comedian, political commentator, and Home Box Office (HBO) television host Bill Maher believes otherwise. On Friday, he argued that scientists “have been naming diseases after the places they came from for a very long time.” Broadcasting from his home, the HBO Real Time host said: “Zika is from the Zika Forest, Ebola from the Ebola River, hantavirus the Hantan River. There’s the West Nile virus and Guinea worm and Rocky Mountain spotted fever and, of course, the Spanish flu.” There’s also the African swine fever if I may add. Maher pointed out how public advisories against MERS [which stands for “Middle East respiratory syndrome”] are “plastered all over airports, and no one blogs about it.

So why should [Communist] China get a pass? Can’t we even have a pandemic without getting offended?

When they named Lyme disease after a town in Connecticut, the locals

By the paschal mystery of his death and resurrection, Jesus has accomplished the end-time projection of a world once deprived of God’s Spirit now energized anew by the “Dunamis” (Power) of the Most High. The power is for the mission of the disciples to liberate the world in Jesus’ name from sin and darkness into the freedom of God’s children. breathed on them and shared with them his Holy Spirit, fulfilling the prophecies of Ezekiel (36:27) and of Joel (3:1). By the paschal mystery of His death and resurrection, Jesus has accomplished the end-time projection of a world once deprived of God’s Spirit now energized anew by the “Dunamis” (Power) of the Most High. The power is for the mission of the disciples to liberate the world in Jesus’ name from sin and darkness into the freedom of God’s children.

“Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them.” Serenely and solemnly the old curse was declared ended and the new blessedness in God’s mercy, in peace and forgiveness, made available to all by his followers’ mandated continuation of his work of salvation.

The mission demands the faith of the witnesses. A week later the second appearance of the risen Jesus focused on the man who was absent earlier and who set as His requirement “seeing” Jesus and his

If we go by the latest pronouncement of President Duterte, the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine may not be lifted as long as no vaccine is made available to stop the spread of the disease.

Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion, however, offers selective lockdown at the barangay level, reopening of some industries, and allowing some forms of public transportation. didn’t get all ticked off.”

He later added, “This is about facts. It’s about life and death. We’re barely four months into this pandemic, and the wet markets in China—the ones where exotic animals are sold and consumed—are already starting to reopen.”

US stops WHO funding

US President Donald J. Trump has turned off the country’s funding pipe to the WHO, as he censured it for helping Communist China in the cover-up of the gravity of Covid-19.

Trump announced that he would discontinue the $400-million and $500-million funding to the United Nations-backed body, which he said lied about the “spread and mortality rate of coronavirus at face value.”

Trump alleged that WHO blundered and allowed the virus to spread and cause avoidable deaths: “Today I am instructing my organization to halt funding of the World Health Organization while a review is conducted to assess the WHO’s role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus. [WHO] failed to investigate credible reports from sources in [the Chinese city of] Wuhan that conflicted government accounts and credible reports of human-to-human transmission in December [2019]. From the middle of January [2020] it parroted and publicly endorsed the idea that there was no human-to-human transmission, despite reports to the contrary, and cost [us to lose] valuable time.

The world received all sorts of false information on transmissibility and mortality.” Trump himself has also been criticized for his “mishandling” of the crisis. Critics say that he too has been slow in recognizing the gravity of the pandemic.

WHO director-general resignation pushed

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus,

wounds, otherwise he said, “I will not believe.” Thomas is not here presented as a skeptic who believes only provided there are proofs. It was the initiative of Jesus to show the disciples His hands and side; He offered the same signs to Thomas. They all needed and received the same proofs.

They all had to pass from doubt and incomprehension to belief. The story of Thomas represents the needed transition between two generations of believers, from the “chosen witnesses” (Acts 10:41) who saw the risen Lord to the later faithful throughout the world who receive the faith that comes from the apostles.

Alálaongbagá,the exhortation to us here and now is “Do not be unbelieving, but believe.” It is not enough to see for anyone to believe. As the disciples themselves went beyond their experience to attain to Easter faith, we also believe even if we have not seen Jesus. Transcending all proofs and witnesses, we say with Thomas every Sunday, the Day of the Risen Lord, “My Lord and my God!” as we personally acknowledge Jesus present in the signs of bread and wine in the Eucharist, as He brings us peace in the Holy Spirit and also sends us on a mission of love and mercy to all people.

Join me in meditating on the Word of God every Sunday, from 5 to 6 a.m. on DWIZ 882, or by audio streaming on www.dwiz882.com.

the WHO director-general who is being accused of leading the agency to allegedly favor Communist China, has now come head-to-head against the US and other countries, which are seeking his resignation through a petition that began in Taiwan and has now topped 750,000 signatures. Ghebreyesus allegedly turned a blind eye to Communist China’s cover-up of the disease, most notably when the communist state dismissed the claims of Li Wenliang, the Chinese doctor who, as early as December 30, 2019, began posting messages on a social-media chatting group used by local medics to warn them of “SARS at a Wuhan seafood market.”

On January 1, 2010, the Wuhan police arrested Dr. Li and condemned him and others of spreading baseless, “inauthentic” information, which allegedly brought a negative impact on society and should be “dealt with” by the law, according to a previous report by Xinhua or New China News Agency, the official state-run press agency of the People’s Republic of China.

It took three weeks after Dr. Li’s alert signal for Wuhan to be locked down by the Chinese government.

The doctor died of coronavirus in February. Ghebreyesus, an Ethiopian microbiologist and internationally recognized malaria researcher, became WHO director-general in 2017. He is the first nonphysician and first African in the role, a career politician who rose to the top of Ethiopia’s government first as Health Minister and then Foreign Minister.

He now faces angry criticism for heaping praise on Communist China for its “commitment to transparency,” saying that the speed with which the regime detected the virus was “beyond words.”

WHO has been called out by many people across the globe for being “China-centric,” a position that the US president has promised to “look into.”

UN records also show that Chinese contributions to both Ethiopia’s aid budget and WHO have substantially increased during the times that Ghebreyesus was at the helm.

Shortly after his WHO election, The Times reported, “Chinese diplomats had campaigned hard for the Ethiopian, using Beijing’s financial clout and opaque aid budget to build support for him among developing countries.”

For comments and suggestions, e-mail me at mvala.v@gmail.com

A8 Thursday, April 16, 2020

Businesses back rapid testing on workers to hasten reopening

A

By Elijah Felice E. Rosales

By Manuel T. Cayon

@awimailbox Mindanao Bureau Chief

@alyasjah

D

S the economy continues to take a hit from the Luzonwide lockdown, majority of businesses, including micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), are eyeing to do rapid testing on their workers to hasten the resumption of their operations.

In a statement on Tuesday, Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion said the private sector obtained President Duterte’s support to do rapid testing on employees. The initiative is aimed at identifying the number of infected individuals to get a grasp of the gravity of the health crisis.

According to Concepcion’s office, over 90 percent of MSMEs are in favor of doing rapid testing on their workers, especially if this could hasten the resumption of operations.

T he P re s id e nt re c e nt l y

Davao mayor fumes over swarm of cars downtown

approved the immediate procurement of test kits from trusted suppliers. For the initial order, 2 million antibody kits will be bought at a cost that has yet to be figured, while 40,000 kits good for 900,000 confirmatory tests will be purchased at an amount of P3.2 billion.

The antibody tests will be used to detect the presence of antibodies, which can help identify those who have developed immunity to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) after recovering from it.

It is also in line with the business sector’s initiative to conduct

P.I.C.C. FACILITY TURNOVER The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on Wednesday turned over to the Philippine National Police (PNP) Medical Corps the newly completed health facility at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) Forum Halls, one of several nonhospital sites to handle Covid-19 cases. Public Works Secretary Mark A. Villar said the PICC Forum Tent has 294 patient cubicles, and six nurse stations. Six smart houses outside the Forum building were also turned over to PNP for use by health workers. The PNP Medical Corps will run the fully air-conditioned PICC health facility serving patients with mild to moderate Covid-19 cases. With help from EEI and Vista Land Group, DPWH completed the PICC facility by working 24/7. PNP chief Gen. Archie Francisco Gamboa thanked Villar and his DPWH team for completing it three days ahead of schedule. PHOTO COURTESY OF DPWH

massive testing of workers at the company’s own expense. The firms can also initiate testing of the residents of nearby barangays where they operate as part of efforts to help the government in the combat against Covid-19.

“What is more important? Life or money? There is no doubt that life is more important. However, without money, how will people eat? How will people buy medicine? How will MSMEs recover?

How do we bring back the economy in a sustainable way and still make it safe?” Concepcion wondered aloud in explaining the rationale for their moves.

Concepcion, with the recommendation of the private sector, is hoping the government can shift its island-wide lockdown to a barangay level quarantine.

Under this, regular work and business operations will resume, while keeping selected areas under strict monitoring, especially if they are considered hotbed areas of the virus.

“Now, depending on the number and location of the confirmed cases per area, we should consider implementing barangay quarantines, moving up to city/municipality quarantines and provincial quarantines, should a wider scale lockdown be necessary,” Concepcion explained.

The spread of Covid-19 has compelled Duterte to place the entire Luzon under enhanced community quarantine. Initially scheduled to lapse on April 13, the lockdown was extended up to April 30, as the government only started mass testing this week.

AVAO CITY—This city’s mayor, Sara DuterteCarpio, fumed at seeing footage of several cars plying downtown streets on Monday and Tuesday “like there was no enhanced community quarantine”and ordered officials to strike them out from free medical care in case they get infected from violating the quarantine prohibitions.

Her blunt message to the rich: Prepare your own millions for your treatment, cremation.

Duterte-Carpio described to the city government-operated Davao City Disaster Radio her observation: most vehicles were high-end sports and utility vehicles, adding she was dismayed at seeing many private vehicles roaming the city despite the lockdown.

“There are a lot of Fortuners, Monteros, many Navaras, many Vios. I don’t know where they are going, and I was counting how many of them are passing by in front of me,” she said. She said it angered her to see a lot of cars when only a few business establishments were allowed to operate.

She said that “from now on, when your accounts of infection show that you get it from violating the quarantine, when you are not a teller of a pera padala, or a cashier of a bank, or a dicer of a store, or frontline health workers, then government would not shoulder your treatment.”

The Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) “should be thorough in getting the history of their infection,” she said, directing her anger at the rich residents. “I don’t think that dicers, or workers in establishments own Fortuners, Navaras or Vios.”

She said she would ask the SPMC to deny “these owners of private cars free treatment.”

“If they can afford to go around downtown, buy their own fuel, then [they must] prepare to pay for [their] bill,” the mayor fumed.

“If you have to be sent to intensive care unit, prepare P2 million,” she added. “I just don’t know where they go. I don’t believe that these people drive their cars to buy 1 kilo every day.”

Private hospitals have been prohibited from accepting Covid-19 to prevent all health workers from getting exposed to the virus. Only the SPMC has been designated to accept Covid-19 patients.

“These owners of private cars are like those attending the cock derby. They defy all warnings just to do whatever they want. They don’t deserve free government treatment. That’s our new order,” she said. Meanwhile, Duterte-Carpio offered her annual salary at P2,144,266 as trust fund for SPMC employees and P50,000 each for every SPMC employee found to be Covid-19 positive. “This may not be enough for getting infected, but I hope it can ease their anxiety of having money to buy anything they want.”

Dr. Leopoldo Vega, SPMC chief of hospital, disclosed that 12 SPMC health workers have tested positive for the virus. He said only three have remained in the hospital for continued treatment and the rest were discharged or are in quarantine.

Asean Plus Three eye joint rice, cash reserves during pandemic

By Samuel P. Medenilla

T

@sam_medenilla

HE Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), along with partners China, Japan and South Korea are now eyeing to use their joint rice and cash reserves to ensure food security among their members during the novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19) crisis.

In a joint-statement issued on Tuesday after their virtual summit, the group said it is now considering “the utilization of the Asean Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve [APTERR]” to minimize the threat of Covid-19 on food supplies of the concerned countries.

Established in 2011, the APTERR consists of “Earmarked Emergency Rice Reserves [EERR] and Stockpiled Emergency Rice Reserves [SER R] cont r ibuted by eac h member-country to aid victims in the time of adversity.”

In its web site, APTERR said ERR are specific quantities of milled rice, which are voluntarily designated and controlled by the government of the earmarking country, while SERR are rice vol-

untarily donated to the APTERR in the form of cash and/or physical rice stocks.

The APTERR currently has total earmarked stocks of 787,000 tonnes of rice, of which 12,000 metric tons was earmarked by the Philippines.

Open for trade

The global spread of Covid-19 has led many countries to impose quarantines and travel restriction, which caused disruptions in the movement of goods, including food items and medical supplies, in many countries.

To address the situation, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said Asean Plus Three (APT) affirmed their commitment “to keep markets open for trade and investment” amid the Covid-19 crisis.

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) spokesman said the Economic Ministers and Senior Economic Officials of the APT states were tasked “to explore an arrangement to preserve supply chain connectivity, particularly among Asean member-states.”

“There was universal agreement regarding the need to keep trade open, to keep supply chains moving, and to ensure the unhampered movement of goods. All acknowledged the need to mitigate the economic impact of the outbreak, especially since the member-nations all generate revenues from tourism,” Nograles said.

Coordinated efforts

Health-related issues, Nograles said, was also prominently discussed in the meeting as APT members agreed there must be coordination and information sharing among countries as well as use of technology to stop the spread of Covid-19, “Most emphasized the need to break the chain of infections in each country and to work together to reduce the risk of cross-border infections,” Nograles said.

The group is now also considering setting up a reserve of essential medical supplies, which will function like the APTERR and t he bol ster i ng of t hei r ow n health-care capabilities in preparation for future outbreaks similar to Covid-19.

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Companies BusinessMirror

Thursday, April 16, 2020

B1

JG Summit income surges on strong core businesses

J

By VG Cabuag

@villygc

G Summit Holdings Inc., the holding firm of the Gokongwei family, said its net income surged 63 percent last year to P31.3 billion, from the previous P19.19 billion.

Its performance last year was mainly as a result of foreign exchange gains and the increase in the earnings of its affiliates, but its revenues were flat.

A chunk of its income came from the P3-billion share in United Industrial Corp. Ltd.’s gain arising from its acquisition of additional shares in Marina Centre Holdings and Marina Mandarin Hotel.

Core income, which strips out nonrecurring items, grew 13 percent to P25.3 billion in 2019, from P22.4 billion in the previous year.

“Coming from a very challenging 2018, we saw a strong recovery as we posted a significant earnings expansion in 2019 driven by our core businesses in food, air transport and banking.

Our plan is to sustain this growth

in the coming years as we have clearly laid out our strategic priorities leveraging on the strength of our group ecosystem while at the same time drive focus in strengthening our organizational and people capabilities," said Lance Gokongwei, the company's president and CEO. However, revenues grew a slim 3 percent to P301.8 billion from the previous year's P291.9 billion.

Food unit Universal Robina Corp.'s revenues rose 5 percent to P134.2 billion, from P127.8 billion, driven by its branded consumer food domestic sales, but the operations of its Thailand, Vietnam and Australia and New Zealand units yielded softer results.

Its property unit reported flat revenues of P30.2 billion, from P29.5 billion in the previous year, despite strong rental income and hotel revenues.

Income of Cebu Air Inc., the country's second-largest airline, more than doubled to P9.1 billion.

Its total revenues went up by 14 percent to P84.8 billion from the previous P74.1 billion mainly due to the 11-percent growth in passenger volume and 2.6-percent increase in average fares.

Revenues of JG Petrochemicals Group, meanwhile, declined by 31 percent to P29.1 billion, mainly on weakened market conditions brought about by the protracted United States-China trade tensions and the overall slowdown in the global economy.

The company said banking revenue rose by 32 percent to P81 billion, from P6.1 billion in 2018 due to higher interest income from finance receivables, commission income and trading gains for the year.

Cebu Landmasters 2019 income up 21% P

roperty developer Cebu Landmasters Inc. (CLI) said its net income grew 21 percent last year to P2 billion, from P1.66 billion in 2018 on the back of higher sales and rent.

