BusinessMirror April 18, 2020

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HAVE FEET, WILL WALK THE “Tarlac Five” take a breather along a mountain trail on the way to Zambales from Tarlac.

JOBLESS WORKERS HOOF IT HOME TO ESCAPE HUNGER DURING LOCKDOWN

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By Henry Empeño

ANTA CRUZ, Zambales—Some Zambales residents locked in by the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) are heading back to their hometown on foot, their stories tugging at the heartstrings of those monitoring their difficult journey back home.

JONATHAN ALQUETRA and Vincent Pamugas during a pause in their long journey home.

Braving the long passage and eschewing personal safety, at least 10 bands of these intrepid wayfarers left areas as far as Cavite, Manila, Tarlac and Pampanga during the Holy Week to escape the harsh realities of the lockdown and be with their families.

“They have no choice but to go home,” said Dr. Benito Molino, chairman of the Concerned Citizens of Santa Cruz (CCOS) in Zambales, who helped guide their return via social media.

He said the workers were classified as nonresidents in the places they worked, and hence could not expect any assistance under the government’s Social Amelioration Program (SAP).

“They had no work, no money, no assistance, and no food,” Molino said. “But they have feet…and so they walked.”

‘BAHALA NA SI BATMAN’ CARRYING heavy luggage, the “Kawit Three” start their trek to their Santa Cruz hometown.

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 50.7130

FROM their pleas for help, Molino could tell that they were mostly daily-wage earners whose meager funds have ran out after a lockdown was imposed by the government to pre-

vent the spread of the new coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

A message from one worker stranded in Manila described their common predicament: the work stoppage due to the lockdown and the prospects of a lockdown extension.

“Isang linggo na ang lockdown, sanlinggo na ring walang trabaho sa construction. May usap-usapan pang itutuloy ito hanggang katapusan ng Abril. No work, no pay na kami; mamamatay kami sa gutom nito [It’s been a week without work at the construction site since the lockdown, and there is talk about extending it to end of April. We don’t get paid when we don’t get work; we’re going to die of hunger here],” the worker messaged CCOS. The message also said: “Hindi pwede ang sinabi ni Panelo na walang mamamatay sa gutom. Ang lakas lang ng manggagawa [ang puhunan] sa produksyon. Ano pa ang lakas namin pagkatapos ng lockdown kung kami ay nagutom? [We cannot believe (Presidential Spokesman) Panelo’s words that no one will die of hunger (during the quaran-

tine). That doesn’t apply to us, because it is only our strength that we contribute to production. But what strength would we have left after the lockdown if we go hungry now]?”

“Uuwi na lang kami; bahala na si Batman [We will just go home; we will leave everything to fate],” the worker added.

TARLAC FIVE

AMONG those who took the long journey home were five residents of Santa Cruz, Zambales, who walked all the way from San Jose town in Tarlac to Botolan, Zambales, a good 52 kilometers away over torturous mountain terrain, with crows flying overhead.

Jonathan Alquetra, a resident of Barangay Tubotubo South in Santa Cruz, said they had been working for two months in a farm at Barangay Iba in San Jose, wrapping mango fruits with paper to prevent infestation, when the Luzon-wide quarantine was declared.

“Natigil ang trabaho namin nang hindi na makabili ang aming boss ng papel sa ibang bayan. Nang isang

linggo na kaming standby sa manggahan, nagpasya na kaming umuwi at maglakad [Our work stopped when our boss could no longer buy paper from other towns. After one week of being idle at the mango farm, we decided to walk home],” Alquetra told the BusinessMirror in an interview over social media.

Alquetra, 30 years old, took the hike with townmates Vicente Pamugas, 34, of Barangay San Fernando; Arnel Bello, 37, of Tabalong; and Rex Ancheta, 24, and Jestoni Mapalad, 17, both of Lucapon South.

They left San Jose about noontime on Good Friday, April 10, taking grassland trails that soon led to forest paths and mountain passes.

“Nagbaon kami ng tinapay at tubig; ’yun lang ang pangtawid-gutom namin. Kung saan kami abutan ng dilim doon kami nagpahinga [We brought some bread and water; that’s our only food for the trip. We slept where darkness overtook us],” Alquetra recalled.

At about 10 a.m. the following day, Black Saturday, they met someContinued on A2

n JAPAN 0.4694 n UK 63.3101 n HK 6.5431 n CHINA 7.1608 n SINGAPORE 35.5706 n AUSTRALIA 32.2383 n EU 55.0794 n SAUDI ARABIA 13.4965

Source: BSP (April 17, 2020)

NewsSaturday BusinessMirror

A2 Saturday, April 18, 2020

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HAVE FEET, WILL WALK Continued from A1

one on the road: Nelson, an Ayta native from Botolan who now lived in the Tarlac part of the mountain range. For about four hours, Nelson walked with the five travelers, leading them to a mountain peak, then pointing to them the shortest route toward Zambales.

At one point, the Ayta guide taught them how to cook rice in bamboo tubes. “Nanguha din kami ng susô sa ilog at niluto namin ito sa buho para pang-ulam [We also gathered some snails in the river and cooked them in bamboo tubes to eat],” Alquetra said.

On their own now, they soon traversed some dangerous mountain passes. “Kaliwa’t kanan ay bangin sa dinaan namin [There were ravines left and right where we passed],” recalled Alquetra.

Finally, at about 9 p.m. on Easter Sunday, April 12, after their third day on the mountains, they reached Barangay Baquilan in Botolan.

Soon, a vehicle arrived to fetch them. On board was Eric Matibag, a staff from the office of Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. and also a Santa Cruz resident, who was summoned by Dr. Molino of CCOS to help bring the “Tarlac Five” to a quarantine station in the nearby capital town of Iba.

MALABON FOUR

EVEN before the Tarlac Five started their trek on April 10, Dr. Molino and other Santa Cruz residents were monitoring—and encourag-

A GOOD Samaritan contacted by friends back home gives the “Kawit Three” a ride.

ing through social media—several groups of locked-in workers who wanted to go home.

The “Malabon Four,” according to the information they sent CCOS, were minimum-wage workers earning P530 a day, who rented bed spaces near their construction site.

“When the lockdown came, they had just received their salary of P3,180 for one week. But after each sent P2,000 to their families, they had little money left for the expected monthlong lockdown, so they had to go home,” Molino said.

The four workers decided to take the MacArthur Highway that runs through Bulacan province.

In Meycauayan town, they were stopped at the checkpoint. The four had to sleep the night there while

trying to contact people for help.

The following day, someone offered them a ride to Barangay Barretto in Olongapo City where they had to stop and eventually slept again at a checkpoint.

It was only the following night, April 12, when a vehicle from Santa Cruz arrived to bring them directly to a quarantine station in the municipality.

KAWIT THREE

THREE other natives of Santa Cruz, who aimed to walk from Kawit, Cavite, to their Zambales hometown—a distance of more than 255 kilometers, were luckier.

After starting their walk on Good Friday, lugging heavy bags and wearing masks for protection, they were soon offered a

JONATHAN ALQUETRA takes a groufie of the “Tarlac Five” taking a break near a stream with “Kuya Nelson,” an Ayta native (sitting right) who guided them toward Zambales.

series of rides, according to an account by Molino.

The first was courtesy of a truck driver who brought them to Pasay City by 12 noon on the first day of their journey. Then, with coordination from CCOS, another good Samaritan fetched them at the Mall of Asia and brought them northward until they were stopped at a checkpoint in Valenzuela City in Bulacan.

From there, they rode another truck to San Fernando, Pampanga, where they slept the night, and the following day, another hitchhike to Hermosa, Bataan, where a police vehicle picked them up and brought them to Barangay Barretto in Olongapo City.

MANY MORE LEFT BEHIND

IN the first few days after the declaration of the Luzon-wide ECQ, which suspended the operation of public mass transportation, local government units (LGUs) in Zambales fielded buses to collect their constituents in Manila, Olongapo City and other urban centers.

And while LGUs were unyielding in barring the entry of

THE “Malabon Four” take a rest by the roadside at the MacArthur Highway in Bulacan.

nonresidents, the official pronouncement was to keep the gates open to locals.

“While we have encouraged everyone to stay put in their current location, we could not really turn them away if they arrive,” said Ebdane on March 29, as he announced that nine residents of Masinloc town walked the length of the 84-kilometer Capas-Botolan road from Tarlac and were brought to the provincial hospital for quarantine.

As of this writing, Molino said that five groups have successfully made their way back to Zambales.

All of them tested negative of the virus upon reaching Zambales, Molino added.

These include the “San Simon 10,” two groups of workers who left their barracks in San Simon, Pampanga, on Good Friday; the “Malabon Four”; “Kawit Three”; the “Manila Nine,” which included workers from Pangasinan; and the “Tarlac Five.”

Still, a lot of Zambales residents remain stranded in various places in Central Luzon, the Ilo-

cos Region, Calabarzon and the Cordilleras. Molino said most of them are students stuck in boarding houses and contractual workers trapped in barracks.

These include a couple who had lived for three weeks at a bus terminal in Bulacan, workers in a sarisari store in Olongapo which has recently closed, and several farm workers remaining in Bataan.

Concerned Zambales netizens are now urging Zambales government officials to give some attention to the stranded residents, as the latter faced hunger and hardship because of the extended lockdown period.

“If the government is allowing overseas Filipino workers to return, why can’t our townmates who are just here in the country be given the same opportunity?” asked Mando Bravo, a Santa Cruz native who now resides in Olongapo.

“They should be allowed to leave,” added Santa Cruz resident Grace Muyano-Galzote. “Justice demands that we bring them home.”

News

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Saturday, April 18, 2020

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Pernia resigns as Neda chief over ‘personal reasons’ and ‘differences’ with Cabinet peers

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By Cai U. Ordinario, Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz, & Samuel P. Medenilla

HAT he described as differences in development philosophy with his Cabinet peers, along with personal reasons, have forced Socioeconomic Planning Secretary and National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) chief Ernesto M. Pernia to resign his post.

In a statement on Friday, Pernia said he came to the decision after reflecting during the Holy Week and consultations with his

family and “close colleagues.” “ T h i s i s due p a r t l y t o p e r s on a l re a s on s a nd p a r t l y t o d i f f e re n c e s i n d e v e l o p me nt

Emirates adds 3 more flights to Manila to ferry home stranded Pinoys in UAE

By Ashley Manabat Correspondent

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LARK FREEPORT—Emirates is planning to mount three more flights from Dubai to Manila on April 20, 22 and 24 to help more Filipinos in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) get back home.

A news statement from Emirates on Friday said this follows the successful operation of two flights to Manila this week which have already brought many Filipino residents and visitors back home.

Emirates said flights can be booked on emirates.com , or via travel agents. Only citizens of the Philippines and those who meet the entry requirements of the destination will be allowed to board. Passengers will be required to comply with all requirements of the destination country.

Similar to other repatriation flights that Emirates has operated thus far and for health and safety reasons, the airline will offer a modified inflight service that reduces contact and the risk of infection. More information is available on emirates.com .

Emirates said passengers will be required to apply social distancing guidelines during their journey and wear their own masks when at the

airport and on board the aircraft.

Travelers should arrive at Dubai International airport Terminal 3 for check-in, three hours before departure. Emirates’ check-in counters will only process passengers holding confirmed bookings.

Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) make up a large part of Emirates travelers to and from the Philippines. Due to the family-oriented nature of Filipino culture, being with their loved ones is very important to them.

However, with air-travel restrictions put in place not just in Dubai and the Philippines but in many countries all over the world due to lockdowns being implemented to slow down the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), returning home has become difficult for these Pinoys.

Emirates said the addition of the said dates for limited flights from Dubai to Manila will allow the Filipinos, especially those who have been planning to do so even before the Covid-19 outbreak, to be able to finally book a flight back to the Philippines.

It is also Emirates’ way of helping them reunite with loved ones in their home country, the Emirates news statement said.

Pampanga to buy NFA rice at P1,250 per cavan

Elvira Obaña, National Food Authority Region 3 assistant regional director, explains to Pampanga Gov. Dennis Pineda and the municipal mayors the methods for the purchase of rice which the Capitol will distribute for its relief efforts.

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IT Y OF SAN FERNANDO—To augment its relief operation effor ts amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) p a n d e m i c, t h e p ro v i n c i a l g o ve r n m e n t o f Pampanga will begin the procurement of lowpriced rice from the National Food Authority (NFA).

A memorandum of agreement with the NFA to supply rice to different cities and municipalities of Pampanga is set to be signed

by Gov. Dennis “Delta” Pineda as part of the continuing relief effort of the province.

Th e Pa m p a n g a Prov i n c i a l Ca p i to l w i l l purchase the rice which the NFA bought as palay from local farmers instead of buying milled rice with prices going up to as high as P2,000 per 50-kilogram bags.

Elvira Obaña, NFA Region 3 assistant regional director, said the food agency will only charge P1,250 for every 50-kilogram of rice produced from the palay.

For their part, the recipient municipalities

w i l l i d e nt i f y a m i l l e r i n t h e i r re s p e c t i ve municipality where the palay will be milled.

“The province will help us in milling the palay, which the NFA cannot do alone in the intended time, because of the huge volume of the demand,” Obaña explained.

The governor has allocated more than P90 million for rice procurement but, initially, NFA can only provide P76,875,000 worth of rice.

“We’ll have to check if we can stretch the allocation,” Obaña told Pineda during an emergency meeting at the Pampanga Command Center on Friday.

Pineda said they hope to begin downloading the palay to the millers on Monday with each municipality standing to receive higher rice volume with the sizeable discount the NFA gave to the municipality.

Obaña said the program will also benefit local farmers since the pact with the provincial government will not involve impor ted rice. Ashley Manabat

ph i lo s o phy w it h a fe w of my f e l l o w C a b i n e t m e m b e r s ,” Pe r n i a s a id .

“I would like to thank the President for appointing me to the position. It has been an honor and privilege to have served the country under his administration for the past nearly four years,” he added.

The President has appointed Finance Undersecretary Karl Kendrick Chua as acting Neda secretary, according to Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea.

Albay Rep. Joey Salceda said the decision to replace Pernia immediately was necessary, especially at this time.

“I support the move of President Duterte to select Dr. Karl Kendrick Chua as acting secretary of Neda. Karl has been my partner in the Comprehensive Tax Reform

Program [CTRP],” Salceda said.

“In the 2003 fiscal crisis, Karl was also among the thinkers who helped guide me in designing the reforms that enabled us to be fiscally and economically resilient this past decade,” he added.

Salceda added that the appointment of Chua was a signal that the government’s economic response, especially at this time, would be “robust and strategic.”

“I’ve had many fruitful conversations with Secretary Pernia, and his service is appreciated.

As House Economic Stimulus Cluster Co-Chair, and as Ways and Means Chair, I look forward to working closely with Karl to building our country’s economic recovery,” Salceda said.

Prior to the start of the Holy Week, Pernia called for the opening of businesses to enable firms to

“defray the cost of lost revenues.”

“While the government has eased the burden to businesses by allowing rent, bills and utilities payment extension, efforts should also be given to help them restart their operations and defray the cost of lost revenues,” he earlier said.

