BusinessMirror April 24, 2020

House pitches own Citira tweaks

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz & Butch Fernandez

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RESIDENT Duterte may be allowed to tweak the corporate income tax (CIT) reduction and fiscal incentives of investors affected by the Covid-19 crisis under the proposed revision of an economist-lawmaker to the proposed Corporate Income Tax and Incentives Rationalization Act (Citira).

House Committee on Ways and Means Chairman Joey Sarte Salceda, the principal author of the measure, said the proposed changes will grant the President—and not a fiscal incentives board—the flexibility to grant CIT and fiscal incentive to firms affected by the crisis.

“We intend to insert Covid-19 as eligibility during the bicameral conference committee meeting with the Senate,” he said. The proposed Citira, which seeks to boost the country’s gross domestic product by 3.6 percent annually while adding only 0.9 percent to inflation, was approved by the House of Representatives last year but is still pending before the Senate plenary.

Salceda was reacting to reports that Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez and newly named Acting Socioeconomic Planning Secre-

IAN ARIVE, a former jeepney driver, finds a new job driving Mandaluyong City’s initiative MediDyip, an alternative ambulance service to help ease the load on the city’s ambulances that are used in Covid-19 efforts. The repurposed jeepney can accommodate three passengers on each side to comply with the physical-distancing protocols. NONIE REYES

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tary Karl Kendrick Chua, in separate briefing, are looking to tweak the Citira provisions in a bid to factor in the impact of Covid-19 and provide relief to businesses.

Dominguez said the DOF is looking into the possibility of granting the Fiscal Incentives Review Board (FIRB) the flexibility of tailoring programs to the needs of individual companies.

On Thursday, Senate Minority Leader Frank Drilon said that “an acceleration of the scheduled reduction in corporate income taxes can provide the relief.”

But, Drilon, in a text message to the BusinessMirror, also reminded policymakers that “the fiscal issue and deficit of such acceleration of the scheduled reduction must be addressed.”

Maximum flexibility

UNDER Salceda’s proposal, maximum flexibility to grant CIT and incentives will be given to the President.

This proposed Citira or the Package 2 of the Comprehensive Tax Reform Package seeks to reduce the 30-percent corporate income tax to 20 percent gradually by lowering the same into 2 percent every after 2 years.

The proposed Citira seeks to amend sections of the National Internal Revenue Code to

reduce corporate income tax in the next decade, while gradually removing tax breaks for investors.

But with Salceda’s flexibility proposal, the President can allow a Covid-19-affected firm to get lower CIT rate early.

Salceda is not keen on Dominguez’s remark that the DOF is looking into the possibility of granting the FIRB the flexibility of tailoring programs to the needs of individual companies.

Salceda described this as “undue delegation to an agency with limited capacity and history in planning implementation and overnight.”

He also reminded that “Congress remains the chief policymaking body.”

“Under Citira, FIRB is already designed to study investment proposals and determine their contribution to national goals set and defined by Congress. Any deviation or flexibility I’d rather give to the President as head of Neda Board. The FIRB at best can propose them but not approve them,” Salceda said.

The FIRB, to be institutionalized under the Citira bill, is tasked to review and approve all projects seeking to obtain incentives from the

See “Citira,” A2

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DTI CHIEF, EXPERTS FRAME ‘NEW NORMAL’ IN BIZ, LIFESTYLES

By Elijah Felice Rosales & Cai U. Ordinario

W

HAT’S the new normal in business operations in the lockdown aftermath? It’s the enforcement of social distancing, mandatory wearing of face masks, setting up of sanitation stations, taking of body temperature and provision of nutrients, said the country’s trade and industry chief.

And, for academic scholars, the new normal in lifestyle would entail a focus on the “essentials” that were forgotten pre-Covid-19, but were rudely foisted on the public psyche by the pandemic: the need for fresh, nutritious food; a healthy work-life balance, among others.

Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez on Thursday said firms will be required to emulate the health measures practiced among leading exporters. These protocols, he explained, will be the new normal in business operations, as the government prepares guidelines for the country’s post-quarantine scenario.

“Minimum health standards—such as strict social distancing, wearing of face masks, presence of sanitation stations, taking of body temperature and provision of vitamins— must always be observed in work and public places,” Lopez said in a statement.

He shared his views as the nation awaited President Duterte’s decision on whether to lift or extend a second time the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine that began March 17 in the race to stop the transmission of Covid-19; or, as suggested by most experts he consulted, to order a modified or selective lockdown that keeps the restrictions on areas with high infection rates while unshackling geographical areas or sectors with minimal or no cases.

Continued on A2

A STREET vendor at the Blumentritt public market in Manila goes about her chores as an armored personnel carrier with PNP Special Action Force personnel in full battle gear passes by. Public markets in Metro Manila have been a focus of authorities because of the difficulty in enforcing social distancing despite the Covid-19-induced lockdown. BERNARD TESTA

T

By Samuel P. Medenilla

HE government is moving toward a calibrated lifting of the six-week enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) after April 30, in a bid to balance economic rebooting with decisively curbing Covid-19—an effort that health authorities said Thursday indicated signs of improvement, with the curve on track toward “flattening” but not yet quite there.

Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque, briefing Palace reporters hours before a muchawaited announcement by President Duterte of his decision on

the fate of the ECQ, provided the framework in which the nation will proceed after April 30, with indications pointing to a modified lockdown. This means that,

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as recommended by most of the health experts Duterte consulted earlier this week, geographical areas and sectors with minimal or no infections may see their lockdowns lifted; while those that still see high numbers of cases will remain under ECQ. Metro Manila—which accounts for two-thirds of Philippine cases—along with parts of Bulacan and Calabarzon, and Cebu and Davao are among the areas usually cited as still having troubling infection rates.

The readiness of the health sector to handle new Covid-19 cases is a major consideration of President Duterte in his decision on the ECQ’s fate in Luzon.

In a press briefing on Thursday, Roque revealed the framework of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), which was already submitted to Duterte so he could decide on the ECQ’s fate after April 30.

“The decision of the President [under the framework] is based on the ability of the health sector to give [medical] attention to people who could get sick from Covid-19 until we have a vaccine or medicine for it,” Roque said.

He said only areas that met the “minimum health standards” will be allowed to lift or modify the ECQ. Continued on A2

n JAPAN 0.4719 n UK 62.7050 n HK 6.5594 n CHINA 7.1767 n SINGAPORE 35.6212 n AUSTRALIA 32.1277 n EU 55.0238 n SAUDI ARABIA 13.5110

Source: BSP (April 23, 2020)

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A2 Friday, April 24, 2020

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Spectrum user fee cuts for small ISPs eyed to widen Internet access

By Lorenz S. Marasigan

T

HE National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) will craft in early May a memorandum circular that reduces the spectrum user fees for fixed wireless services to encourage small Internet service providers (ISPs) to offer cheaper and better services to unserved and underserved areas.

Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Undersecretary Eliseo M. Rio Jr. said by encouraging small telcos to set up their own home Internet services in rural areas, more and more Filipinos will stand to benefit from the power of the Internet—crucial in these times given how the Covid-induced lockdowns forced many workers and companies to rely on work-from-home schemes.

“We will make frequencies of Internet connectivity affordable to smaller players. This will promote

Citira...

lower cost interest connection for fixed establishments, especially in underserved and unserved areas in the country,” he said in a phone interview.

Rio explained that today, frequencies used for fixed wireless are charged the same spectrum user fee as those used for mobile networks. He explained that mobile network operators such as Smart and Globe pay up to P500 million per year on spectrum user fees.

“Even if we peg the spectrum user fee to P50 million, but a small player only has 1,000 subscribers, how can it

Continued from A1

government. Under the bill, the FIRB will be chaired by the Finance Secretary.

Currently, the Philippine Economic Zone Authority and investment promotion agencies (IPAs) have the power to grant incentives to registered enterprises inside economic zones.

Earlier, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) appealed to the government to keep its generous incentives for firms to attract companies, which are now relocating out of China.

Villanueva’s reminder

THIS developed as Sen. Joel Villanueva prodded the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to “mandate industries, sectors to put Covid-19 mitigation measures before allowing to resume operations” following the lockdown.

“Once certain sectors are allowed to operate as the government restarts the economy, the DOLE must mandate employers to conduct regular, randomized tests on its workers to monitor and mitigate the spread of Covid-19,” the senator suggested.

Given the gargantuan task of striking a balance between public health and the economy, policymakers, said Villanueva, should consider allowing industries and sectors providing essential goods and services to operate as long as they maintain hygiene and sanitation protocols, coupled with regular testing among their workers.

He proposed that industries necessary to boost the economy may be “allowed to operate provided they follow strict protocols on social distancing, sanitizing and use of personal protective equipment, among others,” citing a discussion paper by the University of the Philippines School of Economics (UPSE) on the topic. See related story on Page A8, “UP group lists restrictions for old folk, worksites after ECQ lifting.”

Villanueva, who chairs the Senate Committee on Labor, pointed out that “one of the most important insights from the paper is the value of conducting randomized testing of workers for surveillance and monitoring. This is very important to make sure that we also catch those who are asymptomatic.”

“Those who can work from home should continue to do so, especially our senior-aged workers who are at a high risk of contracting the disease. We now have a law on work flexibility and we should continue to take advantage of that,” he added.

Villanueva cited occupational safety and health standards in prodding DOLE to “set guidelines and parameters on resuming its operations, keeping in mind minimizing the risks of workers to contract the disease.”

He proposed that industries and sectors that would be allowed to resume operations should likewise provide temporary lodging and pointto-point transportation for its workers to minimize their risk of contracting Covid-19 from their communities and give them a lift since public transport is limited.

Moreover, Villanueva noted that online selling platforms and logistics are two sectors that have shown resilience given the strict enforcement of social distancing and community quarantine, adding that brick-and-mortar stores which belong to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) should also consider adapting to the times so they could resume operations.

thrive in business?” Rio said. “We have to lower fees for frequencies involved in bringing Internet to the home— that way smaller players can compete.”

He stressed it is time to change the norm, whereby individual users use mobile data connection even when they are at home. Rio explained that there needs to be home broadband connection to help reduce the congestion on mobile networks.

Having a home Internet, he added, should be part of the growing trend of working and studying from home, especially now that people are required to adhere to social distancing and health protocols to stop the spread of Covid-19.

“It is also cost-efficient to users because they don’t have to frequently top up their mobile load credits for Internet connection. They simply need a home connection from a small ISP to either work or study from home,” Rio said.

He lamented that the Philippines trails its Asean neighbors in home Internet connectivity. Today, Rio estimates that only 20 percent of the total homes in the country are connected to the Internet, compared with Malaysia’s 90 percent and Singapore’s 100 percent.

“With Internet from home, we are promoting work-from-home and school-from-home arrangements because these are the new norms,” he said. “The recent situation showed us it is doable, but of course we need to have good Internet connection to do this.”

Aside from this, Rio said that lowering the cost of spectrum fees for fixed wireless connection can boost the Philippine economy.

“This can perk up our economy because the new norm is people working at home and people studying at home.

We can actually do most of our transactions in the virtual world—we don’t have to physically do business. We will be transforming based on real-world transactions to an economy based on virtual world transaction,” he said.

Online workers

RIO explained that online Filipino workers—the new breed of OFWs— are now helping fuel the economy.

According to an independent study conducted by Payoneer, the Philippines ranked sixth in the world’s list of fastest-growing markets for the gig industry.

“We really can copy the successes

of other countries, but we have to have quality Internet to do that,” he said.

Internet access in the Philippines, according to data from We Are Social Inc., is limited to “one-third” of the population.

Despite this and the lockdowns imposed on communities, Internet services are becoming more popular than ever. People are now embracing ecommerce for their groceries, food deliveries via apps, electronic payments for their transactions, and some are even using services such as e-dalaw for their incarcerated loved ones.

“Fixed wireless is easier to roll out versus fiber, which we still need to balance out the demand,” Rio said.

The downside of this initiative, he noted, would be the lowering of the NTC’s revenue collections, which are currently being used to fund the Free Wi-Fi in public places program of the DICT. “But, if we can connect more subscribers to the smaller players, then we will need less Free Wi-Fi access points. So even though the collections would become lower, we will need fewer access points—it’s all balanced out,” he said.

DTI chief, experts frame ‘new normal’ in biz, lifestyles Continued from A1

According to Lopez, in a post-lockdown regime, firms will be mandated to conduct their own Covid-19 testing among their labor force, as well as provide nearby accommodations and shuttle services. They will also be encouraged to do work-fromhome arrangements and will be required to get health care and insurance, as these protocols will minimize the health risks of their workers.

“We need to have a new way of doing business to ensure that our significant gains during the ECQ [enhanced community quarantine] and the collective efforts in flattening the curve will not be put to waste once ECQ is fully lifted,” Lopez added.

Businessmen’s push

THE private sector has been pushing for the modification of the Luzon-wide ECQ scheduled to expire on April 30. For Lopez, the decision on the fate of the lockdown—whether to lift, modify or extend it—should never be a decision of lives or livelihood, as the two can be preserved for as long as firms enforce the necessary precautions to prevent the spread of the virus.

“It is accepted that health takes primacy over the economy, but there is no dichotomy between the two if we take precautionary measures when we do business and work with other people to minimize any health risk in a post-ECQ environment,” the trade chief argued.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) recognized the interventions implemented by numerous sectors to ensure the safety and well-being of their workers. The export sector, for instance, is providing not only accommodation and shuttle services for employees, but also vitamins and medicines, as well as routine health checkup.

Exporters have also been distributing face masks and digital thermometers to workers for free, and setting up ambulances, isolation tents and clinics within their facilities.

State agencies are working out a new set of guidelines on the minimum health standards that should be followed in all of business operations. This will be crucial in the nearing aftermath of the ECQ to prevent a possible second wave of Covid-19 infections.

As of Thursday, there were 6,981 confirmed cases of the respiratory illness in the Philippines, with 722 recovered patients and 462 deaths.

In a related development, the Confederation of Wearable Exporters of the Philippines (Conwep) on Wednesday turned over the first batch of personal protective equipment (PPEs) made by its members for health workers, who are at the forefront in the combat against Covid-19. The first 10,000 PPEs will be used by medical staff of the Philippine General Hospital.

Conwep is collaborating with the government in making 300,000 PPEs that would address the country’s deficient supply.

According to Lopez, the partnership between the government and the private sector “aims to develop our country’s capacity to produce medical-grade PPE.” In the long term, this should meet the local demand for medical supplies throughout the pandemic and beyond.

“There is really a need to create local manufacturing capacities to reduce import dependence, especially at a time when there is also a global shortage of critical medical supplies like PPEs and masks,” Lopez said, stressing “self-reliance is key to our strategy.”

Life after pandemic

BESIDES Lopez, academicians are also framing a post-lockdown or even post-pandemic scenario.

In an online seminar organized by the Registered Financial Planners (RFP), Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) Policy Brief, Ateneo Center for Economic Research and Development (Acerd) Director Alvin P. Ang said the pandemic has forced people, including Filipinos, to live for the essentials.

“Living for the essentials,” Ang said, means greater focus on keeping healthy and making life simple to allow Filipinos to work and play both in the physical and virtual worlds.

“The most likely scenario after April 30 is the ECQ will be lifted gradually,” Ang said.

“The following will continue to be observed: no gathering of more than 10 people; physical distancing; wearing masks when going out; waiting time (in public places); working from home; and living for the essentials,” he explained.

These essentials, Ang said, included fresh and processed food; medicines and vitamins; basic health services, because Filipinos will also need medical services other than to treat Covid-19; and wearing protective accessories such as masks and gloves.

He added that business-process outsourcing will remain be-

cause of the need to observe physical distancing while the threat of acquiring diseases will keep the demand high for cleaning materials such as soaps and detergents.

Ang also said financial, power, water and Internet services will also be in high demand as well as analog and digital entertainment that can help prevent “cabin fever” for those working from home.

Further, Ang said basic mobility will be in high demand to ensure that Filipinos will be able to get their basic food and non-food needs as well as logistics to allow Filipinos to have their essentials delivered to them.

These essentials will give birth or further develop nascent industries. Ang said investing or tailor-fitting businesses to address these essential can spell success for those who will take a risk.

Businesses that will “boom” post Covid-19 include digital marketing services such as website development and social-media presence; apps development; business-process outsourcing; and basic skills learning services offered online, except those skills that require physical presence like carpentry.

He added that businesses linked to health and imaginative logistics and online selling or moving markets will thrive in a post Covid-19 world.

Ang also said research businesses will thrive because of the need for data; telemedicine, including mental and emotional health; and other businesses that would cater to the essentials.

“Invest on assets—companies, people and resources that will remain intact despite the crisis,” Ang said. “Industries such as travel, tourism, leisure and physical entertainment have less potential in a no-contact environment. Focus on those related to necessities and the new normal.”

Earlier, ADMU economists said the government should “set aside its growth targets” and private firms should also set aside their profit targets for the year.

The priority at this time should be to ensure adequate health/medical services as well as the full protection of health workers. There is also a need to prioritize the provision of social protection to vulnerable households and individuals as well as address the economic and social costs of enhanced community quarantine.

The economists also said an economic stimulus to boost the economy would not be useful given the current state of the pandemic.

ECQ…

Continued from A1

ECQ extension guide

PER the guidelines suggested to Duterte, the extent of the ECQ will be based on the case doubling time in an area. The local government unit (LGU) in a place where doubling time is less than seven days—meaning, the number of cases double in under seven days—will be recommended for ECQ extension.