Consolidated revenues grew 26 percent to P8.49 billion from P6.76 billion in the previous year. A chunk of its revenues still comes from sales, which reached P8.39 billion, up 25 percent from the previous year's P6.69 billion. The rest came from rental and management fees and

hotel. Reservations sales rose 32 percent to P12.68 billion, from P9.61 billion, which came from a mix of residential and mixed-use projects in six key areas in Davao, Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, Bohol, Cebu City and Mandaue.

“Our momentum is building up very well, as evidenced not only by our strong financial results, market leadership and diversification, but also by our healthy balance sheet with our asset base more than tripling from P11.5 billion in 2017 to

P38.2 billion in 2019,” said Jose Soberano III, the company's chairman and CEO. “We are positioned strongly in VisMin, and the growing need for residential end-user and investment options is still there. While the entire market navigates through unforeseen headwinds, CLI is committed to sustain its momentum and more importantly be part of the privatesector efforts to support our frontliners, LGUs and affected stakeholders at this time," Soberano added.

Cirtek to produce 1M chips per week L

aguna-based Cirtek Holdings Philippines Corp. on Wednesday said its semiconductor arm, Cirtek Electronics Corp., is racing to produce some 1 million chips per week due to the surge in orders from foreign customers.

Cirtek Vice Chairman Jorge Aguilar said the company was tapped by several of its customers for chips being installed in medical equipment that are desperately needed all over the world.

Cirtek’s medical chips are used in applications such as ventilators, CT scanners, defibrillators, ultrasounds, blood glucose, thermal scanners and oxygen level monitors.

“In view of the recent manifestation of Covid-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] around the world, it is critical for hospitals to have enough medical equipment to save lives, flatten the curve, prevent further spread of the virus and control the pandemic,” the company said.

Cirtek is to produce 1 million chips per week for medical devices that are in urgent demand in its Laguna Technopark facility.

The company said it is operating 24 hours a

day, six days a week to keep up with the pace in global demand.

“We have the responsibility to prioritize products used in the frontlines and do our part in this fight to save lives,” said Aguilar.

Its telecom base station antenna equipment maker, Quintel USA Inc., is also experiencing a surge in antenna demand, as the global lockdown and work-from-home policies have resulted in massive data demand.

“Cirtek and its subsidiaries worldwide remain Covid-19 free while adhering to local government policies and measures in ensuring business continuity,” the company said.

In line with Cirtek’s social responsibility, the company also said it donated personal protective equipment (PPE) to various local hospitals.

Cirtek Holdings Philippines Corp. is an independent complete solution provider for subcontract manufacturing of semiconductor devices and provides a broad range of assembly and testing services for various product applications and industries. VG Cabuag

RCBC beefs up network of outlets for cash transfer

This year, the company said it will use its landbank of about 1.24 million square meters to roll out more projects in new locations in Iloilo, Bohol, Ormoc and Palawan.

It recently purchased a 9.4 hectare property in Ormoc envisioned for residential development. It also purchased some 28 hectares in Davao earmarked for the firm’s Casa Mira and Garden Series brands and another 11,000 square meters in Bacolod City for its Casa Mira portfolio. VG Cabuag

FFCCCII SMC-chartered plane carrying PPEs arrives in PHL raises ₧265M to fight virus

T

HE Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc. (FFCCCII) on Wednesday said it has raised P265 million for ongoing civic projects to help marginalized sectors and frontliners fighting the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

The amount it collected as of April 14— through the Filipino Chinese Community Calamity Fund (FCCCF) comprised of 11 major Filipino Chinese business, civic and cultural organizations— has been used for medical supplies and food packages distributed to intended beneficiaries.

Medical items, such as N95 masks, surgical masks, personal protective equipment or PPEs, gloves, safety goggles, sanitizing alcohol, thermal scanners and others, have been donated to frontline medical staff of public and private hospitals, as well as police and military personnel deployed nationwide.

Food packs have also been distributed to poor families in Metro Manila and rural areas.

“The Filipino-Chinese community reaffirms strong support for the enhanced community quarantine, social distancing and all positive efforts to fight Covid-19 in the Philippines,” FCCCF Chairman Henry Lim Bon Liong said in a statement. “Let us unite and work hard; share kindness and hope.

Let us help each other.”

The FFCCCII has been actively coordinating with the Chinese Embassy, through Ambassador Huang Xilian, as regards China’s humanitarian assistance to Filipinos in the form of medical supplies and other donations coming either from the Chinese government, companies like Huawei or TikTok, or philanthropists like Jack Ma. On April 5, the biggest organization of Chinese entities joined Philippine government officials in welcoming a high-level volunteer medical team from Fujian province, China, that came here to support the Department of Health as consultants in fighting the flu pandemic.

The FCCCF, which started on March 12, is an ongoing community-wide philanthropic campaign of fund-raising and anti-Covid-19 relief assistance project of FFCCCII. Roderick L. Abad

By Tyrone Jasper C. Piad @TyronePiad

R

S

an Miguel Corp. (SMC) said the first 40,000 sets of personal protective equipment (PPE) it will donate to frontliners arrived on Wednesday on board a Boeing-777 that it chartered from China.

The protective gear is part of the P500 million earmarked by the conglomerate to help augment existing supplies and better equip Filipino medical frontliners in fighting the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

Company President and CEO Ramon S. Ang said the firm has chartered the aircraft from Philippine Airlines, a company that it once controlled, and filled it with PPE sourced from suppliers in China, which will be donated to various hospitals in Luzon.

The shipment consists of 40,000 hazmat suits and goggles seen to help boost local supply of

medical-grade PPEs. Local manufacturers are ramping up production capacity.

“We are very fortunate to have been able to buy this much PPEs. Globally, demand is so high. Many of the big countries want to buy them all. That is why when the opportunity to buy this much came, we grabbed it, and chartered a large aircraft to bring the supplies home,” said Ang. SMC earlier announced it was buying the first 10,000 PPEs to be made by local garments manufacturers belonging to the Confederation of Wearable Exporters of the Philippines (CONWEP). The group was tapped by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Health (DOH) to reconfigure their operations to ramp up local production of PPEs. SMC plans to continue buying

locally-produced PPEs to donate to medical practitioners.

The DTI and DOH are targeting a capacity of 10,000 PPE coveralls per day from members of CONWEP, which normally export garments to top global brands.

Both the DOH and the Philippine General Hospital approved the design of the local PPEs to ensure they are “medical-grade” and CONWEP has secured the supply of raw materials.

“We are hoping that with these developments, more doctors and nurses nationwide will have less worry about their safety. It is crucial that our medical frontliners have the necessary protective equipment when they fight this virus, and we are glad to be contributing to our government’s efforts to address this issue,” Ang added. VG Cabuag

izal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) partnered with more remittance outlets to help in cash payouts of its customers during the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

The listed bank said remittances can now be claimed through M Lhuillier, Palawan Pawnshop, Palawan Express and Bayad Center outlets, apart from its actual branches.

The cash remittance is done through the Send Cash feature of RCBC's online platform, transmitting money to recipients with or without bank accounts, the Yuchengco-led bank explained.

“Given the restricted mobility of many Filipinos and the limited operation of bank branches, these partnerships will be of big help to augment this service which has proven essential during this time,” said RCBC Executive Vice President Angelito M. Villanueva.

Since the Luzon-wide lockdown, RCBC noted that Send Cash transactions rose by 156 percent, the second-biggest uptick among its online transactions recently.

Cardless automated teller ma-

chine (ATM) withdrawals, meanwhile, were the highest w ith 621-percent growth since the ECQ period began. It has 1,500 ATM outlets across the country.

Apart from this, RCBC has also launched other initiative in easing the burden of its customers amid the lockdown through a mobile ATM service.

The listed bank said that ATM Go disbursed over P1 billion in the first quarter—170 percent more than last year for the same period—as majority of the transactions were the conditional cash transfer payouts for government beneficiaries under the “Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino” program and distribution of social amelioration emergency cash subsidy.

ATM Go allows BancNet cardholders to make basic banking transactions like withdrawals, inquiry and fund transfers through any partner rural bank, drug stores, microfinance firms and even sari-sari stores.

RCBC said payouts of the cash assistance are being simultaneously held in over 70 provinces via over 1,250 mobile ATM Terminals.

T he Yuc hengco -led ba n k 's shares were up 10 centavos, or 0.57 percent, to close at P17.60 apiece on Wednesday.

B2

Companies BusinessMirror

Thursday, April 16, 2020

PSE STOCK QUOTATIONS

April 15, 2020

Net Foreign Bid Ask Open High Low Close Volume Value Trade (Peso) Stocks Buy (Sell) FINANCIALs

ASIA UNITED BDO UNIBANK BANK PH ISLANDS CHINABANK EAST WEST BANK METROBANK PHIL NATL BANK PSBANK RCBC SECURITY BANK UNION BANK COL FINANCIAL IREMIT MEDCO HLDG MANULIFE NTL REINSURANCE PHIL STOCK EXCH SUN LIFE

48.5 108.5 63.1 20.1 7.97 41 24 42.1 17.6 105 53.8 15.28 0.94 0.285 617 0.62 162.2 1610

49 108.6 63.2 20.2 8.08 41.1 24.1 44 17.78 107 53.9 15.3 0.97 0.3 648 0.65 169 1695

49 103.5 62.85 19.9 7.9 38 23 42.5 17.66 105 55 15.3 0.97 0.285 649.5 0.62 162.2 1610

49 109 64.15 20.2 8.12 41.1 24.2 44 18 108 56 15.58 0.97 0.285 649.5 0.64 169.9 1610

49 103.3 62.5 19.86 7.9 38 23 42.1 17.6 103 53.7 15.26 0.97 0.285 617 0.61 162.1 1610

49 108.5 63.1 20.1 7.98 41.1 24 44 17.6 105 53.9 15.28 0.97 0.285 620 0.64 169.2 1610

3300 5792380 3658540 289000 743400 18598200 2100300 1800 202600 1570110 28250 81200 5000 40000 40 163000 840 10

161700 622094094 232212762.5 5769906 5929071 737829450 49785940 78150 3613746 166230536 1527335.5 1242218 4850 11400 25065 100330 140786 16100

147000 37501315 1041659 -1522479 -3766507 -255481790 -41200245 -2979916 -49708380 -893866.5 -994634 -25640 -

INDUSTRIAL AC ENERGY 2.07 2.1 2.12 2.13 2.04 2.08 6450000 13497310 -2716870 0.98 1 1 1 0.99 0.99 53000 52620 ALSONS CONS ABOITIZ POWER 28 28.2 27.75 28 27.7 28 2042800 57010575 -30532440 0.179 0.187 0.179 0.179 0.179 0.179 10000 1790 BASIC ENERGY FIRST GEN 18.66 18.68 18.7 18.86 18 18.66 2404000 44855034 -1984300 55 55.2 53.9 56 53.5 55 59500 3253458.5 -999212.5 FIRST PHIL HLDG MERALCO 276 278 277.8 278 268.4 278 260860 71373074 11818574 MANILA WATER 11.52 11.6 11.7 11.7 11.52 11.52 4064700 47234836 -20637242 3.02 3.03 3.2 3.2 3 3.02 5843000 17845490 383490 PETRON PETROENERGY 2.45 2.55 2.58 2.64 2.03 2.45 150000 352820 2400 10.28 10.98 10.4 10.98 10.16 10.98 114100 1245356 PHX PETROLEUM PILIPINAS SHELL 18.82 18.9 18.42 19.32 18.42 18.82 1014000 18991026 -5851924 8.03 8.05 8.1 8.1 8.03 8.05 195500 1576575 810 SPC POWER VIVANT 13.5 15.1 15.08 15.08 15.08 15.08 100 1508 7.04 7.11 6.85 7.11 6.85 7.11 977400 6855518 -1495420 AGRINURTURE 2.5 2.52 2.51 2.58 2.49 2.5 1854000 4690260 -818730 AXELUM BOGO MEDELLIN 80 85 80 80 80 80 290 23200 12.62 14 13.2 14 13.2 14 3400 45340 CNTRL AZUCARERA CENTURY FOOD 14.44 14.6 14.78 14.8 14.4 14.44 624300 9068770 -338830 3.8 3.95 3.8 3.98 3.8 3.9 98000 379840 DEL MONTE 5.69 5.89 5.94 6.15 5.69 5.69 4230900 25259215 1944897 DNL INDUS EMPERADOR 7.96 7.97 7.96 7.97 7.9 7.97 5053500 40275429 -39808635 58.4 58.5 59 61.45 58.1 58.4 528020 31097831 7730770.5 SMC FOODANDBEV ALLIANCE SELECT 0.53 0.54 0.53 0.54 0.52 0.54 838000 444640 1.41 1.42 1.43 1.49 1.41 1.41 22749000 32907360 424390 FRUITAS HLDG GINEBRA 32.3 32.5 32 32.6 32 32.5 50700 1647550 19440 148.1 148.6 150 152.1 143.5 148.6 3944620 586506672 -43333138 JOLLIBEE 35.05 42.95 35.05 35.05 35.05 35.05 100 3505 LIBERTY FLOUR MACAY HLDG 5.51 6.09 6.15 6.15 5.51 5.51 19400 113707 6.58 6.59 6.7 7.45 6.51 6.58 8376400 57672716 1469886 MAXS GROUP MG HLDG 0.126 0.145 0.14 0.14 0.14 0.14 60000 8400 1.79 1.81 1.8 1.8 1.79 1.8 783000 1409200 899800 PEPSI COLA SHAKEYS PIZZA 6.08 6.16 5.85 6.5 5.85 6.08 12049400 73652626 17170467 ROXAS AND CO 1.39 1.4 1.39 1.43 1.38 1.4 2727000 3792930 4.42 4.51 4.51 4.51 4.41 4.51 22000 99120 -40490 RFM CORP ROXAS HLDG 1.35 1.46 1.37 1.38 1.35 1.35 125000 169150 0.104 0.107 0.109 0.109 0.107 0.107 410000 43890 SWIFT FOODS UNIV ROBINA 131.1 131.2 132.7 134.8 128.8 131.2 2222760 292,412,699( 129,792,249.0002) 0.84 0.85 0.82 0.86 0.81 0.84 20141000 16852980 430350 VITARICH VICTORIAS 2.31 2.49 2.35 2.5 2.31 2.31 37000 86540 1.09 1.11 1.14 1.15 1.08 1.09 10523000 11,653,430( 3,062,310.0003) CEMEX HLDG 2.81 5 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 1000 4500 DAVINCI CAPITAL EAGLE CEMENT 7.66 7.7 7.8 8.55 7.65 7.7 644200 5023559 -1158148 5.48 5.5 5.72 5.77 5.42 5.5 5314900 29574777 -1860344 EEI CORP HOLCIM 11.64 12 12.18 12.18 11.64 12 544200 6424210 -1757284 7.74 7.8 7.9 8.18 7.52 7.8 3793700 29690203 -5468375 MEGAWIDE PHINMA 8.26 8.95 8.95 8.95 8.95 8.95 500 4475 0.7 0.72 0.74 0.74 0.66 0.72 323000 221030 39330 TKC METALS 0.7 0.71 0.67 0.72 0.67 0.7 1408000 982870 6700 VULCAN INDL CROWN ASIA 1.83 1.89 1.81 1.9 1.81 1.9 6000 11310 2.26 2.28 2.3 2.35 2.17 2.28 3563000 7942220 -24290 EUROMED MABUHAY VINYL 3.2 3.24 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 5000 16000 4.37 4.72 4.77 4.77 4.6 4.6 27000 127140 -32200 PRYCE CORP 24.45 28.85 28.5 28.85 28.5 28.85 400 11470 CONCEPCION GREENERGY 0.91 0.92 0.95 0.96 0.88 0.91 2633000 2433300 -47200 4.8 4.9 4.73 4.9 4.7 4.8 624000 2989910 -764940 INTEGRATED MICR IONICS 0.99 1.01 0.96 1.04 0.96 1.01 541000 540750 0.97 0.98 0.95 0.98 0.9 0.97 1095000 1040900 SFA SEMICON CIRTEK HLDG 6.86 6.88 6.46 6.86 6.35 6.86 4221400 27803666 165159