In the statement, Pernia also thanked the Neda staff and their confidence in him in implementing the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022 toward the country’s AmBisyon Natin 2040, as well as the evaluation and review of the flagship projects.

“I leave Neda knowing that we have initiated and implemented meaningful changes that will help the country overcome these challenging times and on to a higher growth trajectory,” Pernia said.

In 2016, Pernia was appointed

DOTr chief extends rental holidays, defers rental payment for airport concessionaires

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epartment of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade has directed airport authorities to extend until end of April the implementation of rental holidays and the deferment of the collection of rental fees for airport concessionaires until the end of May this year.

This directive was made during a teleconference meeting between the transportation chief, aviation and airports sector officials of the DOTr on Friday.

“Nag-issue ako ng instruksyon na dahil nag-extend ng [enhanced community] quarantine, ie-extend po namin ang rental holiday

hanggang end of April. Kasama rin dito ang rental [charges] deferment,” Tugade announced in a radio interview on Wednesday.

The directive, which was immediately executory, aims to cushion the economic impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) on the country’s aviation industry, and its stakeholders.

“As our aviation and airports sector has been hardly hit by this Covid-19 pandemic, following the decreasing number of passengers, and flights—this extension of rental holidays, and deferment of rental charges would ease the burden of paying fees

for our airport concessionaires,” Tugade said in a news statement released on Friday.

The order covers all concessionaires that are renting/leasing spaces in the terminals of airports under the jurisdiction of Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, Manila International Airport Authority, Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority, and Clark International Airport Corp.

With the extension, air port concessiona i res’ lea se/rent a l payment for the entire month of May will be deferred and they shall begin paying their duties

by June 2020.

Duterte threatens martial law-like ECQ enforcement

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resident D uter te h a s threatened mar tia l laws t y le e n force me nt of a mont h-long loc kdow n in t he main northern region of the country as violations of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ ) soared.

This developed as the Philippine National Police reported it has already recorded at least 119,061 violators of the ECQ as of Thursday, including people who engaged in cockfighting and drinking sprees.

PNP spokesman Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac said the violators were either arrested, fined and warned, but all of them were properly documented for direct filing of charges in courts later when the ECQ is eventually lifted.

P resident D uter te sa id i n a late-night telev ised speech Thursday he would order the military and police to strictly enforce social distancing and curfews if compliance would not improve.

“The police and military will enforce social distancing and curfews. They will. It’s like martial law. You choose. I don’t like it,” Duterte said but added that he may be forced to “if the country gets compromised and you won’t show discipline.”

Duterte, who took office in mid-2016, already had drawn concern about potential humanrights violations for his bloody anti-drugs crackdown in which thousands of mostly poor drug suspects have been killed.

Some irate local officials have taken enforcement of his coronavirus lockdown to extremes, including a village guard who locked five drunken curfew violators in a dog cage and others who paraded violators to shame them in public, or made them sit under the scorching sun for hours.

The Philippines has reported 5,660 infections, the most in Southeast Asia, including 362 deaths from Covid-19.

The PNP also reported that some 8,429 public-utility vehicles were also apprehended for violating the prohibition on public transport during the ECQ period.

Likewise, 702 traders have been arrested for hoarding, overpricing, profiteering and other trade violations.

Banac also shared observations that exposure to unusually heavy foot and commuter traffic in quarantine control points is taking its toll on PNP personnel manning these checkpoints.

“The PNP, led by Police General Archie Francisco F. Gamboa, is proactive in implementing Covid-19 control measures in accordance to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases [IATF-EID] as we emphasize that our fight against the pandemic will be hampered if our frontliners, our PNP and Armed Forces of the Philippines personnel tasked to maintain law and order and our medical health workers, tasked in saving lives will be overcome by Covid-19,” Banac said.

Meanwhile, PNP Health Service Director Brig. Gen. Herminio Tadeo Jr. said additional four new confirmed cases of PNP personnel infected with Covid-19 have been recorded, bringing to 59 the total number of confirmed cases within the ranks.

Another 512 personnel are “suspected ” to have been infected by the virus and 61 others are classified as “probably” infected. Three deaths have also been recorded along with eight recoveries.

T he PNP Hea lt h Ser v ice is cont i nu a l ly mon itor i ng PNP

personnel who completed Co v id -19 home qu a r a nt i ne, of wh ic h 94 PNP personnel a re considered as Probable Persons Under Investigation (PUIs w ith mi ld /severe/cr itica l w ith inconclusive, inadequate or no av a i l able test i ng ) wh ic h i ncludes 19 Police Commissioned Of f icers, 71 Pol ice Non- Comm issioned Of f icers a nd fou r Non-Unifor med Personnel.

In addition, a total of 168 personnel were recommended as Suspected Persons Under Investigation (PUI with mild/severe/critical symptoms who are to be tested) composed of 20 Police Commissioned Officers, 145 Police NonCommissioned Officers and three Non-Uniformed Personnel.

Meanwhile, the PNP Highway Patrol Group (HPG) headed by Brig. Gen. Eliseo Cruz assured that only authorized vehicles and individuals will be allowed to go out of their homes as ordered by President Duterte.

“In addition to the ECQ Policies on our Dedicated Control Points, the PNP-HPG will inspect private vehicles. If the driver, or any of the passengers, is not authorized to leave their homes, traffic violation receipt will be issued to them,” Cruz said.

On April 15, Cruz and Col. Wilson L. Doromal of the Regional Highway Patrol Unit-National Capital Region, conducted interagency joint operation and checkpoint together with the Land Transportation Office, and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority along Edsa in relation to the strict implementation of the quarantine.

T he operat ion resu lted in t he issu a nce of t ic kets or or dinance v iolation receipt to 71 apprehended motor ists.

AP and Rene Acosta

by President Duterte to lead the Neda. He initially aimed to help the economy grow by 7 percent.

Pernia specializes in demographic economics and has been one of the staunch supporters of the implementation of the Reproductive Health Law. His other research interests also include Development Economics and Human Resource Economics. He is a professor emeritus at the University of the Philippines School of Economics (UPSE).

Pernia was lead economist at the Economics and Research Department of the Asian Development Bank; regional adviser, Population and Employment Policy and Research, International Labour Office for Asia and the Pacific (Bangkok); and was research fellow, East-West Center Resource Systems Institute, Honolulu.

DHSUD to tap 24K homeowner groups for virus info campaign

By Rene Acosta

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he Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) is looking at tapping the country’s 24,000 homeowners associations (HOAs) in its ongoing campaign of disseminating information and updates about the coronavirus.

DHSUD Secretar y Eduardo del Rosario said HOAs can play a crucial role in delivering the right information regarding the department’s policies, regulations, programs and activities to their respective communities in support to President Duterte’s declaration of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).

A ccord i ng to de l R osa r io, propagating correct information, especially during the Covid-19 crisis, can help improve government-led efforts in addressing the pandemic.

“By having close coordination with HOAs, we can assist the national government deliver only the right and proper information down to the community level which is very critical in addressing Covid-19,” he said.

Since the implementation of the ECQ last month, the DHSUD had implemented key measures to support the government’s drive in easing the Filipinos’ burden in the housing sector brought about by the crisis.

The first was the declaration of a three-month moratorium on housing and short-term loan payments from DHSUD’s four Key Shelter Agencies (KSAs)—namely the National Housing Authority, Home Development Mutual Fund or PagIbig Fund, Social Housing Finance Corp. and the National Home Mortgage Finance Corp.

The move, which will benefit over 5.5 million member-borrowers, is likely to result in some P31.5 billion in non-collection by the KSAs. The second was the enforcement of a two-month moratorium on in-house financing plans, or credit intermediation extended by real-estate developers to buyers of subdivision units, as well as condominium projects to be registered with the department.

Del Rosario had said that the unpaid amortizations during the moratorium will be payable within six months thereafter, “or any option that is mutually agreed upon by buyers and concerned developers,” without incurring any interests or penalties.

He added that the department is continuously seeking other measures that will benefit the countr y’s housing sector and ease public burden caused by the ongoing crisis.

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Saturday, April 18, 2020

The World BusinessMirror

Virus puts China’s economy in worst shape since 1970s

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EIJING—China suffered its worst economic contraction since at least the 1970s in the first quarter as it fought the coronavirus, and weak consumer spending and factory activity point to a longer, harder recovery than initially expected.

T he world ’s second-largest economy shrank 6.8 percent from a year ago in the three months ending in March after factories, shops and travel were closed to contain the infection, official data showed Friday.

That was stronger than some forecasts that called for a contraction of up to 16 percent but China’s worst performance since before market-style economic reforms started in 1979.

Some forecasters earlier said China, which led the way into a global shutdown to fight the virus, might rebound as early as this month. Activity started to improve in March after China’s outbreak eased and the ruling Communist Party allowed factories to reopen, but analysts have been cutting growth forecasts as negative trade and other data pile up.

“I don’t think we will see a real recovery until the fourth quarter, or the end of the year,” said economist Zhu Zhenxin at the Rushi Finance Institute in Beijing.

Asian stock markets rose following the announcement, which was in line with investor expectations. At midday, Tokyo’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index was up 2.6 percent and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was 2.2 percent higher.

Retail spending, which supplied 80 percent of China’s economic growth last year, plunged 19 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier, below most forecasts. Investment in factories, real estate and other fixed assets, the other major growth driver, sank 16.1 percent.

Factories and other businesses were allowed to reopen even as the United States and Europe tightened controls. Cinemas, hair salons and other enterprises that are deemed nonessential but employ

millions of people are still closed.

Tourism is struggling to recover.

C h ina ha s repor ted 3, 342 d e at h s a mon g 82, 3 67 c a s e s of the novel coronavirus that emerged in December in the central city of Wuhan. The government reported 26 new cases and no deaths in the 24 hours through midnight Thursday.

Controls on Beijing, the capital, and some other cities have been tightened to prevent a resurgence of the disease. Most foreigners are barred from entering the country.

Consumer spending is slow to recover despite government efforts to encourage spending by giving out shopping vouchers in some cities and launching a media campaign showing officials eating in restaurants.

Many would-be shoppers are holding onto their money out of fear about possible job losses.

Others are reluctant to venture into supermarkets or even leave their homes.

That is a blow to automakers and other companies that hope China will power the world economy out of its most painful slump since the 1930s.

“I w i l l def initely be more thrifty,” said Zhang Lizhou, a 26-year-old marketing manager in Beijing.

Zhang said his company, which has yet to reopen, is paying him 1,500 yuan ($215) per month but his finances are strained paying a mortgage. His girlfriend lost her job when her employer failed due to the epidemic.

“I w i l l save money to get through possible difficulties,” Zhang said. “If I had done that, I wouldn’t be like what I am now—anxious but unable to do anything.”

Gilead gains on report claiming coronavirus 2019 drug working

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ilead Sciences Inc. shares climbed in late trading Thursday after a report that a group of patients being treated in Chicago were “seeing rapid recoveries in fever and respiratory symptoms.”

The repor t, from the medical news publication Stat, cited a video made by a researcher at the University of Chicago who is helping conduct a trial of Gilead’s drug remdesivir. The researcher, infectious disease professor Kathleen Mullane, said that most patients had been discharged from the hospital and only two had died, according to Stat.

Gilead’s drug is one of the most-watched therapies being studied for treatment of coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19) patients. It’s conducting two trials of the drug in moderate and severe patients, with the goal of enrolling 4,000 people in the trials. The University of Chicago enrolled 125 patients, most of whom had severe disease, according to Stat.

Shares of the company surged 10 percent in trading after the market closed.

The Chicago results are a tiny but promising sliver of the overall trial. Almost all patients recover from the disease, which has made it important to conduct tests which compare

treatments against a placebo. While the trial in moderate patients contains a placebo group, Gilead’s trial of severe patients does not.

Research on remdesivir’s potential to treat Covid-19 first began in Febuary, at the peak of China’s virus outbreak. Chinese researchers had initially planned to enroll more than 700 patients in Wuhan with mild to severe symptoms to evaluate the drug’s safety and efficacy and said it would announce the trial results on April 27.

But with China’s epidemic ebbing, researchers have not been able to find enough qualifying patients to reach the trial’s original enrollment target, according to a clinical trial registry. The challenge of adequate patient enrollment has been compounded by a surge of trials studying everything from flu therapies and malaria drugs to recovered patient’s plasma and traditional Chinese medicine, which are all competing for patients.

Mullane didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Researchers have collected information from the first 400 patients enrolled in the trial and Gilead plans to “lock” the data on Thursday, meaning the results could come soon, Stat said.

Bloomberg News

In this April 15, photo released by China’s Xinhua News Agency, an employee wears a face mask as he works at a blower and fan manufacturing plant in Anshan in northeastern China’s Liaoning province. China has reported its biggest economic decline since the 1970s as it fought the coronavirus in the first quarter of the year. AP

The ruling party appealed to companies to keep paying employees and avoid layoffs. It is promising tax breaks and loans to help entrepreneurs get back on their feet. Still, a wave of bankruptcies has flooded the job market, adding to economic anxiety.

Auto sa les san k 4 8.4 per ce nt f rom a y e a r e a rl ie r i n March. T hat was better t han Februar y’s record 81.7-percent plunge but is on top of a 2-yearold dec line t hat a lready was squeezing globa l and Chinese automa kers in t he industr y’s big gest globa l market.

Exports declined 6.6 percent in March from a year ago. That was an improvement over the double-digit plunge in January and February, but forecasters warn exporters are likely to face another downturn as the fight against the virus depresses US and European consumer demand. “ The upturn will be slowed down by lingering consumption weakness and sliding foreign demand,” said Louis Kuijs of Oxford Economics in a report.

He said it might be the fourth quarter before economic growth reaches a level of 4 percent over the previous year.

For the full year, forecasters including UBS, Nomura and Oxford Economics say China will have little to no growth.

The ruling party has yet to announce this year’s official growth target. It has been at least 6 percent in previous years. Beijing

looks likely to miss its target of doubling incomes from 2010 levels by this year.

The operator of a still-shuttered fitness center in the western city of Xi’an said he doesn’t know whether the business will survive.

“The business may go bankrupt, and I would have to find something else to do,” said the owner, who would give only his surname, Liu. Beijing is trying to prop up activity by spending more on building next-generation telecoms networks and other projects. But the ruling party doesn’t want to pump too much money into the economy for fear adding to debt or pushing up inflation that is near a seven-year high.

Chinese leaders probably will adopt stimulus measures at least as big as their response to the 2008 crisis but will emphasize “quality instead of quantity,” said Zhu at the Rushi Finance Institute.

He said money was likely to go to technology development and social welfare instead of construction, as it did in 2008.

Last year’s economic growth sank to a multi-decade low of 6.1 percent under pressure from weak consumer demand and a tariff war with President Donald Trump that depressed exports.

“The epidemic has amplified the problems, so the pace of recovery will be much slower,” said Zhu. AP

Editor: Angel R. Calso

Wuhan adjusts number of virus deaths by 1,290

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EIJING—The central Chinese city of Wuhan has raised its number of Covid-19 fatalities by 1,290, with state media saying Friday the undercount had been due to the insufficient admission capabilities at overwhelmed medical facilities at the peak of the outbreak.