Areas with doubling time of 7 to 30 days will be urged to implement a modified ECQ following age, health and sector restrictions.

Finally, those which will have doubling time of over 30 days may be allowed to relax their ECQ.

Low-risk areas will be allowed to lift the ECQ and restore public transportation, while those at moderate risk will be allowed a modified ECQ and reduced capacity of their public transportation to enforce social distancing.

Areas with high number of Covid cases or have not met minimum health standards will not be allowed to relax their ECQs.

Plateauing cases

AS of Thursday, the Department of Health (DOH) has already recorded 6,981 confirmed Covid-19 cases nationwide. Of which, 462 died, while 722 recovered from the disease.

The country is now a step closer toward “flattening the curve” for Covid-19 as the number of new cases has not breached the 300 mark in the last two weeks.

Citing the observation of the Department of Heath (DOH), Roque said the new Covid-19 cases have started to plateau.

From April 7 to April 23, the number of new Covid-19 cases per day ranged from 104 up to 291.

“This shows that the government’s ECQ has been effective,” Roque said.

DOH tracking

MEANWHILE, the DPH cautiously shared some bit of good news with the continuing trend of slower rates in new cases reported; in the number of recoveries still outpacing deaths; and in what has been called “doubling time”—or the days before the number of cases double.

If the “case doubling time” in the number of Covid-19 cases in the country would be the basis, then it is a good indication that the government is on the right track to flatten the curve, officials said.

However, in a virtual press conference with health beat reporters via Zoom on Thursday, Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire clarified that the current “improvement”—where cases before doubled within a mere three days but currently see a longer average of five days—is not the only indicator that the curve has been flattened.

“From three days, it now takes five days for [Covid-19] to double, according to our experts, and this is a good indication,” Vergeire told the media in Filipino in reply to one question.

“But of course, as we always say, this is a good indication to help us [in the fight against Covid-19],” Vergeire said, adding that ideally, the case doubling time should be “30 days.”

“If we achieve that—30 days and more, then we are in that direction [flattening the curve],” she stressed.

Vergeire conceded that it would still take a long time before that goal is achieved. Besides lengthening the “doubling time,” the DOH, she said, should look into whatever is still lacking in their system and their health capacity are also factors that should be considered.

Those will play a big part as they are preparing a recommendation to Duterte by next week.

“So, it’s still early to say that we are flattening the curve, with all of these things that we are doing,” she stressed.

For her part, Dr. Beverly Ho, OIC-Director IV for Health Promotion and Communication Service, said that due to data limitations, the flattening of the curve could not be determined at this time.

“But if you’re talking about indications that it is flattening, yes it is,” Ho said.

Poll: 80 percent support

MEANWHILE, a survey from Gallup International showed 80 percent of Filipinos are satisfied with the government’s handling of the Covid-19 crisis.

The survey showed 86 percent of Filipinos are ready to “sacrifice some of their rights to stop the spread of Covid-19” and 88 percent said they are afraid they or their relative will be infected by Covid-19.

“You could expect that whatever the decision [on the ECQ] of the President will be, he will address the concerns [of Filipinos] that they may get sick [from Covid-19],” Roque said.

With reports from Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz and Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

The Nation BusinessMirror

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DOLE lists more than 200K OFWs for AKAP cash assistance program

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

O

VER 200,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFW) have applied for the Department of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE) Abot Kamay ang Pagtulong (AKAP) since the cash assistance program was launched early this month.

However, only 12 percent of the said applicants have qualified for a one-time $200 (or P10,000) government cash-aid program for OFWs, whose employment were affected by the novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19). The rest are still going through the screening process.

“So far we have only paid 18,000 [applicants]. That is worth P180 million, or only over 10 percent out of total budget,” Bello said in a phone interview.

AKAP has a total budget allocation of P1.5 billion and is expected to benefit 150,000 qualified OFWs.

Application continuation

DUE to the sheer number of applicants, especially abroad, some Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO), particularly those from Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait and Dubai, United Arab Emirates, have issued advisories this week suspending on-site application for AKAP. DOLE’s Information and Publication Service (IPS) also released a news statement at around 3 p.m. on Wednesday stating on-site applications for AKAP in all POLOs have been suspended. The statement was retracted by IPS two hours later.

Bello said he ordered the POLOs to continue accepting on-site applications since they still have over P1.3 million remaining funds.

“There will be no quota [in accepting applications]. We will just [con-

tinue] accepting the applications, but we will give the caveat that only 150,000 of them will be accommodated. We will just make it clear to them that if they qualify, then we will give them the cash aid,” Bello said.

Additional funds

THE labor chief said DOLE may request for additional funding for AKAP once they exhaust its existing allocated funds.

“If we already used up our funds and we will see there are still many who are qualified that is the time we will make the request. But for now, it is premature,” Bello said.

The program covers not only documented OFWs and balik manggagawa, or returning OFWs, but as well as those classified as undocumented.

OFWs if they fall under the following conditions: originally documented workers but for some reason have lost their regular status; not registered by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) or whose contracts were not processed by the said agency, or the Philippine Overseas Labor Office, but have undertaken actions to regularize their contracts/status, or active members of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration at the time of availment.

To qualify for AKAP, applicants must also have experienced jobs displacement due to the receiving country’s imposition of lockdown, or community quarantine, or have been infected with Covid-19.

They must be still at the overseas jobsites, in the Philippines as returning OFW, or have been repatriated as well as not have receive any financial support/assistance from their receiving countries, or employers, to avail of AKAP.

AFP: Chinese ship may have targeted Navy vessel at WPS

By Rene Acosta @reneacostaBM

& Recto Mercene

@rectomercene

I

T was the gun of a Chinese People’s Liberation Army-Navy (PLAN) war ship that moved and was aimed at a Philippine Navy vessel while the latter was patrolling the country’s maritime waters in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) last week, a Navy official said on Thursday.

The clarification was made by Armed Forces Western Command (Wescom) chief Vice Admiral Rene Medina following the revelation on Twitter of Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. that the government has filed diplomatic protests against China over the recent incident at the WPS. Locsin said the diplomatic protests covered the “pointing of a radar gun at a Philippine Navy ship in PH waters” and “declaring parts of Philippine territory as part of Hainan province— both violations of international law & Philippine sovereignty.”

When sought for a comment, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana initially said he has no idea “what a radar gun is,” and he would have to “ask the experts: Navy and PAF [Philippine Air Force].”

Later, he stated in separate statement released through Department of National Defense spokesman Arsenio “Popong” Andolong that he had already ordered Navy officials to provide him a detailed report about the incident, which as the Navy said, happened on April 17.

“I have instructed the Philippine Navy to give me a detailed briefing on the incident. As announced by Secretary Locsin, the Department of Foreign Affairs filed a diplomatic

protest which was received by the Chinese embassy today, 22 April,” Lorenzana said on Wednesday night.

Medina, while confirming the incident, said it was not a laser gun but the Gun Control Director (GCD) that was directed by the Chinese Navy ship against the BRP Conrado Yap, a refurbished corvette that the Navy has acquired from South Korea.

“The Western Command confirms that the incident happened on February 17, 2020, through the report received from the Joint Task Force West [JTFW] and as revealed by the Commanding Officer of BRP Conrado Yap [PS39],” he said.

According to Medina, the BRP Conrado Yap left Puerto Princesa City on February 15 to conduct territorial defense operations and sovereignty patrol at Malampaya Natural Gas to Power Project and at the Kalayaan Island Group in the WPS. Two days later and while the warship was sailing on its way to the Rizal Reef detachment, the vessel detected a radar contact of a “gray colored vessel.”

Citing the report of the Joint Task Force West, the BRP Conrado Yap was the first to issue radio challenge for which the Chinese Navy ship responded “the Chinese government has imputable sovereignty over the South China Sea, its islands and its adjacent waters.”

“PS39 again challenged the vessel and then instructed to proceed directly to its next destination. That vessel repeated its response and maintained her course and speed,” Medina said.

The Wescom commander said that PS39 was able to identify the Chinese ship as “PLAN Vessel bearing a bow number 514 [Corvette warship].”

“There, PS39 was able to visually observed that the Gun Control Director, an equipment that gives information in obtaining a fire control solution of said PLAN vessel was directed towards PS39,” Medina said.

“This Gun Control Director can be used to designate and track targets and makes all the main guns ready to fire in under a second,” he added.

The military commander said that “according to Joint Task Force West, while PS39 does not have the Electronic Support Measures [ESM] to confirm that PLAN Gun Control Director was directed towards her, visual identification confirms this hostile intent.”

“This hostile act on the part of Chinese government and encroachment within the Philippines’ EEZ [exclusive economic zone] is perceived as a clear violation of international law and Philippine sovereignty,” Medina said.

Medina said that after the incident, both vessels continued their respective voyage and the Wescom reported the incident to “higher headquarters.”

The hostile action taken by a Chinese corvette against the BRP Conrado Yap within the country’s territorial waters was just among the provocations carried out by China in the waters that it disputes against its neighbors followed by the sinking of a Vietnamese fishing boat by a Chinese vessel within Vietnam’s maritime waters and the tailing of a Malaysian research vessel within its waters by another Chinese vessel.

Twin protests filed–Locsin

FOREIGN Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., late Wednesday afternoon confirmed that the

POEA allows ‘revalidation’ of OFW overseas employment certificates

S

TR ANDED overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) due to the novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19) will no longer have to worry about their expired overseas employment certificates (OEC).

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) issued an Advisory 48-2020 on Wednesday allowing the “revalidation” of their OECs for deployment purposes.

It will cover OFWs, whose OECs have expired during the ECQ. Under the new issuance, the concerned OFWs would only have to bring the following documents at the Labor Assistance Center in Philippine International Airports on the day of their departure: original copy

of expired OEC; copy of employment contract; copy of valid work permit/ visa; and valid passport.

An OEC is a documentary requirement issued by POEA before a Filipino is allowed to work abroad.

“The LAC shall evaluate the documents and validate with the available records if the worker’s employment documents has been processed and approved by POEA,” POEA Administrator Bernard P. Olalia said in Advisory 48-2020.

“Upon verification, the LAC shall stamp the expired OECs ‘CLEARED’ and shall be deemed revalidated,” he added.

Grace period

POEA implemented the measure in

consideration of the plight of OFWs, who were unable to depart due to the travel restrictions imposed by the Philippines, or their countries of destination because of Covid-19.

Since the ECQ also limited the operations of recruitment and manning agencies, POEA also implemented a temporary extension the validity of their license to operate.

It will apply to those which will have their licenses expiring during the ECQ. “The validity of the license/branch authority of the aforementioned covered agencies shall be temporarily extended from the date of expiration of the license/branch authority which should be within the covered period of

SM donates Covid-19 test kits to Baguio City

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N support of mass Covid-19 testing, SM donates local PCR test kits for 4,000 tests to Baguio City.

Through SM Foundation, and in coordination with the Department of Health (DOH), Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, and the test kit producer Manila Healthtek, Baguio General Hospital (BGH) is one of the first recipients of local GenAmplify PCR test kits developed by University of the Philippines-National Institute of Health scientists and is among the hospitals SM is donating P30 million worth of test kits to, equivalent to 20,000 tests.

SM Foundation has also provided Baguio General Hospital with supplemental testing accessories, including hyperfilter tips, system racks and cryovials. Previously, the foundation has also sent BGH an intensive care unit-grade ventilator and two shipments of personal protective equipment, including full suits, gloves, masks and alcohol.

Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • Friday, April 24, 2020 A3

Cruise ships with 3,500 jobless Pinoy seafarers onboard await go signal to dock at Manila port

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PHOTO shows Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong receiving test kits from SM Foundation through SM AVP of North 1 Marc Janssen Pee.

the ECQ, up to a period of 30 calendar day following the lifting of the ECQ order,” Olalia said.

POEA stressed that the extension does guarantee automatic approval of application of the concerned agencies.

It also noted the failure of said companies to meet the 30-day grace period will mean the automatic revocation of their temporary license/ branch authority, or the expiration of their previously granted license/ branch authority.

The ECQ started on March 17, 2020, and supposed to be lifted on April 13, 2020. It was later extended up to April 30, 2020.

Samuel P. Medenilla

IVE cruise ships anchored off Cavite near Sangley Point loaded with a combined total of 3,500 Filipino seafarers are waiting for official orders to dock at the Port of Manila.

Voyager of the Seas, Queen Elizabeth, Sun Princess, Pacific Dawn and Pacific Explorer are waiting for the Philippine Coast Guard’s go signal so the ships could unload its cargo of now jobless Filipino seafarers, according to recruitment consultant Manny Geslani.

The ships have truncated their scheduled cruises due to the coronavirus that infected many passengers and crew.

Majority of passengers have to get off during refueling, and some of the infected passengers were brought to hospitals, Geslani said in a news statement. Those that remain aboard the ships were Filipinos, Malaysian and Indonesian seafarers being repatriated aboard the selected cruise ships, the statement added.

The Inter-Agency Task Force has approved the cruise ships to dock at the Port of Manila last, but “up to now the cruise ships are awaiting orders if they can proceed to the Port instead of just sailing around Manila Bay.” Geslani, who is in contact with some of the manning agencies said the “3,500 OFWs are now restless and anxious to place their feet on the ground.” Even as they could see the Manila skyline all the way to the tall structures of Fort Bonifacio. Recto Mercene

Chinese embassy has received two diplomatic protests he filed.

“One, on the pointing of a radar gun at a Philippine Navy ship in Philippine waters and two, declaring parts of Philippine territory as part of Hainan province. Both are violations of international law and Philippine sovereignty,” Locsin said in his official Twitter account.

“At 5:17 p.m. today [Wednesday] the Chinese embassy received 2 diplomatic protests: 1. on the pointing of a radar gun at a Philippine Navy ship in PH waters and 2. declaring parts of Philippine territory as part of Hainan province—both violations of international law and Philippine sovereignty.”

Expecting the usual barrage of questions from the media to clarify what he said, Locsin said: “We worked on this the whole day. And that is all that will be said on it because diplomatic notes are strictly confidential between the two states parties. Period.”

“I expect that no one else in the government will comment on it because they are not competent to do it. Only the President himself can reveal these notes of his alter ego, the Secretary of Foreign Affairs and rule thereon,” Locsin said.

Following his tweet about the diplomatic protests he filed, Locsin said that “China created Nansha district under the jurisdiction of Sansha City, akin to something we already protested in 2012.”

“Old hat but bears repeating the protest,” he added.

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague dismissed as illegal China’s historical claim to the whole South China Sea (SCS), part of which is the Philippines’s West Philippine Sea.

A simple act of kindness breathed life to ‘bayanihan’ in Puerto Galera

By Jonathan L. Mayuga

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@jonlmayuga

AYS before President Duterte signed Republic Act 11469, or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, into a law“good Samaritans” in the Municipality of Puerto Galera in the Province of Oriental Mindoro have come together to help their needy kababayan.

Acting on their own, a group of Filipino businessmen and some expats living on the island started to chip in for their small act of bayanihan as soon as President Duterte declared the entire country under a state of public health emergency and placed the entire island of Luzon under enhanced community quarantine.

Through the Puerto Galera Team For A Cause, a Facebook page put up for the purpose of reaching out to the needy, couple Renante Trinidad and Jereline Calderon, receive messages from Covid-19 affected individuals appealing for donation.

As the simple act of kindness gain the support of the communities, more and more individuals are chipping in—in cash or in-kind—and more people are receiving the much-needed help.

Trinidad, who owns and manages Finesse Residencia cocktail bar and restaurant, said it took a simple act of kindness to start the ball rolling.

“First day of the lockdown, in an FB page, a single mom asked for help for her baby. Instead of receiving help, she was bashed and humiliated. That night, I made some calls to some foreignerfriends of mine appealing for help, especially for those with no savings because the lockdown was announced without warning,” he narrated.

Trinidad said he started the ball rolling with P2,000.

“To my surprise, donation started it pour in,” he said.

So far, Trinidad said, he and his friends who have joined the bayanihan have distributed infant milk formula, food pack, or relief goods, depending on the request, benefiting at least 12,000 families.

Donations of any amount—whether big or small—are acknowledged through the FB page which is now also filled with photos of happy faces of the recipients of the donation.

These include some 300 packs of relief goods to senior citizens and persons with disability in different barangays.

Ask what drove him to kick-start his own version of bayanihan, he said: I am reliving my fraternity’s oath: To promote brotherhood through service to fellowmen,” he said.

Trinidad is a member of the Kappa Epsilon Fraternity back in his college at the University of the East.

In starting the outreach program amid the pandemic in his hometown Puerto Galera, Trinidad personally leads the distribution of the relief goods, which is done on a daily basis.

His wife, Calderon, takes charge of receiving the donations whether in cash or in-kind.

So far, he estimated that P800,000 worth of relief goods and cash had been received and distributed by them.

Economy BusinessMirror

A4 Friday, April 24, 2020 • Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

Groups present list to boost port efficiency, reduce logistics cost

By Elijah Felice E. Rosales @alyasjah

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NDUSTRY groups on Thursday appealed to the government to temporarily halt the collection of logistical fees and prolong the duration of free storage in ports to improve transport efficiency and reduce logistics cost at a time global supply chain disruption.

In a news statement, industries called on the government to implement a moratorium on demurrage fees, port congestion surcharges and penalties imposed on cargoes stuck at the port due to slow issuances, bank processing and Customs clearance. They want the moratorium to be applied retroactively to all shipments affected.