HOLDING & FRIMS ABACORE CAPITAL 0.57 0.59 0.61 0.63 0.57 0.57 7502000 4465410 7.16 7.6 7 9 6.82 7.15 45900 348731 ASIABEST GROUP AYALA CORP 585 588 562 588 557.5 588 876810 509134850 47.5 48.45 44.95 49 44.4 48.45 1535900 73203910 ABOITIZ EQUITY ALLIANCE GLOBAL 7.39 7.4 7.11 7.57 7.11 7.4 17311000 127188751 1.57 1.58 1.58 1.7 1.56 1.58 8308000 13235180 AYALA LAND LOG ANGLO PHIL HLDG 0.55 0.57 0.54 0.58 0.53 0.57 1176000 660180 0.47 0.475 0.455 0.48 0.455 0.47 2930000 1374900 ATN HLDG A 5 5.03 5.06 5.06 5 5 4743200 23869110 COSCO CAPITAL DMCI HLDG 4.46 4.47 4.3 4.56 4.3 4.47 22440000 100309000 8.45 8.9 9 9 8.45 8.45 8400 71390 FILINVEST DEV FJ PRINCE A 2.91 3.89 3.89 3.89 3.89 3.89 1000 3890 0.156 0.195 0.195 0.195 0.195 0.195 140000 27300 FORUM PACIFIC GT CAPITAL 487 490 441 490 441 490 355590 168041578 HOUSE OF INV 3.81 3.88 3.82 3.88 3.82 3.88 202000 779360 56.85 57 55 57.5 55 57 3838650 218153342 JG SUMMIT LODESTAR 0.455 0.47 0.47 0.47 0.45 0.455 500000 227950 2.89 2.92 2.86 2.92 2.86 2.89 449000 1297640 LOPEZ HLDG LT GROUP 7.93 8 7.69 8 7.64 8 1530200 12027186 0.46 0.495 0.455 0.46 0.455 0.46 80000 36600 MABUHAY HLDG 2.76 2.8 2.68 2.8 2.65 2.8 87965000 241193540 METRO PAC INV PRIME MEDIA 0.78 0.79 0.79 0.8 0.75 0.79 232000 178320 0.92 1 0.94 0.95 0.94 0.95 13000 12310 SOLID GROUP SYNERGY GRID 173.5 179 170 180 170 179 1550 272989 861.5 862 868 868 855 862 661890 571641340 SM INVESTMENTS SAN MIGUEL CORP 102.2 102.8 98.8 105.5 97.95 102.2 1628900 168362436 0.64 0.71 0.71 0.71 0.71 0.71 20000 14200 SOC RESOURCES 147.2 150.3 153 153 147 150.3 4330 643600 TOP FRONTIER WELLEX INDUS 0.179 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.199 0.2 390000 77720 0.14 0.141 0.134 0.15 0.134 0.141 8980000 1331900 ZEUS HLDG

-209140 19155 8677915 -21884755 1359033 16350 -3461634 9767850 900 11635424 -771600 -89211994 -894540 -3614242 18709310 940 -371148425 -8156741 -146901 -

PROPERTY ARTHALAND CORP 0.57 0.58 0.57 0.6 0.56 0.58 2358000 1357280 8.13 9 8.01 9 8.01 9 300 2600 ANCHOR LAND AYALA LAND 33.65 34 34 34.15 33.2 34 11691800 393904705 1.04 1.12 1.15 1.15 1.02 1.02 258000 271310 ARANETA PROP BELLE CORP 1.42 1.44 1.41 1.44 1.41 1.44 173000 248230 0.57 0.58 0.61 0.61 0.55 0.58 982000 570680 A BROWN CITYLAND DEVT 0.73 0.74 0.74 0.74 0.72 0.73 148000 108130 CROWN EQUITIES 0.122 0.129 0.13 0.13 0.129 0.129 30000 3880 3.86 3.95 3.79 3.95 3.69 3.95 5613000 20883760 CEB LANDMASTERS CENTURY PROP 0.375 0.38 0.38 0.385 0.375 0.375 3670000 1391450 0.26 0.3 0.27 0.27 0.27 0.27 10000 2700 CYBER BAY DOUBLEDRAGON 16.68 16.7 16.16 16.8 16.08 16.68 393600 6470818 7.1 7.24 7.02 7.28 7.02 7.24 47100 340186 DM WENCESLAO EMPIRE EAST 0.295 0.3 0.3 0.305 0.3 0.3 1010000 303050 FILINVEST LAND 0.98 0.99 0.97 1 0.97 0.98 12914000 12723930 0.86 0.87 0.84 0.87 0.84 0.86 223000 188550 GLOBAL ESTATE 8990 HLDG 11.56 11.66 11.58 11.66 11.58 11.66 148500 1723446 0.81 0.83 0.8 0.87 0.79 0.81 1725000 1431080 PHIL INFRADEV MEGAWORLD 2.98 3 2.89 3 2.88 3 40948000 121393640 0.144 0.145 0.145 0.146 0.142 0.145 8680000 1253820 MRC ALLIED 1.63 1.74 1.6 1.77 1.6 1.74 49000 81490 PRIMEX CORP ROBINSONS LAND 16.82 16.9 15.32 16.82 15.32 16.82 8226600 135307712 0.26 0.27 0.25 0.26 0.25 0.26 420000 107850 PHIL REALTY ROCKWELL 1.51 1.52 1.54 1.54 1.52 1.52 435000 666950 2.65 2.67 2.65 2.7 2.65 2.67 100000 266700 SHANG PROP STA LUCIA LAND 1.9 1.93 1.96 1.96 1.88 1.93 205000 394930 31.85 31.9 30.9 31.95 30.5 31.9 15335800 486384235 SM PRIME HLDG 3.53 3.6 3.56 3.59 3.55 3.59 60000 214240 VISTAMALLS SUNTRUST HOME 1.17 1.18 1.17 1.22 1.17 1.18 1485000 1764970 4.06 4.14 4.14 4.35 4.06 4.06 2780000 11748480 VISTA LAND

-69853080 -37100 30209.9999 31430 1300 -519530 -11550 425648 -10864 -237000 1112440 66108 128440 -44397670 17987896 53400 -141923185 -2578290

SERVICES ABS CBN 17.7 17.74 17.5 18.38 17.12 17.74 447000 8013240 4.97 4.98 5 5.1 4.95 4.97 384900 1917082 GMA NETWORK MANILA BULLETIN 0.365 0.375 0.365 0.38 0.365 0.365 250000 93600 11.1 11.44 11 11.1 10.3 11.1 4500 48210 MLA BRDCASTING GLOBE TELECOM 2204 2206 2206 2242 2170 2206 145220 321825600 -129695980 1161 1170 1167 1170 1154 1170 135735 158219065 -8480715 PLDT APOLLO GLOBAL 0.04 0.041 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04 4700000 188000 -40000 DFNN INC 3.05 3.2 3.1 3.26 3.03 3.05 325000 1014210 -0 1.93 1.94 2.04 2.06 1.91 1.94 53157000 105375020 479090 DITO CME HLDG IMPERIAL 1.01 1.47 1.47 1.47 1.47 1.47 10000 14700 1470 0.083 0.085 0.087 0.087 0.087 0.087 80000 6960 ISLAND INFO NOW CORP 1.71 1.73 1.76 1.76 1.7 1.73 2066000 3578720 43430 0.177 0.181 0.18 0.183 0.177 0.177 5710000 1034220 244680 TRANSPACIFIC BR PHILWEB 2.43 2.44 2.52 2.57 2.41 2.44 2440000 6001210 191290 2GO GROUP 6.09 6.1 6.12 6.12 6.08 6.1 89500 546348 -203742 14.42 16.78 16.88 16.98 16.88 16.98 1300 21964 ASIAN TERMINALS CHELSEA 2.98 2.99 2.88 2.99 2.86 2.98 914000 2673070 53.75 53.8 51.2 54.5 51.2 53.8 462900 24964449 -2800804 CEBU AIR INTL CONTAINER 83.9 84.5 82 86 82 84.5 2395730 201581641.5 -41828342 12 12.06 11.04 12.16 11.04 12.06 2400 28420 LBC EXPRESS 5.18 5.2 5.55 5.74 5.18 5.18 12976000 70476517 -27076214 MACROASIA METROALLIANCE A 1.9 1.95 1.48 1.9 1.46 1.9 4552000 7763330 1.85 2 1.46 1.85 1.46 1.85 128000 213260 METROALLIANCE B PAL HLDG 7 7.1 7.1 7.2 7.1 7.1 13400 95500 720 0.78 0.79 0.76 0.8 0.76 0.78 775000 604360 78000 HARBOR STAR BOULEVARD HLDG 0.029 0.03 0.029 0.03 0.028 0.029 6700000 194400 1.45 1.86 1.84 1.85 1.84 1.85 19000 35120 DISCOVERY WORLD 0.41 0.43 0.41 0.43 0.385 0.43 3230000 1290150 156000 WATERFRONT CENTRO ESCOLAR 6.01 6.64 6.69 6.69 6.69 6.69 100 669 6.03 8.4 8.4 8.4 8.4 8.4 700 5880 840 IPEOPLE STI HLDG 0.37 0.375 0.375 0.375 0.365 0.375 19840000 7403600 -7012900 2.21 2.34 2.4 2.4 2.19 2.35 33000 75680 BERJAYA BLOOMBERRY 5.91 5.92 6 6.1 5.91 5.92 12352800 73769686 -10474911 PACIFIC ONLINE 1.7 1.71 1.72 1.72 1.6 1.71 134000 224410 1.42 1.43 1.42 1.55 1.42 1.43 600000 879980 22880 LEISURE AND RES MANILA JOCKEY 1.9 2 2.05 2.05 2 2 40000 80250 -70000 3.32 3.62 3.45 3.62 3.39 3.62 116000 399810 PH RESORTS GRP PREMIUM LEISURE 0.33 0.34 0.315 0.33 0.315 0.33 13590000 4445850 -38350 5.97 6 6.1 6.25 5.8 6 5445000 32733872 8372658 ALLHOME METRO RETAIL 1.57 1.58 1.53 1.61 1.52 1.57 3362000 5292870 -314350 PUREGOLD 45.75 45.8 47 48 44.5 45.8 6260300 287167655 32373215 64.5 64.95 64.1 65.7 63.9 64.95 829420 53,932,751.5( 41,920,026.9996) ROBINSONS RTL PHIL SEVEN CORP 130 132 129.8 135 125 130 121190 15673624 -296848 1.36 1.38 1.45 1.48 1.36 1.36 5093000 7136610 -1226560 SSI GROUP WILCON DEPOT 13.9 14 13.48 14 13.04 14 3123200 42424340 -3105748 0.315 0.32 0.32 0.34 0.315 0.32 1170000 376450 APC GROUP EASYCALL 5.13 5.4 5.5 5.5 5.03 5.4 12900 68754 330 341 336 341 330 341 2070 689946 GOLDEN BRIA 0.212 0.219 0.21 0.22 0.21 0.219 8830000 1933130 PRMIERE HORIZON SBS PHIL CORP 5.31 5.84 5.85 5.85 5.85 5.85 500 2925

MINING & OIL

ATOK 10 10.86 10.86 10.94 10.86 10.94 3000 32660 APEX MINING 0.92 0.93 0.96 0.96 0.91 0.93 598000 557720 0.001 0.0011 0.001 0.0011 0.001 0.0011 57000000 57600 ABRA MINING ATLAS MINING 1.76 1.98 1.98 1.98 1.98 1.98 1000 1980 1.05 1.14 1.16 1.16 1.14 1.14 66000 75260 BENGUET A COAL ASIA HLDG 0.208 0.211 0.21 0.214 0.21 0.211 860000 181610 2.7 2.75 2.63 2.7 2.63 2.7 463000 1248700 CENTURY PEAK 6.6 6.9 6.89 6.89 6.49 6.89 6200 42235 DIZON MINES FERRONICKEL 0.78 0.79 0.76 0.8 0.73 0.78 8755000 6707820 -1122780 0.193 0.199 0.192 0.195 0.192 0.195 110000 21420 GEOGRACE LEPANTO A 0.079 0.08 0.08 0.082 0.079 0.079 3340000 268240 0.081 0.086 0.087 0.087 0.081 0.081 110000 9280 LEPANTO B MANILA MINING A 0.0065 0.0067 0.0065 0.0066 0.0065 0.0065 51000000 333500 0.007 0.0072 0.0061 0.0061 0.0061 0.0061 1000000 6100 MANILA MINING B 0.58 0.6 0.57 0.6 0.56 0.6 105000 61480 MARCVENTURES NIHAO 0.95 0.99 0.98 1 0.95 0.95 57000 56060 -13730 1.81 1.83 1.75 1.84 1.73 1.81 16414000 29586650 -3188520 NICKEL ASIA ORNTL PENINSULA 0.47 0.49 0.465 0.485 0.46 0.485 730000 344950 2.2 2.28 2.3 2.3 2.18 2.2 298000 656700 PX MINING 13.1 13.12 12.8 13.4 12.76 13.12 2266200 29646798 -1138408 SEMIRARA MINING UNITED PARAGON 0.0041 0.0044 0.004 0.0042 0.004 0.0042 4000000 16400 5.8 5.94 5.5 6.3 5.5 5.94 573700 3369877 1830 ACE ENEXOR ORNTL PETROL A 0.0083 0.0087 0.0087 0.0087 0.0083 0.0087 55000000 460200 0.0085 0.0095 0.009 0.01 0.0083 0.0095 16800000 159000 ORNTL PETROL B PHILODRILL 0.0083 0.0088 0.0086 0.0086 0.0082 0.0082 6000000 50800 8500 4.29 4.3 4.54 4.61 4.12 4.3 3570000 15647230 -980130 PXP ENERGY

PREFFERED AC PREF B1 490 497 500 500 497 497 9010 4478000 ALCO PREF B 98 101 101 101 101 101 10 1010 488 490 490 495 490 490 4480 2195700 AC PREF B2R CPG PREF A 98.5 100 100 100 100 100 290 29000 97.1 97.5 97.5 97.5 97.1 97.5 47870 4666525 487500 DD PREF FGEN PREF G 105.5 107.9 107.9 107.9 107.9 107.9 210 22659 500 502 500 500 500 500 400 200000 GLO PREF P 990 996 990 997 990 997 2550 2531890 1789390 GTCAP PREF B MWIDE PREF 99.5 99.9 99.85 99.9 99 99 1010 100865 995 998 998 998 995 995 4330 4311070 PNX PREF 4 PCOR PREF 3A 1011 1015 1010 1010 1010 1010 195 196950 1010 1015 1007 1007 1007 1007 350 352450 10070 PCOR PREF 3B SMC PREF 2C 75.7 76.2 76.5 76.5 75.55 75.6 21320 1615897.5 -57150 SMC PREF 2D 74.05 74.5 74.5 74.5 74.5 74.5 1000 74500 75 75.5 75 75.5 75 75 37500 2813000 SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2G 74.5 75.05 75.05 75.05 74.5 75.05 23630 1769796.5 74.1 75 74.1 74.8 74 74.8 10200 755511 SMC PREF 2H SMC PREF 2I 74.55 75 74.5 75 74.5 75 168120 12572250 -9717500

PHIL. DEPOSITARY RECEIPTS ABS HLDG PDR 16.12 16.78 16.2 16.2 16.02 16.12 100800 1629382 -1209660 GMA HLDG PDR 4.89 4.9 4.9 4.9 4.89 4.89 22000 107700 -58800

WARRANTS LR WARRANT 0.79 0.8 0.93 0.94 0.8 0.8 1671000 1377280

SMALL & MEDIUM ENTERPRISES ITALPINAS 1.73 1.74 1.64 1.75 1.6 1.73 10640000 17944700 -37340 KEPWEALTH 6.4 6.44 6.2 6.48 6.14 6.4 81400 511131 40300 0.55 0.56 0.55 0.57 0.54 0.55 1500000 836900 -28000 XURPAS

EXHANGE TRADE FUNDS

FIRST METRO ETF 89.9 90 89 91 89 89.9 61890 5550739.5 1992024

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Virus slashes PPA income by 25% in January-March

T

By Lorenz S. Marasigan

@lorenzmarasigan

he coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) has taken a toll on the bottom line of state-owned Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), which saw its profits dropping by a quarter during the first three months of the year.