Wuhan’s revised death toll of 3,869 is the most in China. Numbers of total cases in the city of 11 million were also raised by 325 to 50,333, accounting for about twothirds of China’s total 82,367 announced cases.

The official Xinhua News Agency quoted an unidentified official with Wuhan’s epidemic and prevention and control headquarters as saying that during the early stages of the outbreak, “due to the insufficiency in admission and treatment capability, a few medical institutions failed to connect with the disease prevention and control system in time, while hospitals were overloaded and medics were overwhelmed with patients.

“As a result, belated, missed and mistaken reporting occurred,” the

official was quoted as saying.

The new figures were compiled through a comparison of data from Wuhan’s epidemic prevention and control big data system, the city funeral service system, the municipal hospital authority’s information system, and the nucleic acid test system to “remove double-counted cases and fill in missed cases,” the official was quoted as saying.

New death cases were added because non-hospitalized deaths had not been registered at the disease control information system and some confirmed cases had been reported late, or not been reported at all by some medical institutions, the official said.

Questions have long swirled around the accuracy of China’s case reporting, with Wuhan in particular going several days in January without reporting new cases or deaths. That has led to accusations that Chinese officials were seeking to minimize the impact of the outbreak and wasting opportunities to bring it under control in a shorter time.

Humbled Greeks show the world how to handle Covid-19 outbreak

D

erided by European partners as a problem child during its decade-long financial crisis, Greece is setting an example for the world with a swift response to the coronavirus epidemic.

The country of about 11 million people reported 2,207 confirmed cases and 105 deaths as of Thursday, a fraction of the per-capita toll in Italy, Spain and France, which have almost 58,000 deaths combined. The situation in Greece is closer to Germany’s, another nation considered to have handled its virus response responsibly and effectively.

Greek leaders credit preparedness and a disciplined population. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis asked officials for a virus response plan in January. He praised widespread compliance with lockdown measures in an address to the nation this week, saying the “slightest letup can lead to a painful regression.”

Early measures to protect Greece’s healthcare system included setting up an infectious disease committee, controls at airports and ports, efforts to inform the population and close contacts with European and world health bodies, Health Minister Vassilis Kikilias said in a written statement to Bloomberg.

“The gradual lifting of the measures will not be unconditional, but rather with conditions, so that we do not risk a second wave spreading,” Kikilias said.

Mitsotakis, whose approval rating has risen during the crisis, ordered the closing of schools and universities on March 10, only 13 days after Greece reported its first coronavirus case.

After Greece reported its first death on March 12, the government closed businesses such as cinemas, gyms, clubs, bars and restaurants within four days. A lockdown, including a ban on nonessential movement, followed a week later. While avoiding the rate of confirmed cases seen in Europe’s worst-hit countries, Greece also has fewer virus victims than several European Union countries with similar populations.

Mitsotakis ordered up a virus plan to be ready by the beginning of February, which was activated immediately after the first coronavirus case, Deputy Citizen Protection Minister Nikos Hardalias said by telephone.

That brought the spread of the virus under control early on, he said.

A recent poll found that more than twothirds of Greeks tune in to daily televised briefings by Hardalias, a former mayor of the Athens suburb of Virona, and Sotiris Tsiodras, a soft-spoken infectious diseases professor.

Hardalias implores citizens each time to observe restrictions and not to compromise the sacrifices they have made, reciting the phrase that has come to define the crisis in Greece: “Menoume spiti,” or “We stay at home.”

Bloomberg News

Stocks climb as US paves way to reopen economy

A

sian stocks climbed with US and European futures amid tentative steps to restart the American economy and progress on the fight against the coronavirus. Traders looked past Chinese data showing its economy contracted for the first time in decades.

Shares saw strong gains across the region, while contracts on the S&P 500 jumped over 3 percent.

Treasuries fell with the dollar. Earlier, President Donald Trump outlined plans for the reopening and investors assessed a report that Gilead Sciences Inc. is seeing improvements in coronavirus sufferers taking its drug. Oil fluctuated around $20 a barrel. Gold slipped, though the yen strengthened against the greenback.

In a volatile US session Thursday, the S&P 500 closed higher and the Nasdaq 100 wiped out its losses for 2020. Shares of Boeing Co. surged after-hours after saying it will resume commercial plane production at a plant near Seattle next week.

With investor focus on economic data this week, China’s gross domestic product shrank 6.8 percent in the first quarter from a year ago, the worst performance since at least 1992 and below the consensus forecast of a 6-percent drop. In the US, more than 5 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week, bringing the total in the month since the outbreak throttled the US economy to 22 million.

“The market is a bit optimistic right now,” and is underestimating the hit to earnings, David Bailin, chief investment officer at Citi Private Bank, said on Bloomberg TV. “Ultimately we have to have really great coordination in order to see any real improvement in the economy.”

Trump’s guidelines could allow states and employers to abandon within four weeks most social distancing practices to curb the coronavirus outbreak. The president has been eager to return Americans to work and to schools even

as the outbreak crests in the US, with more than 650,000 cases and 31,000 deaths. He briefed governors Thursday on guidelines in his administration, titled “Opening Up America Again.”

Elsewhere, the Australian dollar climbed and the country’s bonds fell amid the risk-on tone.

India’s central bank pledged to boost liquidity and expand bank credit, as it ramps up support for its economy.

These are some of the main moves in markets:

Stocks

n Futures on the S&P 500 advanced 3.3 percent as of 2:35 p.m. in Tokyo. The gauge climbed 0.6 percent on Thursday. n Japan’s Topix index added 1.3 percent. n South Korea’s Kospi rose 3.4 percent. n Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Index gained 1.8 percent. n Shanghai Composite Index

rose 1.2 percent. n Hang Seng Index rose 2.6 percent. n Euro Stoxx 50 futures climbed 3.5 percent.

Currencies

n The euro rose 0.3 percent to $1.0869. n The yen rose 0.2 percent to 107.70 per dollar. n The offshore yuan traded up 0.1 percent to 7.0810 per dollar.

Bonds

n The yield on 10-year Treasuries climbed four basis points to 0.67 percent. n Australia’s 10-year yield rose two basis points to 0.87 percent.

Commodities

n West Texas Intermediate crude slid 1.5 percent to $19.58 a barrel. nGold fell 0.7 percent to $1,706 an ounce. Bloomberg News

Features BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Saturday, April 18, 2020

A5

Real-estate sector on a roller-coaster ride amid coronavirus uncertainties

By Roderick L. Abad

The late Ambassador Bernardita Catalla (right) hands over to Ms. Marissa M. Tubongbanua, the first Filipino in Lebanon to receive a Philippine passport with 10 years validity on February 4, 2018, at the consular section of the embassy. Tubongbanua is thankful for having the opportunity to receive her newly renewed passport from the beloved ambassador.

Tubongbanua then has been working in Lebanon for a year but she has been an overseas Filipino worker for 14 years.

Ambassador Catalla: An OFW champion, ‘rock-star’ diplomat

By Recto L. Mercene

R

EELING from the shock and grief that recently swept the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) over the untimely demise of Ambassador Bernardita Leonido Catalla, there has been an outpouring of sadness and commiseration from among the local diplomatic community.

Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro L. Locsin Jr., exercising the power of his office to honor one of his most trusted and courageous lieutenants, said she deserves an “airport welcome” worthy of a returning champion, with a vow to nominate her for the Gawad Mabini and the Order of Sikatuna awards.

The former is conferred upon Filipinos who rendered distinguished service, or promoted the interests of the Republic of the Philippines at home and abroad. The other is the national order of diplomatic merit, bestowed upon diplomats, officials and nationals of foreign states who have given noteworthy services in fostering, developing and strengthening relations between their countr y and the Philippines, or upon personnel of the DFA—both in the home office, and in the foreign service.

One poignant letter among many that stood out was from Australian envoy Rebekah Grindlay, who told Locsin: “Last night, I lit candles over Beirut’s coast for Ambassador Bernie Catalla.

Her death from [Covid-19] has shocked us: She was beloved in the community, respected by her colleagues, and the person I always wanted to sit next to at dinner.”

The noble ambassador passed away on April 2, 2020 at 12:30 a.m. at a Beirut hospital where she was confined, then eventually succumbed to Covid-19.

Champion of OFW rights

A CAREER diplomat for 27 years, Catalla was instrumental in convincing employers of foreign domestic helpers (FDHs)—or in our case, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs)—to provide ample safety precautions for housemaids compelled to clean windows of high-rise apartments and condominiums.

Author and former DFA Secretar y Delia Domingo-Albert, who penned the book Women in Diplomacy , featured Catalla on its pages prominently. She once gave Envoys&Expats access to one of the fallen envoy’s speeches and provided a glimpse of a little-known vignette of the latter’s highly accomplished life.

In 2016, five OFWs fell to their deaths while cleaning windows in Hong Kong. This incident triggered mass protests and cries from FDH, demanding humane legislation for their kind. (Aside from the Philippines, other sources of female manual laborers in the former Crown Colony are Indonesia and Malaysia.)

The ban to clean windows by FDHs had long been advocated by militant migrant groups, following a number of similar reported cases due to accidental falling, given the number of high-rise residential units there.

Thereafter, the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (Polo) stipulated that only a Standard Employment Contract, with an insertion of its prescribed provision banning the cleaning of windows by FDHs, would be accepted.

As expected, employers, placement agencies and politicians objected to the Polo’s unilateral ac tion.

It was while being posted as consul general in Hong Kong and looking over the welfare of hundreds of thousands of OFWs that Catalla spearheaded three preconditions for window cleaning: (1) The windows must have metal grilles; (2) the employer must be present during the cleaning, and (3) only the FDH’s arm should be extended out of the windows.

After a speech in 2015, she was quoted as saying: “Armed with prepared maximum and minimum positions on the issue, and as the official voice of the 185,000-strong FDH community—the biggest in Hong Kong—I earned the support of my Asean colleagues.”

The ambassador said that following a series of coordination and negotiations, the employers agreed on the first and third conditions.

“Together with the Department of Labor and Employment in Manila, we decided to forego

the second condition after fur ther attempts to negotiate,” Catalla explained. “I was able to secure the commitment of Hong Kong’s labor commissioner to step up their efforts in enhancing the awareness of both employers and FDHs on the importance of adopting the necessary safety measures when cleaning windows and performing other household duties.”

As consul general, the Filipina envoy called an urgent meeting with the deputy consul general, labor attaché and assistant labor attaché, who were all lawyers.

“Strong multi-agency collaboration, coupled with diplomatic skills, allowed the negotiation to proceed smoothly and achieve the best results for all concerned parties,” she confirmed.

By the end of 2018, Catalla reported that “all FDHs in Hong Kong, regardless of race color, or nationality, [are ensured of ] better protection and safety,” the diplomat declared triumphantly.

(In 2019, the number of Hong Kong-based FDHs had ballooned to 400,000.)

Beirut-based Pinoys covered

WHILE posted in Beirut, one of the first things Catalla asked for was the embassy’s OFW database.

To her surprise, she found out “there was none...”

The ambassador acted swiftly “and revived within the month the decade-long abandonment of the critical consular function of registration of nationals overseas.” She sought the support of recognized leaders in the Filipino community and, although inadequate in resources, “we were able to pull off the revived national registration program.”

Catalla described that their first registrants were Filipino civilian personnel of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. After informing the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and those new to the registration program, the embassy announced on its Facebook page the availability of identification cards. “OFWs quickly responded.”

Catalla observed that, although few came for ward to enlist during the first few days, “hordes of registrants trooped to the embassy in the wee hours of the morning.”

Crowds formed in front of the embassy chancery as Filipino laborers rushed from all over Lebanon. The Internal Security Forces assigned an additional diplomatic police officer to control the securit y situation and curb anxieties, she noted.

After addressing security concerns, the embassy was able to register 5,000 OFWs in 2017, and issued the same number of IDs come year-end. By September 2018, 11 months after the registration program was launched, with the leadership of Catalla, “the embassy database had generated personal and contact information of about 12,000 OFWs in Lebanon.”

“A p a r t f r o m h e l p i n g i d e n t i f y a n d l o c a t e O F Ws i n Le b a n o n ,” s h e s t a te d, “ t h e e m b a s s y ’s r e g i s t r a t i o n - c u m - I D i s s u a n c e program had boosted overseas voter re gi s t rat i o n f o r t h e 2 0 1 9 n at i o n a l e l e c t i o n s b y a l m o s t 8 , 0 0 0 [ n a m e s ] .”

Most important, Catalla noted: “The embassy ID is recognized by Lebanese enforcement authorities, banks and business entities as a valid document of identification, proof of legal stay and support for legitimate transactions.”

‘Rock-star diplomat’

CATALLA’S two landmark experiences helped her gain valuable insights.

As a panelist in 2015 in a forum, “Ascending the Professional Ladder: Lessons from Women in Diplomacy,” she and other Filipina ambassadors were asked one final question: “What are the key things that helped you succeed?”

Her answer: “Coming from a country with very limited resources, and serving in a place where we have a huge population of women to protect, I continue to achieve my mandate through rock-solid networking, tapping into the resources of the network, and constantly wearing a thick face to be able to do what I have to do.

My statement elicited wild applause.”

The appreciative moderator looked at Catalla with a smile and said: “Consul general, you’re a rock star!”

For her stellar diplomatic career, that ovation for Ambassador Catalla from the countrymen she served well will surely linger for a long time.

T

Contributor

HE real-estate industry—a vibrant sector in the country that successfully withstood major economic regional and global upheavals more than two decades ago—is facing an unprecedented challenge of a virulent flu pandemic today.

Experts, however say the industry could be able to withstand the onslaught if the government is able to accomplish all its mitigating measures to contain the further spread of the deadly pathogen.

Prof. Eric Soriano, World Bank Inter n at ion a l Fi n a nce Cor p.

(WB-IFC) consultant and Wong + Bernstein Property Advisory Asia executive director, said that the Philippine property sector has gone through a wonderful and, possibly, one of the longest streak—performance-wise—in the last 10 years.

“All of a sudden, just a few weeks ago, we got the shock of our lives,” he said of the coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic during the recent online boardroom discussion organized by ICON Executive Asia and a newspaper broadsheet.

“We are seeing here a lot of volatility, and the key operative word here is the ‘uncertainty.’ We do not know where this is headed.

Anything rosy that we can picture for next year is still uncertain. It’s a moving target,” he added.

The lethal pneumonia that originated from Wuhan, China, late last year has been taking its toll on a lot of major economies around the world as it cuts across all segments, including real estate.

It’s a bit tough this time because there have been lockdowns and travel restrictions implemented, especially in countries hardly hit by the novel disease, in contrast to the 1997 and 20082009 Asian and global financial crises, respectively.

“So business, obviously, is coming to an abrupt halt. And it’s just simply, I think, from an economic standpoint, it’s no longer a question of whether there will be a global recession. It’s a question of how deep it is and how long this will last,” Soriano surmised.

“If this crisis ends early, we’ll probably get pass this quickly and recovery will be very very quick as well. But if this crisis extends longer than three months, four months, then, we can most likely consider a possible writing off of some asset classes in the property sector like hospitality, leisure, and the like,” he added.

‘Ups and downs’

AKIN to what had transpired in whatever crisis in the past, a trickledown effect of Covid-19 is expected across all segments of the real-estate industry.