They reported that international shipping lines are placing port congestion surcharges of up to $1,400 per reefer container, while demurrage fees range from P1,400 to

P2,800 per 40 feet dry container and up to P3,200 per day for reefers.

According to the industry groups, the request for a moratorium was made as early as April 3 when the Export Development Council wrote a letter to the Philippine Ports Authority and the Departments of Finance (DOF), and of Transportation (DOTr). However, they only got a reply from the DOTr, who recommended that the petition be transmitted to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease (IATF).

Industries also sought to extend the free storage period to 10 days, from five days, as shippers pay storage fees to port operators of as much as P1,443 a day for 40 feet dry container and at least P192.50 per hour for reefers.

Moreover, they argued that a green lane process be adopted for shipments made by economic zone

DBM redirects sizeable budget appropriations for virus response

By Bernadette D. Nicolas

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@BNicolasBM

HE Philippine government has opted to partially fund the budget requirements needed to respond to Covid-19 pandemic by halting the release of 35 percent of programmed appropriations under the 2020 national budget effective April 1.

At the same time, the government through the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) announced the discontinuance of at least 10 percent of the total released allotments for maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) and capital outlays (CO) of all national government departments and agencies and operating units.

“To partially generate the required amounts to implement the national policy to address the Covid-19 situation, while observing the overall expenditure program for FY [fiscal year] 2020, government instrumentalities concerned are advised that thirty five percent [35 percent] of programmed appropriations under the FY 2020 GAA [General Appropriations Act] shall no longer be made available for release effective April 1, 2020,” read the National Budget Circular 580 signed by Budget Secretary Wendel E. Avisado adopting the economy measures in the government due to emergency health situation.

The said circular shall take effect immediately upon publication.

“Likewise at least ten percent [10 percent] of the total released allotments to covered entities under Section 2 hereof for MOOE and CO shall no longer be available for obligation,” the document added.

Covered entities shall include state universities and colleges (SUCs), as well as government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs) receiving budgetary appropriations authorized under the 2019 and 2020 national budgets that shall also cover appropriations not expressly earmarked for the implementation of programs/activities/projects addressing the Covid-19 pandemic.

Moreover, the DBM circular stated that no allotment shall be released for new programs, projects, activities, including Congress-introduced increases, which are not likely to be implemented within the current calendar year.

The DBM also announced that specific activities shall be discontinued to implement the 10 percent discontinuance of the amounts corresponding to the FY 2020 released allotments for MOOE and CO. Those which are discontinued by the government are purchase of any type of motor vehicles, except ambulances and those required by the military and uniformed personnel for the direct exercise of their public safety functions; start-up construction of government buildings, as well as repairs/renovation works which may be deferred; all foreign travels, except for ministerial meetings and scholarship/trainings that are grant-funded or undertaken at no cost to the government.

Also halted are all local travels, unless urgently necessary and allowed by the secretary, or head of the SUCs, constitutional offices and GOCCs; conduct of celebrations and cultural or sports activities not related to the core function of the agency, including athletic competitions conducted by public schools or SUCs; and hiring of job orders, except those considered as frontliners during this state of public health emergency.

The government also decided to discontinue at least 10 percent of the cost of the following: services of consultants and technical assistants; consumption of fuel, water and electricity and other utilities; consumption of supplies and materials, except for essential and critical supplies and materials related to Covid-19; cost of training, seminars and workshops; and all other MOOE items not otherwise enumerated.

The DBM said it shall also prepare and submit a report to the President on the programs, activities and projects with unobligated allotments to be discontinued to be used to fund programs and activities being implemented in response to the current health situation.

Each government agency, SUC or GOCC are also requested to identify and compute their unobligated allotments for MOOE and CO under the 2019 and 2020 national budgets as of March 31, 2020.

The certification shall be submitted to DBM not later than April 30, 2020.

For the legislative and judicial branches of government, constitutional commissions and other offices vested with fiscal autonomy, they are also strongly urged to adopt and implement the same economy measures in their respective offices.

firms. In line with this, they also asked for the lifting of the truck ban and number coding to keep flow of goods unimpeded under the Luzonwide quarantine.

“Because of the lockdown, there are a few trucks operating today to transport,” the statement read. “This is exacerbated by the truck ban and the number coding schemes. The issue today is not traffic, rather the delivery of cargoes: food and essential products, raw materials, exportimport cargoes.”

The industry groups also scored the Bureau of Customs for “downtime arising from inefficient servers” of the agency. It is important for Customs to improve its automation process, as delay or failure to issue documents on time is a factor to port congestion, they said.

Invoking Executive Order 172, Series of 2014, which declares the Port of Batangas and Subic Bay Freeport

as extensions of the Port of Manila, industries likewise appealed to Transportation Secretary Arthur P. Tugade to now utilize the extension ports.

Last, they demanded that the Letter of Instruction 1005-A, Series of 1980, be terminated. The Marcos era LOI grants the government a share of 10 percent of gross income earned of all cargo contractors and port operators.

“The negative impact [or] damage such a policy brings to the economy is definitely greater than whatever the government does with the revenue it generates,” the statement read.

The statement was signed by industry groups, including the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc., Export Development Council, as well as the Supply Chain Management Association of the Philippines. The Joint Foreign Chambers of the Philippines was also a signatory.

WB: $100-M loan to boost PHL’s fight vs coronavirus

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HE World Bank (WB) said on Thursday that the $100 million, or P5.09-billion project, that will be implementing in the Philippines will be financed through a loan.

The Washington-based lender said the loan will help the Philippines, one of the countries in the East Asia and the Pacific region hit hard by the coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, boost its health system.

The Covid-19 Emergency Response Project is part of the World Bank Group’s fast-track package to strengthen the Covid-19 response in developing countries and shorten the time to recovery.

“Boosting the country’s capacity to respond to Covid-19 will save lives,” said Achim Fock, WB acting country director for Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand. “The government has taken quick and decisive action in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic and the World Bank is proud to support its efforts.

Right now, no other investment offers greater return.”

This is not the first financing that the Philippines received from the WB. On April 9, 2020, the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved $500- million loan to help the Philippines address disaster risks, respond to and recover from natural disasters, as well as address urgent needs created by the Covid-19 crisis.

On Thursday, the BusinessMirror reported that based on documents it had obtained, the bulk of the funds or P3.14 billion for the four-year project will be spent this year.

More than half of this amount, or P2.286 billion, will be spent for Component 1 or the countr y’s emergency Covid-19 health-care

response.

The documents stated that of this cost, around P1.76 billion will be spent for medical and laboratory equipment, as well as reagents followed by P404.8 million for enhanced isolation/ quarantine facilities and provision of ambulances.

The amount will also cover the P400 million allocated to procure medical supplies, including personal protective equipment (PPEs) and medicines.

In 2021, the project will spend P1.056 billion, the bulk of which or P571.62 million will be spent for the country’s emergency Covid-19 healthcare response.

The lion’s share of the spending for emergency response or P440.1 million in 2021 will be for the procurement of medical and laboratory equipment and reagents.

For 2022 and 2023, the total spending will reach P484.37 million and P408.39 million. The funding in these years will cover mostly for emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) prevention, preparedness, and response capacity at the national and local levels, as well as the implementation management and monitoring evaluation of the project. Cai U. Ordinario

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Think tank outlines ‘barriers’ to PHL’s infra devt program

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

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SIDE from the impact of the coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, the government’s low absorptive capacity will keep the Philippines from meeting its infrastructure and gross domestic product (GDP) growth targets in the medium term, according to an international think tank.

In a Research Brief, Oxford Economics’ Thatchinamoorthy Krshnan and Sung-Eun Jung, said the implementation rate of the country’s infrastructure projects is only about 30 percent due to low absorptive capacity.

This will limit infrastructure’s impact on GDP growth to only 1.4 percentage points (ppts) in 2020; 1.8 ppts in 2021; and 1.9 ppts in 2022, significantly lower than government targets. On average, infrastructure’s contribution to GDP will only be 1.5 ppts in the 2017 to 2022 period.

“While these are notable contributions and should keep Philippines and Indonesia among the fastestgrowing emerging economies over the medium term, they fall short of both governments’ ambitious targets,” the economists said.

“We calculate that the implementation rate would need to rise to at least 50 percent for Philippines and the funding realization rate to double for Indonesia before infrastructure spending provides the necessary boost to reach the 7 percent growth target in both countries, given that weak private investment trends continue to curtail the contribution of overall investment to growth,” they added.

Krshnan and Jung said they came up with their estimates by comparing the budgeted capital outlay to the actual amount spent based on Commission on Audit reports.

They found out that spending made by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and Department of Transportation (DOTr) have significantly increased by 34.9 percent and 6.1 percent between 2016 and 2018.

However, the economists said, there was a sharp increase in the amount of budgets given to both

agencies keeping their average implementation rates “stagnant” at 34.2 percent for DPWH and 12.5 percent in DOTr. The weighted average of both implementation rates, allowed the two economists to estimate the overall rate at 30 percent.

“Despite Philippines’s efforts to continue key infrastructure projects, other spending to deal with coronavirus’ health and economic impact is likely to take priority,” the economists said.

“Nonetheless, we expect public capex [capital expenditures] to pick up as normalcy is gradually restored. We estimate that based on investment multipliers of 0.85 for Philippines, infrastructure spending contributed 1.2 ppts to Philippines’s GDP growth,” they added.

In his first briefing to the media, newly appointed Acting Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua said the government’s “Build, Build, Build” (BBB) program was part of the President’s marching orders to him when he was appointed.

Under his watch, Chua said the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) intends to evaluate the BBB program to determine which projects will have the most impact on the economy.

These will be prioritized and will be used to jump-start the country’s economic recovery.

P r ior it i z i n g BBB proje c t s means ensuring that projects to be implemented will yield the most jobs and the highest multiplier effects that will be crucial in the country’s recovery.

This will allow the country to continue its efforts in increasing GDP per capita from only 2 percent of GDP 10 years ago to around 5 percent of GDP as of 2018.

“We will have to determine which…projects have the maximum impact. And the build, build projects, when we are allowed to continue, when it is safe to go out and work, we will have to use that as one of the main drivers of our economy because that is where jobs are created, that is where the multiplier effects are higher so that would be an important part of our recovery,” Chua said.

BFAR raises red tide alert in four VisMin provinces

By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga

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HE Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has declared four areas in the Visayas and Mindanao as positive for paralytic shellfish.

Based on the latest laboratory results jointly conducted by BFAR with concerned local government units (LGUs), shellfishes collected at the coastal waters of Dauis and Tagbilaran in Bohol; Balite Bay in Mati City, Davao Oriental; Lianga Bay in Surigao del Sur; and Ormoc Bay in Ormoc City

in Leyte are positive for paralytic shellfish beyond regulatory limits.

BFAR, through its Shellfish Bulletin 9signedbyAgricultureUndersecretary for Fisheries and concurrent BFAR Director Eduardo B. Gongona, warned that all types of shellfish and acetes sp., or alamang, gathered in these areas are not safe for human consumption.

BFAR said while fish, shrimps, squids, and crabs remain safe for human consumption, they are supposed to be fresh and washed thoroughly, and internal organs such as gills and intestines should be removed before cooking.

DA lauds growing biz ties between private companies and farmers in time of Covid-19

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

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HE Department of Agriculture (DA) said more and more private corporations are directly buying produce from local farmers as a way to help them cope with the detrimental impact of Covid-19 pandemic on the agriculture sector.

In a news statement issued on Thursday, the DA said several companies and institutional buyers have started joining its Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita marketing program that seeks to directly connect farmers to retail consumers and end-users to facilitate easier trade, particularly during these challenging times.

In particular, DA cited AgriNurture

Inc. and San Miguel Corp. for their efforts and interest to purchase more agricultural produce from local farmers on a regular basis.

“We, at the Department, are more than willing to enter into an undertaking with ANI, as we look forward to the positive support and assistance that they can provide to our local food producers who have been affected by the enforcement of the enhanced community quarantine [ECQ],” Agriculture William D. Dar said.

“Also, we thank San Miguel Corp., under the leadership of its President and COO [chief operating officer] Ramon S. Ang, as it will buy 4 million kilos of corn from farmers, and allow the use of strategic Petron stations nationwide as outlets for our Kadiwa

rolling stores,” Dar added.

The DA said there are four other institutions that have been buying regularly large volumes of vegetables from the Nueva Vizcaya Agricultural Terminal (NVAT) and the Benguet Agri-Pinoy Trading Center (BAPTC) since the Luzon-wide ECQ was imposed.

These buyers are: OH My Gulay, which buys 12 metric tons of upland vegetables from BAPTC and 12 MT of lowland vegetables from NVAT twice a week; Grow Asia (20 MT of highland vegetables from BAPTC weekly); Shell Philippines (5 MT of highland vegetables from BAPTC weekly) and Victory Liner (4 MT of highland vegetables from BAPTC weekly.)

Furthermore, the DA said it con-

tinues to buy more farm produce, through its Kadiwa partners, such as Planters Produce, a subsidiary of Planters Products Inc., and VIEVA Farmers’ Federation.

“The DA will continue to enhance its partnerships with agribusiness companies and institutional buyers to benefit more Filipino farmers and consumers,” Dar said.

“The government cannot do this alone, we need the support of the private sector to help us in this upgraded marketing strategy as we face the challenges of Covid-19,” Dar added.

Since launching Kadiwa in 2019, the DA said it has served 14 cities in the NCR, via 144 Kadiwa on Wheels in 124 barangays and 20 villages and subdivisions.

www.businessmirror.com.ph • Editor: Angel R. Calso

U.K. starts mass study to track virus, weeks after halting tests

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he UK government is to survey 20,000 households in a bid to track the spread of the coronavirus in Britain, five weeks after it abandoned a strategy of community testing for the disease.

The data will help scientists understand the rate of infection and how many people m ay h ave d e ve l o p e d a nt i b o d i e s, t h e government said in an e-mailed statement on Thursday. The study’s par ticipants will form a representative sample of the British population and initial findings will be available in early May. P r i m e M i n i s t e r B o r i s J o h n s o n ’s government has been criticized for not doing enough to trace the virus in the population, after the director-general of the World Health Organization stressed that testing should be the “backbone” of the global response. Though medics initially rigorously tracked the virus at the beginning of the UK outbreak and quarantined people as necessar y, the g ove rn m e nt d ro p p e d t h e s t rate g y o n March 12 due to a lack of testing capacity and a belief it wouldn’t be useful.

Ministers in Britain are now tr ying to devise an exit strategy for a national lockdown that’s been in place since March 23, without causing a second peak of the virus. Latest figures show 18,100 people in Britain have died from the disease in hospitals— edging toward the 20,000 figures that the government said would be a good result—even before non-hospital deaths are included.

The UK’s Chief Medical Officer Chris W h i t t y s a i d o n We d n e s d a y t h a t t h e government’s priorit y is reducing the transmission rate of the virus to below 1, meaning that each Covid-19 case is passed on to less than one other person. He said they are considering what restrictions could be relaxed while still keeping a lid on the virus, though he warned that there wouldn’t be a swift return to normal life.

“As the transmission rate comes down, we need to get more data as to precisely where it is, in order to inform the measures we can actively consider,” First Secretary of State Dominic Raab, who is standing in for Johnson as he recovers from the virus, said on Wednesday when asked about how the lockdown might be lifted. “We’ve got to make sure we’ve got that evidence before we star t touting around ideas.”

Bloomberg News

Facebook to label national origin of popular posts

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AKLAND, California—Facebook said on Wednesday it will label posts from popular accounts with their geographic origin in an attempt to curb political misinformation by foreign-based pages that mimic legitimate groups and political parties.

The new policy will apply to popular pages about elections, entertainment and other topics and will stamp every post they make on Facebook and Instagram with its origin. For instance, an Instagram account targeting US voters but based in Brazil will have every post labeled with “Based in Brazil.” Users then can swipe to find out more information about the account.

It’s the social network’s latest attempt to fight election-related misinformation.

Russia and other countries have been using social media to try to influence political discourse in the US and elsewhere, often by masquerading as local interest groups.

Facebook will initially target pages based outside of the US that reach a large number of people inside the US. The labels, the company says, will help people “gauge the reliability and authenticity” of what they see.

While the labels add a new layer of information—and one users won’t have to click to find—it’s unlikely to help with more insidious attempts to influence the November presidential election and sow political discord in the US. Last fall, for instance, Facebook removed dozens of pages and accounts that purported to be Americans focused on US politics, but which actually originated in Iran and Russia. This March, meanwhile, both Twitter and Facebook announced takedowns of sophisticated foreign operations that showed Russian trolls outsourcing election interference efforts to countries in West Africa. AP

The World BusinessMirror

Friday, April 24, 2020

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UN chief says pandemic is fast becoming a ‘human rights crisis’

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NITED NATIONS—UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday that the coronavirus pandemic is “a human crisis that is fast becoming a human rights crisis.”

The UN chief said in a video message that there is discrimination in the delivery of public services to tackle Covid-19 and there are “structural inequalities that impede access to them.”

Guterres said the pandemic has also seen “disproportionate effects on certain communities, the rise of hate speech, the targeting of vulnerable groups, and the risks of heavy-handed security responses undermining the health response.”

He warned that with “rising ethno-nationalism, populism, authoritarianism and a push back against human rights in some countries, the crisis can provide a pretext to adopt repressive measures for purposes unrelated to the pandemic.”

In February, Guterres issued a call to action to countries, businesses and people to help renew and revive human rights across the globe, laying out a seven-point plan amid concerns about climate

change, conflict and repression.