The port operator’s net income stood at P2.54 billion at end-March, a 25-percent decline from the P3.34 billion it booked the year prior. This performance is largely affected by

the lockdowns imposed in different parts of the country and the world to contain the spread of Covid-19.

In March alone, the profits of the port authority plunged by 79 percent

ACE Enexor unit to start drilling well in West Palawan

By Lenie Lectura @llectura

P

alawan 55 Exploration & Production Corp. (Palawan55), a subsidiary of ACE Enexor Inc., will soon drill a well in offshore West Palawan.

Listed-firm ACE Enexor, formerly Phima Petroleum and Geothermal Inc., said Palawan55 has received a letter from the Department of Energy (DOE) confirming the entry of Service Contract No. 55 (SC 55) into the Appraisal Period effective April 26.

SC 55 is a deep-water block located in the southwest Palawan Basin, covering an area of 9,880 sq km. The SC 55 Consortium is composed of Palawan55 (75 percent) and Pryce Gases Inc. (25 percent), with Palawan55 as the operator.

In the said letter, the DOE stated that after the review and evaluation of the Hawkeye discovery report, “we hereby confirm that the Hawkeye-1 well did encounter

a significant volume of movable natural gas and is deemed to be a Non-Associated Gas Discovery under Section 13.02 of SC 55.”

Palawan55 w ill submit for DOE’s approval a definitive Appraisal Work Program and Budget, which shall include a firm drilling commitment of at least one well within the first two years of the Appraisal Period.

In 2015, the SC 55 Consortium drilled the Hawkeye-1 well up to 9,580 feet (2,920 meters) at a cost of $23.5 million. The well revealed natural gas at the crest of the target structure, but the estimated volume of the accumulation was deemed by the then operator to be non-commercial on a standalone basis.

Palawan55 is currently undertaking quantitative interpretation of over 1,000 sq km of recently reprocessed 3D seismic data over the greater Hawkeye area and a large carbonate reef prospect.

Solon: Allow staggered payment of electricity bill

A

lawmaker on Wednesday pushed for staggered payments of electricity bills and for the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) to waive its convenience fee of P47.

Senate Energ y Comm it tee Chairman Sherwin Gatchalian wants the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to look for solutions that will ease payment terms for consumers. He suggested to stagger the two months of electricity bills for not less than three months.

Utility firms, including Meralco, earlier extended the payment deadlines amid the implementation the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).

Gatchalian said government should to come up with a solution to ease the burden of Filipino households, whose electricity bills are expected to pile up after a month of reprieve.

He said Filipinos, especially those belonging to the marginalized sector, might not have the financial capacity to pay two months’ worth of electricity bills in full and therefore risk having

their electricity disconnected.

“Because many of our kababayans are not able to work at this time, especially the ‘no work, no pay’ employees, our appeal is for the ERC to find ways to ensure that their electricity will not be cut off,” Gatchalian said in Filipino.

Gatchalian also appealed to Meralco to temporarily waive its convenience fee so that consumers may be able to pay their electricity bill using the company’s mobile app without extra charges.

Meralco consumers are required to pay an additional P47 convenience fee, on top of their monthly electricity bill, when paying via the mobile app.

“For humanitarian reasons, let’s think of ways that will make the lives of our kababayans better and alleviate their suffering as we face this pandemic,” he said.

Meanwhile, the National Electrification Administration said there are over 90 electric cooperatives in the country implementing the 30-day grace period for consumers to settle their electricity bills. Lenie Lectura

to P300.93 million, from P1.41 billion in the same period last year.

“As early as January, there has been a slowdown in the movement of cargo as China, being the location of several transshipment hubs and a number of large manufacturing firms, has imposed necessary restrictions to control the spread of the dreaded disease,” said PPA General Manager Jay Daniel R. Santiago.

In the same comparative periods, revenues of the port authority dipped by 17 percent to P3.75 billion, from P4.51 billion, as earnings from vessel lay-up, storage, arrastre and stevedoring dropped due to the lockdowns.

Meanwhile, its expenses increased by 7.32 percent to P1.22 billion, from P1.13 billion due to hikes

mutual funds

in personnel servicing costs.

“Hopefully, with the relaxation of some restrictions on trade, we will be able to arrest the downward trend in the next couple of months particularly when the country is already able to lift its restrictions on some trade and commercial processes,” said Santiago. Despite this expected lackluster performance, the port authority remitted P5 billion in dividends to the national coffers to help fund efforts to fight Covid-19.

“Hopefully, when this is all over, we should not take for granted the lessons we learned from this pandemic but instead we should use these lessons to make ourselves better and stronger as we continue to sail to a better tomorrow,” Santiago added.

April 15, 2020

NAV One Year Three Year Five Year Y-T-D per share Return* Return Stock Funds ALFM Growth Fund, Inc. -a 189.93 -27.68% -10.44% -7.88% -24.6% ATRAM Alpha Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a 0.9449 -41.66% -13.26% -9.27% -31.63% ATRAM Philippine Equity Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a 2.5518 -37.72% -15.25% -10.51% -30.62% Climbs Share Capital Equity Investment Fund Corp. -a 0.6516 -30.8% n.a. n.a. -27.37% First Metro Consumer Fund on MSCI Phils. IMI, Inc. -a 0.6554 -24.2% n.a. n.a. -22.83% First Metro Save and Learn Equity Fund,Inc. -a 4.1188 -24.91% -7.93% -7.01% -22.7% First Metro Save and Learn Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a,6 0.6457 -26.12% -11.69% n.a.

-24.36% MBG Equity Investment Fund, Inc. -a 72.91 -43.17% n.a. n.a. -29.44% PAMI Equity Index Fund, Inc. -a 38.1702 -26.47% -8.91% n.a. -25.57% Philam Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a 407.11 -24.89% -8.53% -7.16% -23.59% Philequity Alpha One Fund, Inc. -a,d,8 0.8484 n.a. n.a. n.a. -17.64% Philequity Dividend Yield Fund, Inc. -a 0.9727 -25.73% -8.4% -6.28% -24.42% Philequity Fund, Inc. -a 28.5593 -26.11% -7.71% -6.24% -24.64% Philequity MSCI Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a,1 0.7547 -26.98% n.a. n.a. -25.87% Philequity PSE Index Fund Inc. -a 3.8859 -26.07% -8.37% -6.1% -25.61% Philippine Stock Index Fund Corp. -a 649.53 -25.96% -8.32% -6.32% -25.52% Soldivo Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a 0.5886 -36.53% -12.62% -10.36% -30.87% Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Equity Fund, Inc. -a 3.023 -29.82% -9.49% -7.4% -28.18% Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Stock Index Fund, Inc. -a 0.7462 -26.02% -8.47% n.a. -25.44% United Fund, Inc. -a 2.7439 -25.98% -6.52% -5.2% -24.89% Exchange Traded Fund First Metro Phil. Equity Exchange Traded Fund, Inc. -a,c 87.1233 -25.77% -7.82% -5.48% -25.51% ATRAM AsiaPlus Equity Fund, Inc. -b

$0.8669 -16.4% -2.33% -4.31% -15.7% Sun Life Prosperity World Voyager Fund, Inc. -a $1.184 -7.96% 2.56% n.a. -14.12% Balanced Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities ATRAM Dynamic Allocation Fund, Inc. -a 1.4699 -14.41% -5.67% -5.63% -5.94% ATRAM Philippine Balanced Fund, Inc. -a 1.9428 -15.87% -5.8% -3.93% -10.93% First Metro Save and Learn Balanced Fund Inc. -a 2.3244 -11.83% -2.98% -4.58% -11.67% First Metro Save and Learn F.O.C.C.U.S. Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a,5 0.1835 n.a. n.a. n.a.

-19.69% NCM Mutual Fund of the Phils., Inc. -a 1.7847 -6.72% -1.55% -1.96% -9.09% PAMI Horizon Fund, Inc. -a 3.2951 -10.15% -3.59% -3.63% -13.04% Philam Fund, Inc. -a 14.7625 -10.82% -3.7% -3.7% -12.96% Solidaritas Fund, Inc. -a 1.8524 -13.36% -4.35% -3.07% -12.86% Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Balanced Fund, Inc. -a 3.1604 -17.76% -5.04% -4.46% -18.2% Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2028, Inc. -a,d,2 0.8911 -10.5% n.a. n.a. -12.27% Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2038, Inc. -a,d,2 0.7979 -19.71% n.a. n.a. -19.92% Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2048, Inc. -a,d,2 0.7788 -21.49% n.a. n.a. -21.59% Sun Life Prosperity Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a 0.7687 -21.55% -6.59% -6.42% -21.14% Primarily invested in foreign currency securities Cocolife Dollar Fund Builder, Inc. -a $0.03796 5.42% 2.34% 1.46% -0.71% PAMI Asia Balanced Fund, Inc. -a $0.9028 -9.82% -1.25% -2.61% -13.02% Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Advantage Fund, Inc. -a $3.4557 -6.75% 1.84% 0.73% -11.64% Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Wellspring Fund, Inc. -a,7 $1.0297 -5.12% 0.39% n.a.

-8.78% Bond Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities ALFM Peso Bond Fund, Inc. -a 361.13 3.9% 2.87% 2.36% 0.93% ATRAM Corporate Bond Fund, Inc. -a 1.9219 2.14% 0.77% -0.33% 1.05% Cocolife Fixed Income Fund, Inc. -a 3.1573 4.78% 5.16% 5.1% 1.32% Ekklesia Mutual Fund Inc. -a 2.251 4.42% 2.48% 2% 1.17% First Metro Save and Learn Fixed Income Fund,Inc. -a 2.3861 5.87% 2.63% 1.42% 1.14% Philam Bond Fund, Inc. -a 4.42 9.95% 2.87% 1.88% 1.08% Philequity Peso Bond Fund, Inc. -a 3.8244 6.16% 3.2% 1.64% 0.96% Soldivo Bond Fund, Inc. -a 0.9894 7.79% 2.29% 0.92% 2.6% Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Bond Fund, Inc. -a 3.0878 7.19% 4.27% 2.64% 0.39% Sun Life Prosperity GS Fund, Inc. -a 1.7086 6.96% 3.81% 2.13% 0.44% Primarily invested in foreign currency securities ALFM Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $466.7 2.81% 2.26% 2.36% -0.32% ALFM Euro Bond Fund, Inc. -a Є213.8 -1.06% 0.45% 0.51% -2.7% ATRAM Total Return Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -b $1.1633 -0.21% 1.37% 1.46% -3.64% First Metro Save and Learn Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $0.0258 2.38% 1.19% 1.12% 0% PAMI Global Bond Fund, Inc -a $1.0467 -1.44% -0.67% -0.69% -4.43% Philam Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $2.3721 5.18% 2.56% 2.04% -1.32% Philequity Dollar Income Fund Inc. -a $0.0593079 2.11% 1.37% 1.3% -1.67% Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Abundance Fund, Inc. -a $3.1416 5.64% 2.17% 2.03% -1.06% Money Market Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities ALFM Money Market Fund, Inc. -a 127.06 3.89% 3.05% 2.3% 1.02% First Metro Save and Learn Money Market Fund, Inc. -a,3 1.0354 2.77% n.a. n.a.

0.89% Philam Managed Income Fund, Inc. -a 1.2634 5.71% 3.26% 1.75% 0.53% Sun Life Prosperity Money Market Fund, Inc. -a 1.2756 3.43% 2.99% 2.5% 0.87% Primarily invested in foreign currency securities Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Starter Fund, Inc. -a $1.0404 1.7% n.a. n.a.

0.31% Feeder Fund Primarily invested in foreign currency securities ALFM Global Multi-Asset Income Fund Inc. -b,d,4 $0.9 n.a. n.a. n.a. -9.09% a - NAVPS as of the previous banking day. b - NAVPS as of two banking days ago. c - Listed in the PSE. d - in Net Asset Value per Unit (NAVPU).

1 - Launch date is January 3, 2019. 2 - Launch date is January 28, 2019. 3 - Launch date is February 1, 2019. 4 - Launch date is November 15, 2019.

5 - Launch date is September 28, 2019. 6 - Renaming was approved by the SEC last October 12, 2018 (formerly, One Wealthy Nation Fund, Inc.).

7 - Adjusted due to stock dividend issuance last October 9, 2019. 8 - Launch date is December 09, 2019.

"While we endeavor to keep the information accurate, the Philippine Investment Funds Association (PIFA) and its members make no warranties as to the correctness of the newspaper’s publication and assume no liability or responsibility for any error or omissions. You may visit http://www. pifa. com.ph to see the latest NAVPS/NAVPU."

Editor: Eleanor Leyco-Chua

Health&Fitness BusinessMirror

Thursday, April 16, 2020 B3

How to Keep Others Safe T o arrest the spread of Covid-19 in the country, the government implemented community quarantine or lockdown in Luzon, the mandatory social distancing, which is considered as one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of the virus; the mandatory wearing of mask and, of course, the practice of good hygiene.

Despite the lockdown and other protocol to protect ourselves from the virus, Covid-19 cases in the Philippines rose to more than 3000 two weeks after the announcement of the extended home quarantine.

Some provinces, municipalities and barangays even effected total lockdown due to increased number of people infected.

But how do we prepare ourselves when someone in our family is diagnosed with or showing symptoms of

Covid-19?

Dr. Neha Pathak, MD shares in webmd.com some steps to consider when creating an “isolation zone” in your home.

Designate a separate room where you can close the door, if possible.

If that’s not an option, find a space where there is at least 6 feet between the sick person and other people.

Those who are not sick should use a different bathroom from those who are, if available. If a separate

bathroom is not available, the sick person should clean the bathroom after each use. Others in the home should try to let the bathroom “air out” for at least 30 minutes before using it again. And make sure that everyone in the home—regardless of which bathroom they’re using— closes the toilet lid when flushing and runs the exhaust fan to limit viral particles in stool from hanging

out in the air.

Try to make sure that any shared spaces in the home have good air flow, with an air conditioner or an open window. Air filters and air purifiers can also be helpful in these situations—look for air filters that are designated MERV 13 or higher. Humidifying the air can also be helpful, because viruses live longer at lower humidity. Setting the humidity to

healthy finds n VCO CLINICAL STUDIES BY D.O.S.T., UP-PGH, AND PCA

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) recently announced in a statement that is conducting a research on virgin coconut oil (VCO), and it is planned to have two arms: one hospital-based and one community-based.

For the hospital based, the study entitled, “Virgin Coconut Oil and Omega-3a Adjunctive Therapy for Hospitalized Patients with Covid-19” will be conducted at the Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) and will be led by Dr. Marissa Alejandria. The VCO will serve as a supplement to the daily treatment regimen of the Covid-19 positive patients. The study aims to assess the possible benefits of VCO if given to patients with moderate to severe Covid-19 in addition to the drugs being assessed in the clinical trials. This arm may possibly run for a minimum of one month or until the minimum number of patients have been achieved. This is in cooperation with the DOST and the UPPGH Clinical Covid-19 Research Group and the Metro Manila Health Research and Development Consortium of the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST PCHRD).

According to the statement, “Parallel to this will be the research for the Covid-19 persons under investigation [PUIs] which will be conducted at isolation facilities in communities and hospitals in National Capital Region and Region IVA in collaboration with DOST Calabarzon and the Philippine Coconut Authority [PCA].”

It added that the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI) will take the lead in the community-based study and will incorporate VCO in the food provided to the PUIs. The study aims to assess the possible benefits provided by VCO for patients with Covid-19 as well as contacts and other high-risk groups.