Lately, less expansion activities has been observed in the office sector that this could result to lower leasing for the first half of 2020, according to Colliers International Philippines Senior Research Manager Joey Roi Bondoc.

“We’re also seeing disruptions not just on the demand side, but we’re also seeing disruptions from the supply side. Because of the

work stoppage and disruptions in supply chain operations, we will now see less supply,” he added.

Initially, Colliers is projecting about a million square meters of new office space will be completed in Metro Manila. At present, though, the supply is down between 700,000 sq m and 780,000 sq m, or around 20 percent to 25 percent less than the original estimates.

As regards its target market demand, about 900,000 sq m of office space will be required in the National Capital Region (NCR) this year. This is now at around 300,000 sq m to 500,000 sq m.

The downtrend is, likewise, seen in other property segments amid the ensuing Covid-19 pandemic, based on projections of the consultancy firm.

In the residential segment, there is a foreseen softening of prices of leasing in Metro Manila.

Retails are, likewise, closed and rents will probably drop in the next few quarters.

For the industrial subsector, the take up of space and even in warehouses is threatened again by the global supply chain disruptions, as well as the lower manufacturing investments that flow to the Philippines.

Prior to the health crisis and the eventual lockdowns, hotel operators in the metropolis were recording 20 percent to 30 percent occupancy. As of late, most hotel operations are closed.

“So all those rosy projections that we have initially are now out of the window,” Bondoc said, while citing the silver linings of the current situation like what happened in the past.

During the 2008 to 2009 global financial crisis, for instance, office lease rates dropped by 14 percent. These, however, recovered quickly a year after. Thanks to business-process outsourcing (BPO) companies that started to absorb new space during that time, thus, resulting to 8.9-percent office vacancy rate—the highest ever recorded in 11 years.

During the international recession, prices of condominiums per sq m also dropped by 2 percent.

It then completely turned around again in 2010.

“So that just shows you that if there’s a faster recovery of the economy and business activities in 2021, definitely leasing transactions will grow faster pace by 2021,” Bondoc explained.

“While there are some major headwinds that we’re seeing right now for the Philippine economy and property, there will definitely be some positives. And we hope that once business sentiment improves by second half of 2020, the market conditions could pick up by 2021, and we will see the property sector benefiting from this recovery,” he added.

New normal

EVEN if it remains unknown as to when this global health predicament will last, what is certain that experts forecast the emergence of the “new normal.”

Office developers, Bondoc cited, might be offering more split operations for their tenants, wherein half of their companies occupy a flexible workspace as the other half is located in a traditional office space.

“For a lot of developers, now is the time for them to strengthen their property management capabilities because it is important to the integrity of the entire building, to the health of the tenants/ occupants of that building, may it be office or condominium project,” he said.

Companies occupying space, on the other hand, must consider embracing technology, the Colliers executive added.

“Right now we’re using Zoom.

A lot of companies are doing webinars. So we encourage companies to aggressively adopt technology. And this greater use of cloud computing will now result in these data centers proliferating all over Metro Manila,” Bondoc said, while noting the latter’s occupation of office space could probably fill the void left by some firms now employing virtual operations. “That is probably a new normal that we will see moving forward.”

Players in the housing field, par ticu larly t hose w it h high ready for occupancy units, are suggested to come up with more creative lease instincts.

Seeing a lot of BPO companies all over Metro Manila, whose operations continue despite the Luzon-wide lockdown, are turning to hotels that can accommodate their affected employees. He pointed out that this is an “opportune time” for developers of residential condos to “cash in on this demand.”

Retailers, for him, may cushion the blow of Covid-19 and adjust moving forward by implementing offline to online strategies, or tying up with companies that have expansive e-commerce platforms.

He also hinted that mall operators should tap the senior citizens— the most vulnerable population to contract the virus—since most of them are now beginning to get the hang of online shopping.

On the industrial sector, he reminded the developers to rethink their strategies and modernize their warehouses so that they will be able to capture the strong demand for logistics given that there are lots of delivery requirement all over Metro Manila. ” These are just some recommendations that we have for developers on how do they move for ward when this pandemic ends and adopt the new normal that we are seeing right now,” Bondoc said.

Enhancing operations

W HILE the global economy is facing a formidable yet invisible enemy these days, Soriano called for real-estate stakeholders like developers to start “stabilizing their operations.”

“They need to stabilize their revenues. They need to stabilize their opex [operational expense].

They need to rationalize whatever programs and initiatives that they were pushing before this crisis took over, and they have to be very defensive now,” Bondoc said. “ The number of people, the number of essential contribu-

tors to the organization is also key in determining how successful you are [so that the] crisis will eventually slide.”

Moreover, addressing the concerns of current clients like guaranteeing that they are also well taken care of despite the crisis and that account management is in place is also much needed, he stressed.

“This is the best time to really reconnect with them. Now, if the virus will be contained shorter than expected, then easily we can recover fast,” said the Wong + Bernstein Property Advisory Asia executive director.

If the pandemic prolongs, however, he warned a longer period of recovery, which is likely to be next year. He said: “So we are also looking at investments that will be confined domestically because of the restrictions on travel. We’re also looking at retailers getting a hit for obvious reasons. The social distancing will not stop even if this [the enhanced community quarantine] will be lifted by the end of the month. This will continue. So cash flow is important, and austerity measures are also critical.”

Government initiatives

BECAUSE economic slowdown is expected as among the bad results of the ongoing global health crisis, government intervention is highly needed as the nation is confronted by this malaise.

One way of dealing with it is to spike and boost the market with stimulus package so money has to circulate as well in the economy, Soriano reiterated.

The Duterte administration, through the Philippine economic team, earlier rolled out a P27.1billion package to help avert the spread of Covid-19 and to provide economic assistance to businesses affected by the health pandemic.

Apart from this financial support, the government suggested to also lower interest rates to boost demand, as well as resort to unconventional monetary policy.

“When you lower interest rates, it’s gonna tempt a lot of potential investors and homeowners to continue buying real estate. Therefore, it will ease the strain of not having liquidity in the market,” he said.

“They can also do quantitative easing, which means they can buy bonds, they can buy a lot of things, instruments, so that there is money in the market and, therefore, there is a lot of circulation going on. That will normalize [the situation],” he said.

While big developers are expected to be least affected by this pandemic, the executive, however, expressed concern for the small players.

Unlike the former who are scaled and with diverse portfolio and recurring income stream, the latter are not. They have one or two projects at a time and they are so dependent on a business model that is sales driven.

“So when the water tap stops, what’s gonna happen? There will be less sales coming in. They have borrowed money from banks and then things will be compromised.

Price points might be adjusted so they will have to accommodate potentially more buyers who will be tempted with a lower price point. Margins will be lower. So that is a concern,” Soriano said.

“This is where a lot of, I guess, game plans, a lot of strategic intent must be injected to really further and fuel the growth of the sector despite this temporary set up,” he stressed.

A6 Saturday, April 18, 2020

ExportUnlimited BusinessMirror

told: Adopt Exporters urged to register for EU-GSP+ MSMEs digital tools to privileges before June 30, 2020 deadline remain competitive M T HE Department of Trade and Industry-Export Marketing Bureau (DTI-EMB) urged all Philippine exporters to the European Union to register to the EU Registered Exporter System (EU REX) before the June 30, 2020, deadline to avail themselves of preferential tariffs under the EU’s Generalised System of Preferences Plus, or EU GSP+.

The EU REX is a system of self-certification, with a Statement on Origin replacing the Certificates of Origin Form A. After the set deadline has passed, the EU will no longer accept the CO Form A. “Our exporters to Europe should now register with the EU REX so that they can avail themselves of the preferential tariffs under the EU GSP+. This one-time registration simplifies the process of exporting to the EU because exporters no longer need to get a CO Form A from the Bureau of Customs every time they ship to the EU,” said DTI-Trade Promotions Group (TPG) Undersecretary Abdulgani M. Macatoman.

The Philippines is one of the beneficiary countries of the EU GSP+ that grants zero tariffs to 6,274 product lines.

These products include particular items of fish, dairy, fruits, vegetables, coconut

oils, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, chemicals, fertilizers, essential oils, soaps, articles of plastics and rubber. Also included are articles of wood and leather, apparels, footwear and headgears, ceramic products, glass and glassware, pearls, fine and costume jewelry, furniture, auto and aero parts, ships and boats, electronics and semiconductors, watches, and other manufactured articles.

The procedure for registration is outlined in the Philippine Bureau of Customs (BOC) Memorandum Order (CMO) 50-2019: Guidelines on the Implementation of the Registered Exporter System (REX) for Exporters under European Union-Generalised System of Preferences (EU GSP).

Producers, manufacturers, or traders may apply by filling out the application available at https://customs.ec.europa.eu/ rex-pa-ui/#/create-preapplication/.

Once application has been filled out and submitted electronically, the producer, manufacturer or trader shall submit the application form to the concerned Export Division/Unit with the Unique Reference Number (URN) as Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza) locators, Client Profile Registra-

tion System (CPRS) for non-Peza locators or other equivalent document; and a Product Evaluation Report, if applicable.

During this time of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), applicants can now submit their applications together with the other required documents online directly to gina.german@customs.gov. ph and ecd@customs.gov.ph or through the BOC portal client.customs.gov.ph.

Applications evaluated by Export Division/Unit of the port shall be endorsed to ECD (Export Coordination Division) for its registration to the REX system. Registered exporters shall be assigned with a REX Number within seven working days from receipt of the complete set of documents endorsed by the port to ECD. Exporters and the endorsing port shall be notified by the ECD on the results of the application with the assigned REX number. Denial of application shall, likewise, be communicated stating the reason therein.

The Statement on Origin must be completed in legible and permanent form, and issued by typing, printing or stamping the text stated below on the invoice, proforma invoice, packing list or any other commercial document identifying clearly

the originating products: “The exporter [Registered Exporter Number] of the products covered by this document declares that, except where otherwise clearly indicated, these products are of Philippine preferential origin according to rules of origin of the Generalised System of Preferences of the European Union and the origin criterion met is _______.”

The Registered Exporter Number must be indicated in the Statement on Origin if the value of the originating goods for consignment is above the value threshold of 6,000 EUR. If the value of the originating goods is below the value threshold, then any exporter, even though not registered with BOC, may accomplish a Statement on Origin.

Representative/s of an exporter shall be allowed to make origin declaration upon submission of the exporter’s written authorization.

For further inquiries on EU REX, contact the export officers in the local ports, Ms. Gina C. German of the BOC at gina. german@customs.gov.ph, or Maria Jaena Go-Aco of the DTI-EMB at MariaJaenaGoaco@dti.gov.ph.

DTI 4A’s SSF for garments production manufactures PPE coveralls for frontliners

T

HE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Region 4A, through its Shared Service Facilities (SSF) for Garments Production operated by Reliance Producers Cooperative in Carmona, Cavite, is manufacturing laboratory gowns, jump suits, and face masks for the country’s health-care workers.

This is in response to the call of the Department of Health to work closely with the DTI, industry associations, and private firms to produce personal protective equipment (PPEs) locally.

Established on April 4, 2017, the Reliance Producers Cooperative is a member of the Confederation of Wearables Exporters of the Philippines (CONWEP), which has been tapped by the DOH to produce 10,000 PPE coveralls daily.

The cooperative is the first and only Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza) Registered Cooperative that is authorized to engage in garment manufacturing and exporting in the Philippines.

It has 2,300 member-workers, catering to a wide range products of international customers of distinguished brands.

Since April 8, 2020, the cooperative is manufacturing 600 lab gowns, 500 jump suits, and 1,000 face masks per day with 300 member-workers. Upon the arrival of additional raw materials, they are targeting 5,000 pieces of PPE per day with added work force.

The DTI 4A provided 10 units of single needle-lock stitch needle feed machine, 10 units of single needle-direct drive

SEWERS at the Department of Trade and Industry Region 4A’s Shared Service Facility in Carmona, Cavite, ramp up the production of PPE coveralls for frontline health-care workers.

lock stitch machine, six units of over lock five-threads machine, six units of cover stitch machine, four units of buttonhole machine, and four units of bar tack machine to the cooperative on June 1, 2016.

Presently, these machines are being used to manufacture the PPEs, using raw materials that have met international standards for waterproofing and resistance to contaminants.

“In this very difficult time, it is vital that we have enough PPEs for our health-

care workers to ensure their safety in this fight against Covid-19, and we are happy with the support that we are getting from different sectors. The use of our SSFs to produce more PPEs is our way of helping and protecting the healthcare workers and other frontliners since they are the ones who are most exposed to dangers,” said DTI Calabarzon Director Marilou Q. Toledo.

The SSF Project is a major component of the micro, small, and medium

enterprise development programs to improve and develop competitiveness of the MSMEs by giving them access to energy efficient technologies and more sophisticated equipment.

Beneficiaries of the project are the actual and potential users of the SSF, which should be predominantly cooperatives, associations, or groups of MSMEs, including MSMEs or individual entrepreneurs who may not be members of cooperatives, associations, corporations, or organizations.

ICRO, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are being prodded to tap digital tools to remain competitive even in the midst of a crisis, as new kinds of businesses are expected to arise following the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

Ginger Arboleda, chief operating officer of Taxumo and founder of Manila Workshops, identified some digital marketing tools which can be used to run a business, such as Google for more complex products, or services, to create a content in the Web, Facebook for brand awareness, and even bloggers and influencers.

“I foresee there are a lot of businesses that are new, different [developments] that will happen, or that will arise from all of these things [Covid-19]. A lot of businesses will be open to digital workers so freelancing, which was not much talked about before, will become sort of an option already for small business owners or even big corporations...,” she said in a webinar.

Arboleda said there are 1.5 million freelancers in the Philippines who have the skills and digital know-how who can help entrepreneurs adopt to the technology.

“A lot of them now are helping people—these are the tools that you can use, they teach like how to maximize your time at home, how to be more results-driven, how to go through the day and still have time for yourself after working,” she added.

Vice President of SME Platforms of Unionbank of the Philippines Jaypee Soliman pushed the use of cloud-based systems in operating a business, noting such systems are not easily hacked.

“And actually getting more softwares into the cloud makes it cheaper, more accessible to everyone so consider cloudbased [technology],” Soliman said.

MJ Panganiban, chairman of E-Commerce Committee at Fintech Philippine Association, said that with the Covid-19 experience, it is a leverage in pushing the use of digital technology among the MSMEs. “The entrepreneurs should not be married to their current business model. They should fall in love with it because everything is driven by passion but they should not get married to it because they should be ready to always adjust and tweak at some point of their business what can be digitalized. If a lot of them are afraid that digital [adoption] is difficult, [they can] study. It’s not always dependent on their own capacity,” he said.

Panganiban also cited the freelancer model, wherein entrepreneurs need only to pay for a particular task. “There is [also] plenty of resources, especially this time, it’s a perfect time to learn, we have so much time to kill and let’s try to use it wisely. There are a lot of resources, there are a lot of online webinars like this one, online content, and e-books that a lot of us can read. There is a lot of YouTube content that we can actually watch on how we are going to start digital,” he said.

The implementation of Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) has been extended until April 30, 2020, from the original April 12, to curb the spread of Covid-19.