“As I said then, human rights cannot be an afterthought in times of crisis—and we now face the biggest international crisis in generations,” he said.

The secretary-general said he was releasing a report on Thursday on how human rights must guide the response to the virus and recovery from the pandemic. Neither he nor the report name any countries or parties responsible for human rights violations.

Guterres said governments must be “transparent, responsive and accountable,” and stressed that press freedom, civil society organizations, the private sector and “civic space” are essential.

The report said governments also need to take action to mitigate the worst impacts of Covid-19 on jobs, livelihoods, access to basic services and family life.

Guterres said any emergency measures—including states of emergency—must be “legal, proportionate, necessary and nondiscriminatory, have a specific focus and duration, and take the least intrusive approach possible to protect public health.”

“Emergency powers may be needed but broad executive powers, swiftly granted with minimal oversight, carry risks,” the report warned. “Heavy-handed security responses undermine the health response and can exacerbate existing threats to peace and security or create new ones.”

The report said the best response is proportionate to the immediate threat and protects human rights.

“The message is clear: People— and their rights—must be front and center,” Guterres said.

Earlier, the UN General Assembly approved a resolution

c a l l i n g for g lob a l ac t ion to rapidly scale up development, manufactur ing and access to medicine, vaccines and medical equipment to confront the new coronavirus pandemic.

The resolution requests UN Sec ret a r y- Genera l A nton io Guterres to work with the World Health Organization and recommend options to ensure timely and equitable access to testing, medical supplies, drugs and future coronavirus vaccines for all in need, especially in developing countries.

It reaffirms the fundamental role of the United Nations system in coordinating the global response to control and contain the spread of Covid-19 and in supporting the 193 UN member-states, “and in this regard acknowledges the crucial leading role played by the World Health Organization.” AP

WHO chief brushes off resignation calls, appeals for US aid

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ENEVA—The World Health Organization chief said on Wednesday he hopes the United States will reconsider its freeze in funding for his agency and vowed to keep working on “saving lives” despite calls from some US lawmakers for his resignation.

WHO Director- General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he hopes the US believes t he agenc y is “an impor tant investment, not just to help

others, but for the US to stay safe” amid the pandemic.

President Donald J. Trump last week announced a temporary halt to US funding for the UN agency, alleging a WHO cover-up and missteps handling the outbreak. The US is the Geneva-based agency’s biggest donor, providing hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of support each year.

In Washington, officials said on Wednesday the halt involved new funding for the WHO, and

was expected to continue for 60 to 90 days.

A group of Republican lawmakers in the House of Representatives last week suggested that Trump should condition any voluntary US contributions to the WHO this year on Tedros’ resignation.

Asked about whether he was considering that, Tedros said: “I will continue to work day and night because this is a blessed work, actually, and responsibility saving lives,

and I will focus on that.”

Dr. Mike Ryan, the WHO’s emergencies chief, said the US pause would impact core agency activities like child immunizations, efforts to eradicate polio, and “essential health services and trauma management in some of the most vulnerable populations in the world.”

“I very much hope that...this is a 60-day stay on funding,” and no more, he said. “That’s why you don’t see me complaining, because we

just need to get on with it.”

At a news conference in Washington on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced a new tranche of US assistance to specific countries, bringing the total of virus aid this year to more than $700 million.

Other US officials said the suspended money for the WHO would be used for the same purpose, just distributed to individual groups—eliminating the agency as a conduit. AP

China builds up stockpiles of crude as prices collapse

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EIJING—China, the world’s biggest energy consumer, is building up stockpiles of crude oil as global prices plunge due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Imports rose 4.5 percent in March over a year earlier even as the world’s second-largest economy shut down to fight the virus and demand collapsed. For the first quarter of the year imports were up 5 percent.

The price collapse is battering state-owned oil producers and possibly disrupting official plans to develop the industry but is a boon to Chinese drivers and factories. It gives Beijing a chance to add to a strategic petroleum reserve that is meant to insulate the country against possible supply disruptions.

“In the midst of all this, China oil imports have been resilient, as low prices have enabled stockpiling,” said Peter Lee, senior oil and gas analyst for Fitch Solutions.

As global prices fell, Chinese importers sent 84 tankers to Saudi Arabia in mid-March, each able to carry 2 million barrels of crude, according to news reports that cited the China Shipbuilding Industry Association.

Low oil prices “have a positive impact on China,” said the ruling Communist Party’s Political and Legal Commission on its social media account.

Still, the plunge threatens to disrupt plans to make China more “energy self-reliant” if stateowned drillers have to cut spending on developing domestic oilfields, said industry analyst Max Petrov of Wood Mackenzie.

State-owned PetroChina Ltd.,

Asia’s biggest producer, is “probably losing quite serious amounts of money,” said Petrov. He said PetroChina has to decide whether to follow the lead of Western producers and slash spending on new wells.

“If it cuts investment, and because of the nature of China’s oilfields, it will take a very long time for production to come back up,” said Petrov. “It will take years and even more money.”

Beijing a lso appears to be adding to its strategic stockpile, though details are secret.

The Cabinet’s National Energy Administration reported in September that total reserves held by the government and oil companies were equal to 80 days of consumption.

The official reserve stands at about 385 million barrels, according to Lee of Fitch Solutions. He said plans appear to call for increasing that to 500 to 600 million barrels.

If enough additional storage capacity is built, the government might import 500,000 to 900,000 barrels per day for the strategic reserve, or 5 percent to 9 percent of China’s total foreign purchases, according to Lee. The government reserve uses three tank farms and state media say a fourth might be under construction.

The energy administration referred questions to the Cabinet’s planning agency, the National Development and Reform Commission. The NDRC didn’t respond on Wednesday.

The Communist Party commission said the plunge in prices gives

In this photo taken on Monday, March 16, 2020, tugboats push a 300,000-ton very large crude carrier (VLCC) to a shipyard on the Yangtze River for retrofit in Qidong city in east China’s Jiangsu province. China, the world’s biggest energy consumer, is taking advantage of a plunge in global oil prices due to the coronavirus outbreak to build up its stockpiles of crude. Chinatopix Via AP

Beijing a unique chance to build up that reserve but gave no indication the government was doing that.

“This is a once-a-century opportunity!” the commission said.

That might be hard to do, because like other countries China is running out of empty storage capacity, said Lei Sun of Wood Mackenzie.

The strategic reserve and private suppliers had filled up at least 85 percent of their total storage capacity by February and added more oil in March, according to Lei. He said space that is left might be filled up with crude bought earlier at higher prices that Chinese buyers are forced to accept even though they had no customers.

“I don’t think there is going to be any leftover space for crude,” said Lei. Cheaper crude is one of China’s few economic bright spots in the coronavirus pandemic.

T he economy su f fered it s worst cont r ac t ion si nce t he mid-1960s in the first quarter, shrinking 6.8 percent from a year earlier after Beijing closed factories and told some 800 million people to stay home.

Forecasters expect little to no growth this year, down from 2019’s 6.1 percent, which already was a multi-decade low.

That is politically risky for the ruling party, which bases its claim to power on associating itself with China’s economic success.

China’s two other major stateowned oil companies—Sinopec Ltd. and CNOOC—also are believed to be considering cuts in investment.

China has relied increasingly on imported oil and gas since the late 1990s as manufacturing, car ownership and airline travel boomed.

Imports make up about half of consumption. Half of that comes from the Middle East and the rest from Russia, Southeast Asia and Africa.

T he ruling party wants to curb that reliance, which communist leaders see as a security risk. That is a major factor behind Beijing’s multibillion-dollar investments in hydro, wind and solar power. AP

A6

Friday, April 24, 2020 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

Opinion BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

editorial

Reintegration programs needed for returning OFWs

M

any people consider our overseas Filipino workers as modern-day heroes because they help keep the Philippine economy afloat as they secure the basic needs of their own families. Their economic contribution, through dollar remittances, sometimes exceeds the flow of foreign direct investment. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said net FDI inflows in 2019 reached $7.65 billion. OFWs sent home a record $33.5 billion in remittances last year. OFW money boosted household income and consumption in 2019, accounting for 9.3 percent of the gross domestic product and 7.8 percent of the gross national income. However, the impact of remittances on the economy goes beyond GDP numbers. OFW remittances have contributed significantly to boost the country’s foreign exchange earnings and strengthen the nation’s balance of payments and foreign reserves.

Now the bad news: The World Bank said global remittance flows will tumble 20 percent this year as the Covid-19 pandemic drags the world economy through a recession, deepening hardship for families in poor and developing nations, including the Philippines.

The projected fall, which would be the sharpest decline in recent history, is largely due to a fall in the wages and employment of migrant workers, who tend to be more vulnerable to loss of employment and wages during an economic crisis in a host country. Remittance flows are expected to fall across all World Bank Group regions, most notably in Europe and Central Asia at 27.5 percent, followed

by Sub-Saharan Africa at 23.1 percent. Remittances in South Asia are expected to decline 22.1 percent; the Middle East and North Africa, 19.6 percent; Latin America and the Caribbean, 19.3 percent; and East Asia and the Pacific, 13 percent. (See, “World Bank: Virus, oil price dip hurt remittance flows,” in the BusinessMirror, April 22, 2020) In a Migration and Development Brief titled “Covid-19 Crisis Through a Migration Lens,” the World Bank said remittances by overseas Filipinos still have not slowed to date at 4.8 percent in January and 4.4 percent in February. However, the World Bank cited the estimate made earlier by former Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia that remittances would decline by 20 percent to 30 percent due to the pandemic. “We do expect a decline in remittances, particularly from OFWs engaged in tourism-related businesses. This comes up to only about 4 percent to 5 percent of remittances,” said Neda Undersecretary for Policy and Planning Rosemarie G. Edillon.

Factoring oil prices in the estimates would adversely affect remittances of millions of OFWs working in oil-producing countries in the Middle East. In a stunning development on Tuesday, the cost to have a barrel of US crude delivered in May plummeted to negative $37.63. It was at roughly $60 at the start of the year.

Based on the 2018 National Migration Survey of the Philippine Statistics Authority, majority of Filipinos who work abroad went to the Middle East. Data showed around 20 percent of all Filipinos who migrated abroad in the past five years went to Saudi Arabia. Another 15 percent went to the United Arab Emirates; 7 percent went to Kuwait; and another 7 percent went to Qatar.

In a recent Ateneo de Manila University Policy Brief, Ateneo Center for Economic Research and Development Director Alvin P. Ang and Institute for Migration and Development Issues Executive Director Jeremaiah M. Opiniano estimated around 300,000 to 400,000 OFWs will be laid off or suffer pay cuts due to the pandemic.

Ang and Opiniano said this will likely cut the remittances from OFWs by 10 percent to 20 percent or as much as $3 billion to $6 billion, “the steepest decline in remittances in Philippine migration history.” This means remittances could only reach $24 billion to $27 billion this year from $33.5 billion in 2019. Recruitment industry veteran Lito Soriano, on the other hand, said declines in remittances will only reach less than $3 billion.

Although the Labor department has rolled out the DOLE-AKAP for OFWs, which provides one-time financial assistance for displaced land-based and seabased OFWs due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there’s a need to put in place reintegration programs for returning migrant workers. These programs should identify what training or retooling is needed for the OFWs upon their return. This is just one way to turn the country from a remittance economy to become a producer economy. We must make use of the skills acquired by our migrant workers while working abroad.

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Better Days

T

he Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent enhanced community quarantine in the country have far-reaching effects, not only on our health system but also our economy. Hence, a balance must be struck between limiting the spread of the disease, and finding ways to keep our economy afloat. Amid all the hard decisions and challenges, our recent experiences as a nation highlight yet another thing—that going digital is of utmost importance.

When we realized that the process of manually checking quarantine passes was slowing down frontliners and essential deliveries such as medical and food supplies, RapidPass.ph was developed. Qualified frontliners, essential workers, distributors and suppliers can register at the RapidPass web site, and then they will be assigned a unique Quick Response or QR code that can be kept as a graphic in the user’s mobile devices, or printed out as a physical pass. Checkpoint personnel can then scan these graphic codes, and check the user’s identification card without any need for further questions. This speeds up the approval process at checkpoints, as well as automatically creates records of each RapidPass user’s travels through the National Capital Region (NCR).

When people could not physically visit groceries and supermarkets, Grab Philippines and other TNVS companies stepped up to the pro-

verbial plate, by introducing grocery and food delivery services, with an emphasis on online cash transactions and guidelines based on social distancing. Some restaurant chains, like Jollibee and McDonald’s, have modified their operations, effectively becoming service kitchens dedicated to delivery orders—with some capitalizing on online platforms. Meanwhile, North Cotabato has launched a digital marketing platform for its wet markets that will serve as an online space where people can order food, with delivery done by government transport resources.

With people unable to go to their offices, work from home (WFH) arrangements became the go-to solution for many companies, with the adoption of large-scale conferencing platforms like Webex and Zoom for staff and client meetings. Some employees have even been supplied laptops so they can work with

office resources that can be accessed online.

With doctors very busy as the frontliners, telehealth services have become an important component for diagnosing people who may have been infected with Covid-19. Much like a conference call, telehealth services allow doctors to conduct consultations and prescribe treatments—all without the need for a visit to hospitals, where patients and frontliners alike can get exposed to Covid-19.

In 2011, my father saw the potential of telehealth services, and as Chairman of the Congressional Commission on Science & Technology and Engineering (COMSTE) identified telehealth services as a top national priority. It is with this in mind that I intend to file a bill endorsed by the Department of Health (DOH), which will establish a Philippine eHealth system and a set of services that will include telehealth and telemedicine.

Along with online diagnostic services, electronic prescriptions will also be covered by this bill, so that access to critical drugs will be available even in difficult times.

In terms of online classes, the Department of Education has made its online learning delivery platform more inclusive, with expanded features for private school students.

Now, all schools offering basic education will be able to use it. From its start as an Alternative Learning System, the DepEd Commons has evolved to make sure that learning can continue even in the face of realworld emergencies. As it is available online, access is possible through

Save the lives of medical frontliners

Jennifer A. Ng Vittorio V. Vitug

Senior Editors

Creative Director Chief Photographer

The case for digital transformation

Rev. Fr. Antonio Cecilio T. Pascual

SERVANT LEADER

B

rothers and sisters, many people consider our medical frontliners as heroes in our ongoing fight against Covid-19.

This is why a party-list representative has proposed that our fallen doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani or Heroes’ Cemetery. The lawmaker said these people sacrificed their lives for the sake of other people, which shows their love for this country. We should honor them for their dedication to their profession. Dedicating a place in the Heroes’ Cemetery for the fallen frontliners, according to the lawmaker, is a good way to thank them.

The lawmaker’s intention is good, but is it not better for the government to ensure the protection of our medical frontliners? Instead of thinking what we can do to honor their death, is it not better to do our best to ensure the safety of our doctors, nurses and other hospital staff given the rising number of Covid-19 patients?

As we write this column, 22

health-care workers have perished because of Covid-19. The number of health-care workers found positive has reached 766—339 of them are doctors and 242 are nurses. They are included in the list of more than 6,000 people infected by coronavirus in our country.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III admitted that the cause of some

of our frontliners’ demise is the lack of appropriate protection while on duty. The supply of personal protective equipment for our medical frontliners is severely scarce, and it has taken this long for the PPEs to arrive from abroad. The government has its appropriations, but it also relies on donations from the private sector.

We can boost the morale of our frontliners by doing simple things to honor and celebrate them. For example, by clapping for them every afternoon, offering songs, and delivering food in the front lines. But our actions must not end there. Let us not forget the health and safety of our primary providers of medical services. It is the government’s duty to ensure that our doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff are also taken cared of as we face a great health crisis. And it is right for us to know what our leaders are doing to take care of our frontliners because it is the people’s money that they are using in this fight against Covid-19.

Our frontliners don’t need to die for them to be treated as heroes.

Some of the unnecessary deaths of

mobile devices and computers.

With all these developments, it seems that the country is primed to go full-on digital. But for every problem addressed with a digital solution, it seems there are countless others that were tackled via “analog” means. Bar-coded IDs still needed to be printed before LGUs could distribute aid from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). As of the third report on the implementation of the Bayanihan Act, the DOH was still exploring computer applications (does that include mobile?) for its contact tracing efforts.

Clearly, there is still much to do.

The concept of a digital economy hinges on the availability of reliable digital and online resources and services to as many people as possible.

However, according to a recent Oxford Business Group report, 29 million Filipinos have yet to go online, thanks to problems in affordability, availability, and quality of Internet services.

If our economy were more digitally enabled and connected, we would have been able to address many of the ongoing pandemic’s challenges much sooner. Hence, the shift to a digitally transformed economy should be a high priority once the lockdown is lifted.

Sen. Sonny Angara has been in public service for 15 years—nine years as representative of the Lone District of Aurora, and six as senator. He has authored and sponsored more than 200 laws. He recently won another term in the Senate.

E-mail: sensonnyangara@yahoo.com|Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @sonnyangara.

frontliners that are fulfilling their roles without enough protection are considered a great tragedy. Neglecting the safety needs of medical frontliners is inexcusable because they are allies of the public in achieving what we call in the Catholic social teaching the common good, where every individual achieves their fulfillment as people. In the current crisis, common good is maintaining the safety of the public from Covid-19, especially the frontliners.

Brothers and sisters, according to the book of Romans 13:4, government leaders are “servicemen of God for our sake.” This is why we must not forget to call their attention to what we see as lacking in their actions. If we do not ensure that our doctors, nurses, and other hospital personnel have enough protection in the caring for patients suffering from Covid-19, we are all in danger.