The project team is planning to conduct the same to their previous intervention studies and the dietary supplementation may possibly run for at least 4 weeks. The study will be done in cooperation with the DOST-PCHRD and the Philippine Coconut Authority.

n Foodpanda Philippines launches contactless delivery

Foodpanda, the on-demand international food delivery service will continue to operate as usual during the Enhanced community quarantined period. The company also launching contactless delivery on March 19, 2020.

Both customers and riders are able to opt for contactless delivery with the following steps: 1. Place an order and opt for online payment.

2. Go to the rider chat function on the foodpanda app and inform the rider/customers that they are opting for the contactless delivery.

3. Food will be placed at the designated drop off spot at the customers’ home or office.

4. Rider will notify customers that food has arrived via the rider chat function on the app or call.

5. 1 meter distance will be maintained

between rider and customers.

6. Customers to verify the delivery.

7. Delivery completed!

“We value the safety of everyone in our community, and have introduced new measures to ensure you feel secure while using our service. Our riders are instructed to wash their hands every two hours and after each time they handle a delivery and follow the rider safety guidelines and proper handling of delivery,” said Camille Hadjeri, Managing Director, foodpanda Philippines.

Foodpanda is in constant communication with our restaurant partners over the latest World Health Organization notices and are advising them on the health and safety practices that go beyond the brand’s already high food hygiene expectations.

Hadjeri added, “We also encourage you to switch to online payment so we can reduce human interactions to a minimum.”

Our commitment remains with supporting all our riders, restaurant partners and valued customers as we go through this tough time together as a nation. Rest assured we will keep you updated with any further developments.

n Fight COVID-19 with ProSource Premium Coconut Products—Now available online

In view of how the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) has become an alarming global concern, and with a lot of fake news going around on how to combat the virus, it turns out handwashing is still the best way to fight Covid-19 or any viruses for that matter. Soap with anti-bacterial and antimicrobial components, is excellent in combating these viruses and bacteria that are present in our hands.

Dr. Fabian M. Dayrit, PhD, of the Ateneo de Manila University recently published the benefits of coconut oil with its potent antiviral properties thanks to the presence of Lauric acid (C12). ProSource, one of the Philippines’s leading purveyors of premium coconut oil products, has made it its timely mission to make its array of world-class quality products, including virgin coconut oil, based, antibacterial and antimicrobial VCO soap readily accessible and available in the most convenient way.

Apart from groceries and leading drugstores across the country, ProSource saw the value of entering the burgeoning e-commerce and online shopping space, as they recently partnered with Lazada, Southeast Asia’s leading ecommerce platform, Shopee and Beauty MNL, the go-to online beauty destination.

Now, loyal and new ProSource users can shop for their favorite products with ease, on their smartphone or computer, and have these delivered straight to their doorstep.

What this ultimately means is that enjoying the numerous benefits that ProSource premium coconut products provide has never been easier.

There is also no denying how VCO can do wonders for you, especially in boosting your immune system during times like these.

Another expert, world-renowned health-aging specialist Dr. Nicholas Perricone, asserts that VCO makes for an effective health supplement, especially with

the presence of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA), which are metabolized into energy by the liver. It also has been noted that MCFA is well-suited for detoxifying as it contains antimicrobial antifungal properties and is also observed to increase good cholesterol and lower blood sugar levels.

Coupled with a healthy and nutritious diet, it is suggested that taking a teaspoon of VCO before having breakfast is a good way to start. From there, one can increase their dosage to one to two tablespoons before every meal, until finally getting accustomed to having coconut oil as part of their daily diet and routine 3 times a day.

Avail of ProSource premium coconut products by visiting BeautyMNL at https:// beautymnl.com/; Lazada at https://www. lazada.com.ph/; and its online store at https:// prosourcecoconut.com/.

n GCash, partners raise over P18.14M in donations to fight COVID-19

GCash, the leading mobile wallet in the Philippines, has facilitated over P18.14 million in donations for the collective fight against Covid-19, helping support Filipino frontline work force and provide assistance to those who were gravely affected by the pandemic.

The amount, which was tallied as of March 31, is composed of donations made directly to partner organizations and through the GCash-led digital donation drive called #FightCovid19. These funds were used to purchase medical gears to protect frontline health workers from contracting the virus, as well as relief goods for the families that were hit the most by the effects of the enhanced community lockdown.

“We are overwhelmed by the generosity of the Filipino GCash users. We know very well that everyone is affected by the pandemic, and we at GCash are happy to see that our platform is being maximized during these trying times,” GCash Chief Technology and Operations Officer Pebbles Sy-Manalang said.

GCash users forwarded their donations via GCash through its various services.

Based on the current tally, almost P12 million were collected via the Scan to Pay service of GCash. They were sent directly to Caritas Manila, ABS-CBN Foundation, Globe BridgeComm, Generation Hope, Hapag Asa Foundation, Philippine Red Cross, World Vision and Unicef.

GCash users also donated over P16,500 to the ABS-CBN Foundation through the Send Money service of GCash. ABS-CBN Foundation, Unicef and the Philippine Red Cross also received support via the Pay Bills service on the mobile money platform. #FightCOVID19, the GCash-led digital donation drive, on the other hand, facilitated over P5.58 million in donations from various GCash users nationwide. The digital fundraising is part of GCash for Good, the corporate social responsibility program of GCash.

The funds raised via #FightCovid19 is equally divided among seven partner organizations namely: the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF), the Philippine Red Cross, World Vision, UP Medical Foundation, PGH Foundation Inc., ABS-CBN Foundation

and Ayala Foundation. As advised, GCash will include Lung Center of the Philippines Physicians Association starting April 1 to replace the UP Medical Foundation as beneficiary.

GCash users may continue to send their support via #FightCOVID19. To support, GCash users simply have to click on the “Pay Bills” icon on their GCash apps, choose the “Others” tab, and click on “FightCOVID19.” GCash users then have to enter their name and the amount that they are donating to confirm their donation.

“Seeing that humanitarian groups and nongovernment organizations use the GCash app as a channel of good is very rewarding to the hardworking men and women of GCash.

It validates that the work we do at GCash directly makes an impact on the lives of many people,” Sy-Manalang said.

Aside from these, individuals are using GCash to conduct their own fund-raising activities to help mitigate the effects of the pandemic on the lives of Filipinos, especially those who were displaced. Through the funds that they gather via GCash, good-hearted individuals are supporting families in different parts of the Philippines by providing them care packages, and health workers by securing personal protective equipment (PPEs) for them.

“The willingness of the Filipino people to band together—all while maintaining social distancing—is what keeps us going despite working with limited capacities due to health protocols. We hope that as we go through these challenges together, we would see more people willingly supporting those who are deeply in need,” Sy-Manalang said.

n IMEE: FRONTLINER AID SHOULD COVER JANITORS, GARBAGE COLLECTORS

Garbage collectors, street sweepers, janitors and other workers involved in sanitizing our communities should be considered frontliners just as crucial as medical staff in the fight against Covid-19, Sen. Imee Marcos said.

Marcos called on the government to ensure financial aid like stipends, if not steady employment, for sanitation workers who have a clear role in reducing the spread of disease and are employed in hospitals, government offices, condominiums, super market and other business establishments.

“Huwag nating kalimutan ang mga basurero, street sweepers at mga janitor na tumutulong para labanan ang Covid-19. Buwisbuhay din ang kanilang ginagawang trabaho,” Marcos said.

Anticipating that an ongoing lockdown in Luzon would be extended, Marcos filed Senate Bill 1414 to sustain frontliners as well as ordinary workers who may lose their jobs during the Covid-19 crisis.

The bill proposes to augment the government’s P200-billion emergency budget with additional government funds and loans totalling P750 billion, specified in a program Marcos called Pag-ASA: Alaga, Sustento and Angat.

Marcos added that soldiers, policemen, immigration personnel, couriers and cargo handlers of crucial goods, and drivers of shuttle services for hospital staff should also be recognized as frontliners in the fight against Covid-19.

between 40 to 60 percent is ideal.

If possible, the sick family member should wear a face mask when they are around other people (a basic surgical mask is what’s recommended). Caretakers can use one too when within 6 feet of a sick person. If a face mask is not available, limit time in close contact to less than 15 minutes and disinfect all surfaces that the sick person has come in contact with. If not having a face mask makes you feel anxious, you can make a DIY face mask at home, though be aware that we still don’t know how much protection a DIY mask truly offers. If you do make one, make sure it fits snugly around your mouth and nose.

The University of Cambridge did some studies looking at the protection you may get from different materials: from vacuum cleaner bags to cotton t-shirts.

Avoid sharing household items like dishes, cups, utensils, towels, bedding, or other items.

Don’t allow the sick family member to interact with or care for any pets in the home.

Clean all “high-touch” surfaces,

such as counters, tabletops, doorknobs, bathroom fixtures, toilets, phones, keyboards, tablets, and bedside tables, every day. Also, clean any surfaces that may have blood, stool, or body fluids on them.

Wash laundry thoroughly. If you can, wear disposable gloves while handling soiled items and keep soiled items away from your body. Remember to clean your hands immediately after removing your gloves.

Place all used disposable gloves, face masks, and other contaminated items in a bag before disposing of them with other household waste.

Make sure to monitor your loved one’s symptoms and call the health-care team immediately if their symptoms worsen.

Taking care of someone that is sick is a big responsibility. At the same time, caring for yourself is incredibly important. Make healthy lifestyle choices and pay attention to your body. If you or others in the home start to develop symptoms, make sure to get in touch with your health-care team right away.

Source: www.webmd.com

SM FOUNDATION, UNIQLO SEND FOOD PACKS TO SM CARES VILLAGES

Families from the SM Cares Village in Concepcion, IloIlo are all smiles after receiving their food packs from SM Foundation, Inc.

T

he SM Foundation Inc. together with Japanese clothing company Uniqlo, recently brought smiles to residents of SM Cares Villages when they distributed food packs to almost 900 families in Bogo City, in Cebu province, Concepcion in IloIlo, Ormoc City and in Tacloban City.

Many of them are homebound by the enhanced community quarantine due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and they were happy to receive kilos of rice, cup noodles, cans of sardines and tuna and bottles of distilled water.

The SM Foundation and Uniqlo Philippines responded to the needs of almost 900 beneficiaries of the SM Cares Village who are unable to continue their livelihood brought about by the enhanced community quarantine by the local government units due to Covid-19 pandemic.

“Thank you SM Foundation and Uniqlo for bringing these relief packs to our place,” said Neralyn Montejo, one of the beneficiaries of the SM Cares Village in Bogo City, Cebu. “Thank you for not abandoning us during this time of crisis.”

It will be recalled that SM Cares

Villages were built to help survivors of Supertyphoon Yolanda in 2013 rebuild their lives. It is a joint undertaking of SM and its service providers, tenants, business partners, employees and communities.

The first SM Cares Village was turned over to 200 beneficiaries last November 9, 2014 in Bogo City, Cebu. This was followed by SM Cares Villages in Concepcion, Iloilo (200 houses), Tacloban (400 houses) and Ormoc City (200 houses).

The disaster-resilient houses were given to the beneficiaries for free, with SM working with several NGO partners for its community development, including livelihood and values-formation activities.

Each village has utilities, basic amenities like street lights, as well as a community center and a basketball court. There are also chapels and convenience stores for its residents.

Aside from the houses, the SM Cares Village also has amenities such as street lamps, sewage treatment plant, materials recovery facility, rain-catchment system and provisions for water and electricity.

The SM Cares Village in Bogo City, the first of the four Villages constructed by the SM Group, is located in a one-hectare lot in Barangay Polambato, Bogo City.

B4

Thursday, April 16, 2020

Parentlife BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Today’s Horoscope

ACTIVITY tools for toddlers, preschoolers and kids in kindergarten.

By Eugenia Last

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Jon Cryer, 55; Martin Lawrence, 55; Ellen Barkin, 66; Kareem AbdulJabbar, 73.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Don’t settle for less when you can have so much more. Expand your interests, and explore what life has to offer. Take a step forward using all your skills and experience to reach the next level. Refuse to let someone’s indulgent behavior hold you back or discourage you from doing your best. Your lucky numbers are 8, 13, 24, 26, 32, 36, 47.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): What you offer others will help you get what you want in return.

Call in favors, and dedicate more time to reaching your goal. Say what’s on your mind, and follow through with your plans. Romance is on the rise. ★★★★

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Go about your business. Give others the benefit of the doubt, and don’t interfere. A move or change may tempt you, but stay put and take care of unfinished business before jumping into something new. ★★

The ‘active opportunity’ in this quarantine period: Part I MOMMY NO LIMITS

MAYE YAO CO SAY

mommynolimits@gmail.com

I

T has been a month now since the declaration of the enhanced community quarantine.

Following the sharp increase in the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases throughout the country, classes and all school activities at all levels have been suspended officially until April 30.

However, there is a big possibility that this might get extended.

During this period, what do your kids do the whole day? How about your toddlers and preschoolers?

As a parent and educator, I believe there is an “active opportunity� for our parent-child “learning relationship� this quarantine period.

Why not use this time to get to know your child more? Why not create special memories of play while getting to know how your child learns most “enjoyably�? Why not reboot routines from hours of screen time to sustainable ways of active play...all of which would be helpful even after the lockdown?

I have always been an advocate of “Learn Through Play� because I have seen the results with my own kids, both academically and psychologically. I have seen them more confident whether in handling a math problem, or in trying new hobbies. I have seen them open to mistakes while looking forward to the next try. Most of all, I see them happy. I believe play allows kids to experience happiness and carry this feeling as they grow each year.

The next question is: how? Will this entail reading tons of books? Will this entail a lot of time? It is actually simpler than we think. It just takes simple routines and a learning mindset.

First, try to set the following these daily “time blocks� for your kids—learning time, creative time, active time and starting at the toddler stage, chore time.

Below are some age-specific activities you can do: INFANTS LEARNING TIME ■Flash cards or black and white drawings ■Grip toys like knob puzzles or pull-along toys for babies to follow when they start crawling ■Books—best after bathing and before going to sleep ■House items to smell—vanilla or lemon extract CREATIVE/FREE PLAY TIME ■Black and white mobile ■Egg crayons and finger paints ■Audio music or musical instruments ACTIVE TIME ■Tummy time on activity blanket ■Activity gym ■Small pools with antibacterial play balls for babies

CREATIVE/FREE PLAY TIME â– Doodle in magnetic writing board â– Coloring materials â– Water Wow activity books ACTIVE TIME â– Sports like basketball or soccer â– Swimming with your own inflatable or abovethe-ground pool â– Action Blocks CHORE TIME â– Pretend play toys for cleaning â– Fold clothes â– Pack away

TODDLERS LEARNING TIME ■Age-appropriate puzzles ■Alphabet or numbers teaching tools ■Books—rhyming books, audio books CREATIVE/FREE PLAY TIME ■Large or triangular crayons ■Washable toxic-free paints ■Multisensory development toys like Color Me a Song let kids create a song while they draw. The faster they scribble, the faster the rhythm of the music. You can even select from four different instruments— piano, banjo, trumpet and drum.

ACTIVE TIME â– Mini-sports like basketball or soccer â– Swimming with your own inflatable or abovethe-ground pool, which is more hygienic than public pools CHORE TIME â– Let them mimic you with safe pretend play toys that they can pretend with to prepare or serve

GRADE SCHOOLERS LEARNING TIME ■Work books you can do together like Kumon ■Books that interest them. Various books – narratives and informative facts CREATIVE/FREE PLAY TIME ■Arts and crafts ■Science kits ■Free play with blocks like Legos and the newer Techno Gear Action Blocks encourage creative, sorting and goal-setting skills. Kids can choose what they want to create and allow them the freedom to make their own creation. Finish it off with a photograph.