Soliman also sees more people going into digital but only the “persistent will survive.”

“What I mean about being persistent? Who will seek out to learn, will seek out to get guided, who will look for mentors, those who are serious are those who will survive,” he said, citing online learning and mentoring sessions, among others. RJ Ledesma, founder of Mercato Centrale and cofounder of EnterPH, foresees many “great businesses” that will emerge from the crisis.

“Right after the crisis, I see a lot of businesses coming out that have to integrate social distancing into doing their business,” he said.

“I also see an increase in people doing health and immunity-based supplement products, food-based products, also emerging at the same time. Immediately, we see a lot of people are going online for delivery of their products, we will see a lot of development of paid webinars, seminars going online,” he added.

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Popcom bats for creation of Registry of Barangay Inhabitants and Migrants

By Cai U. Ordinario

A

FTER the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases has approved a memorandum circular on social amelioration measures amid the spread of Covid-19 and the community quarantines imposed across the country, local government units—specifically the barangays—were directed to submit their existing beneficiary databases to the Department of Social Welfare and Development. The DSWD needs the local listing so it can distribute social amelioration cards for the distribution of cash assistance in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The distribution of cash aid (P5,000 to P8,000) to vulnerable sectors of society such as persons with disabilities, senior citizens, pregnant mothers, homeless persons and workers in informal sectors, however, was not without some hitches.

Some senior citizens, for example, were not included in the list of some barangays.

To solve this kind of a problem in the future, the Commission on Population and Development (Popcom) said creating barangay registries can better prepare local governments to

respond to disasters and pandemics such as the Covid-19.

In a statement, Popcom head Undersecretary Juan Antonio Perez III said local governments must take a more proactive stance in ensuring the safety and protection of older persons during disasters and pandemics.

Perez said this can be done through the creation and use of the Registry of Barangay Inhabitants and Migrants (RBIM). This can be used as basis for local government interventions during crises.

“It is paramount for LGUs to have their respective databases on household population so that they can have more reliable and population-specific interventions. Locating vulnerable members of the population is the function of an efficient demographic and socioeconomic database at the community level,” Perez said.

Perez said that it’s natural that during a crisis such as the ongoing pandemic, LGUs must focus on families in need to ensure the well-being of constituents.

However, Perez said elderly and senior citizens who are living alone have become doubly vulnerable with the absence of the

usual support system supposedly given by their families. This is where the RBIM will prove its usefulness.

Based on the latest population census in 2015, Perez said there are about 444,392 older Filipinos aged 65 years and above who are living alone. They account for 9.3 percent of all senior citizens nationwide.

Perez added that 53 percent of seniors living alone were residing in Luzon, with the largest population at 51,324 in Calabarzon region, Region 6 (Western Visayas) and Region 7 (Central Visayas) also have a significant number of seniors of the same age range, with 47,707 and 45,201, respectively.

It can be noted, Perez said, that seniors are among the vulnerable, if not the most vulnerable to Covid-19 due to their weaker health conditions. They are also prohibited from leaving their homes, preventing them from sourcing food and medicines they need to survive.

“A significant proportion of older persons are also living by themselves in Metro Manila and Central Luzon,” Perez said. “As such, their barangays and community leaders should be able to locate these individuals so that they can be provided with the appropriate support.”

Rosemarie Rafael: ‘Success is a series of failures’

By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes

A

LTHOUGH she can afford to retire and relax now, Airspeed President Rosemarie Rafael still has the energy and enthusiasm to be involved in so many things.

For her, running the company is more of a commitment than a motivation or an inspiration.

Rafael said commitment “is the ability to see through what I believe will be good for the company. It is commitment, which inspires and attracts other people. It is also the conviction to make things happen. And it starts from the heart. It is believing that what you have can help others.”

In an e-mail interview with the BusinessMirror, she said discipline plays an important role in running an organization. Being a success- and focus-driven executive, Rafael gets energy from her pursuit to excel and to tackle the challenges head on.

Although she is managing several businesses, Rafael displays a great balancing act as she tries to work out or give priority to more urgent matters. She also practices empowerment because she believes it can be a big help in making the business scale up.

“The only thing I cannot delegate is my time with my family,” she said.

Apart from Airspeed, Rafael is also chairman of the board of directors of Linex Corp; an independent director of Axelum Resources and ASP Airspeed Philippines Inc.; director of New Life Tanza and Metro World Child Foundation Inc.; and CEO of Ephesians Management Corp.

Rafael is definitely one of the Filipina executives who have proven that they can excel in their chosen field.

According to the Grant Thornton International 2020 Women in Business Report, the Philippines emerged on top of 32 countries in

ROSEMARIE RAFAEL

a global survey regarding the role of women in senior management. Moreover, the report indicated that 43 percent of female Filipino executives were in a senior leadership role.

Rafael achieved a milestone in her career when she was elected as president of the Air Cargo Forwarders of the Philippines, a position she held from 1996 to 1997. Being in that industry for three decades, she said that it was difficult for a woman to be elected to lead the industry because it was a male dominated industry. “Women were not taken and perceived seriously; so we had to work harder to prove our worth,” Rafael said.

“It is more memorable, however, as the men in the industry will not recognize a woman leader until she has proven her mettle. When I was elected as the first woman president of the association, it means that even my competitors respected me as one of them,” she added.

Airspeed was established in August 1993 during the killing of Ninoy Aquino. Many people told her it was a bad time to open a business, but she proceeded with her decision.

She pointed out that trust is a crucial ele-

ment in setting up a business. Moreover, it is important for a business to build relationships with clients based on trust. “Once confidence is achieved, trust follows. It is something that’s not built overnight though,” she said.

“I build trust day by day, month to month, and yeartoyear.Iintentionallydoubledthework,and made sure that what we do has a purpose—and that is to serve the clients we have,” she added.

To cope up with the expansion of Airspeed, Rafael and her team had to strategize on how they can grow without having to be dependent on external funding.

Moreover, Airspeed will continue to focus on its core competency, and stand by its core values and principles. Rafael said Airspeed is laser-focused on its goals and vision.

Looking back, the lady executive said she never thought that she would ever head a company. In fact, the dream of this international studies graduate of Maryknoll was to become an ambassador. “But I was placed in a position where I had to run and manage a business. We started with 6 people, so it was hard but manageable. I worry about where to get their salaries month after month. Now, we have more than 800 employees,” she said.

“I had to equip myself by taking executive lessons and learning finance. Learn from your mentors, talk to them and ask questions. I read books to equip and prepare myself. Learning should be a lifelong goal,” she explained.

Rafael credits the values instilled in her by Maryknoll for her success, citing the qualities that helped her become a successful leader.

“One that is courageous enough to see things through; One who is not afraid to make decisions and act on it.”

She added: “One who is not afraid to fail, because after all, success is a series of failures where we can definitely learn valuable lessons from.”

Editor: Angel R. Calso • Saturday, April 18, 2020 A7

Random notes from the bunker

By Nick Tayag

MY SIXTY-ZEN’S WORTH

L

IKE everybody, I have voluntarily stayed at home for the past few weeks, observing the government’s imposed community quarantine. With lots of idle time on my hands, I spent some of the time jotting down personal thoughts, reflections and ruminations about what’s happening.

Begging your indulgence, let me share the random jottings of someone who looks at these times from the perspective of more than six decades of accumulated experience.

Just like a scene from the movies where you have a mask-wearing desperado holding up a bank, now the whole world is wearing the ubiquitous mask.

But here’s the twist. We are the ones being held hostage by a hold-upper named Covid-19, pointing a loaded gun at our heads. We are told to stay down and not make a move.

As the clock ticks by we, the terrorized hostages, are being flicked like flies, one by one. This hold-upper is not only ruthless, it is an equal opportunity killer. He rolls the barrel of his gun and without warning, pulls the trigger relentlessly, over and over again as in a game of Russian roulette. We do not know who will get the bullet next.

Even worse, it does not appear to want to leave the place. It is not even making demands.

Meanwhile, the rescue effort is slow in coming.

It’s a scene that is just like in the movies.

But this time the nightmare is for deadly real.

DOORS Closed to the virus outside.

Closer to the Divine inside.

You may close your door to the outside world due to the pandemic.

But keep your heart’s door open.

As you close the door and stay home for the mandatory quarantine don’t leave Hope and Compassion at the doorstep.

Who knows but maybe the same door you have just closed to keep you and your loved ones safe from the pandemic will soon open to a path that leads you somewhere new and beautiful.

For the past few weeks, I have travelled to and fro in time visited far-away places, encountered diverse cultures, met heroes and villains of history, discovered the fascinating works of unknown artists seen the chilling ravages of wars and plagues through survivors’ eyes, conversed with enlightened sages and scholars, and absorbed their counsels in times of uncertainty.

All thanks to books and documentaries

at hand.

Staying at home boring?

I say it's broadening!

The body can be quarantined and locked up inside the home. But not the mind for it can roam at will. Never is it more alive than in moments of long isolation as this. Let the mind breathe freely and savor the oxygen of absolute isolation without the incessant calls of duty, obligations, official business and functions.

When we go back to normal life, after this dark period is over, what are the valuable lessons (may nahugot) from the experience?

1. There are those who will die so others may live. We cannot express our gratitude enough for the sacrifices of the frontliners, who are falling down one by one. They did not shirk from their mission and commitment. When we get back to work, let us ask ourselves: am I true to my sense of mission and my commitment as a government clerk, artist, engineer, accountant, IT worker, in the same way the health-care professionals are being true to theirs?

2. Inspired by the example of an infected old Italian priest giving up his ventilator in favor of a younger patient because of the limited supply of ventilators, and other examples, we should seriously consider getting out of our comfort zones, and start asking what we can do to contribute to fight, alleviate, console, comfort, and boost the morale of our fellow men.

In being isolated from each other for so many weeks, we should now realize that we must work closer together than ever before. The greater sense of empathy and collective responsibility that we have rediscovered in our selves should now move us to reach out to each other, watch out for each other, be more considerate of the needs of our fellow workers, fellow human beings.

3. We should now strongly believe that no one should feel more important than others. Note how prompt and vocal we are in calling out those who display symptoms of entitlement and privilege due to rank, power and wealth. We now angrily shame those who get priority in Covid testing, in the face of scarcity of testing kits. So when we come out intact from this crisis, let us be mindful of the need to follow protocol, queue, and respect each other’s point of view or idea.

One last word: now that we have seen enough unhappiness, pain, sadness and frustration around us, let us strive to uplift this suffering world one heart at a time.

Elderly left ‘in the lurch’ by UK response to coronavirus T

HE UK government is under pressure from the care industry for failing to protect the country’s elderly from the coronavirus and for under-reporting the number of deaths Covid-19 has caused.

Older people, many of whom already have medical conditions, are among the most vulnerable to the virus. The risk is that once one resident in a care home catches the disease, it can spread throughout a facility. So far, though, the government has focused its attention on equipping National Health Service hospitals with critical care beds and protective equipment.

“I say to all those people working in care homes up and down the country—whether it’s the people in them, whether it’s the people looking after them—you have absolutely not been forgotten,” Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said at a televised briefing from Downing

Street on Tuesday.

Care home staff complain they lack the protective equipment they need, leaving the most vulnerable and the people who work with them exposed to the disease, while a shortage of tests has hampered efforts to track and contain the virus.

Sunak said Health Secretary Matt Hancock will give an update on the government’s plans for social care on Wednesday.

“The NHS has kind of left them in the lurch,” former Conservative government minister Ros Altmann told the BBC earlier. “They are left without protective equipment, they can’t find it, or testing even if they request it, it’s not always given to them.”

Lack of data

COMPLICATING the picture is the lack of data. Because the UK government doesn’t keep track of how

many people in social care are dying from Covid-19, it almost certain to be under-reporting the overall death toll. When France and Belgium included fatalities in nursing homes for the first time, their counts surged.

UK officials say they are seeking the data urgently, but collecting figures from thousands of care homes is a more time-consuming process than aggregating it from a few hundred hospital trusts long accustomed to reporting data to central government daily.

Those in hospices and care homes may not have been tested for coronavirus and may also have other long-standing medical conditions, meaning they may not show up in the coronavirus statistics.

“In these very dispersed systems, we just need to be absolutely clear that the cause of death that is attributed is correct,” Yvonne Doyle,

medical director of Public Health England, said at Tuesday’s briefing.

Discrepancy

BRITAIN’S care regulator said it will allow providers to report whether deaths were from a suspected or confirmed case of Covid-19 from this week.

There is still a big discrepancy between the proportion of care homes infected by the virus reported by the government and by providers themselves. On Monday, Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty told a televised press conference that 13.5 percent of care homes had reported coronavirus cases and 92 care homes had seen outbreaks in the previous 24 hours.

But some of the country’s biggest care providers are seeing much higher number of people infected.

HC-One, which operates 328 homes, says that more than two thirds of

them have been affected by the virus.

The provider has logged 311 deaths from suspected or confirmed cases of the disease.

The number of deaths involving Covid-19 in England may be 15 percent greater than the number reported by the National Health Service. Figures released by the Office of National Statistics, which includes deaths recorded outside hospitals—in places like care homes and hospices—show 217 people had died in care homes before April 3.

‘National scandal’

“THESE figures are nothing short of a national scandal,” Dave Prentis, general secretary of the Unison labor union, said in a statement in response to the ONS figures. “Elderly and vulnerable residents face a death sentence because staff lack personal protective equipment.”

Prentis said his union’s helpline

for protective equipment had received more than 3,500 calls since it had been set up.

“Care staff working in residential homes and out in the community feel like they—and the people they care for—are bottom of the priority list for PPE,” he said.

Financial pressures during the coronavirus have already put hospices at risk of closing, and a lack of protective equipment has put further pressure on staff. For charities such as Sue Ryder, access to personal protective equipment is now critical, according to Chief Executive Heidi Travis.

“This means that Sue Ryder will soon be unable to protect our doctors and nurses from contracting the virus,” she said. “We will not put our staff at risk and so this will lead to staff shortages at a time when they are needed more than ever before.”

Bloomberg News

A8

Saturday, April 18, 2020

BusinessMirror

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/

KIDS Home Intervention does online therapy sessions using a skillbased system to address children’s developmental delays.

THE Lenovo Legion 7i and 5i laptops

LENOVO LEGION NEXT-GEN GAMING PCs TO FEATURE LATEST TECHNOLOGIES

Online education during a pandemic PRIMETIME

DINNA CHAN VASQUEZ @dinnachanvasquez luckydinna@gmail.com

T

HE Covid-19 pandemic has made everyone stay at home but it has not stopped the world. People still need to work. Students need to learn and teachers need to teach. Personally, I’m not a fan of online classes. I think it’s added stress for students who don’t have computers and/or Internet access at home.

But life goes on and there are some things, such as education, that can’t be delayed.

Ann Abacan of Sophia School in Meycauayan, Bulacan, said the Internet has allowed them to continue their operations. “Our teachers meet online once or twice a week using Zoom or Google Hangouts.

Members of the school administration meet around three to five times [a week] to follow-up on tasks,” said the principal and owner.

Sophia School launched a Facebook campaign, called “Share Ko Lang,” a series of creative videos featuring Sophian students, parents and teachers sharing their experiences during this time.