Make it a habit to listen to Radio Veritas 846 Ang Radyo ng Simbahan in the AM band, or through live streaming at www.veritas846.ph, and follow its Twitter and Instagram accounts @veritasph, and YouTube at veritas846.ph. For your comments, e-mail veritas846pr@gmail.com.

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Friday, April 24, 2020

A7

Covid-19 and Greater Manila’s Reading and feeling poetry: The Himati project health system: The next frontline?

Tito Genova Valiente

annotations

Jerik Cruz

EAGLE WATCH

H

ow close are Greater Manila’s health-care systems from being overwhelmed by Covid-19? Since early March, the Duterte administration has imposed an enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) over Luzon to “flatten the curve” of contagion.

Among the criteria for decisions on how to modify the ECQ in the upcoming months should be the extent to which already-saturated health systems in Covid-19 hot spots can absorb more severe coronavirus cases. However, though the focus of public attention on NCR has been warranted, even starker gaps are emerging in Metro Manila’s peripheries—now another time-bomb in the country’s battle against Covid-19.

Significant infections even with ECQ

IN the past weeks, projections by experts have indicated that the rise in coronavirus patients in the Philippines is still poised to reach its peak between May and June 2020, up to two months after the extended ECQ. Estimates generated by Ricardo Dizon, a PhD graduate from the Ateneo de Manila University, give us a sense of the expected wave of patients for NCR. Even with radically reduced mobility (0.5 percent of regular volume), more than 4,500 new episodes of Covid-19 could require hospitalization at the curve’s apex in early May (Figure 1)—while more than 750 new patients could be in need of intensive care units (ICUs).

Figure 1. Projected Cases of Covid-19 in Metro Manila Requiring Hospitalization, April-May 2020*

Source: Dizon (2020), based on an SIR Model

Though Dizon’s estimates do not include figures for Rizal, Laguna, Cavite and Bulacan, these areas already boast the highest concentration of Covid-19 cases outside of NCR, and the country’s greatest provincial population densities. Because of this, they can be expected to follow a similar, if lower-magnitude, trend.

Greater Manila’s capacity for severe cases extremely limited

Will the health systems of Greater Manila be able to weather this surge in infections? Unfortunately, available data (Figure 2) gives cause for alarm on the metroregion’s ability to accommodate critical coronavirus cases.

Figure 2. Greater Manila Health Systems Capacity

Metro Manila Cavite Laguna Rizal Bulacan

Admitted COVID-19 Cases (as of April 12)

2,019

84

1113

164

47

Total Authorized Bed Capacity 26,511 2105 2395 639 1161

Total Max. ICU Beds 1930 155 140 35 85

Persons per max ICU beds 6,998 25,931 23,231 89,489 41,262

Source: DOH, PSA While Level 2 and 3 hospitals (which can host ICUs) located in Greater Manila span an authorized bed capacity of 26,511 (NCR), and 6,300 beds (provinces), most hospitals’ actual capacity is limited by their typical operations at 70 percent to 80 percent of their full capacity. Moreover, since the beginning of April at least 44 such hospitals in the Greater Manila vicinity have been closed to Covid-19 admissions.

Even more alarming are hospitals’ low intensive-care capacities. Though NCR and Greater Manila provinces may have had a maximum of 1,930 and 415 ICU beds, respectively, the DOH has already indicated that only 613 ventilators were left available for coronavirus patients nationwide as of mid-April—already below the 750 critical cases projected earlier for NCR. These gaps are starkest for the Greater Manila provinces, which are caught with the highest provincial infection rates outside of NCR, yet with even weaker health systems. Though the availability of ICU beds for their multimillion person populations are dismal across all four provinces, the most extreme shortages are in Rizal (max. 35 beds) and Bulacan (max. 85 beds). With eight hospitals in these four provinces already reporting full bed capacity, Metro Manila’s outskirts could be the next time-bomb in the country’s fight against coronavirus: hyper-urbanized, at NCR’s doorstep, yet lacking the systems needed to confront the pandemic.

Bracing for the surge

The coronavirus pandemic has ushered in a perfect storm of potential coordination failures. The vulnerabilities of our peri-urban health systems do not only intensify dangers for their residents; they lay the groundwork for the pandemic’s resurgence in Metro Manila.

To mitigate these risks, the following measures are urgently needed: n Facilities, ICUs and medical equipment: Like the Philippine Arena in Bulacan, facilities must to be rapidly retrofitted for pandemic-response purposes for handling/isolating milder Covid-19 cases. Compared to NCR, there may need to be even more conversions in Greater Manila provinces due to the increased distances involved.

Even more crucial should be an aggressive expansion of hospitals’ intensive care capacities, including through the provision of “Covid Cabanas” and other temporary ICU facilities. Similarly, the country’s supply of mechanical ventilators, including through low-cost, locally produced alternatives needs to be quickly expanded. n Random testing across Greater Manila with localized mass-testing: Despite recent increases in local testing capacity, mass-testing the entire Greater Manila population of 25.8 million persons is unlikely in the short term. In the interim, undertaking random-testing across the Greater Manila region may be a more viable strategy to identify population clusters where coronavirus infections are spreading, which can then be targeted for localized mass-testing.

Jerik Cruz is a lecturer at the Department of Economics at the Ateneo de Manila University and an incoming PhD student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This article is an abridged version of an AdMU EconAcerd policy brief.

T

his is a project that was born out of isolation. With the entire Luzon in full quarantine, the world was coming to a halt. This does not mean, however, that art and art should stop.

The Savage Mind, the maverick bookstore and cultural hub founded by Kristian Cordero was so near and yet so far. I would have to pass through two barricades and, in our home, only one nephew was benefited with a pass.

I knew Kristian, as usual, was brooding and brooding to come up with a project that could breach any quarantine without breaking any manmade laws.

What if we have poetry reading online? Kristian was posing a query but I knew he had the answer.

Whose poems? Let us do Bikol poetry. I agreed. We were closer to the roots and we knew the people and we knew what to do.

I don’t remember now whose idea it was but the name came up: Jaime Fabregas, the actor. Jimmy is a friend of the group. He has always been very generous with his presence in and support to our endeavors.

Things went fast. Kristian drafted a rationale for the project. I was soon calling Jimmy, and Jimmy agreed.

Jaime Fabregas would be reading Bikol poems!

There were no rules except for one thing: the selection of poems would come from Kristian. There was another informal agreement: I would be the talent coordinator, the one to contact our readers.

With both Kristian and I used to disputing each other as to poetics and other forms of valuation, it was a surprise that we smoothly agreed on the first three poems, and the poets from which those treasures came, to be presented for the first edition. One was Luis Dato, a prewar writer who was part of a small group of masters that included Angela Manalang-Gloria and Jose Garcia-Villa. Dato would be joined in

by New York-based Luis Cabalquinto whose roots are in Magarao, and Marne Kilates, Albayano but now residing in Manila. Dato’s poems are required readings in Philippine contemporary literature in English, when that category was still strictly pursued. He was what you may call a legend. Between Luis and Marne are numerous awards and countless honors making them poet-laureates not only of this region but also of a nation trying to define itself.

Jimmy asked where he would do it.

Anywhere, we told him, in his home.

We were imposing on him but Jimmy was cool about it.

While discussing the poem and the reading, we even asked Jimmy what he thought of the name of the project. Kristian came up with the name Himati, which is a Bikol word

for “feeling” or “sensing.” In other places of the region, Himati has its roots in “bati” or “to listen.” Jimmy said it is up to you two.

Later, Kristian would seek the technical assistance of Nicol Cardel.

The first to be recorded was Dato’s “Day on the Farm.”

Should we put music as background? It was a question never settled. Kristian, in particular, was adamant about the poem standing on its own, which is a given and lovely proposition.

One night, Kristian sent me the video with Jimmy reading Dato’s work. There on the tiny screen of my mobile phone, a verdant field with mountains blue at the distance moved quietly with the somber music from a piano. The pastoral scene faded and in trailed the reader: Jimmy in his living room, the rich voice full and fluid in velvet and brass. By the time he reached the last lines (come with me, love/you are too old for crying/the church bells ring/and I hear drops of rain), I was unabashedly in tears (That was alright, I was alone anyway in my room). The sweetness and sadness of the day’s end, the memories of a young passion urgent in these painful times of plagues, all caught in the reader’s inflections that seemed to rise and ebb not with time’s passing, but with a deep heart full of entreaties and vows, were all we need for this

magic to happen.

The responses were terrific. We immediately sent Jimmy our feedback and thanked him for the wonderful reading. He answered back and said it was the poem that made the reading work.

“Magarao” of Luis Cabalquinto was next. The poet reminisces about his hometown. He cannot be there in his home and in his town but his poetry brings him back for eternity in that ordinary/extraordinary night of a time that has ceased to move because only the stars are bright on the face of a water, in that stillness of a return to a land of birth that in remembering a man can wish upon himself. Jimmy’s voice gently nudged the memory of a humble meal as the dark notes from the cello soared with the white and gray clouds bidding both embrace and goodbye.

By the second installment, our viewers had started expressing their enchantment with the Bikol words. Many said the poem made them realize how rich their own language was and how it became even more beautiful when couched in lines and rhythm crafted and nurtured by the poet. I was more candid when I offered to Kristian my theory why the poems came alive in the good reader: Jimmy was reading without reading. He was sensing the poem.

The softest of guitar strains pushed the streaks of the whitest fleeces of clouds on the sky as the verses from what I believe is the saddest Bikol love poem from Marne Kilates came forth. Pampang kan Sakong Pagkamoot is how Marne translated his poem, The Only Shore I Seek. A poem metaphors conjured out of seascape began with May sarong lugar an puso/Banwang sadiri kan pagkamoot (The heart has its home/The only country it needs), and ended with maglayag man sa

ibang dagat/Pampang ka kan sakong pagkamoot (After sailing all oceans/ You are the only shore I seek). Brevity was never the limit of this poem as word after word, line after line, the wisdom of the poet throbbed with love’s meanings—the infinite longing and the lonesome beauty tender and giving in that endlessness. The sighs at the end sent in by readers were expected. One of our significant women-writers, Francia Clavecillas said of the poem: “nagpapakalma nin puso” (literally, it calms the heart).

By the time you read this column, Lui Quiambao-Manansala, an actress whose presence in indie films and television cannot be ignored, has already read her first poem, Jun Belgica’s Soneto 2. Intense but not melodramatic, Lui paid tribute to the words selected by Jun in a recitation that measured each word against an unseen source of beat.

By the time also you read this column, more actors have signified their intention to be part of this singular project. Enchong Dee, who hails from Naga, has already recorded his first poem. Waiting on the wings and ready to “experiment” are two of our most exciting actors—Christian Bables whose last major film was the award-winning “Signal Rock” and Sandino Martin, who acted and sang in the film and stage version of Nick Joaquin’s “Portrait of the Artist as Filipino/Larawan.” Angeli Bayani, another multi-awarded, has also said yes to our request for her to be one of the readers. As if this grand list is not enough, Kristian has just talked with Eddie Ilarde, another Bikolano, who has expressed his interest to read poems in English, Filipino and Bikol!

Himati is a project of the Ateneo de Naga University Press and Savage Mind.

E-mail: titovaliente@yahoo.com

Trump’s cure for negative oil prices is… more oil?

By Liam Denning | Bloomberg Opinion

A

S the old saying goes, the cure for low oil prices is funneling federal dollars to over-indebted producers, thereby delaying shutting in supply (or something like that).

President Donald J. Trump has been floating various ideas to revive America’s frackers since the jab of a Saudi-Russian price war and the upper cut of Covid-19 sent them reeling.

These have included such novelties as paying producers to keep oil in the ground and branding it a strategic reserve. After oil closed in negative territory on Monday, some wags suggested frackers might pay the feds to take the oil under that scheme.

But no, this doesn’t work like that.

The idea is for money to flow from Washington to the shale fields, not the other way around. I would bet Trump’s “funds available” tweet on

Tuesday—henceforth forever known in oil circles as The Day After—is closer to where this is going than, say, “funding secured.”

No American president, Trump or otherwise, can allow the domestic oil and gas industry to simply collapse in chaos—from an economic, security and electoral point of view. Extending help is a fraught exercise, though, given the hazard (and stigma) of corporate welfare and the great divide between the White House and House Democrats in terms of affinity for (and donor links with) the oil and gas sector.

W hat has compounded the

problem is Trump’s “energy dominance” mantra. For starters, the current crisis has laid bare its incoherence. Recall that America’s resource riches combined with free enterprise loosed from the shackles of regulation were supposed to give Washington free rein in global energy markets (and geopolitics). Now, less than a fortnight after the president was haggling with Saudi Arabia, Russia and Mexico to help prop up prices—and not much longer after saying the free market would take care of it—Trump’s tweet hints strongly at a straight-up bailout for the industry.

What shouldn’t be lost, though, is that energy dominance itself helped tee up all of this. With its emphasis on expanding oil and gas supply as much as possible, it mirrored and encouraged the industry’s worst instincts.

Frackers roughly doubled America’s

share of the global oil market over the past decade. But in doing so, they destroyed untold value for investors; hence their deep unpopularity in the stock market, which long predated Covid-19.

Moreover, the tsunami of supplies helped push down oil prices. That’s great for the drivers Trump used to prioritize; less so for producers themselves, both foreign and domestic.

At its heart, energy dominance is deflationary, which is lethal for an overextended sector such as this.

In that sense, Trump’s evident desire to push more funding the industry’s way—rather than, say, targeting help to furloughed rig-hands—fits right in. Trying to delay the necessary curtailment to supply (and industry restructuring) would exacerbate the underlying problem of too much supply running into too little demand.

Call it energy whiplash.

A8 Friday, April 24, 2020

ICTSI exec vows smooth MICT ops, counsels check on supply chains

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By Samuel P. Medenilla

@sam_medenilla

HE International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) on Thursday said the smooth flow of cargo at the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT) is expected to continue with or without the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Luzon next week.

During an online press briefing, ICTSI Executive Vice President Christian Gonazales made the assurance after citing measures they instituted together with relevant government agencies, including the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), to prevent further conges-

tion at the MICT. At the same time, he projected that importation modes would have to be changed after the pandemic, which has disrupted supply chains around the world.

In the initial week after the implementation of the ECQ in Luzon, unclaimed cargo within the

MICT started to pile up, prompting concerns it could paralyze the port area.

Following BOC’s streamlining of its procedures and DTI’s communication with importers, Gonzales said they were able to remove 92 percent of the cargo, which arrived since the ECQ declaration, from the MICT. He also said they are also helping importers transfer their cargo to new locations nearer to their plants so that once the ECQ is lifted they can immediately resume operations.

“So we have a good situation now and we see this as something that will continue regardless if the ECQ is lifted on April 30 or not,” Gonzales said.

Virus threat

The ICTSI official, however, noted they are still wary of the possibil-

ity of the novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19) at the MICT potentially affecting their operations.

He said they are trying to ward off such scenario by implementing rapid mass testing for Covid-19 among their employees.

“We are very committed to ensure that this is continuous until the threat of Covid-19 in the country disappears whether it takes one year or two years, so be it. We are committed to the employee tests.

It is a full employees’ testing. Of course, following the protocols of the DOH [Department of Health],” Gonzales said.

Likewise, he said the ICTSI is coordinating with the local government of Manila to help in its antiCovid measures especially for the communities near the MICT.

New norm

The port operator expects the

global business disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic to alter importation trends.

Gonzales cited the case of the United States, which recently reported it is now suffering low meat production as many of it areas undergo quarantine because of Covid-19.

“So if you are importing critical meat food items from the US, it will now be time for you to look for other options, whether that is from China or Southeast Asia or any other markets, we need to change our supply chain,” Gonzales said.

He said this may prove challenging, especially as many importers worldwide will be doing the same.

“We are competing with the rest of the world. So we need to act on that and stop relying on our traditional ways and look for better ways to do things,” Gonzales said.

UP group lists restrictions for old folk, worksites after ECQ lifting

By Cai U. Ordinario

F

@caiordinario

ILIPINOS with comorbidities and the elderly should still stay home months after the enhanced

community quarantine (ECQ) is lifted to ensure they do not fall victim to the coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19), according to researchers from the University of the Philippines.

In a discussion paper titled, “A Sectoral

View of Lifting the Lockdown and the Use of Sample-based Random Testing,” professors led by Orville Jose C. Solon of the UP School of Economics said only a partial lifting of the ECQ should be imposed and various conditions based on

the industry a worker belongs to.

Based on their recommendations, Solon and the other professors said working remotely should be continued as well as efforts to implement social distancing and proper hygiene, long after the ECQ is lifted.

“We assume that, in the best case, a stable long-term scenario may come about only 18 months from now when a vaccine is expected to be available that can protect the population in the same way the flu vaccine is regularly administered,” Solon and other researchers said.

“Until then, intermittent but limited lockdowns will remain a policy tool for local and national public health authorities to wield when necessary,” they added.

Based on the paper, the Philippine work force can be lumped into four clusters according to how essential they are to sustaining the economy in the next 18 months or until a vaccine is developed and according to extent of client contact.

Based on this, there would be four clusters—family subsistence agriculture workers or cluster A; while workers in food and agricultural production, banking and finance institutions, telecoms, and BPOs will be in cluster B. Workers in malls, theaters, bars, resorts, casino, schools, and educational institutions would belong to cluster C, while workers in logistics and transport networks, food distribution and retail networks including public markets and restaurants; private security workers; public works/construction workers would be classified as cluster D. Cluster A would be a low-impact and -risk cluster while B would be a high impact but low-risk cluster. Cluster C, meanwhile, would be a low-impact but high-risk cluster and cluster D would be a high-impact and -risk cluster.