ACTIVE TIME â– Sports â– Jump rope, jogging or sit-ups â– Set up camping sessions with your kids with tents, air beds or sleeeping bags while planning your camping menu CHORE TIME â– Fixing the dinner menu with what is available in the cupboard â– Arranging 1 or 2 drawers in their own room â– Folding clothes from the laundry â– Washing dishes

PRESCHOOLERS LEARNING TIME ■Age-appropriate puzzles or tangrams ■Various books—stories and facts ■Teaching tools and games, like The Learning Journey Math Lab game. I used to use this for my son’s play dates and our game nights.

These tools above are normally available in major stores but during this quarantine, you can try to message the distributors through their Facebook pages. Next week, let me share to you the learning mindset and more concrete ways on how to maximize this active opportunity during this lockdown period. â–

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Take pride in what you do. Hard work will make you feel good as well as raise interest in what you have to offer.

You can make personal gains and useful connections.

Speak up, and press forward with confidence.

Romance is featured. ★★★★★

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Keep the past where it belongs. Loss, anger and upset will not help you reach your goal, but an innovative approach coupled with the willingness to adapt to the changes taking place will encourage a positive outcome. ★★★

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Stick to the truth, or your reputation will be jeopardized. Don’t give in to someone putting pressure on you to make a move. Bide your time, look over your options and sit tight until you feel comfortable with an offer you receive. ★★★

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Push for what you want, but don’t force others to take part.

Don’t be fooled by someone who makes a big splash but never follows through. Make a change based on what’s right for you, not someone else. ★★★

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Use intelligence and sophistication to get your way. Your ability to charm your way to the top will help, but make sure you have the goods to honor the promises you make along the way. Keep your plans and your life simple. ★★★★★

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Emotional upset will surface if you can’t agree with someone close to you. If you want the freedom to do your own thing, you will have to give others the same in return. Concentrate on fleshing out a good plan before moving forward. ★★

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): The effort you put into pursuing a better position or making a change that will enhance the way you live or how you handle your money will pay off. Home improvements will add to your comfort and revive a meaningful relationship. ★★★★

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): A change is useful only if it benefits you. Don’t give in to someone pestering you to do something risky or expensive. Moderation will be the best way to avoid loss and protect your reputation. ★★★

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Anger and revenge won’t lead to satisfaction. Don’t make a premature decision if you feel uneasy. Stick close to home, pamper yourself and nurture your soul.

Follow your heart. Do what will benefit you. ★★★

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Check references before you get involved in something that may not be right for you. Avoid sharing plans that can give someone the upper hand.

Protect your assets, and don’t buy in to something that has too many risks. ★★★ BIRTHDAY BABY: You are imaginative, intense and motivated.

You are sensitive and helpful.

‘fantasy setting’ BY MARK MCCLAIN The Universal Crossword/Edited by David Steinberg

ACROSS 1 Grp. that finances campaigns 4 Imaginary 10 Perform perfectly 14 Bride’s vow 15 Loud kisses 16 West Point inst.

17 “American� shade tree 18 “Listen up!�

20 Cake section 22 One of Eve’s grandkids 23 Prophetic events 24 Take in 26 Big T-shirt size: Abbr.

27 Well-formulated ideas 34 Ran without moving 36 Clear, as a chalkboard 37 Tuna variety 38 Most August babies 39 Show-stopping remote button 40 Unexpected problem 41 ___ Schwab 42 Side of a diamond 43 “Time to eat!�

44 Ancient battle skill

47 48 51 54 57 58

“Deck the Halls� contraction Staggered Bar seat Cerulean or navy What you may buy for a cellar Hobbits’ realm, or a hint to the word hidden in 18-, 27- and 44-Across 61 ___ of iniquity 62 Augustan Age poet 63 Phone or tablet 64 Fire dept. specialist 65 Takes off 66 Like bad romance novels 67 Sometimes-marbled bread DOWN 1 Michelangelo work in Saint Peter’s Basilica 2 Go off script 3 Almost gets something 4 Portal that links to Outlook.com 5 Simple organism 6 Joy alternative, in the kitchen 7 Sound heard in a tunnel 8 Luau strings, informally 9 Charitable ad, briefly

10 11 12 13 19 21 25 26 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 39 40 42 43 45 46 49 50 51

Pumpkin pie spice Arthur ___ Stadium “You can count on me!�

Lad’s heartthrob, perhaps Scoundrel “Hair� parts, e.g.

Maroon or scarlet Misplace Get through to More faithful Must Usually nonmotorized flier Person from Bangkok One Way or another?

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DVR brand Garfield’s housemate Pabst product Kind of cake with molten chocolate The Haj author Leon Summer hrs. in NYC Informal greeting

Solution to yesterday’s puzzle:

Show BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Thursday, April 16, 2020

B5

JAMES DEAN in the Hollywood classic Rebel Without a Cause.

TOM HANKS

‘SNL’ returns for work-at-home version with host Tom Hanks

BY DAVID BAUDER The Associated Press

NEW YORK—Saturday Night Live tried its first “quarantine version” of the comedy show, with Tom Hanks, one of the first celebrities to disclose he had the coronavirus, Coldplay singer Chris Martin and the comedy show’s entire cast phoning in with jokes from home. After being gone for more than a month, the NBC comedy institution returned to the air on Easter weekend by emulating other late-night hosts who have abandoned studios and audiences for DIY merriment amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“It is good to be here, though it also very weird to be here hosting Saturday Night Live at home,” Hanks said, speaking from his kitchen. “It is a strange time to try and be funny, but trying to be funny is SNL’s whole thing.” Hanks, in a close-cropped haircut he said was done for a movie, announced last month that he and his wife Rita Wilson tested positive for the virus. They recuperated while in Australia.

On the show, the Oscar winner said he had to get used to learning his temperature in degrees Celsius, where 36 was good but 38 was bad, “like Hollywood treats female actresses.” The world’s new way of keeping in contact—Zoom meetings—was ripe for satire. The show’s “cold open” showed all cast members arrayed in an onscreen gallery familiar to many working from home.

“Live from Zoom,” Kate McKinnon said. “It’s sometime between March and August.”

One skit featured a mock Zoom work meeting, where McKinnon and Aidy Bryant played a pair of inappropriate receptionists. Bryant was stopped just in time when she brought her laptop with her into the bathroom. “I used my license as toilet paper and now I don’t know my own birthday,” Bryant said.

Pete Davidson made a mock Drake video and McKinnon portrayed Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg doing a workout routine from home.

“Every day I eat half a chicken,” she said. “Sorry, chickpea.” With Bernie Sanders dropping out of the Democratic primary race since the last time SNL was on, Larry David appeared from his easy chair to once again impersonate the Vermont senator.

“Don’t worry about me,” he said. “It’s spring in Vermont, so soon it will be up to 40 degrees. And I finally have the time to relax and finish that heart attack from October.”

The show kept to its traditional structure with a musical guest and “Weekend Update.” Martin, on acoustic guitar, played a version of Bob Dylan’s “Shelter From the Storm.” Signs on the wall behind him said “Entrance to Trains,” a nod to the Grand Central Terminal-themed SNL set.

Colin Jost and Michael Che imported an electronic audience for laughs during “Weekend Update,” since Che said telling jokes with no reaction reminded him of a hostage video. “Tuesday was National Beer Day,” Jost said. “Which is the first time alcohol had helped me remember what day it is.”

Che took note that minorities were suffering disproportionately in the pandemic.

“Once Trump starts calling this the Harlem Flu, we ain’t never going to get a cure,” he said.

Alec Baldwin, portraying Trump, called in to the “Weekend Update” segment, although without video since Baldwin didn’t have access to makeup. The faux president noted that “every night at 7 pm all of New York claps and cheers for the great job I’m doing,” a reference to the nightly tribute to medical workers.

The show also touchingly paid tribute to music producer Hal Willner, who scored music for many years on SNL and died this past week after showing symptoms consistent with the coronavirus. Past cast members Adam Sandler, Tina Fey and Bill Hader were among those who offered remembrances.

The lines dividing the arts and the virus REELING

TITO GENOVA VALIENTE

titovaliente@yahoo.com

I

T has been a month and a few days since I left Manila to escape the lockdown. No one had an idea what it meant to close a city. Like a monumental production pushed by a deranged auteur, the entire behemoth of an island called Luzon was ordered to be shut down. Again, no one knew the implication of that move. It was a film with a badly written script with no research at all, bereft of wisdom and certainly devoid of any inspiration that may guide the law to the side of the population.

In a week, we saw what a lockdown or a quarantine meant: No film, no theater, no TV. No artistic presentation that needed an audience.

The noontime shows continued but they were not the same. The viewers were removed. Were there canned applause? We would not be bothered. After the food ran out, we realized we were not allowed to leave our homes and spend our sweet time in groceries, supermarkets and malls. Survival and the way to it became real.

There was nothing maudlin anymore when we declared to others—usually by way of SMS or through the Internet—that we want to live.

The filmmakers did not stop. They continued not with filming but with talking to each other. Ranting became cinematically engaging: you sensed you were there in the created spaces of varied persuasions and conflicting perspectives. In my own online territory (to imagine how physical such territory can be), I saw that filmmakers had gone out of their quiet selves as they fleshed out their views about the flaws and the failings of this government.

The brave filmmaker was born in the Age of Covid.

But they were not with the silver screen but with the realities they poked each day.

This activism, though, is a bit problematic. No filmmaker can be political by merely talking and refining proposals. For filmmakers—from directors to sound engineers—the political product is found in the film they would collectively produce at the end of three or six months or a year, sometimes even longer.

What films will be made when all this is over?

When the quarantining has shifted from special, meaning strict, to regular, meaning lax and lawless, will filmmakers go back to filmmaking? And then, what kind of films will they make?

We cannot rely on the facile one-to-one correspondence between society and artistic product.

That is gross and truly exploitative. Remember the massacre films? They were not political responses to the killings that were happening around us. They were simply works taking advantage of a topic that were blatantly displayed over and over via tabloids and the programs of the characteristically loud, arrogant news readers and commentators with simplistic analysis of events. What is that word— organic? Yes, we want to find films in 2021, or perhaps in December of this year, that are about isolation of a world that has been stopped. Or, about the demise of certain artistic forms.

Dear Sylvia/Mayuga/Morningstar would have a word for it—synchronicity. With all the time in the world now available, I found in one of the boxes old copies of Vanity Fair. This was the magazine that, in the late 1990s and 2000s were so thick not with articles but with ads. This was one of those issues. A Hollywood Issue. But that is not the point of interest in the magazine, but rather about the two articles, the titles of which were bandied on the cover. The two essays focused on the making of two films: Rebel Without a Cause and Midnight Cowboy. These films were directed, respectively, by Nicholas Ray and John Schlesinger. As claimed by the authors of the essays and as accepted by many, both directors remain underrated.

Rebel and Midnight were considered game changers.

James Dean has always been considered the single major contribution to cinema and to juvenile social studies. Sam Kashner, in an essay titled “Dangerous Talents,” perhaps summed up the charm of James Dean in an era of safe, good-looking gentlemenleading men from Tab Hunter to Troy Donahue. There was something magically off and edgy about James.

Dying before the film Rebel hit theaters, James must be the actor who became a legend literally overnight. Ray quotes the maverick filmmaker Terrence Malick, who said: “There were only two people in the 1950s: Elvis Presley who changed music, and James Dean who changed our lives.” If this testimonial was not enough, Ray recalled in the essay how Elvis was obsessed with the movie Rebel Without a Cause, and how the singer “worshipped James Dean.”

As for the film, Sam Kashner stated: “The impact of the movie was immediate, unleashing knife fights

and ‘chickie run’ enactments around the world among teenagers, who felt that Rebel spoke to them. The film was censored in London. It had to be smuggled into Spain and shown in private screenings, and wasn’t formally released in that country until 1964...”

Rebel was way ahead of its time that a Production Code officer sent a memo to producer Jack L. Warner, which contained the following statement: “It is of course vital that there be no inference of a questionable or homosexual relationship between Plato [Sal Mineo] and Jim [James Dean].” And yet, Kashner would write: “Sal Mineo—so affecting as the essentially fatherless outcast Plato—later commented that he had portrayed the first gay teenager in film” (italics mine).

Peter Biskind, in his article “Midnight Revolution”, put it succinctly in his opening sentence: “From where we stand now, 35 years after the 42nd Academy Awards, it is impossible to imagine an X-rated film winning best picture.”

Continuing in his essay, Biskind articulated the impact of a film on a society on the verge of social breakdown: “This was a dramatic moment pregnant with historical significance, marking as it did the symbolic transfer of power from Old Hollywood to New.” Rebel Without a Cause had the youth at the cusp of finding their voices and places in the world of adult locked in a civilization that they created for themselves who were on their way out, and not for a new population about to grapple with changes and the freedom to cause more changes. Midnight Cowboy, which was, according to the article, “etched in acid,” was confronting not only social shifts but the subversions of what polite society was still holding on as signs of humanity.

Those films were of the 1950s and the 1970s. What are the films that would be wrapped in a virus when we start leaving our caves?

No one has any idea about the future of Philippine cinema. This much I can say: when we (and this includes my own group, the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino) start handing out awards and prizes in June or July—or, God forbid, next year—the titles of films that will be mentioned will have nothing to do with the new order, the novel danger, and anything at all about our society. By then, we will be constructing varied norms—for the normal will never be back— and untested behavior—with our persons fitted with unrecognizable materiality.

Will our films make us sick with gluttonous exercises about dystopia? Or, will dystopia be outmoded as we face a nervous new world? ■

Celebrities launch #StopFakeNews campaign AMID the proliferation of fake news on social media, local celebrities launched an online campaign calling on the public to be responsible in sharing information.

With people staying home and consuming more Internet time, social-media posts on Covid-19 ranging from funny to ridiculous are being shared. Many of them turn out to be fake such as eating bananas to protect oneself from the virus.

“More and more people are consuming fakes news that add to fear and anxiety in this already anxious times,” said motivational speaker and author Chinkee Tan. It was because of this that he and other celebrities thought of coming up with a campaign to push for true information.

“Instead of spreading fake news that won’t help us,

why not share only good and real news?” Tan said.

The Philippines is touted as the social-media capital of the world with over 70-million Facebook users in the Philippines with average of nine hours daily consumption, according to global social-media expert Hootsuite.

Dubbed as #StopFakeNews, the online campaign produced two videos edited by Paolo Valenciano in English and Filipino for its launch. The featured personalities are: Alyssa Quijano, Anna Fegi, Carla Guevarra-Laforteza, Donita Rose, Gary Valenciano, Guji Lorenzana, Jay Gonzaga, Jeffrey Hidalgo, Joey Ayala, Jona, Leo Martinez, Lesley Martinez, Miriam Quiambao-Roberto, Ogie Alcasid, Princess Punzalan, Regine Velazquez-Alcasid, Tim Pavino, Via Antonio

and many other personalities.

Here are the simple but straightforward ways of helping stop the spread of fake news: 1. Verify the source of information received or read.

If it has the logo of an organization, go to their web site and check.

2. Ask. Does it come from a legitimate organization or a medical expert?

3. Fact-check. Is the information being carried by legitimate news organizations?

4. If not verified, do not forward the message.

The celebrities are hoping that through their videos, they can persuade Filipinos to be responsible netizens. #StopFakeNews campaign was launched Monday evening.

B6 Thursday, April 16, 2020

Stay Healthy at Home: The Farm’s health experts give well-being advice

O

NE gift of the house arrest/ lockdown, aside from the Earth cleaning itself, is the idea of selfcare especially for those who are in a state of burn-out but still wouldn’t find the time.

Below are some tips, choose to come from a space of self-nurturing rather than doing all these out of fear for the virus.

Before sleeping, imagine how will it look like, how will it feel like if you already living the future that you want for yourself, your loved ones and for the whole world.

The theme or the mood of your last thought and feeling will help dictate the frequency with how your body vibrates as you sleep.

Upon waking up, connect to the beauty of the last thought or feeling you had the night before. Appreciate the comfort of your linen, bed, pillows and in a mood of gratitude, gently stretch your body. Think of your first and last thoughts as the ends of a necklace and imagine wearing this around your neck as an energetic protection for the throat area.