Staying connected with her students is also a priority for Marj Palmares-Cruz, a business professor at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines-San Pedro Campus and PUP Open University.

Palmares-Cruz’s priority was to finish the remaining sessions for the semester after classes were suspended due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

“The challenge lies in the students’ access to the Internet, because not all of them own computers.”

Palmares-Cruz thought of utilizing Facebook Messenger, an app which everyone can access freely.

She designed her instructional materials in such a way that there would be lesser online meetings, which easily eat up data. “Outputs are submitted through Facebook Messenger as a group, in consideration of the students who don’t have gadgets and have limited Internet access.”

In addition, Cruz uses Google Classroom for individual submission and tracking of student’s work for courses that require monitoring of each student’s progress. “I also make sure to post contents that are relevant to my students on my personal Facebook account. That way, their learning never stops.”

Teacher Oliver Lara thought of ways to still do therapy sessions with his students from Kids Home Intervention. As a center that uses a skills-based system to address children’s developmental delays, he knew his learners need to continually receive treatment for their courses to be fully effective.

“Our team decided to have online classes in order to ensure that our students continue to receive the intervention they need, and to facilitate skills across different platforms and settings,” said Lara, adding that they use Microsoft Teams to run their daily Virtual Classroom Management activities.

“Technology is very essential especially during this ECQ because it enables us to be of service to our clients and students regardless of the current situations.”

Even prior to the Covid-19 health crisis, there have been several teaching methodologies that have proven to be disaster-resilient.

Designed to promote independent learning in students, the Dynamic Learning Program (DLP) adopted by several schools nationwide is a nontraditional and innovative teaching framework that can be implemented even during times of crisis. The pedagogy uses parallel learning groups, activity-based multi-domain learning, in-school comprehensive student portfolio, and strategic study and rest periods to improve student academic performance as well as support teachers’ needs.

During the Zamboanga Siege back in 2013, students of Claret School of Zamboanga City (CSZC) continued to learn in the safety of their homes

through the DLP. The same is true today as the entire nation wages a battle against a faceless enemy. “We have already proven that DLP works as a pedagogy that allows students to learn especially in times of force majeure,” says CSZC high-school principal Daisy Bejerano-Natividad.

According to Marie Joneth Rivera, a Math Subject Coordinator in CSZC, the DLP facilitates the learning process even if the students can’t come to school.

“Since the teachers have already planned and designed the learning activity sheets for the whole school year, the students can easily access these activities and work independently in their respective homes,” said Rivera.

Aika Angel Ubando, a graduate of CSZC, is among those who benefited from DLP at the time of the Zamboanga Siege, when they were unable to go to school for close to two months.

“We were given worksheets online that had to be submitted once a week, and the setup was convenient for both teachers and learners. If it weren’t for the program, we all would have struggled to cope with the crisis,” she said.

As part of its initiatives under its education advocacy, wireless services provider Smart Communications Inc. (Smart) has conducted DLP trainings for teachers and schools nationwide. DLP workshops were also held in various provinces for facilitators of the Alternative Learning System (ALS), the flagship program of the Department of Education that offers nonformal education to out-of-school youth and adults who have failed to complete basic education. The Xavier University ALS Night School Program is also making sure its learners acquire the necessary knowledge needed for their Accreditation and Equivalency (A&E) test. The competency exam is required for ALS students who wish to enroll in secondary and post-secondary schools.

Online education is a new frontier for us in the Philippines. We don’t know how much longer we’ll be in quarantine because of Covid-19. I prefer to keep an open mind about it despite my misgivings because it seems that we have very little choice right now. ■

LENOVO Legion is set to deliver gaming enthusiasts with more immersive experiences. Its upcoming PC line-up will feature the latest Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super GPU with Max-Q Design, and the new 10th Gen Intel Core H-Series mobile processors.

Powered by the new GeForce RTX Super GPUs with Max-Q Design on the new Lenovo Legion 7i laptop, gamers will enjoy higher clock speeds and new levels of realism in today’s AAA games. Its sibling, the new Lenovo Legion 5i laptop, will offer up to RTX 2060 GPU. Lenovo Legion’s new gaming PCs will also support Nvidia G-Sync technology for smoother, tear-free gameplay. Both new Lenovo Legion laptops will offer up to the latest 10th Gen Intel Core H-Series mobile processors too.

What’s more, the new Lenovo Legion PCs, including the Lenovo Legion 7i and Lenovo Legion 5i, will also be the first to feature the new Nvidia Advanced Optimus technology for improved battery efficiency. Developed in collaboration with Nvidia, Advanced Optimus dynamically detects GPU workloads and automatically connects either the Nvidia GPU (for demanding workloads) or the IGP (for light workloads) to the display. This helps to preserve battery life when light workload applications are running and delivers maximum performance and framerates when games are being played.

More information is available at www.lenovo.com.

GOPRO CUTS MORE THAN 20% OF WORK FORCE, CHANGES SALES STRATEGY

GOPRO Inc. said it will cut more than 200 jobs, shift the company’s sales operation to market its digital adventure cameras directly to consumers and withdraw its 2020 financial guidance in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The operational changes, staff reductions of more than 20 percent and cuts to office space will save $100 million in 2020, and reduce expenses next year to $250 million, the San Mateo, California-based company said on Wednesday in a statement. GoPro said its shift to direct sales will mean a stronger focus on its web site. The company said it still will use retail outlets for a small number of regions where such sales are preferred by consumers.

“We have a clear opportunity to super-serve consumers’ demand for our products in a more direct and efficient manner which can have a positive impact on the profitability of our business,” Chief Executive Officer Nick Woodman said in the statement.

While withdrawing its forecast, GoPro said its expects to report first-quarter revenue of $119 million and an adjusted loss in the mid-30 cents a share. The company sold 700,000 cameras in the period, and said the staff and operational changes won’t affect its 2020 product road map, which will include new devices and services. BLOOMBERG NEWS

Data protection ranks as top security issue for SEA companies AFTER witnessing organizations and enterprises succumbing to major data breaches for the past years, companies in Southeast Asia (SEA) have tagged data protection as a top priority when it comes to challenges related to IT security. This and more findings were uncovered by the annual Kaspersky Global Corporate IT Security Risks Survey.

Among the other urgent cyber-security issues identified by the respondents are keeping relationships with partners and customers in the age of digitalization, and ensuring compliance of staff with security policies and regulatory requirements.

Security issues related to cloud infrastructure adoption and the cost of securing increasingly complex technology environments are also considered as stumbling blocks for some businesses.

Based on the interviews conducted with nearly 300 IT business decision-makers in SEA last year, companies fear data loss and being exposed to a targeted attack the most (34 percent), followed by electronic leakage of data from internal systems (31 percent). Another 22 percent of the survey

respondents admitted their distress toward the possibility of surveillance or espionage by competitors. Moreover, 2 in 10 of firms in the region also admitted that they are worried about identifying and remedying vulnerabilities in IT systems they use.

Incidents affecting IT infrastructure hosted by a third party and inappropriate IT resource use by employees are both critical concerns for some 18 percent of companies in the region.

“The past few years have shown and proved the ugly and costly aftermaths of a successful cyberattack.

From the $81 million [P4.050 billion] heist against a central bank to a data breach leaking names of HIV cases, our past offers timeless lessons on cyber security which organizations and businesses in all shapes and sizes should definitely learn from,” comments Yeo Siang Tiong, general manager for Southeast Asia at Kaspersky (www.kaspersky.com).

“It is encouraging to see that local companies are starting to prioritize IT security. In fact, our research showed that, on average, businesses in the region are currently spending $14.4 million [P720 million]

to build their cyber-security capabilities. Eightyfour percent of the professionals we surveyed also confirmed plans to increase the budget for this area in the next three years, which is really important in this era where networks are becoming more advanced and complex, thanks to breakthrough technologies like Internet of Things, 5G, and the rapid adoption of Industry 4.0,” he adds.

Almost 5 in 10 of the respondents cited increased complexity of IT infrastructure as a factor for the expected budget markup. Companies surveyed also noted that the increment aims to improve the level of specialist security expertise (46 percent) and is due to new business activities or expansion (39 percent).

To help companies in their budgeting process and in making the most out of their security investments, Kaspersky recommends to: ■ Assess your company’s cyber-security risks when planning your budget. Consider the cost to the company and the probability of their occurrence.

■ Rely on expertise. Decisions about the purchasing of cyber-security tools or services should

not be taken by one person. Before this stage, expert analysis should be made that reveals the best option for the best price.

■ Involve higher management in cyber security matters, including budgets, and make sure to speak to them in their language. Don’t tell them how cyber security works; show them the business risks and the amount of money they can lose by not improving cyber security.

■ Use a free tool by Kaspersky (calculator.kaspersky. com) to check your budget benchmark. Enter your company’s region, size and industry to see the average budget for similar companies to yours.

■ Start with a sturdy foundation, a dedicated endpoint product that demands minimum management allowing employees to do their main job but protects from malware, ransomware, account takeover, online fraud and scams such as Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Business.

■ Further build your cyber-security capability with security solutions and services founded with indepth threat intelligence.

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Aboitiz taps Lalamove for fast medical supplies delivery in Metro Manila

BY RODERICK L. ABAD Contributor SINCE time is very crucial to quality health care, Aboitiz Foundation has tied up with logistics app provider Lalamove to quickly and safely deliver medical supplies to different areas of Metro Manila given the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine in line with the country’s uphill battle against the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

“In handling our Covid-19 response, the Aboitiz Foundation team recognized the need for efficient logistics and timely movement of medical supplies to the hospitals and partner agencies that need them the most,” said Maribeth L. Marasigan, president and chief operating officer of Aboitiz Foundation.

“With the enhanced community quarantine, and with most teams working on a skeletal crew, this was a challenge,” she cited. The donations include nitrile gloves, goggles, personal protective equipment gowns, 70 percent alcohol, and surgical masks needed by medical frontliners who relentlessly fight with the fatal flu virus.

As of this writing, more than 3,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 have been already reported nationwide, with the highest percentage coming from Metro Manila.

A spike in the number is expected to continue as the planned mass testing of the government, through the Department of Health, draws near.

“Lalamove’s partnership with the Aboitiz Foundation to deliver medical supplies to various hospitals will help protect our health care and security frontliners who are our heroes in battling Covid-19,” said Dannah Majarocon, managing director of Lalamove Philippines.

“We are proud of our team members and partner drivers for helping support the movement of essential goods during this challenging time,” she added.

Amid this pandemic, the corporate social responsibility arm of the Aboitiz Group is grateful to its alliance with the ondemand logistics company, according to Marasigan.

“We look forward to serving more hospitals and areas around Metro Manila through this partnership,” noted.

As of March 31, the conglomerate has appropriated over P24.8 million in donations for its Covid-19 assistance to various hospitals and communities all over the country.

This is on top of the P100 million donation for the benefit of urban poor communities in Greater Manila via Project Ugnayan led by the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation.

The group, through its different business units, has already distributed more than 300,000 medical supplies and over 107,000 food packs for the benefit of 300,000 plus individuals nationwide.

BRIA HOMES OFFERS ONLINE PAYMENTS FOR HOMEOWNERS DURING COVID-19 CRISIS

WITH the entire Luzon under enhanced community quarantine due to the Covid-19 global pandemic, more stringent rules are now being imposed on the public to help contain the spread of the disease. Among these are the suspension of all manner of public transportation and the strict implementation of home quarantine, both of which restrict mobility.

Ever-vigilant of the well-being of Filipinos, property developer Bria Homes (www.bria.com.ph) seeks homeowners to utilize various online channels for remitting their monthly payments. Online/OTC banking options include UnionBank, Metrobank, BDO, Security Bank, RCBC, PNC and AllBank (under bills payment).

For online banking accounts, residents can simply indicate Bria Homes Inc. as the biller name, and their reference number as the bill number. Bria residents may also use GCash (under ePrime biller), a safe and secure mobile wallet for easy electronic transactions.

If they are so inclined, homeowners may still go to any of the following payment centers: Sinag Pawnshop, WalterMart, 7-Eleven, LBC, Cebuana Lhuillier, Pinoy Pera Padala, CVM, PeraHub, ExpressPay, True Money, Raquel Pawnshop, Netopia, Bayad Center, TouchPay, Palawan Pawnshop, ECPay, Villarica Pawnshop, PHLPost, The Landmark, USSC and Robinsons Department Store.

In view of its commitment to foster better and more comfortable lives for Filipinos, Bria Homes assures the public of its strict compliance with governmentsanctioned guidelines to help end the global health crisis.

Measures to safeguard the health of its homeowners include routine cleaning and disinfecting of common areas in all Bria communities. Residents are likewise reminded to observe good hygiene by frequent 20-second handwashing and using alcohol-based hand rubs.

In compliance with strict quarantine protocol, homeowners are also urged to practice proper social distancing. Thus, only residents of Bria Homes are allowed entry into its gated communities, with guarded entrances and exits and 24/7 CCTV coverage ensuring implementation of this regulation.

Saturday, April 18, 2020

RoboPony: Chinese robot maker sees demand surge amid virus

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EIJING—While other industries struggle, Liu Zhiyong says China’s virus outbreak is boosting demand for his knee-high, bright yellow robots to deliver groceries and patrol malls looking for shoppers who fail to wear masks.

Liu, CEO of ZhenRobotics Corp., is among millions of entrepreneurs who are gradually getting back to work after China declared victory over the coronavirus that shut down the world’s second-largest economy. ZhenRobotics’ flagship model is the sixwheeled, 68-centimeter-tall (27-inch-tall) RoboPony.

The self-driving cart is sold to retailers, hospitals, malls and apartment complexes.

Unlike airlines, hotels and other industries that face a long and uncertain struggle to recover, Liu said his orders have tripled since the outbreak began.

“The epidemic made people aware of the fragility of human beings,” Liu said.

“Robots can make up for this vulnerability and provide services people can trust,” he said. “Trust in robots has been enhanced dramatically.”

Robots for use in factories and consumer industries are near the top of the ruling Communist Party’s wish list for technology development.

Chinese leaders see them as a profitable export and a way to make up for a shrinking workforce as the population ages. Beijing has spent heavily to set up robotics departments at universities and research institutes. Private-sector developers can apply for research grants and other support.

ZhenRobotics, founded in 2016, does its research and development in the Chinese capital’s Zhongguancun university district, a hub for tech companies. Liu said the company gets a break on rent and other official support.

Its researchers are working on technologies including machine learning, computer vision and autonomous navigation, according to Liu. ZhenRobotics has a testing center in the southeastern province of Zhejiang, south of Shanghai.

Manufacturing is in Shenzhen, adjacent to Hong Kong. One of its robots patrols Shanghai’s Taikoo Hui shopping mall. It can spot customers with bare faces and remind them to put on a mask. It gives out hand sanitizer and broadcasts antivirus information.

The RoboPony has been used by Suning.com Group Ltd., one of China’s biggest retailers, to delivery food and other necessities to households during the outbreak. Demand for e-commerce soared after the government cut most access to cities with a total

IN this March 18 photo, a maintenance worker looks at a robot outside the offices of ZhenRobotics in Beijing. While other industries struggle, one robot maker says China’s virus outbreak is boosting demand for his kneehigh, bright yellow robots to deliver groceries and patrol malls for shoppers who fail to wear masks. AP

of 60 million people in late January. Hundreds of millions more in other areas were to told stay home whenever possible. The Beijing city government gave ZhenRobotics a marketing boost by including it on an official list of “anti-epidemic new technology.”