The minimum requirements for cluster A workers would be basic safety measures such as social distancing, face masks, coughing manners, and handwashing protocols. For cluster B, minimum requirements are having basic safety measures and periodic sample-based testing.

For both clusters A and B, restriction in movements will be lifted except for those above 60 years old and those with comorbidities, or preexisting medical conditions that make them vulnerable to complications when treated for Covid-19.

For cluster C, the researchers said these establishments must remain closed and work-at-home arrangements should instead be pursued. However, if the location of these firms are in noninfected provinces, the requirements and rules for cluster B would apply.

In terms of cluster D, the paper stated, restrictions on movement should be lifted except for seniors and/or those with comorbidities. Dine-in services should also be prohibited.

As a minimum requirement, those

working in this cluster must practice basic safety measures and be required to have personal protective equipment (PPE) where necessary. They should also be subjected to regular sample-based random testing.

“Restrictions on movement would not be lifted for establishments in cluster C. However, establishments may continue to operate by modifying business models as many are now doing [such as] remote learning, take-out and delivery services,” the researchers said.

Costs of periodic testing The researchers recommend that companies finance the Reverse transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test for their employees.

They said the RT-PCR test is estimated to cost P8,150 per test. The rapid antibody-based test is estimated to cost P1,930 per test. Companies can also avail themselves of the rapid antibody-based test worth P1,930 per test.

The costs would also vary according to the frequency with which tests have to be done. The researchers said workers in cluster D have to be tested weekly while those in cluster B can be tested every two weeks. The number of employees would also impact testing costs.

“A random sample of 10 employees could suffice if workers are [more than] 100, five employees if workers number from 31 to 100, and two employees if workers number 30 and below,” the researchers said.

In order to cut down on RT-PCR testing costs, the researchers said, if and when a sampled employee is tested positive, another approach would be to pool blood samples or swabs from employees of the firm into groups or batches.

This means only 20 RT-PCR tests will be processed for 100 workers. Only those batches that show positive results will be subjected to individual worker tests.

Such, they explained, will bring the initial RT- PCR testing cost down to P163,000 or P8,150 for 20 batches. If four batches are positive, all employees belonging to these two batches will have to be individually tested leading to a price tag of P163,000.

“For a firm with 100 workers, the RT-PCR protocol would therefore cost P163,000 [initial RT-PCR test] + P163,000 [if four batches are positive] = P326,000, substantially lower than P815,000 under a regular protocol where all 100 employees undergo RT-PCR testing at least once,” the authors said.

The researchers also included UP School of Economics Professors Toby C. Monsod, Maria Socorro Gochoco-Bautista, Emmanuel S. de Dios, Joseph J. Capuno, Renato E. Reside Jr., Ma. Joy V. Abrenica, Agustin L. Arcenas, Ma. Christina Epetia, Laarni C. Escresa, Karl Jandoc, and Cielo Magno. UP College of Medicine’s Carlo Irwin A. Panelo was also one of the author.

PGH has high hopes on plasma therapy

By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

Correspondent

T

HE convalescent plasma therapy has “a little bit over 60 percent batting average” in treating severely-ill Covid-19 patients, the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (PGH) said.

In a virtual press conference, Dr. Jonas del Rosario, PGH spokesman, said that the treatment is one of the ways they are resorting to in a bid to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

The plasma therapy was done on nine patients at PGH, one in Manila Doctors Hospital, and two patients in Asian Hospital and Medical Center.

“For PGH, four are doing well: one out of ICU [intensive care unit], while three are still in the ICU but their conditions are improving,”Del Rosario said.

He, however, revealed that two of the patients have died in PGH. “At Manila Doctors Hospital a [former] senator got plasma [treatment] but unfortunately he was not able to make it,” he said, adding that the patient had comorbidities or preexisting medical conditions that give rise to complications. He was referring to former Senator Heherson Alvarez, who succumbed to Covid-19 on April 20.

Meanwhile, the two other Covid-19 patients in Asian Hospital and Medical Center “are doing okay,” said Del Rosario.

Asked about the sucess rate based on the initial observation on patients administered with the plasma therapy, he said it is “a little bit over 60 percent batting average” of success rate, with six of nine patients doing well.

“We are still hopeful because there is no approved treatment for Covid-19,”he said, adding that all of the drugs given to Covid-19 patients “are all experimental.”

Plasma therapy has been tried and tested on numerous illnesses, most recently for diseases such as Ebola, SARS, MERSCoV and Swine Flu. The therapy, given only to severely-ill Covid-19 patients here in the country, involves the transfusion of plasma, the liquid component of blood, from a recovered patient to confirmed patient.

He clarified that plasma therapy done in PGH is free.

Plasma donations

The PGH said, while the situation is improving— based on the latest number of recoveries from the case bulletin of the Department of Health —“there is still much to do.”The DOH announced that as of April 22, there are 39 new recoveries.

This brings the total number of recoveries to 693.

“Filipinos continue to suffer and some eventually die from Covid-19 everyday. There is no proven treatment yet for this, although different medications and regimens are being investigated.

And the vaccine against the novel coronavirus is not yet available,” Del Rosario said.

That is why, he said, the PGH is calling for plasma donations from Covid-19 survivors.

“Their antibodies may help save patients who are still battling the disease, especially the severe and critical cases,” he added.

Much like other organizations around the world, the PGH sees plasma therapy as a possible stop-gap to hold the virus at bay while more complex treatments are developed.

“A vaccine is a year out, but what if we can use the antibodies of those who have already survived to strengthen the immune system of those still battling the virus,” said Del Rosario.

Since beginning the experimental treatment very recently, the PGH has received over 90, with more than 21 passing the criteria and at least 19 having already donated plasma.

“Right now, we are taking care of over 100 Covid-19 patients in the PGH, and some of those are severe and critical cases who have exhausted all other treatment options with no success. For them, plasma therapy could be the last resort.

That’s why we’re looking for more donors,” said Del Rosario.

The plasma donation process for Covid-19 survivors is fairly straightforward, he said.

When a prospective donor calls the PGH hotline (155-200), he or she is first evaluated over the phone.

Once found eligible to donate, PGH personnel will conduct a home visit to get informed consent and a blood sample.

After that, the donor is invited to the College of Medicine in UP Manila to donate.

Del Rosario appealed to the patients who have recovered from the disease to donate and help to save lives.

Some of the recovered patients are afraid because of “fear and anxiety of discrimination,” he said, but he called on them “to rise above the stigma of the disease and be a hero by giving their plasma and give it those who are still batlling with Covid-19.

Companies BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Friday, April 24, 2020

B1

4 online money lenders told to stop operations

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By VG Cabuag

@villygc

he Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has ordered four online money lenders to stop offering and providing loans to the public, as they do not have a license and they employ abusive collection practices.

The SEC issued the cease-anddesist order against Cash A B, CashOcean, KwikPeso and Little

Cash, together with their owners, CashAB Lending Co., Mimosa Credit Ltd. and Zamoya Credit Ltd.

The order was released on April 14 during the SEC's en banc session.

The SEC directed the online lending operators to stop their online operations and the advertising of their products.

CashAB, CashOcean, KwikPeso and Little Cash have offered and provided loans to the public without a validly subsisting Certificate of Incorporation and Certificate of Authority to Operate as a Lending or Financing Company from the SEC. The SEC noted that the online lending operators also employ abusive practices to collect money from their clients, which constitute unfair debt collection prac-

tices prohibited under a 2019 SEC memorandum circular.

The online lending operators' mobile phone applications gain access to personal information stored in borrowers’ mobile phones, including social media accounts, contact numbers and email addresses.

The operators then use such information to exact prompt payment. They would send a text blast to the borrower’s contacts to inform them about the borrower’s indebtedness and their supposed refusal to pay the amount due.

In other cases, the borrower would be threatened with legal action or public shaming.

“The Lending Company Regu-

lation Act of 2007 was enacted to prevent and mitigate, as far as practicable, practices prejudicial to public interest,” the SEC said in their order.

“The abusive collection practices, misrepresentations, and unreasonable terms and conditions imposed by the online lending operators and their agents and representatives exemplify the practices that as a matter of policy, the State seeks to prevent,” it added.

Section 4 of Republic Act (RA) 9474, or the Lending Company Regulation Act of 2007, requires that a lending company be established only as a corporation. It further provides that no lending company shall

conduct business unless granted an authority to operate by the SEC. Any person who shall engage in the business of lending without a validly subsisting authority to operate from the SEC may face a fine ranging from P10,000 to P50,000 or imprisonment of six months to 10 years or both, under Section 12 of the Lending Company Regulation Act. RA 5980, or the Financing Act of 1998, punishes the act of engaging in the business of a financing company without the requisite authority from the SEC with a fine of not less than P10,000 and not more than P100,000 or imprisonment for not more than six months or both.

ECQ hampers Subic firm production of ventilator parts ANI to get DA funds for rice-corn blend Story & photo by Henry Empeño Correspondent

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

S

ubic Bay Freeport—A Japanese company that manufactures cooling fans for mechanical ventilators and other critical medical equipment now finds its hands tied by limitations under the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).

Officials of Sanyo Denki Philippines Inc. (SDPI) said that despite greater demand for cooling fans from medical industry giants like Siemens, Inogen and Hitachi, the company cannot produce more because of lack of manpower.

“The number of cooling fans we produced monthly used to reach 80,000, but we can only produce from 6,000 to 10,000 units now,” said SDPI President Koichi Uchibori.

He attributed this to ECQ rules that required exporters to house their staff within the free port zone and this have drastically reduced factory production to just 10 percent of the previous capacity.

Uchibori and SDPI design manager Ted Yamazaki met with Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma on Monday when the latter visited the company’s factory at the Subic Techno Park here.

Yamazaki said that the company’s cooling fans, which range from 40mm to 172mm in sizes, are used in various medical equipment, including mechanical ventilators that move breathable air into and out of the lungs of patients who are physically unable to breathe.

Uchibori said the technology firm also used to manufacture uninterruptible power supply (UPS)

@jearcalas

P

An assembly worker inspects component parts to be installed in Sanyo Denki cooling fans produced by the Subic firm for medical equipment like ventilators and virus DNA analyzers.

units, servo amplifiers and stepping motors, but has now devoted its operations to producing cooling fans, which are much needed for medical purposes today.

He added that they would like to increase production still, but that required bringing in more workers and housing them in hotel rooms, which are now in short supply here because of ECQ requirements for workers’ lodgings.

As of last February when the ECQ was not yet in place, Sanyo Denki employed a total of 4,273 workers, including those under contract with manpower services. Uchibori said the company now operates with only 600 workers who are housed in various hotels inside the Subic

Bay Freeport.

“It is expensive keeping them in hotels, and also paying them double (for hazard pay),” Uchibori noted. “Still we are ready to take in more, but the problem now is where to house them,” he added.

Uchibori also said that despite the huge overhead for the company’s current operations, SDPI is not charging their customers any extra amount for their indemand products.

Aside from ventilators, the firm’s cooling fans are also used in X-ray and MRI machines, virus DNA analyzers, blood analyzers, and portable oxygen concentrators.

Upon learning of the firm’s problem, Chairman Eisma assured Uchibori that the SBMA

will help in easing up the supply chain and in putting up workers accommodations for the company because of its vital role in the fight against Covid-19.

She also expressed gratitude to the company and its workers for continuing to produce the vital components needed for ventilators and other medical equipment.

“We will help you find ways so that shipment of your raw materials won’t be delayed, and so that you can employ more workers to step up production of this very important product,” Eisma told the Sanyo Denki executives.

“Subic salutes you for your important role in the fight against the Covid-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic,” she added.

Big firms hike donation for Covid-19 relief efforts

E

nrique Razon Jr.’s International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) contributed approximately P350 million to national and local government agencies in support of the fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

“Aside from being a health crisis, the pandemic is causing a toll on the economic and social condition of most everyone. Through our individual and collaborative efforts, we hope to somehow reduce and limit the economic and health impact of the virus on our local communities and employees,” said ICTSI chairman and president Razon.

The group wants to ensure the safety and protection of its employees who keep the ports open and running so that food, medical supplies and equipment along with basic necessities are delivered unhampered, it said. Following strict protocols and measures, employees are also given personal protective equipment (PPE)

and health and food aid aside from their expanded wage and bonus programs. Rapid Covid-19 test kits have been deployed at a number of large facilities. Across its portfolio, ICTSI has continuously donated PPE, ventilators and test kits to private and government healthcare facilities, disinfectants to healthcare workers, and food and other critical supplies to truckers, other stakeholders, and vulnerable communities.

Logistical support was also given to hospitals as well as psychological support for those in need of it.

The ICTSI Foundation has likewise provided aid to provincial hospitals to support the elderly and the indigenous people located close to terminal facilities, which it said, were often neglected sectors of society.

Outside of ICTSI, Bloomberry Cultural Foundation Inc. donated P600 million in the form of PPEs, disinfectants, ventilators and other critical supplies to government and

private hospitals in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

The Razon group has also retrofitted the Ninoy Aquino Stadium, Rizal Stadium and the Philippine General Hospital to become covid-19 treatment facilities. Moreover, P100 million was donated for relief operations for the marginalized sector.

Meanwhile, conglomerate San Miguel Corp. has set aside P150 million worth of poultry products from its inventory to be given to poor communities in areas where it operates.

The company so far has donated some P1.14 billion in Covid-19 relief efforts.

“With the resources that we have, we are in a position to help and provide essential relief, especially to our neighbors, in these difficult times. To use these resources well and put them to good use is the right and responsible thing to do,” said San Miguel President and COO Ramon S. Ang. “Many families do not have the

means to earn a living right now, so food is really a concern. By helping our local government units and partner non-profit and charitable organizations bring food to those who need it, we hope that the most vulnerable families will have one less thing to worry about, especially since we are all mandated to stay in our homes,” he said. The companies of businessman Andrew L. Tan, meanwhile, have already donated over P603 million, which included food distributed to communities were it has operations, PPEs for the frontliners and its contribution to Project Ugnayan.

“Along with our healthcare frontliners, our government takes the toughest job in saving more lives against the virus. Our companies are here to support all efforts, and we are continuously looking for ways on how and where we can further extend help and support,” said Kevin Andrew L. Tan, CEO of Alliance Global Group Inc. VG Cabuag

ublicly listed Agrinurture Inc. (ANI) said it has secured the commitment of the Department of Agriculture (DA) to fund a project which seeks to promote the rice-corn blend as a healthy alternative to white rice.

ANI said in a statement that the DA will support its proposal to boost corn production and roll out its "BigMa" (Bigas-Mais) rice-corn blend project to the local market.

Citing a letter of Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar addressed to ANI president and CEO Antonio Tiu, the firm said the DA is “favorably endorsing and committing funds and technical assistance to make the company’s BigMa project a reality.”

“Your proposal to produce and promote the ‘BigMa (Rice-Corn Blend)’ in the Visayas and Mindanao areas, and eventually in other regions of the country, is very laudable. This is a timely initiative as a food resiliency intervention amid this Covid-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] period and beyond,” Dar was quoted as telling Tiu in ANI’s statement.

ANI said aside from the funding support the DA would also instruct its regional field offices to partner for the detail planning and implementation of the firm's proposal. The DA will also collaborate with the National Commis-

sion on Indigenous People.

Tiu said the promotion of ricecorn blend would be a “very good substitute” to rice, considering the perennial shortage of the staple in the Philippines, particularly during crises like the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Aside from being healthier and more affordable, corn is cheaper to produce and requires less water to grow compared to rice. With a similar four-month cycle, corn—unlike rice—can be planted anywhere without having to wait for the rainy season,” he said.

“Corn is 20 percent cheaper to produce and easier to grow and scale up since the Philippines lacks good water sources. While corn’s traditional yield is only 3 tons per hectare, ANI plans to use hybrid corn seeds to double the yield,” he added.

The ANI executive said the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic is a "perfect time" to promote the rice-corn blend, which is a Visayan staple, in other areas of country to reduce the Filipinos’ per capita consumption of rice.

“Planting corn for blending purposes with rice will also spur economic activities in areas with lots of idle labor and unirrigated farmlands,” said Tiu. “ANI is partnering with indigenous peoples to help them plant corn and make their idle labor and lands more productive,” he added.

The company said it recently launched its rice-corn blend product online.

PSALM remits ₧46.07M to 6 local governments

By Lenie Lectura @llectura

T

he Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM) said it has remitted SNW (Share in National Wealth) benefits amounting to P46.07 million to six local government units (LGUs).

PSALM directly releases the SNW to host LGUs as mandated

by Sec. 66 of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act, pursuant to Article 10, Section 7 of the 1987 Constitution and Sections 289 to 294 of the Local Government Code.

The law requires that at least 80 precent of the SNW be utilized by recipient LGUs to lower the cost of electricity in their respective localities. Relevant provisions in the Local Government Code also allow LGUs discretion to use the SNW benefits for productive, developmental and welfare purposes.

“PSALM has fully remitted the amount of P46,077,239.87 as the Share in National Wealth for First Quarter 2020 to the LGUs hosting

PSALM’s renewable power plants,” the state firm said Thursday.

Recipient LGUs were those in Benguet, Bukidnon, Laguna, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur and Pangasinan.