Gargle warm salt water (alternately you can do oil pulling: swishing virgin coldpressed coconut oil, sesame oil or olive oil around your mouth and spit into the toilet bowl or the garden. Not onto the sink which might later on cause pipe clogging).

Drink warm water. You may also take probiotics around this time.

Take a shower (or Wash your face) in

the space of mindfulness.

Pray or Meditate. There is available guided meditation on the net. Ocean breath or Ujayyi breathing densifies your energy not just for the throat but for the entire body. Doing this for at least 3-5 minutes help create an energetic shield.

Do Qi-gong/Tai Chi/ Shibashi, all of which are available through the net.

Activities Through-out the Day (coming from a space of love & gratitude, these are the 2 emotions that bring your cells to a high vibration) Vocal Warm-up and vocal resonance exercise. These helps prevent stagnations in the throat and nasopharyngeal areas.

Flow or movement in these areas create a certain frequency that the virus will not want to live in. For those who are open to chanting, this even creates a higher vibration.

Body warm-up and cool down exercises.

In between, you can do cardio (and dance to the hits of your childhood or high school days) or yoga exercises.

Welcome this as a time to catch up on your reading. While it is important to stay abreast with what’s happening outside, there’s a big difference between informing yourself and getting dragged into the low frequency of fear. Know when to stop and disengage before you dragged into a place of despair and hopelessness. And if

you catch yourself in that space, go back to praying and meditating to neutralize that momentum.

Lovingly clean the house, organize your things or do gardening while listening to Solfeggio Healing Frequencies 741 Hz cleansing toxins and anti-virus; 285 Hz for immune boosting.

Enjoy creating healthy meals in the kitchen. Once in a while, include curry or ginger tea (without sugar).

Avoid too much screen time. The blue light of our smartphone/ laptops blocks the melatonin release which later on will affect quality sleep. Could the global decline of Vit D levels in the human body despite ample sunlight especially in the tropics partly due to too much blue light from our modern gadgets?

Learn new things like playing the piano or other musical instruments (music tutorials also available online) or doing artistic activities like painting, claymodelling, knitting.

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.

With only 40 exclusive suites and villas, a well-maintained property, world-class service, and the Filipinos' nurturing touch, The Farm offers guests an unparalleled life-changing holiday experience.

For more information please visit www. thefarmatsanbenito.com

Manila Water Foundation responds to water needs of clinic frontliners

CONGW. CAMILLE VILLAR CONTINUES DISTRIBUTION OF GROCERY PACKS TO BARANGAYS. In support of families affected by the extended enhanced community quarantine to contain the threat of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), another batch of grocery packs were distributed by Cong. Camille Villar to 20 barangays in Las Piñas to augment the food needs of families in each barangay.

Sun Life to investors: Stay the course

S

UN Life Philippines advised investors to stay the course and remain committed to their investment goals, despite the sharp declines being experienced in the market as the world reels from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The current situation may be unnerving, especially since the extent and duration of COVID-19’s impact on the economy is still highly uncertain,” Sun Life Chief Investments Officer Michael Enriquez said. “However, in the past global health scares, we saw global equities rally 3.08% on a three-month basis, and 8.50% on a six-month basis. This goes to show that prospects of recovery are there.”

Enriquez further explained that while Index, Equity, and Bond fund prices are low right now, there are more benefits to buying managed funds at this time because there are industries that have been affected by this crisis, but have not yet fully realized the impact.

Timing the market is likewise not advisable. “Data shows that timing the market then missing the 30 strongest days of the Philippine Stock Exchange Index would lead to loss. In fact, two of the biggest up moves for the past 10 years happened last March 25 and 26, with gains of 5.31% and 7.44% respectively,” Enriquez explained. “On the other hand, weathering the storm by staying invested would have nearly doubled one’s investment. Don’t let fear sway you from your investment plans.”

Sun Life, through its mutual funds management arm Sun Life Asset Management Company, Inc. (SLAMCI), continues to serve its investors even amid the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), and is among the few asset management companies that continues to process subscriptions.

According to SLAMCI President Valerie Pama, SLAMCI already had online channels available for its clients long before the ECQ was declared, thus, it was able to adjust seamlessly to the situation.

“The safety and well-being of our investors come first and so we encourage everyone to utilize the online channels at this time,” she said.

Clients eager to continuously pursue their investment journey may do so via the My Sun Life client portal on www. sunlife.com or the Sun Life PH mobile app which is available on Google Play and the App Store. These channels can also accommodate redemption requests for those who wish to redeem a portion of their investments to fund immediate needs in these crucial times.

“It is in times like this that the value of saving and investing for the future comes to fore,” Pama said. “Rest assured that we at SLAMCI continue to closely manage the investments of our clients and will always make decisions with their best interests in mind. We remain committed to being their partner in pursuing their financial goals in every step of the way.”

More hospitals receive disinfecting apparatus fromVillar group

M

ANILA Water Foundation (MWF) has donated 1,350 gallons of potable drinking water to courageous frontliners in 27 active branches of FamilyDOC, a chain of primary clinics with diagnostics and pharmacy, who continue to serve the public amid the COVID-19 pandemic that has has caused a 6-week enhanced community quarantine in Luzon.

In partnership with Healthy Family purified drinking water, MWF has deployed 10 units of 5-gallon bottles of water to each of the 27 active branches of Ayala-owned Family Doc in 11 cities and towns. The 10 bottles are estimated to sustain the drinking needs of the frontliners for one month.

Branches in Metro Manila include two in Pasig City, four in Taguig City, four in Parañaque, three in Las Piñas,

one in Muntinlupa, four in Quezon City, one in Caloocan City, one in Valenzuela, two in Manila, two in Marikina City and three in Rizal in the towns of Taytay, Cainta and Angono. In total, 27 deployments were made with 270 bottles being deployed.

AC Health President and CEO Paolo Borromeo thanked Manila Water and Manila Water Foundation for the support extended to their frontliners. “Despite challenges on transportation, logistics, and safety, we have decided to keep our FamilyDOC clinics and Generika Franchise Stores around Metro Manila open to cater to thousands of patients - both potential COVID and non-COVID cases. Your support during this period have truly inspired us to continue on with our purpose of bringing better care closer

to the communities, most especially during this period. Amidst these challenging circumstances, it is so heartwarming to see various groups coordinating to help protect our fellow Filipinos.”

Manila Water Foundation continues to help frontliners under its program, Agapay Tubig, a disaster response program that provides water relief to affected individuals and communities.

Currently, FamilyDOC has 47 active branches in Luzon serving the public in the midst of the pandemic.

FamilyDOC and Manila Water Foundation are part of the Ayala Group of Companies under AC Health and Manila Water Company respectively.

Healthy Family is a bottled water business of Manila Water Total Solutions (MWTS).

M

ANNY Villar and the Villar Group have completed the installation of disinfecting apparatus in 9 hospitals, namely: RITM in Alabang, Las Piñas General Hospital, Don Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital in Caloocan, Rizal Medical Center in Pasig, Quirino Medical Center, Philippine Heart Center and Lung Center of the Philippines in Quezon City, and San Lazaro Hospital and Santa Ana Hospital in Manila.

The disinfecting tunnels will help the health care workers, staff and everyone visiting the hospital get disinfected, as they go in and out of the facility, to curb the spread of the virus.

The disinfecting apparatus are equipped with sensors that prompt automatic spray of disinfecting mist when people enter the tunnel.

Earlier, the Villar family also donated face masks, drinking water to schools and government hospitals, food and accommodation to frontliners, among others.

More recently, the Villar Group, in tandem with DPWH and EEI, has also completed the construction works at Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) Forum Halls, converting it into a health facility in just six (6) days.

Envoys&Expats BusinessMirror

B7 Thursday, April 16, 2020

www.businessmirror.com.ph

BRIDGING NEEDS Supported by the Chinese Embassy, China Road and Bridge Corp.

General Manager Ren Xiaopeng (left) handed over 12,000 pieces of surgical face masks, 1,000 pieces of N95 masks and 50 pieces of personal protective equipment to the Department of Public Works and Highways. DPWH Undersecretary Emil Sadain (center) expressed his gratitude to the CRBC for its assistance. The department said it will distribute the materials as soon as possible to hospitals where medical materials are scarce. CRBC presently undertakes the construction of the Binondo-Intramuros Bridge in Manila, and the Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge between the cities of Makati and Mandaluyong under the implementation of DPWH Unified Project Management Office-Roads Management Cluster 1. EMBASSY OF CHINA

NEW DONATIONS Ambassador Sung Y. Kim (center) recently led the turnover of nearly 1,300 new cots donated by the United States to support the Philippine government’s response to the coronavirus disease 2019. This is in addition to the US’ health assistance of nearly P204 million ($4 million), which will h​ elp Filipinos prepare laboratory systems, as well as for response and preparedness of their support technical experts, risk communications, including infection prevention and control. Joining Kim are Office of Civil Defense Administrator and Undersecretary Ricardo B. Jalad (left) as well Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. US EMBASSY

CAPTAIN RESCUED The Embassy of the Russian Federation recently thanked the

Philippine government for its “swift and decisive actions” which saved the life of a Russian national and captain of the tanker Asphalt Transporter Alexander Solodyannikov (right), who had an attack of an unknown respiratory syndrome. The Philippines quickly responded to the embassy’s request despite ongoing quarantine measures and allowed Solodyannikov to be taken off the ship and be sent to a medical center in Metro Manila. The embassy said the Russian is now on his way to recovery. EMBASSY OF RUSSIA

PHL’s comprehensive socioeconomic package on Covid-19 response tackled in HRC meeting

G

ENEVA—Ambassador Evan P. Garcia, the Philippines’s permanent representative to the United Nations, disclosed during a Human Rights Council (HRC) meeting on April 9 with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet the country’s subsidy scheme to support marginalized families and individuals adversely affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) outbreak.

Garcia emphasized the government’s P200-billion ($3.9-billion) emergency subsidy program— “considered as the most comprehensive in Philippine history”—to support 18 million low-income households, as the country undertook measures to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The measures include a P27-billion [$542-million] economic package for affected workers and establishments, farmers and fisherfolks [as well as] micro, small and medium enterprises, among others,” the Filipino ambassador noted.

The virtual meeting was convened through Zoom via live UN

ing countries could be greater, “as a large portion of the population rely on daily income to survive.” These economies, she said, “have less capacity to absorb and mitigate the economic and social impact of the epidemic” and are most vulnerable to the resulting global recession.

Greater inclusivity, synergy

AMBASSADOR Evan P. Garcia PNA

webcast to discuss measures at the national, regional and global levels for the management of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, especially on vulnerable sectors of the society.

Garcia affirmed the Philippines’s support for the high commissioner’s efforts to call for stronger international cooperation during and after the pandemic, drawing attention to the disproportionate toll of the crisis on vulnerable sectors and developing countries.

Bachelet pointed out that the impact of the pandemic on develop-

Teco disappointed by WHO leader’s ‘false accusations’

By Recto L. Mercene @rectomercene

T

HE Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (Teco) in the Philippines on Monday challenged World Health Organization’s (WHO) Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to apologize and immediately correct claims he made against the Republic of China (Taiwan) and its people.

In a statement, Teco said it deeply regrets the baseless accusations against the government of Taiwan by Ghebreyesus on April 8: “[The alleged] personal attacks on him...are seriously misleading to the international community,” and that he needs to “issue a clarification and apologize to the people of Taiwan.”

Teco’s statement was issued after Ghebreyesus stated in a press briefing that Taiwan has engaged a monthlong campaign against him amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic. The WHO director-general claimed that since the outbreak, he has been personally attacked, including receiving at times death threats and racial slurs.

Those claims, Teco averred, were “groundless.”

Allegations ‘unclear’ GHEBREYESUS, a former Ethiopian health and foreign minister, now the WHO’s first African leader, said the attacks on him came from Taiwan. He said its diplomats were aware of such, but did not dissociate themselves from the incidents. “They even started criticizing me in the middle of all those insults and slurs,” the health executive said. “I say it today, because it’s enough.”

However, foreign news sources said the basis of

Ghebreyesus’s allegations were unclear.

The African was elected with the strong support of China, 1 of 5 permanent veto-wielding members of the UN Security Council. He has firmly backed Beijing's claims of being open and transparent about the outbreak, despite strong evidence that it suppressed early reports on infections, while echoing criticisms from the US.

Robust health system ACCORDING to Teco, Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen, in a statement on Facebook, mentioned that her country has always opposed all forms of discrimination: “For years, Taiwan has been excluded from international organizations, including the WHO, and knows better than anyone else what it feels like to be discriminated against and isolated.”

At Beijing’s insistence, Taiwan has been barred from the UN and the WHO, and was stripped of its observer status at the annual World Health Assembly.

But Taiwan insists “it has one of the world’s most robust public health systems, and has earned praises for its handling of the virus outbreak.” Its Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Mofa) has weighed in by saying, “[our] government...condemns any and all forms of discrimination and injustice.”

Moreover, Mofa has claimed: “[Our] 23 million people can relate, as they have long been victimized by the politics of the global health system.”

Despite its proximity to the Chinese mainland and the frequency of travels between both sides, Taiwan has reported only 379 cases and five deaths in the wake of Covid-19.

Widely recognized model US and Taiwanese officials met online last month to discuss ways of increasing the island’s participation in the world’s health system. This has earned the ire of Beijing, which has been opposing all official contacts between Washington D.C. and Taipei.

“The invaluable lessons learned from the 2003 [severe acute respiratory syndrome, or] SARS pandemic, has prompted Taiwan to very quickly take effective preventive and proactive response measures against Covid-19, including treatment, tracking, quarantine and mitigation,” Teco explained. “Thus, Taiwan created a widely recognized [model] that the international community hopes to learn from.”

It also mentioned that on April 9, Taiwan—under its New Southbound Policy—announced the donation of 6 million medical masks to partner-countries and other friendly nations, and confirmed, “The Philippines will receive 300,000 medical masks.”

“We hereby urge WHO to invite Taiwan to fully participate in all [its] meetings and mechanisms regarding the fight against Covid-19, and restore Taiwan’s observer status in the World Health Assembly,” Teco shared in its latest statement.

It added that Taiwan’s being granted full involvement in the WHO would allow the sharing of its successful experience with the world more effectively, and put an end to the pandemic as quickly as possible.

“Health for all, Taiwan can help and Taiwan is helping,” Teco concluded.

GARCIA pointed out that the comprehensive national Covid-19 response of the Philippines continues to place due priority to supporting the vulnerable sectors of the population and managing the social and economic impact of the pandemic.

He also shared that the country has positively considered modestly contributing within its means to global emergency appeals for response to Covid-19.

The envoy also underlined the need for attention and decisive global response to address the vulnerabilities of migrants and refugees in this situation, pointing out that “this global, crosscutting emergency has sharpened the demand for greater inclusivity and synergy in multilateral action, serving as a test of how

recent [worldwide] agreements on migration and refugees work on the ground.”

He also informed the council that President Duterte declared on March 18 a unilateral cease-fire against the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s ArmyNational Democratic Front, even before the UN Secretary-General called for a global cease-fire on March 23.

The Filipino diplomat added it was regrettable that the insurgent groups had violated and exploited the cease-fire with their killings of indigenous peoples, attacks against government frontliners, as well as political agitation and exploitation of vulnerable groups.

In line with the concerns and priorities discussed by Bachelet and the vast majority of states, Garcia underscored the imperatives of ensuring that actions are geared toward strengthening the HRC “as a platform for effecting real-world transformations through information sharing and open dialogue, constructive cooperation, technical cooperation and capacity-building.”

Human-rights first

IN an earlier statement on March 6, Bachelet called on states to place human rights front and center of the Covid-19 response and to share information on efforts to mitigate its socioeconomic impacts.