The RoboPony, which is controlled through a mobile phone app, can carry 40 kilograms (90 pounds) and travel at up to 10 kph (6 mph). Liu declined to say what the robot costs.

After shutting down for the Lunar New Year in January, Liu went back to work January 26. Other

employees started to return on January 30.

All but two of the 50 employees were back by March 10, Liu said. The remaining two are working from home in Hubei province, where the coronavirus emerged in December and travel curbs still are in effect. Liu plans to step up research into disinfection by ultraviolet light and other possible hygiene-related features. The company plans to produce 90 robots in the next six weeks, Liu said.

“We placed a large number of orders for our suppliers,” he said. AP

Identifying ‘heroes’ who make virtual hugs and kisses possible IN these uncertain times, there are heroes who serve by saving lives, and there are those who serve by keeping most citizens safe and connected at home.

Apart from food, water, electricity, and shelter, connectivity has become the cord that strings us all together.

And there are selfless, everyday heroes sans cape making sure this thread remains unbroken so we may cope with the new normal, and lead one another closer to a future that hopefully restores our daily lives. “Kami ang mga bayaning hindi ninyo kilala pero handang mag-load at rumuta,’’ said a Smart, Sun and TNT e-load retailer.

Frontliners in their own right, these e-load distributors and retailers are part of virtual meetings where they are constantly reminded to observe health and safety guidelines set by the government and make sure that they are as updated as the customers they serve.

Always reminded to put their safety above anything else, these load distributors and resellers are constantly urged to observe these guidelines so they can cater to the needs of customers. It takes teamwork, virtual or otherwise, to still be of service to customers these days. Willie Capacite shared that it is not about hitting business targets anymore, and

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that these are the times when we throw out the Xs and Os. “During a team meeting with our Cavite team, our battle cry was to keep on providing service not just to earn but, more importantly, to help our kababayans in their communication needs in these trying times,’’ he said.

Team huddles are crucial, according to Anthony Estagle because “the team is tired but everyone remains inspired to push forward.’’

For distributor operations manager Mark Carrera, the mindset is to choose hope every single day. “We will always guarantee that our subscribers and retailers can rely on us to deliver load supply because communication is our top priority. We are also doing this so we can remind our kapartners and subscribers to stay safe!’’

Recognizing that connectivity provides access to friends, family and a real-time window to the outside world for most of us, an e-load retailer from Marinduque said, “Kasi sa panahon ngayon, walang ibang aasahan kundi ang bawa’t isa. Balikatan ika nga. Bilang ahente, ito ang kaya kong itulong to keep everyone connected.’’

He added, “We know that we provide the means to make virtual hugs and kisses possible. Knowing we help make

virtual high fives possible is what gets us going.’’

Meanwhile, distributor Lester Castillo is aware of the risks. “Kahit walang kasiguraduhan ang magiging kalagayan ng kalusugan ko, ginagawa ko pa rin para sa mga retailers at subscribers. Alam natin na isa sa mga pangunahing pangangailangan nila ang load.’’

Johnrey Villarosa of Negros Occidental said he knows the difficulties of social distancing. Priority is online connectivity because we know that social distancing is hard. “For most of us, all we have is a virtual thread to be together.’’

These men and women believe in a version of the future where we all come out of this, one where we outsmarted the enemy. There is a reason why the government included telecommunications employees among those allowed to travel and pass through borders like frontliners, the media, and health workers. Joemari Ortega of Negros Occidental summed things up: “Communication plays a vital role today more than ever. As telecommunications employees, we continue to serve all our subscribers, particularly those who are not able to stay with their loved ones in these trying times.

As long as we serve, communicate and remain smart, we can and we will survive this.’’

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Distance learning poses challenges for students, teachers

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BY JIMMY O’KEEFE The Associated Press

ICHMOND, Virginia—Students and teachers at all levels of education are transitioning from classroom to computer as the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases continues to rise. Not every subject lends itself to a smooth transition to distance learning, as students and instructors have discovered.

“I think we’re all really frustrated,” said Jordyn Wade, a fashion design major at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. “But we know that our professors are doing what they can in a really unprecedented situation.”

Wade said that she and her classmates are now meeting remotely through Zoom, a video conferencing platform. Zoom allows students to meet virtually during a time when people can’t meet physically, but distance learning poses challenges for courses that require more than a lecture, like art classes and lab components of science classes.

Students like Wade worked mostly with industrial grade equipment.

“We kind of rely heavily on the school for supplies like sewing machines and the industrial equipment that can cost thousands of dollars,” Wade said. “Now we just stare at each other and they ask us,‘What can you guys do? Can you hand sew an entire jacket before the end of the month?’”

Wade said that one of the most frustrating aspects of distance learning is not being able to receive direct feedback from professors. “We can’t ask our professors what’s wrong with the garment that we’re making, we can just send them pictures and hope they can figure it out from afar,” Wade said.

Chloe Pallak, a student in VCU’s art program said that many of her projects are being graded on whether or not they are complete. “To get a grade for an assignment, you just have to do it,” Pallak said. “It really takes away the motivation of wanting to make art and not just complete the assignment.” Courses that include lab components, such as classes in environmental science, also face challenges as classes move online. Griffin Erney, an environmental studies major at VCU, said that distance learning prevents students from accessing lab materials that are typically provided in the classroom. “Before the class was online we would just do different activities and be provided with the materials,” Erney said. “Having labs online is more challenging, on top of all the work that we already have.”

On Monday, Gov. Ralph Northam issued an order that closed down all K-12 schools in the state for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year.

Davide D’Urbino, a chemistry and organic chemistry teacher at Clover Hill High School in Chesterfield County, said he plans on using computer applications to supplement labs that cannot be completed in the classroom. He said the school division requested that teachers hold off on introducing new learning material.

“The expectation was that you could teach new stuff, but then you have to go back in class and reteach it,” D’Urbino said.

D’Urbino said teachers aren’t allowed to teach new material online because some students may not have Internet access. He said he understands why the school division has placed these restrictions but said it “feels weird.”

Distance learning has also presented challenges to teachers trying to adapt to lecturing online.

“Some people say teaching is 75 percent theater, you just go out there and do improv. You can’t really

do that online,” D’Urbino said. “It’s very difficult to intervene and correct course if you realize something isn’t quite working out.” Teachers have also scrambled for ways to continue instruction for students that lack access to the Internet.

Janice Barton, a 5th grade science teacher at Honaker Elementary School in Russell County, said that about half of the 60 students she teaches have access to the Internet. She said the school is using Google Classroom, a Web platform that allows teachers to share files with students through the Internet. For students without Internet access, teachers create physical packets of learning content.

“We’re working as grade levels, we’re going in and working together to put the packets together,” Barton said. “We have pickup days and drop-off days, and that’s how we are working and dealing with this right now.” Barton said the school uses phone calls, e-mails, and the app Remind, which allows teachers to send messages to students to keep in contact with parents and students.

While local school divisions are tasked with making decisions on how to pursue distance learning, the Virginia Department of Education issued guidance to help divisions continue instruction.

VDOE’s guidance to local school divisions includes offering instruction during the summer of 2020, extending the school term or adjusting the next, and adding learning modules to extended school calendars. Superintendent of Public Instruction James Lane issued guidance regarding eight high-school senior graduation requirements and will be issuing further guidance for half of those, which can not be waived outright.

Two other graduation requirements—training in emergency first aid and the completion of a virtual course—require action by the General Assembly in order to be waived. ■

Globe encourages customers to share inspiring stories and messages through Hope Bank GLOBE Telecom encourages its customers to share inspiring stories and messages of upliftment to those suffering from fear, stress, anxiety, and depression especially in light of the current pandemic the world is battling.

Globe’s Hope Bank Facebook Community (bit.ly/hopebank_) aims to serve as an empowering channel for those who are trying to cope with the emotional and mental challenges caused by Covid-19 and to boost the morale of frontliners, patients who are being treated for Covid-19, as well as their families and friends.

Through this online space, community members may share messages of hope for encouragement, strength and inspiration.

“We want to rally people into becoming a community support group to make others realize that they are not alone, that there are

people who are willing to provide empathy and emotional connection virtually. This is the time for each of us to reinforce one another, even if only to provide support to those who need them the most,” said Yoly Crisanto, Globe chief sustainability officer and SVP for Corporate Communications.

To contribute to the platform, members may post using the hashtag #SpreadHOPE both on their personal profiles and in the group. The messages may be in the form of photos, artworks, quotes, songs/ lyrics, video or anything that reflects their expression of hope and positivity. They may tag family members and friends, or anyone who may benefit from such support.

Hope Bank was first introduced by Globe two years ago as a platform for people with mental-health illness seeking help and support.

Healthtech start-up launches free Covid-19 remote triaging via CT scan in Antique

BY RIZAL RAOUL S. REYES LIFETRACK Medical Systems, a Singapore and Philippines-based healthtech start-up company, recently launched a program with the province of Antique focused on improving affordable access to medical imaging and address the challenges of Covid-19. Under the partnership, Lifetrack will freely provide its LifeSys platform to aid the public health authorities of Antique in identifying and prioritizing molecular testing for potential Covid-19 patients by using CT scans.

“Covid-19 has reached epidemic proportions and there is an urgency to rapidly diagnose cases. Our goal in making the repository available globally is to make it easier to facilitate global collaboration in identifying potential Covid-19 positive cases,” Dr. Eric Schulze, founder and CEO of Lifetrack, said in a press statement.

Schulze pointed out that health-care providers around the world have stressed the value of medical imaging exams to triage potential Covid-19 patients

and prioritize the limited availability of RT-PCR tests. Recognizing this, Lifetrack pioneered in launching a secured, anonymized and scalable global Covid-19 image repository last March to aid radiologists and researchers in the use of chest CT scans to identify potential Covid-19 cases faster and earlier. “Creating a repository of Covid-19 positive chest CT cases allows radiologists worldwide to educate themselves in identifying and recognizing Covid-19 patterns, crucial in accelerating diagnoses and treatment,” he explained.

Lifetrack also urged for collaboration with public health authorities to use its LifeSys platform and Covid repository during this period, which Antique’s forward-thinking provincial government responded to. “With the Covid-19 cases in the Philippines rising exponentially over time, additional measures should be taken to contain the spread of the disease,” according to Antique Governor Rhodora Cadiao. “While waiting for the procurement of molecular testing kits, we needed an alternative solution to identifying the potential

Covid-19 cases in Antique. We partnered with Lifetrack Medical Systems to provide Antique with remote reading capabilities for chest CT scans, as well as the added assistance of artificial-intelligence (AI) technology to support the triage of potential Covid-19 patients. With this partnership, we can assure each of our kasimanwa [citizens] we are covering all fronts to battle Covid-19.”

Being based on another island and given the current travel ban in the Philippines, Lifetrack’s solution allows the radiologist to screen CT scans from Angel Salazar Memorial General Hospital of Antique.

Working with the hospital’s team, Carl Nicholas Ng, Lifetrack’s COO, said the company set up its LifeSys platform remotely within three weeks to provide the hospital’s consulting radiologist with off-site access. The radiologist may also choose to consult an AI-based decision support provided

by Lifetrack’s partner, Predible Health of India, to detect chest CT patterns presumptive of Covid-19.

ASMGH will follow strict disinfection protocols

in its CT scan machine to prevent Covid-19 from spreading between patients.

“The Lifetrack team wants to thank the Antique provincial government and health officials for giving us the opportunity to contribute to their efforts to fight the spread of Covid-19,” Ng said.

“We want to offer our solution to more public and private health authorities, and AI and medical researchers who want to collaborate with us, radiologist may also choose to consult an AI-based decision support provided by Lifetrack’s partner, Predible Health of India, to detect chest CT patterns presumptive of Covid-19.”

Lifetrack was recently recognized as one of the Top 150 Digital Health Startups Redefining Healthcare by CB Insights, and works with healthcare partners in Asia, North America, Europe, and Africa. Investors include the Asia Impact Investment Fund managed by the UOB Group and Credit Suisse, the corporate venture arm of Philips Healthcare, and Kickstart Ventures of the Philippines’s Ayala Group.

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Saturday, April 18, 2020 A11

Google Classroom users doubled as quarantines spread

BY GERRIT DE VYNCK & MARK BERGEN

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Bloomberg News

NE weekend in March, Javier Soltero, a Google vice president, got an e-mail from his team in Europe. Italy’s Minister of Education needed to move the country’s entire school system online, right away, and wanted to know if Google’s software could handle it.

Soltero, who leads G Suite, Google’s set of productivity tools, called his technical staff. “Is this even something we can do?” he recalled thinking.

Several sleepless days and nights later, millions of Italian kids were learning from home through Google services.

As the month wore on, Soltero’s division faced similar surges in country after country. Schools and universities across the globe have rushed online as the coronavirus shut down public life. Many turned to the world’s largest Internet company.

“We have seen incredible growth,” Soltero said in a recent interview. “It actually mirrors, unfortunately, the ramp up and spread of the disease.”

Alphabet Inc.’s Google has jumped ahead of its big technology peers in the education market in recent years by giving away software and aggressively courting teachers. The pandemic is entrenching the tech giant even further. Google Classroom, a free service teachers use to send out assignments and communicate with students, has doubled active users to more than 100 million since the beginning of March. That’s boosting other products. Meet, a videoconferencing app, is being used 25 times as much as it was in January, and the broader G Suite for Education offering has 120 million users, up from 90 million a year ago.

Google doesn’t charge most schools to use Classroom. The real prize is the millions of young people learning how to use its software. When those students enter the work force, they’re likely to keep using paid versions, and encourage colleagues to adopt the tools, too.

Google Classroom was already popular in the US, but demand is now coming from places with few customers before the virus, such as Italy and Indonesia, according to Avni Shah, Google’s vice president for education. “All these places were really lighting up in the last month,” she said.

The company’s foothold in schools began around 2014. In the US, a new educational standard, called Common Core, was gaining steam and required online assessments. Google flooded schools with Chromebooks, laptops that run on the company’s Chrome operating system. They were cheaper than rival products from Apple Inc. and Microsoft Corp., and came with preinstalled Google apps including Gmail, Docs, Slides and Drive. Last year, Google commanded 60 percent of the market for education computers in the US, according to consultant Futuresource.

Chromebooks were among the first in schools to connect to the cloud, making it easier for teachers and students to work and keep in touch from anywhere.

That helped spread adoption, according to Mike Fisher, a Futuresource associate director.

Google Classroom, similarly, is taking off because it’s relatively simple to use and flexible. It competes with dozens of other learning-management systems including Canvas and Edmodo, which let schools upload and track coursework. Classroom syncs with those systems and integrates with other school apps, which, like Google’s, are now booming. And crucially, Google’s product is free, while most competitors charge money for premium features.