“We did our best to process the releases immediately and we even coursed them through bank transfers in order for the LGUs to access the funds and perhaps utilize them for their Covid-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] response activities. The next quarterly release will be in July 2020,” said PSALM President and CEO Irene Besido-Garcia.

Per the Local Government Code of 1991, on top of the internal revenue allotment, an LGU is entitled to receive either 1 percent of the gross sales or receipts of the preceding calendar year, or 40 percent of the national wealth taxes, royalties, fees or charges derived by an entity engaged in the utilization and development of the national wealth, whichever is higher. The share is directly remitted to the provincial, city, municipal or barangay treasurer concerned.

B2

Companies BusinessMirror

Friday, April 24, 2020

PSE STOCK QUOTATIONS

April 23, 2020

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

ASIA UNITED BDO UNIBANK BANK PH ISLANDS CHINABANK EAST WEST BANK METROBANK PB BANK PBCOM PHIL NATL BANK PSBANK PHILTRUST RCBC SECURITY BANK UNION BANK BRIGHT KINDLE COL FINANCIAL FERRONOUX HLDG IREMIT MEDCO HLDG PHIL STOCK EXCH

48.2 100 59.95 19.9 7.94 38.85 8.51 16 23.4 40.75 98.2 17.32 103.6 54 0.7 15.5 2.83 0.91 0.29 162.6

48.7 101.1 60 19.92 7.95 39 8.65 18 23.45 42.3 115 17.94 105 54.8 0.88 16.2 2.95 0.95 0.3 168.7

48.2 101.5 60.4 19.88 7.82 39 8.4 18 23.6 41.1 116.9 17.98 104 54.8 0.88 15.8 2.9 0.89 0.29 163

48.7 104.9 60.85 19.96 8.02 39.8 8.65 18 24.5 41.1 116.9 17.98 106.8 54.8 0.88 16.1 3.06 0.95 0.3 163

48.1 100 59.85 19.82 7.82 38.6 8.4 18 23.05 40.7 115.8 17.94 103.5 54 0.88 15.6 2.8 0.89 0.29 162

48.7 100 60 19.92 7.94 39 8.5 18 23.4 40.7 115.8 17.94 105 54.2 0.88 16.1 2.99 0.95 0.295 162.5

3900 2285400 1662580 126500 280700 2713500 27500 100 255800 13100 890 400 1152170 10580 1000 73400 52000 6000 350000 120

188860 232922096 99929926 2519310 2222392 106474720 233779 1800 6041025 535580 103427 7180 121688505 573231 880 1170620 152220 5400 102350 19470

INDUSTRIAL

AC ENERGY ABOITIZ POWER BASIC ENERGY FIRST GEN FIRST PHIL HLDG MERALCO MANILA WATER PETRON PETROENERGY PHX PETROLEUM PILIPINAS SHELL SPC POWER AGRINURTURE AXELUM BOGO MEDELLIN CNTRL AZUCARERA CENTURY FOOD DEL MONTE DNL INDUS EMPERADOR SMC FOODANDBEV ALLIANCE SELECT FRUITAS HLDG GINEBRA JOLLIBEE MAXS GROUP PEPSI COLA SHAKEYS PIZZA ROXAS AND CO RFM CORP ROXAS HLDG SWIFT FOODS UNIV ROBINA VITARICH CONCRETE A CONCRETE B CEMEX HLDG DAVINCI CAPITAL EAGLE CEMENT EEI CORP HOLCIM MEGAWIDE PHINMA TKC METALS VULCAN INDL CHEMPHIL CROWN ASIA EUROMED MABUHAY VINYL PRYCE CORP CONCEPCION GREENERGY INTEGRATED MICR IONICS SFA SEMICON CIRTEK HLDG

2.29 27 0.168 18.48 55.9 258.4 10.84 3.17 2.35 11.5 18.78 7.8 7.62 2.6 75.45 12.66 13.96 3.5 5.55 7.96 58.4 0.51 1.43 32.5 135.9 6.08 1.9 6.02 1.45 4.36 1.28 0.114 118 0.82 56.5 50.05 1.03 3.26 8 5.2 11.1 6.88 8.27 0.76 0.7 140.4 1.78 2.88 3.4 4.13 23.5 1.14 5.91 1.13 1.03 8.71

2.3 27.05 0.18 18.56 56.95 262 10.86 3.18 2.48 12 18.8 7.96 7.68 2.61 87 13.28 13.98 3.65 5.6 7.98 58.5 0.52 1.44 33.15 136 6.09 1.91 6.03 1.48 4.49 1.37 0.115 120 0.83 59.9 69.8 1.04 5 8.1 5.24 11.36 6.98 8.8 0.79 0.71 160 1.79 2.9 3.55 4.69 25 1.17 5.95 1.14 1.04 8.8

2.43 27.35 0.185 18 55.5 268 10.86 3.21 2.56 10.1 18.52 7.99 7.7 2.67 75.45 12.66 13.92 3.5 5.46 7.97 59.3 0.5 1.47 32.2 137 6.29 1.83 5.85 1.42 4.5 1.39 0.108 122 0.81 54 60 1.02 5 8.1 5.32 11.02 6.96 8.8 0.76 0.68 120.6 1.78 2.7 3.4 4.22 25 1.15 6.23 1.14 1.08 9.15

2.44 27.4 0.185 18.6 57 268 11.08 3.29 2.63 12 19 7.99 7.8 2.75 75.45 13.28 14 3.78 5.7 7.98 59.5 0.52 1.53 33.15 140 6.3 1.91 6.07 1.53 4.5 1.39 0.118 123.4 0.85 64 69.8 1.04 5 8.2 5.4 11.4 7.16 8.8 0.84 0.72 140.3 1.8 2.95 3.56 4.23 25 1.18 6.23 1.16 1.08 9.25

2.3 26.7 0.18 18 55.5 258.4 10.84 3.15 2.5 10.1 18.52 7.5 7.6 2.61 75.45 12.64 13.92 3.27 5.46 7.91 58 0.5 1.43 32 135.5 6.06 1.83 5.85 1.42 4.5 1.39 0.108 118 0.81 54 60 1.02 5 8 5.18 11.02 6.88 8.8 0.76 0.68 120.6 1.68 2.65 3.4 4.19 25 1.12 5.83 1.11 1.03 8.64

2.3 27 0.18 18.56 56.95 258.4 10.86 3.18 2.5 12 18.8 7.96 7.68 2.61 75.45 13.28 13.98 3.5 5.6 7.98 58.4 0.51 1.44 33.15 136 6.09 1.91 6.02 1.48 4.5 1.39 0.115 118 0.82 59.95 69.8 1.03 5 8 5.24 11.36 6.98 8.8 0.79 0.7 140.3 1.79 2.88 3.55 4.2 25 1.17 5.95 1.14 1.04 8.71

14044000 1063200 50000 769200 66670 263280 2410500 3253000 50000 873300 583600 115700 292500 3976000 350 10300 267400 31000 2903200 2516700 291300 1305000 35818000 2800 2547870 541800 3057000 998200 1637000 5000 7000 440000 606370 2984000 680 420 3092000 1000 1333000 3028900 303600 790300 300 308000 472000 210 677000 4536000 59000 174000 600 4212000 839200 238000 1018000 4953100

33025190 28707880 9080 14190444 3732665 68763244 26306546 10457700 126630 9245828 11022830 905529 2248279 10553400 26407.5 131394 3741544 110660 16305341 20057647 17049970.5 665430 53017840 90165 349137851 3344156 5689220 5997422 2422680 22500 9730 51590 72910404 2462950 40845.5 25298 3185120 5000 10669713 15892401 3439778 5549423 2640 246730 331900 28958 1164100 12686010 204380 732510 15000 4883520 5000636 268260 1060910 44431497

HOLDING & FRIMS

ABACORE CAPITAL ASIABEST GROUP AYALA CORP ABOITIZ EQUITY ALLIANCE GLOBAL AYALA LAND LOG ANSCOR ANGLO PHIL HLDG ATN HLDG A ATN HLDG B COSCO CAPITAL DMCI HLDG FILINVEST DEV FJ PRINCE A GT CAPITAL HOUSE OF INV JG SUMMIT LODESTAR LOPEZ HLDG LT GROUP METRO PAC INV PRIME MEDIA SOLID GROUP SYNERGY GRID SM INVESTMENTS SAN MIGUEL CORP TOP FRONTIER WELLEX INDUS ZEUS HLDG

0.59 7.07 563 43.4 6.43 1.68 5.93 0.53 0.53 0.52 4.87 4.24 8.25 2.93 450.8 3.61 50.6 0.46 2.72 7.52 2.65 0.8 0.98 162 835.5 97.4 141 0.18 0.146

0.6 7.11 570 43.5 6.45 1.69 6.02 0.56 0.54 0.53 4.9 4.25 8.6 3.58 451.2 3.94 50.8 0.47 2.73 7.55 2.66 0.83 1.01 178 845 97.75 144.8 0.194 0.149

0.6 7.1 590 43.9 6.48 1.63 6 0.53 0.455 0.5 4.78 4.21 8.04 2.91 461 3.94 51.6 0.455 2.75 7.59 2.64 0.82 0.98 166 828 98.5 146.9 0.197 0.143

0.61 7.29 590 43.9 6.5 1.68 6 0.56 0.54 0.52 4.94 4.4 8.6 2.91 464 3.94 52 0.465 2.78 7.78 2.69 0.88 0.98 168 850 98.5 146.9 0.197 0.15

0.57 7.06 563 43.2 6.4 1.63 6 0.53 0.455 0.5 4.78 4.21 8.04 2.91 449.8 3.94 50.25 0.45 2.73 7.5 2.64 0.8 0.98 165 818.5 97 141 0.178 0.143

0.6 7.12 563 43.5 6.45 1.68 6 0.56 0.53 0.52 4.9 4.25 8.6 2.91 450.8 3.94 50.6 0.46 2.73 7.52 2.66 0.8 0.98 165 845 97.75 144.8 0.195 0.15

4754000 6800 344940 365400 8594700 2452000 33700 4000 10130000 1350000 866000 2846000 600 2000 297320 1000 583070 80000 619000 724800 12999000 1047000 5000 170 358220 287370 460 320000 1580000

179170 -54293584 -57030375 -1089390 -122724 9169095 -2763405 1798 52423391 -489968 -15600 12960 -1795930 -12225555 -143020 1360385.5 -18419912 -11783800 -74190 -727234 -3455788 -364387 3942 -3146230 -154342 -14400 -10598710 -19925000 12640349.5 -837260 104530166 115708 1792070 1117412 -23431302 -27980 -1185580 84363 -3791723 -749810 -2375842 2806 -122420 -681930 -301200 -496882 -5800 12480 207308

2798110 48477 197092685 15898715 55415754 4079780 202200 2150 5026250 682400 4242050 12161810 5048 5820 134470256 3940 29610731.5 36300 1695700 5448765 34718990 875640 4900 28330 300104630 28039964.5 66622 58660 235630

-233680 -47394705 -981905 -22933452 178200 494800 465520 -3930040 -97622404 3940 -15137050.5 -341710 -4322912 189570 -31979.9999 10302840 162186 31856 -

PROPERTY ARTHALAND CORP 0.56 0.57 0.56 0.57 0.55 0.57 732000 407710 30.2 30.3 30.6 31.15 30.2 30.2 5184700 158624895 AYALA LAND ARANETA PROP 1.04 1.08 1.08 1.08 1.04 1.04 54000 56200 1.31 1.34 1.31 1.34 1.3 1.31 119000 156140 BELLE CORP 0.54 0.55 0.54 0.57 0.53 0.55 1671000 914090 A BROWN 0.72 0.75 0.75 0.75 0.74 0.74 12000 8890 CITYLAND DEVT CROWN EQUITIES 0.121 0.131 0.134 0.134 0.134 0.134 10000 1340 5.92 5.99 5.9 6 5.9 5.99 65200 390563 CEBU HLDG 3.92 4.02 4 4.02 3.98 4.02 376000 1509300 CEB LANDMASTERS 0.36 0.365 0.355 0.36 0.355 0.36 5310000 1901700 CENTURY PROP DOUBLEDRAGON 16 16.08 16 16.1 15.9 16.08 58300 935424 DM WENCESLAO 7.1 7.15 6.98 7.15 6.95 7.15 11800 83813 0.29 0.325 0.29 0.29 0.29 0.29 90000 26100 EMPIRE EAST FILINVEST LAND 0.92 0.94 0.93 0.94 0.92 0.94 2236000 2077880 GLOBAL ESTATE 0.83 0.85 0.8 0.87 0.79 0.83 444000 361010 11.5 11.52 11.56 11.56 11.5 11.5 9300 106956 8990 HLDG 0.8 0.82 0.8 0.83 0.79 0.8 1112000 892740 PHIL INFRADEV MEGAWORLD 2.67 2.71 2.74 2.77 2.67 2.67 8556000 23250880 MRC ALLIED 0.165 0.166 0.171 0.171 0.162 0.165 17690000 2934970 0.305 0.325 0.33 0.33 0.3 0.325 1010000 320500 PHIL ESTATES 1.53 1.66 1.68 1.68 1.53 1.65 32000 49650 PRIMEX CORP ROBINSONS LAND 15.54 15.6 15.32 15.8 15.3 15.6 2365700 36701108 PHIL REALTY 0.233 0.242 0.231 0.248 0.23 0.241 320000 75780 1.51 1.53 1.51 1.56 1.51 1.53 266000 410950 ROCKWELL SHANG PROP 2.65 2.7 2.7 2.71 2.65 2.65 43000 115420 STA LUCIA LAND 1.85 1.87 1.89 1.89 1.85 1.85 35000 65430 30.25 30.4 30.2 30.45 30.05 30.25 8418700 254802130 SM PRIME HLDG 3.9 4.1 4.19 4.5 3.87 4.1 300000 1233160 VISTAMALLS SUNTRUST HOME 1.2 1.23 1.23 1.26 1.18 1.2 1893000 2310870 4.07 4.08 4.1 4.17 4.06 4.08 3564000 14550680 VISTA LAND

-32247860 -37400 8140 307287 -598040 265319.9997 -8393 -99170 -11500 -9651510 2888486 -26420 -63074950 -522650

SERVICES

ABS CBN GMA NETWORK MANILA BULLETIN GLOBE TELECOM PLDT APOLLO GLOBAL DFNN INC DITO CME HLDG IMPERIAL ISLAND INFO NOW CORP TRANSPACIFIC BR PHILWEB 2GO GROUP ASIAN TERMINALS CHELSEA CEBU AIR INTL CONTAINER LBC EXPRESS LORENZO SHIPPNG MACROASIA METROALLIANCE A METROALLIANCE B PAL HLDG HARBOR STAR BOULEVARD HLDG WATERFRONT CENTRO ESCOLAR STI HLDG BERJAYA BLOOMBERRY PACIFIC ONLINE LEISURE AND RES PH RESORTS GRP PREMIUM LEISURE ALLHOME METRO RETAIL PUREGOLD ROBINSONS RTL PHIL SEVEN CORP SSI GROUP WILCON DEPOT APC GROUP EASYCALL GOLDEN BRIA PAXYS PRMIERE HORIZON

16.78 4.88 0.36 2194 1163 0.038 2.8 2.27 1.17 0.08 1.88 0.195 2.61 9.24 15.54 3.46 47.05 82 12.2 0.7 4.65 2.17 2.05 7.28 0.92 0.029 0.42 6.1 0.345 2.16 5.68 1.73 1.5 3 0.315 5.78 1.72 46.65 61.3 131.9 1.21 14.04 0.31 7.65 323 2.04 0.233

16.8 4.92 0.375 2200 1165 0.039 3 2.28 1.45 0.083 1.9 0.196 2.65 - 16.86 3.47 47.3 82.2 13 0.79 4.66 2.19 2.14 7.29 0.93 0.032 0.43 6.49 0.355 2.25 5.7 1.74 1.51 3.14 0.32 5.95 1.73 46.7 61.5 137.9 1.22 14.1 0.32 7.7 340 2.24 0.235

16.82 4.99 0.365 2200 1176 0.039 3 2.34 1.45 0.083 1.85 0.18 2.6 6.5 15.22 3.12 47.85 81 13 0.75 4.71 1.74 1.8 7.1 0.89 0.032 0.45 6.25 0.355 2.25 5.76 1.7 1.48 3.08 0.305 5.99 1.65 46.55 61.35 135.4 1.22 14.64 0.29 7.12 320 2.1 0.244

17 4.99 0.365 2220 1208 0.039 3 2.45 1.45 0.083 1.94 0.2 2.71 9.24 16.86 3.69 49.3 83.45 13 0.79 4.83 2.35 2.38 7.32 0.96 0.032 0.45 6.25 0.355 2.25 5.85 1.74 1.53 3.15 0.32 6 1.75 47.2 61.95 137.9 1.27 14.8 0.32 8.75 320 2.1 0.246

16.66 4.88 0.36 2174 1142 0.039 3 2.26 1.45 0.082 1.85 0.18 2.55 6.5 15.22 3.1 47.05 80 13 0.75 4.6 1.74 1.8 7 0.88 0.029 0.4 6.25 0.34 2.15 5.69 1.67 1.48 3.08 0.305 5.75 1.65 46.4 60.95 135 1.19 14.04 0.29 7.11 320 2.1 0.232

16.66 4.88 0.36 2200 1163 0.039 3 2.28 1.45 0.082 1.9 0.195 2.62 9.24 15.5 3.46 47.05 82.2 13 0.79 4.66 2.17 2.14 7.28 0.92 0.029 0.43 6.25 0.345 2.25 5.7 1.74 1.51 3.14 0.315 5.95 1.72 46.65 61.3 137.9 1.21 14.04 0.32 7.65 320 2.1 0.235