The Philippines, through a March 17 letter, imparted practices and measures taken to halt the spread of the pandemic and to alleviate the negative socioeconomic effects on the Filipino people. It highlighted that its national Covid-19 response and measures are fully compliant with international human-rights laws and standards as well as national laws, further underscoring that such measures correspond to the state of the Philippine health system and pandemic preparedness and response capacities and pay attention to mitigating the disease’s disproportionate impact to the vulnerable sectors. The country also cited its compliance with the reportorial requirements of the International Health Regulations and its consistent exercise of transparency in the management of the pandemic in the local setting. DFA

Asean conducts interagency online meetings on pandemic

T

HE Asean Coordinating Council Working Group on Public Health Emergencies (ACCWG-PHE) held its inaugural meeting on March 31, while United States interagency officials joined them on April 1 via online videoconferences to discuss Asean-US cooperation to counter the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Socialist Republic of Vietnam’s Vice Foreign Minister and Senior Official for Asean Nguyen Quoc Dzung as well as US Assistant Secretary of State and States Senior Official for Asean David Stilwell cochaired the meeting.

In their respective interventions, Asean member-states discussed the importance of a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach in the fight against the pandemic, and then highlighted the use of Asean-US Strategic Partnership to strengthen coordination in the face of unprecedented challenges brought by Covid-19.

Officials from the US Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the United States Agency for International Development presented the measures taken by the US as well as the cooperation programs with the region, then underscored the need to strengthen information exchange, transparency and sharing of best practices in the fight against the pandemic.

The entire delegation agreed, first and foremost, that all efforts are aimed at ensuring the safety and well-being of their combined 1 billionstrong population.

TEMPORARY Senior Officials’ Meeting Leader of the Philippines Junever M. Mahilum-West delivers the Philippine statement on March 31. DFA

Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for Asean Affairs and Temporary Senior Officials’ Meeting Leader of the Philippines Junever M. Mahilum-West called for enhanced Asean-US cooperation among scientists, researchers and medical professionals to advance knowledge and enhance capacity building. She also welcomed the US proposal to collaborate on research and development as well as training and creating a region-wide center for disease control.

Mutual assistance

MAHILUM-WEST presented the Philippine experience with its enhanced community quarantine in an effort to “flatten the curve” as well as fiscal

and other interventions to mitigate adverse socioeconomic effects, with particular attention given to micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises and the most vulnerable sectors of society. She also presented the figures on confirmed cases, recoveries and deaths as of March 31, as well as the desired steps toward recovery.

The assistant secretary underscored the importance of providing Asean countries access to new anti-Covid-19 vaccines and drugs that would be produced.

Asean-US cooperation in supporting regional cooperation and respective national government capacities to prevent, detect and respond to Covid-19 will continue to be discussed in subsequent meetings via teleconferencing. DFA

Sports BusinessMirror

B8 Thursday, April 16, 2020

Tour de France rescheduled to late August

PHL OLYMPIC CAMPAIGN STARTS FROM SCRATCH

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CHEF de Mission Mariano “Nonong” Araneta says national sports associations with athletes who have already qualified for the Games would have to modify their plans based on the new schedule.

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By Jun Lomibao

HE global lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic has practically shoved the country’s Tokyo 2020 Olympics campaign back to square one.

According to Philippine Chef de Mission to Tokyo 2020 Mariano “Nonong” Araneta, national sports associations (NSAs) with athletes who have already qualified for the Games would have to modify their plans based on the new schedule pegged from July 24 to August 9, 2021.

So far, only world champion gymnast Carlos Yulo, pole vaulter EJ Obiena and boxers Eumir Felix Marcial and Irish Magno have qualified for Tokyo 2020. Araneta said there are at least 14 other Filipino athletes hoping to qualify.

Araneta said it would be a different strategy for those who are still trying to earn tickets to the Games.

“For those who are still trying to qualify, they have to wait for the new qualifying schedules from their respective IFs [international federations],” he said.

The International Olympic Committee ruled that qualifiers are guaranteed to compete next year while advising IFs to immediately tinker with their new qualifying procedures. Even athletes who are serving doping bans could still vie for the Tokyo Olympics.

Araneta said NSAs have been responsible in updating the chef de mission’s office on

the status of their athletes since the ECQ was enforced a month ago.

“The NSAs involved submit their updates on the status of their athletes from time to time,” Araneta said. “We have advised them that since the Olympics have been moved, the focus should be on the safety of everyone.”

“We’re all waiting for the NSAs to submit their new training plan once the new qualifying schedules are out,” he added.

Araneta earlier said that he expects about 20 more athletes will qualify for the Tokyo Games.

Among the aspirants are 2016 Rio Olympics weightlifting silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz, women’s world boxing champion Nesthy Petecio, BMX’s Daniel Caluag, judoka Kiyomi Watanabe, skateboarder Margielyn Didal, triathletes Kim Mangrobang and Kim Kilgroe and golfers Yuka Saso, Dottie Ardina and Miguel Tabuena.

The country is also assured of at two compulsory slots (one male and one female) in swimming and athletics under the universality rule.

The other sports targeting tickets to Tokyo are taekwondo, archery, 3x3 basketball, canoe-kayak, fencing, table tennis, karate, rowing and wrestling.

Araneta said that he would meet with the NSAs, Philippine Olympic Committee and the Philippine Sports Commission to discuss a new plan once the ECQ is lifted.

“At the moment, the priority is to keep yourselves fit and stay safe and healthy...pray that this pandemic will be over soon,” he said.

PSC set to test athletes’ psyche

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HE Philippine Sports CommissionPhilippine Sports Institute (PSC-PSI) Sports Psychology Unit asked national sports associations (NSAs) to participate in an exercise that will examine the experiences of national and professional athletes during the Covid-19 extended enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).

The exercise, which comes in the form of an online survey, was indicated in a confidential memo circulated on Tuesday to all NSAs. Participation in the exercise is on a voluntary basis.

“This crisis is tough for our athletes and officials as they navigate through postponement of major competitions and anticipate new challenges,” the memo said. “Thus, the research team would like to gather information on elite athletes’ physical activity and well-being during this pandemic.”

The PSC-PSI Sports Psychology Unit is conducting the exercise in collaboration with the Special Interest Group-Sport and Exercise

mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph / Editor: Jun Lomibao

Psychology of the Psychological Association of the Philippines.

“Their [athletes] participation in the survey is completely voluntary and all of the responses will be kept confidential,” the memo said. “However, we request that you monitor their participation in this survey to provide information to the research team on the size and profile of the sample.”

“We welcome feedback from our athletes and we hope that this study will provide us with valuable information on how best to understand and support them during this pandemic,” the memo furthered.

The PSC has since been supportive of the national athletes and coaches since the start of the ECQ by releasing their monthly allowances.

The agency, however, strictly advised national team members to observe stay-at-home protocols and banned them from training outdoors. Jun Lomibao

HE French newspaper Dauphiné Libéré reported on Tuesday that it has exclusive information of a plan to run the 2020 Tour de France between August 29 and September 20.

The organizers, Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), planned to wait until May 15 to make a decision to postpone the race because of the Covid-19 pandemic but their plans were forced on Monday after French President Emmanuel Macron announced a ban on mass gatherings until at least mid-July.

ASO confirmed to The Associated Press Tuesday that it is consulting with the International Cycling Union (UCI) on a new date for the French Grand Tour.

“Given that it’s now impossible that the Tour starts at its planned date, we are consulting with the UCI to try and find new dates,” ASO said.

There was speculation on Tuesday of an August timeframe for the Tour de France, originally scheduled to start June 27, with Marca

reporting that an agreement between the Grand Tour organizers gave the Tour de France priority in the revised calendar. The Vuelta a España was reportedly moving to September and the Giro d’Italia being held in October.

If the August 29 to September date is correct, the final stage on the Champs-Élysées in Paris would conflict with the first day of the UCI Road World Championships in Aigle, Switzerland, when the elite men’s individual time trial was due to run.

Whether or not the revised dates for the Tour de France are realistic or not depends on the actions of governments worldwide—whether the coronavirus infection rates fall to acceptable levels and nations lift travel restrictions.

Governments worldwide are facing immense pressure to ease the strict lockdown as the economic fallout from the pandemic has led to mass unemployment and huge burdens on social services and health care.

The French government extended its lockdown through May 11 and expects the economy to shrink 8 percent this year according to recent reports. It rolled out a €100-billion rescue package that included tax deferment and support for small businesses—pushing the French budget deficit past World War II levels to 9 per-cent of the gross domestic product, according to Budget Minister Gerald Darmanin and France Info.

The expected announcement of the Tour de France’s new dates comes even before any positive effects of the existing lockdown have been confirmed. The number of reported deaths appears to have passed a peak, but any lifting of virus suppression measures such as the bans on mass gatherings are expected to lead to a second wave of the pandemic about six weeks later in the absence of a widely available vaccine, according to models by the Imperial College.

Even if France has the virus under control and

NO PLAN B FOR TOKYO 2020 IN 2021

Protocol sought for all Euro athletes

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OME—While soccer leagues around Europe are still debating whether and when to resume playing amid the coronavirus pandemic, the leader of the continent’s Federation of Sports Medicine Associations is calling for a detailed series of tests to clear athletes before they return to training.

Maurizio Casasco, who is also president of the Italian Federation of Sports Medicine, said guidelines recently published by his domestic federation should be extended for all of Europe—especially if UEFA intends to resume the Champions League and Europa League anytime soon.

“There needs to be a common protocol,” Casasco said in an interview with The Associated Press. “At both the national and European level, if there’s a competition being contested the rules have to be the same for everyone.... And not only for soccer but for all pro sports.”

The protocol developed by the Italian federation starts by dividing athletes into two categories: Group 1 for those who have already tested positive for the virus or shown symptoms associated with it; Group 2 for those who haven’t tested positive, including athletes who were in contact with people who tested positive but who remained asymptomatic.

First, athletes in both groups will be tested for the virus. Athletes who test negative will also be tested for immunity—and athletes shown not to be immune will be retested every four days.

Athletes in Group 1 then have to pass strength tests while at rest, during and after physical exertion. Next up is a doppler echocardiogram, then a Holter monitor (a 24hour echocardiogram), followed by spirometry breathing tests, a full range of blood exams, a lung x-ray and, finally, clearance that the athlete is no longer infected. AP

A NET is laid around a Tokyo 2020 merchandise store after the shop closed for the day at the Narita International Airport. AP

By Stephen Wade

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The Associated Press

OKYO—There is no “Plan B” for the Olympics if they need to be postponed again because of the coronavirus pandemic, Tokyo organizers said Tuesday.

Masa Takaya, the spokesman for the Tokyo Olympics, said organizers are proceeding under the assumption the Olympics will open on July 23, 2021. The Paralympics follow on August 24.

Those dates were set last month by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Japanese officials after the coronavirus pandemic made it clear the Tokyo Games could not be held as scheduled this year.

“We are working toward the new goal,” Takaya said, speaking in English on a teleconference call with journalists. “We don’t have a B Plan.”

The severity of the pandemic and the death toll has raised questions if it will even be feasible to hold the Olympics in just over 15 months.

“All I can tell you today is that the new games’ dates for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games have been just set up,” Takaya said. “In that respect, Tokyo 2020 and all concerned parties now are doing their very best effort to deliver the games next year.”

IOC President Thomas Bach was asked about the possibility of a postponement in an interview published in the German newspaper Die Welt on Sunday.

He did not answer the question directly, but said later that Japanese organizers and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe indicated they “could not manage a postponement beyond next summer at the latest.”

The Olympics draw 11,000 athletes and 4,400 Paralympic athletes and large support staffs from 206 national Olympic committees.

There are also questions about frozen travel, rebooking hotels, cramming fans into stadiums and arenas, securing venues and the massive costs of rescheduling, which is estimated in Japan at $2 billion to $6 billion.

Tokyo organizing committee CEO Toshiro Muto addressed the issue in a news conference recently. He is likely to be asked about it again on Thursday when local organizers and the IOC hold a teleconference with media in Japan.

Inaugural NBA 2K tilt goes on air on ‘2’

F AMENDED STAY-AT-HOME ORDER

loosens restrictions on May 11, a second round of suppression might be necessary even before the rescheduled dates.

Regardless, it is expected that the ASO will announced an August 29 date for the Grand Depart in Nice, with the first mountain stages in the Pyrenees taking place two months after the originally scheduled dates.

The first rest day would fall on Monday, September before the race turned toward the Alps with the major summit finish on the Grand Colombier on September 13. The mountainous third week of the Tour would culminate with the 36km uphill time trial to La Planche des Belles Filles before the final parade into Paris on September 20. Cyclingnews

A trailer set up near a satellite truck to transmit wrestling broadcasts is parked outside the WWE Performance Center in Orlando. Florida’s top emergency officials last week amended Gov. Ron DeSantis’s stay-at-home order to include employees at the professional sports and media production with a national audience, if the location is closed to the public. AP

ILIPINO fans of the National Basketball Association (NBA) will get some NBA action as ABS-CBN Sports brings the first-ever NBA 2K Players Tournament to free TV on S+A this April 16 with livestreaming on iWant.

Headlining the inaugural 2K20 tournament organized by the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) in partnership with video-game company 2K and the NBA were erstwhile champion and MVP Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets, ice-cold scorer Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks, All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell of Utah Jazz, former Los Angeles Lakers’ big man DeMarcus Cousins and Phoenix

Suns’ hot shooter Devin Booker.

Booker emerged victorious in the event for a cause, which brought players and fans together, albeit only online, as the global pandemic caused suspension of sporting events, including NBA games. His $100,000 cash prize went to a charity of his choice.

NBA stars try to replicate their winning ways in the court in the popular video game starting with the first round matchups on Thursday at 1:30 p.m. featuring Durant against Derrick Jones Jr. followed

by Patrick Beverley against Hassan Whiteside. At 4 p.m., it’s Rui Hachimura against Mitchell followed by Cousins against Andre Drummond.

The other major question is the cost of the delay, and who pays.

Bach said in the Sunday interview that the IOC would incur “several hundred million dollars” in added costs. Under the so-called Host City Agreement, Japan is liable for the vast majority of the expenses.

“This is impossible to say for now,” Takaya said. “It is not very easy to estimate the exact amount of the games’ additional costs, which have been impacted by the postponement.”

Tokyo says it is spending $12.6 billion to organize the Olympics. But a Japanese government audit published last year says the costs are twice that much. Of the total spending, $5.6 billion is private money. The rest is from Japanese governments.

Tokyo 2020 organizers revealed they are “purely working” on the rescheduled Olympic and Paralympic Games, suggesting there is no alternative plan if the pandemic is still an issue next year.

“Tokyo 2020 and all concerned parties are now dedicating their very best effort to deliver the Games next year,” Muto said. Our mission is very clear—the organizing committee is to prepare for the best platform for athletes and all involved traveling to Tokyo to participate in the Games in 2021.”

“The new date for the Olympic and Paralympic Games is already set,” he said. “We are purely working on our mission towards the new goal.”

Mutō had also suggested there were no alternative plans to the announced dates in 2021.

“Rather than think about alternative plans, we should put in all of our effort,” he said. “Mankind should bring together all of its technology and wisdom to work hard so they can development treatments, medicines and vaccines.”

Since the postponement, seven prefectures in Japan including Tokyo have entered into a state of emergency as coronavirus cases soar.

The Municipal Government of Sapporo, where the marathons and race walking will be held, has also returned to a state of emergency having been in one earlier this year.

The quarterfinal round on Friday at 1:30 p.m. features Hachimura vs. Booker and Jones Jr. versus Montrezl Harrell, followed by Deandre Ayton versus Young then Beverley versus Drummond at 4 p.m.

The semifinals match between Booker and Harrell will be on Saturday at 1:30 p.m., while Beverley and Ayton’s fight for the last seat in the Finals airs at 4 p.m.

The final round between teammates Booker and Ayton will air on Sunday at 4 p.m. The games will also be on replay every weekday at 11 a.m. beginning April 23 after The Score.

Fans can also enjoy more competitive sports action by reliving classic games from the University Athletic Association of the Philippines and National Collegiate Athletic Association on “S+A Encore.”