Makers of e-learning tools rely on portals like Classroom to get inside schools. Quizlet Inc., maker of software for studying, saw new signups jump as much as 400 percent in China and Italy as the coronavirus spread, said Chief Executive Officer Matthew Glotzbach. About 150 million of Quizlet’s study sessions last year came from Google Classroom, he noted. Google’s offering is also intuitive. Teachers new to remote learning are usually able to upload assignments quickly and launch video calls with little fuss, according to Fisher. “That solution, for the situation we’re in, is perfect,” he said.

As schools around the world started closing over the first two weeks of March, Luke Craig, a teacher at Britannia Village Primary School in east London, saw what was coming. Craig and his colleagues used Google Sites, a Web page-building tool, to set up a hub

for their school and started practicing running classes through Google Classroom. A few days later, schools across the UK shut down.

Now, Craig’s first-grade students open their Chromebooks and log into Google accounts for lessons. The Google Sites page lays out the plan for the day, and, depending on the subject, they use a variety of apps made by different companies, including Microsoft. Google Classroom is the central hub, allowing students to submit assignments and teachers to track progress. Another Google product, Jamboard, lets teachers create interactive lessons. Some of the kids, as young as six years old, have become so proficient they’re making their own videos detailing their assignments, Craig said.

Google has experienced some problems bringing millions of students online so quickly. When schools first jumped on its Meet videoconferencing service, some kids figured out they could boot other participants from a call.

“Students were kicking the teachers out and carrying on,” Craig said. Google heard the complaints, and fixed the issue quickly. The company has been rapidly building new features, thanks to hundreds of employees who volunteered to help the education team when the coronavirus started spreading widely, Shah said. Craig also warned that students who don’t have as much support from parents, or access to computers and the Internet, could fall behind.

“Without the face-to-face contact, it’s likely some kids

will slip through the cracks,” he said.

Google recently pledged to provide Internet connections to as many as 100,000 households in California and distribute 4,000 Chromebooks to kids in need. That’s nowhere near enough resources to fill a growing digital divide in education, and doesn’t help Craig’s students in East London.

In Italy, Google partnered with telecommunications companies so students can use a regular phone line to at least listen in to videoconference calls with their teachers. The company designs its apps to work on cheap smartphones and to be used without a wireless connection, Shah said.

There are also privacy concerns with so many more children getting online. In February, New Mexico’s attorney general sued Google, claiming the company was breaking child privacy laws by collecting data on students. When kids merge their school Google accounts with their personal ones, data could be synced and logged by Google for commercial purposes, the lawsuit argued. Google disputed the claims. A spokesman for the company said it never uses student data to target ads, even after kids graduate and become adults.

But it’s unlikely privacy concerns will hobble Google’s success during this crisis. Most school districts are desperate to get any online system up and running, ignoring some standard protocols for vetting services, said Douglas Levin, president of EdTech Strategies, a consulting company. “Those have

been thrown out the window for expediency’s sake,” he said.

Google may even benefit from the privacy failures of other companies. Zoom Video Communications Inc., maker of a suddenly popular video chat service, is now seeing some schools drop it after Internet trolls started interrupting online meetings and broadcasting offensive content to participants.

Craig has been spending the hours in between classes helping other schools get online. He’s one of thousands of teachers certified by Google to train others how to use the company’s software.

The certification program has been a keystone of Google’s expansion, netting the company a group of people who use its products and encourage others to do the same.

When schools finally reopen, the education world will be very different. Tech holdouts who resisted Internet-based products like Google Classroom will have been forced to use them and adapt. Many schools without a home-learning system will have one.

Students lucky enough to have Internet at home will have months of experience learning online.

“All those technology-phobic people will be no more. They will not go back to their pencil and paper,” said Melissa Matthews, a technology program specialist for the school district of Palm Beach County in Florida. “I don’t foresee Google Classroom getting any fewer users come August when everyone goes back to school.” ■

Smart LTE service keeps people connected despite Covid-19 quarantine MSGR. Julius Perpetuo S. Heruela is the parish priest of the Saint Augustine of Hippo Parish in Bacong, Negros Oriental. Like a growing number of his fellow pastors in this largely Catholic country, he held “virtual masses” over the Holy Week amid the Covid-19 pandemic, which has made public gatherings in churches a serious health risk.

The parish priest has been livestreaming his masses using a web cam linked to his laptop which is connected wirelessly to a PLDT Home Prepaid WiFi unit. He delivers the video to his parishioners via his Facebook page like a watch party. The whole set-up runs on the 4G LTE service of Smart Communications. Heruela adds that nine other parishes in the Diocese of Dumaguete are holding online Masses in the same way.

“Before, Masses were just televised on national TV. Today, we can do it ourselves every day—within the parish and with our own parishioners—with the help of technology and fast connectivity,” said Heruela.

“We’re very happy that we were able to help people observe Holy Week rites online amid quarantine

conditions,” said Alfredo S. Panlilio, Smart president and CEO, and chief revenue officer of PLDT. “The case of Heruela is particularly gratifying because he is doing it in Bacong, a fourth class municipality, about 650 kilometers south of Metro Manila. This shows that we have really made progress in expanding the reach of our high-speed LTE service to more and more areas of the country,” he added.

That was in fact the gist of the latest report on mobile connectivity in the Philippines by independent mobile analytics firm Opensignal. Released recently, that report said Smart remained ahead of competition in terms of Video Experience, Upload and Download Speed Experience, Voice App Experience and Games Experience.

“We’ve managed to stay ahead of the growth of our data traffic by continuing to invest heavily in our network,” explained Mario G. Tamayo, senior vice president for Network Planning and Engineering for PLDT and Smart.

“Of course, we had no idea that something like Covid-19 was coming. But, in a sense, our network

expansion efforts were, shall we say, providential. At least, during this rather difficult period, we can help people come together in prayer to seek God’s blessings and help,” Panlilio said.

FR. Julius Perpetuo S.Heruela of Bacong during a mass service livestreamed in the time of coronavirus.

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Saturday, April 18, 2020

Sports BusinessMirror

Editor: Jun Lomibao | mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph

U.A.A.P. SCHOOLS, ATHLETES LEND A HELPING HAND

MEMBERS of the Adamson University softball team join hands in packing relief goods as the homeless are sheltered at De La Salle’s Razon Sports Complex.

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THLETES and member schools of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) are doing their share amid the modified enhanced community quarantine wrought by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The perennial champion Adamson University Lady Falcons were the latest to contribute to the cost by helping pack relief goods as they remain stranded at their dormitory in San Marcelino in Manila.

Earlier, De La Salle University opened the Razon Sports Complex and the College of Saint Benilde made its covered courts available as shelters for the homeless while the ECQ is enforced.

University of the Philippines (UP), on the other hand, produced a sanitation tent (sanitent) that will disinfect individuals in public areas especially health workers, frontliners and employees could not stay at home because of their responsibilities to the community.

Season 82 host Ateneo de Manila University, through its Disaster Response and Management Team (DReaM Team), meanwhile, donated family bags of groceries and thousands of personal protective equipment that were distributed by the DReaM Team to 27 hospitals and 15 partner communities nationwide.

“On behalf of every Blue Eagle both past and present, we are calling for more donations to be made for the Ateneo DReaM Team,” said Matt Nieto, who himself has been helping in the relief efforts in Cainta, Rizal. “This is our one big fight right now.”

The Lady Falcons packed relief goods for the Vincentian priests’ Charity Over Virus Indifference and Despair (COVID) and Facemasks Cover Your Face Not Your Hearts program.

“We want to do our share in any form—big or small.

We want to help during this pandemic,” decorated Adamson University Head Coach Ana Santiago said. “We are very happy to be part of the program and we will never get tired of doing this.”

The Lady Falcons were supposed to kick off their bid for a 10th straight UAAP softball crown last February 17, but the league canceled the remainder of Season 82.

“There are players who couldn’t go home to the provinces and to make use of their idle time—on top of staying in shape—we want to help in any way we can and we regularly offer prayers during the crisis,” Santiago said.

When the Arnold Janssen Kalinga Center (AJ Kalinga) needed a shelter for the homeless, De Salle and Saint Benilde opened their doors to provide a haven for the homeless.

“The AJ Kalinga Center is serving the homeless regularly.

Their main ministry is providing food and free showers for the homeless. But now that we are on quarantine, they are looking for shelters for them,” La Salle’s Vice President

OLYMPICS WON’T PROVIDE JAPAN ECONOMIC GROWTH

TOKYO 2020 Organizing Committee President Yoshiro Mori (left) and CEO Toshiro Muto (right) attend a teleconference with International Olympic Committee member John Coates. AP

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OKYO— International Olympic Committee (IOC) member John Coates, who oversees planning for next year’s Tokyo Olympics, has claimed the postponed games could help “kick start” Japan’s economy.

Japan has been devastated like many countries by the coronavirus pandemic and could be in a recession when the Olympics are to open on July 23, 2021.

“These games are a very positive opportunity for an economic stimulus,” Coates said in a teleconference on Thursday with the Tokyo organizing committee. “These games can help kick-start the economy again. These games could be the rebirth of the tourism industry.”

Coates also praised Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, calling him a “very, very smart man.” He said Abe also viewed the games next year as providing an economic stimulus.

But economists and Olympic researchers contacted by The Associated Press on Friday said any economic boost will

be negligible given the size of Japan’s $5-trillion economy and the limited tourism and economic benefits from the 17-day games.

In some previous Olympics, soaring prices and crowding have discouraged tourists instead of attracting them.

“His predictions fly in the face of all the research on the financial impacts of hosting the games ‘on a good day’— and the current global crisis does not qualify as a good day,” Helen Lenskyj, a professor emerita at the University of Toronto, said in an e-mail.

Lenskyj has written eight books on the Olympics, including the most recent—The Olympic Games: A Critical Approach. She suggested Japan would be better off if it did not have to finance next year’s games.

“At this moment in history, ‘a very smart man’ would be wishing his country did not have the added burden of hosting the Olympics,” Lenskyj said.

Japan is officially spending $12.6 billion to organize

for Lasallian Mission Fritzie de Vera said. “They worked with several schools to give them a safe space during the community quarantine.”

Besides the two institutions, neighbor school St. Scholastica College also housed a number of guests.

Volunteers from AJ Kalinga are handling the guests in the shelters. Donations provide for the daily needs of the guests and volunteers.

“We are requesting for donations in kind or in cash. For donations in kind, we would appreciate cooked meals for them.

The center is also providing meals which they get from the cash

the Olympics, although a government audit report in December said it was twice that much. All but $5.6 billion is taxpayer money.

IOC and Japanese officials say they don’t know the cost of the one-year delay, but estimates have put it at $2 billion to $6 billion. Nearly all of the added costs fall to Japan under an agreement signed in 2013 when Tokyo was awarded the games.

Coates confirmed the IOC would be spending “several hundred million dollars” because of the postponement. The funds will go to distressed international federations and national Olympic committees, and not to Tokyo.

Tokyo organizing committee CEO Toshiro Muto has described the added costs as “massive” and Coates acknowledged “there will be some negative impacts.”

“If Tokyo is hoping that a surge of tourism is going to cover the costs of moving the games by a year, they are likely to be very disappointed,” Victor Matheson, a sports economist at the College of the Holy Cross, said in an e-mail.

Matheson and colleague Robert Baumann calculated the impact of foreign tourism on the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. They discounted local spending since it was simply moving expenditures from one place in the country to another.

They said Rio had 60,000 added arrivals and estimated $5,000 spending by each arrival—an impact of $300 million.

Rio spent about $13 billion to organize the Olympics, and some put the figure at $20 billion.

Matheson and Robert Baade of Lake Forest College published a study in 2016, titled “Going for Gold: The Economics of the Olympics.” They looked at the impact of short-term and long-term tourism, sports and other infrastructure, employment, trade, and the intangible “feelgood factor”of holding the Olympics.

They concluded “in most cases the Olympics are a money-losing proposition for host cities—they result in positive net benefits only under very specific and unusual circumstances.”

The IOC and Japanese organizers on Thursday promised to cut out frills to rein in spending. They are still trying to nail down if all of the 43 Olympic and Paralympic venues will be available next year, and at what cost.

“On the Japanese side they are assessing the impact of the postponement including costs,” Coates said. “These are not matters that are going to happen quickly. I couldn’t put a finger on when the additional costs will be assessed and done.” AP

donations. We provide three meals a day,” de Vera said.

Donors provided mattresses and protective gear, Chooks-to-Go contributed packs of chicken and De La Salle’s student government provided vitamins good for 14 days.

The shelters, however, are in need of pillows, industrial rice cookers, coffee percolators, garbage bags, medicines for first aid, bath towels, clothes, toiletries and alcohol.

UP’s sanitents, meanwhile, were produced at the College of Human Kinetics (CHK) gym—home of the schools’ varsity teams—according to CHK Dean Francis “Kiko” Diaz, also a member of the UAAP Board of Managing Directors.

Diaz also said that UP’s College of Science and College of Engineering have initiated mass production of face masks through 3D printing.

With the enforcement of the ECQ, at least 270 students—including 20 student athletes—were stranded at the university dorn.

Inside UP’s Diliman campus however, there are an estimated 270 dormers stranded—20 of which are student-athletes.

“The dormers have received an outpouring of support from the alumni of the school—may it be food, vitamins and protective gear,” Diaz said.

US Open decides on postponement, cancellation of 2020 edition in June

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DECISION on whether to postpone or cancel the US Open because of the coronavirus pandemic is expected by June, the US Tennis Association’s (USTA) new CEO said Thursday, calling the prospect of holding the Grand Slam tournament without spectators “highly unlikely.”

“Obviously our ambition is to run the tournament. It’s the engine that drives our organization, our governing body. Having said that, that won’t be the driving factor,” Mike Dowse, who took over at the USTA on January 1, said on a conference call with reporters. “The driving factor will be the health and well-being of the players, the fans and our staff.”

He said the USTA is being advised by a medical advisory group that includes at least five doctors.

“Time is on our side, at this point,” Dowse said, because the US Open is not scheduled to begin until late August.

The tournament in New York City would be the next major championship on the tennis calendar—the French Open’s start was postponed from May until September, and Wimbledon was canceled altogether.

The men’s and women’s tennis tours are on hold entirely until at least mid-July, and one tournament in August already has been scrapped.

As for holding the US Open with no fans, Dowse said the USTA is “not taking anything off the table, but right now, I’d say that’s a highly unlikely scenario.”

“Things are fluid,” he added. “If the medical experts come back and say, ‘Here is a foolproof way of running a very safe tournament; unfortunately, it has to be without fans,’ we may reconsider and look at it.”

Tennis tournaments, in general, are more dependent on ticket, merchandise and on-site food sales as a percentage of revenue than major professional sports leagues that are largely funded by TV contracts.

Dowse also discussed the USTA’s plan to oversee a commitment of more than $50 million to help tennis deal with the effects of the Covid-19 outbreak at the grassroots level.

He said a survey conducted in March found that 85 percent of tennis facilities around the United States were closed because of stay-at-home orders, and he estimated that to be more like 90 percent now.

Dowse said the USTA is shaving more than $15 million from its budget by reducing salaries of its management and eliminating programs in player development and marketing. That includes money saved by temporarily closing the USTA national campus outside Orlando, Florida, last month. AP Sloane Stephens reacts after defeating Venus Williams in the semifinals of the US Open last September. AP