73400 83000 30000 47735 293650 500000 26000 101074000 15000 270000 4392000 16930000 3073000 727200 1000 4397000 306700 1161310 100 5000 3908000 13687000 349000 90000 1700000 14800000 7030000 10500 13220000 203000 8920900 112000 216000 11000 3820000 2921400 4257000 4188100 467930 280 2701000 1236600 620000 1174400 100 5000 6250000

1232500 408330 10900 104967430 344010735 19500 78000 239574580 21750 22380 8375010 3227690 8075490 5814747 16124 15265760 14649235 95146779.5 1300 3910 18371420 28047370 723290 655310 1564460 434800 2899800 65625 4596950 450650 51298101 189820 325960 34310 1195600 17122020 7353120 195387140 28680731 37952 3326860 17520182 190850 9508800 32000 10500 1476260

15535330 3170055 -3557880 -230290 -12690 -238260 68956 184420 -9407580 21053784 -1300 -3546940 -19200 -47400 65625 -1609050 11548825 160000 8129495 887360 -16917025 -27485701 -6770 -2263390 -2706140 -235479.9997 -

MINING & OIL ATOK 10.06 10.3 10.7 10.7 10.7 10.7 1700 18190 APEX MINING 1.01 1.02 0.92 1.03 0.92 1.02 4685000 4666430 -60000 ABRA MINING 0.001 0.0011 0.001 0.0011 0.001 0.0011 72000000 77300 1.81 1.9 1.9 1.9 1.9 1.9 8000 15200 ATLAS MINING 0.2 0.204 0.201 0.201 0.2 0.2 530000 106080 COAL ASIA HLDG CENTURY PEAK 2.69 2.73 2.7 2.74 2.7 2.73 326000 886240 613540 DIZON MINES 6.56 6.65 6.6 6.69 6.56 6.69 1200 7908 669 0.73 0.74 0.73 0.75 0.73 0.74 913000 676350 16280 FERRONICKEL 0.194 0.197 0.195 0.197 0.195 0.195 380000 74120 GEOGRACE LEPANTO A 0.077 0.081 0.081 0.081 0.077 0.077 6450000 502450 0.081 0.087 0.084 0.087 0.081 0.081 600000 50400 LEPANTO B 0.0065 0.0066 0.0066 0.0066 0.0066 0.0066 2000000 13200 MANILA MINING A MANILA MINING B 0.007 0.0071 0.0071 0.0071 0.0071 0.0071 3000000 21300 0.55 0.56 0.56 0.56 0.54 0.56 212000 116710 MARCVENTURES 0.9 0.96 0.95 0.96 0.9 0.96 3000 2810 NIHAO 1.61 1.64 1.65 1.67 1.61 1.61 5912000 9662360 -1747820 NICKEL ASIA ORNTL PENINSULA 0.495 0.52 0.5 0.52 0.495 0.495 221000 110295 35000 PX MINING 2.31 2.32 2.29 2.4 2.29 2.31 945000 2222300 -649130 11.98 12 12 12.2 11.96 12 1960600 23533846 -10246912 SEMIRARA MINING 0.004 0.0042 0.004 0.004 0.004 0.004 92000000 368000 UNITED PARAGON ACE ENEXOR 6.91 7.14 7.23 7.23 6.86 7.18 324600 2255613 0.0085 0.0087 0.0085 0.0085 0.0085 0.0085 1000000 8500 ORNTL PETROL A 0.0085 0.0095 0.0085 0.0095 0.0085 0.0095 12000000 108000 ORNTL PETROL B PXP ENERGY 4.45 4.46 4.45 4.59 4.42 4.46 1819000 8152520 370950

PREFFERED AC PREF B2R 491 498 498 498 498 498 20 9960 CPG PREF A 97.1 100 99.5 99.5 99.5 99.5 2000 199000 199000 DD PREF 100 101.4 97.85 100 97.85 100 28960 2885935.5 100 100.5 100.5 100.5 100.1 100.1 150 15043 MWIDE PREF 98.8 99.5 99.2 99.5 99.2 99.5 1010 100492 PNX PREF 3A PNX PREF 4 1000 1010 1000 1000 1000 1000 13760 13760000 1000 1013 1000 1000 1000 1000 13000 13000000 -1000000 PCOR PREF 3A 1010 1018 1010 1020 1010 1020 300 304000 PCOR PREF 3B 76.4 76.5 76.2 76.4 76.2 76.4 1850 141334 SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2D 74.2 74.9 74.2 74.2 74.2 74.2 33860 2512412 74.1 74.95 74.9 75 74.9 75 27000 2024773 SMC PREF 2E 75.05 75.5 75.5 75.5 75.5 75.5 70500 5322750 SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2G 75 75.05 75.05 75.05 75 75 15030 1127251.5 74.05 75 74.05 74.05 74 74 6560 485690 -485690 SMC PREF 2H 75 75.5 75.5 75.5 75 75 68700 5185850 SMC PREF 2I

PHIL. DEPOSITARY RECEIPTS ABGMA HLDG PDR 4.83 4.89 4.88 4.9 4.88 4.89 51000 249350 195590

WARRANTS LR WARRANT 0.77 0.79 0.79 0.79 0.79 0.79 1000 790

SMALL & MEDIUM ENTERPRISES ITALPINAS 2.26 2.27 2.35 2.45 2.22 2.27 21180000 49609450 815910 KEPWEALTH 7.12 7.25 7.34 7.49 6.8 7.25 221100 1572878 28130 XURPAS 0.64 0.65 0.65 0.69 0.65 0.65 7227000 4759840

EXHANGE TRADE FUNDS

FIRST METRO ETF 85 85.5 86 87 85.5 85.5 14650 1263001.5 253337.5

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Electricity spot-market rate falls in March due to ECQ

I

By Lenie Lectura

@llectura

ndependent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines Inc. (IEMOP) reported Thursday that spot market prices last month dropped to P2.47 per kilowatt hour (kWh), from P3.45/kWh in February, mainly due to low demand consumption from industrial facilities and commercial establishments.

“In light of the ECQ [enhanced community quarantine], the total energy and reserve requirements started to drop significantly,” it said.

This resulted in a drop in the system energy requirement of Luzon and Visayas grids by an average of 2,350 megawatts (MW), or around 19.8 percent lower as compared to pre-ECQ levels.

“The significant drop in demand translated to a lower Effective Spot Settlement Price [ESSP] for customers at PP2.47/kWh for March 2020.

This ESSP is 28.4 percent lower compared to P3.45/kWh in February 2020,” it reported.

The lower spot market prices were reflected in the March billing period for the electricity volumes

bought from the WESM (Wholesale Electricity Spot Market). In the same month, 12.97 percent of the total energy requirement was settled at spot market prices.

IEMOP said the spot market prices further dropped until April 15. It added that this trend is expected to persist until April 30.

From April 1 to 15, IEMOP said spot market prices ranged from P0.0/kWh to P2.973/kWh, as the total demand for the Luzon and Visayas grids averaged only 9,541 MW while generation supply averaged at 13,911 MW. During the first half of April, IEMOP said spot market volume was cut to an estimated 10.98 percent of the total energy requirement, which was likely due to the further reduction in energy consumption during the Holy Week.

If and when the ECQ is lifted after April 30, IEMOP said the average market prices are projected to be P1.83/kWh for April and P6.68/ kWh for May. If the ECQ is further extended up to May 10, IEMOP said there is still

ample generation supply, but this could result in slightly lower prices of around P4.30/kWh for May. IEMOP also said that there could be “restriction of coal generation by about 600 megawatts [MW]” as a result of logistical delays in the transportation and delivery delays of coal brought about by the ECQ. “If this happens, power plants utilizing available indigenous fuel [i.e., geothermal, hydro, and natural gas] will be maximized.

The result of the simulations indicates that supply will continue to be sufficient. However, increase in market prices were observed,” said IEMOP. To ensure continuity of WESM operation under ECQ, IEMOP has coordinated with the Department of Energy, the Energy Regulatory Commission and with Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases prior to the start of the ECQ and relayed its Business Continuity Plan.

“The WESM continues to operate smoothly and efficiently,” it said.

2GO to refuse payment for 2 vessels

By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

2

GO Group Inc., an affiliate of businessman Dennis A. Uy’s Chelsea Logistics and Infrastructure Holdings Corp., said it is waiving the P35-million rental fee that it was supposed to charge to the government for the use of its ships as quarantine facilities.

Uy, chairman of 2GO, said late Wednesday that he has “given explicit instructions to waive the P35 million expected payments from the government” and that he is willing to shell out an additional P35 million more “out of my own funds” to cover the expenses of the operations of the 2 ships.

“I apologize if this news has unduly offended some of our fellow Filipinos, so let me be clear, 2GO is providing 2 vessels to serve as quarantine facilities free of charge to the Filipino people. Even if the government offers to pay the P35 million, we in 2GO, in good conscience, have no intentions of accepting their offer,” he said.

The company received much criticism online on Wednesday afternoon, after Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur P. Tugade announced that the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) will pay 2GO P35 million for the operation of the 2 quarantine ships.

“To set the record straight, actual cost to operate the 2 vessels as quar-

antine facilities is at P260 million.

But this was intended to be a donation. The P35 million was an offer made by the DOTr, for which we had no plans of accepting,” said Uy. However, the transportation department was quick to dismiss this claim, saying that there was, indeed, negotiations for the cost of operations.

“There was a negotiation. To be clear, Mr. Uy was never a part of any of the discussion. The first rate quoted during the initial negotiation among DOTr maritime officials and 2GO was at P120 million for two vessels for two months.

Secretary Tugade did not agree with the initial offer and insisted that it must be for free. Sec. Tugade then instructed Coast Guard Commandant Joel Garcia and DOTr Undersecretary Artemio Tuazon Jr. to talk with 2GO and negotiate further to lower the amount,” said Transportation Assistant Secretary Goddes Hope O. Libiran.

She noted that the amount was eventually lowered to P35 million to cover the necessary costs to operate the vessels, including its fuel, electricity, water, maintenance, supplies, and actual salaries of manpower of the crew and hotel staff to effectively run the ship.

“Secretary Tugade said that if it is the best offer, then go ahead, but without prejudice to him asking the principal for concession,” Libiran added. “No actual payment

PLDT-Smart Foundation donates 50k face masks

H

ealth workers at the frontlines of the fight against Covid-19 in Metro Manila have received fresh support in the form of face masks and other personal protective equipment (PPEs).

The PLDT-Smart Foundation (PSF) has turned over 50,000 face masks and other PPEs to various hospitals in the Metro.

The Philippine General Hospital, which is one of the Covid referral hospitals in the country, received 20,000 surgical masks for their frontline health workers from PLDT and PSF. Several hospitals and government response teams also received 50 hazmat suits each from PSF with the assistance of the Makati Medical Center Foundation. This includes the Rizal Medical Center, Philippine Heart Center, Lung Center of the Philippines, National Kidney and Transplant

Institute, East Avenue Medical Center, Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

“We are one with our frontline health workers in fighting this pandemic. All our efforts are focused on equipping them with the resources they need to protect and nourish them as they combat this virus,” said PLDT-Smart Foundation President Esther Santos.

As part of this effort, ZTE Corporation recently turned over 10,000 surgical face masks to PSF to be distributed to hospitals in Metro Manila for the country’s frontline health workers.

Moreover, St. Arnold Janssen Kalinga, a missionary center that provides care for homeless individuals in Metro Manila, was a recipient of reusable masks and sacks of rice from the foundation.

of rent has been made by the government to 2GO Group Inc., as it was Secretary Tugade’s intention to talk with the principal of 2GO to ask for concessions. Until that happens, and up to now, no payment has been made.”

The quarantine ships are make-

mutual funds

shift isolation facilities being used by overseas Filipino workers for free. The first quarantine ship has a capacity of 283 people, while the second quarantine ship can serve 143 individuals, following the Department of Health and Bureau of Quarantine protocols.

April 23, 2020

NAV One Year Three Year Five Year Y-T-D per share Return* Return Stock Funds ALFM Growth Fund, Inc. -a 184.04 -29.41% -11.26% -8.19% -26.94% ATRAM Alpha Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a 0.9435 -40.98% -13.71% -8.66% -31.73% ATRAM Philippine Equity Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a 2.4628 -39.55% -16.15% -10.68% -33.04% Climbs Share Capital Equity Investment Fund Corp. -a 0.6384 -31.44% n.a. n.a. -28.84% First Metro Consumer Fund on MSCI Phils. IMI, Inc. -a 0.6489 -24.52% n.a. n.a.

-23.6% First Metro Save and Learn Equity Fund,Inc. -a 4.0016 -26.42% -8.71% -7.06% -24.9% First Metro Save and Learn Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a,6 0.6227 -28.25% -12.63% n.a.

-27.05% MBG Equity Investment Fund, Inc. -a 74.16 -41.43% n.a. n.a.

-28.23% PAMI Equity Index Fund, Inc. -a 36.8071 -28.63% -9.83% n.a.

-28.23% Philam Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a 395.72 -26.53% -9.29% -7.2% -25.73% Philequity Alpha One Fund, Inc. -a,d,8 0.8285 n.a. n.a. n.a.

-19.57% Philequity Dividend Yield Fund, Inc. -a 0.944 -27.47% -9.22% -6.35% -26.65% Philequity Fund, Inc. -a 27.7008 -27.76% -8.58% -6.28% -26.91% Philequity MSCI Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a,1 0.729 -29.03% n.a. n.a.

-28.4% Philequity PSE Index Fund Inc. -a 3.7484 -28.22% -9.32% -6.27% -28.24% Philippine Stock Index Fund Corp. -a

626.46 -28.12% -9.28% -6.46% -28.16% Soldivo Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a 0.5701 -38.32% -13.43% -10.41% -33.04% Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Equity Fund, Inc. -a 2.9355 -31.43% -10.2% -7.46% -30.26% Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Stock Index Fund, Inc. -a 0.7191 -28.26% -9.44% n.a.

-28.15% United Fund, Inc. -a 2.6738 -27.57% -7.22% -5.2% -26.81% Exchange Traded Fund First Metro Phil. Equity Exchange Traded Fund, Inc. -a,c 84.0277 -27.96% -8.8% -5.64% -28.15% ATRAM AsiaPlus Equity Fund, Inc. -b

$0.8613 -17.99% -2.13% -4.42% -16.25% Sun Life Prosperity World Voyager Fund, Inc. -a $1.1946 -7.23% 2.86% n.a.

-13.35% Balanced Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities ATRAM Dynamic Allocation Fund, Inc. -a 1.4844 -13.14% -5.2% -5.18% -5.02% ATRAM Philippine Balanced Fund, Inc. -a 1.938 -15.92% -5.74% -3.73% -11.15% First Metro Save and Learn Balanced Fund Inc. -a 2.2981 -12.27% -3.24% -4.57% -12.67% First Metro Save and Learn F.O.C.C.U.S. Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a,5 0.1828 n.a. n.a. n.a.

-20% NCM Mutual Fund of the Phils., Inc. -a 1.775 -7.03% -1.67% -1.83% -9.58% PAMI Horizon Fund, Inc. -a 3.2692 -10.52% -3.78% -3.49% -13.72% Philam Fund, Inc. -a 14.6134 -11.39% -3.93% -3.59% -13.84% -3.16% -14.25% Solidaritas Fund, Inc. -a 1.8229 -14.34% -4.75% Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Balanced Fund, Inc. -a 3.0945 -19.06% -5.6% -4.58% -19.91% Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2028, Inc. -a,d,2 0.8817 -10.89% n.a. n.a.

-13.19% Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2038, Inc. -a,d,2 0.7805 -21.03% n.a. n.a.

-21.67% Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2048, Inc. -a,d,2 0.758 -23.15% n.a. n.a.

-23.68% Sun Life Prosperity Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a 0.7584 -22.2% -6.92% -6.2% -22.2% Primarily invested in foreign currency securities Cocolife Dollar Fund Builder, Inc. -a $0.03789 5.28% 2.14% 1.34% -0.89% PAMI Asia Balanced Fund, Inc. -a $0.9058 -9.87% -1.04% -2.65% -12.73% Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Advantage Fund, Inc. -a $3.5044 -5.52% 2.21% 1.03% -10.39% Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Wellspring Fund, Inc. -a,7 $1.0465 -3.52% 0.84% n.a.

-7.29% Bond Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities ALFM Peso Bond Fund, Inc. -a 361.4 3.91% 2.92% 2.34% 1.01% ATRAM Corporate Bond Fund, Inc. -a

1.9258 2.27% 0.92% -0.3% 1.25% Cocolife Fixed Income Fund, Inc. -a 3.1626 4.79% 5.17% 5.1% 1.49% Ekklesia Mutual Fund Inc. -a 2.2604 4.79% 2.62% 2.05% 1.59% First Metro Save and Learn Fixed Income Fund,Inc. -a 2.3982 6.4% 2.74% 1.52% 1.66% 1.72% Philam Bond Fund, Inc. -a 4.4479 10.54% 3.14% 1.8% Philequity Peso Bond Fund, Inc. -a 3.8355 6.61% 3.36% 1.64% 1.25% Soldivo Bond Fund, Inc. -a 1.0085 9.94% 2.97% 1.15% 4.58% Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Bond Fund, Inc. -a 3.1008 7.75% 4.37% 2.56% 0.81% Sun Life Prosperity GS Fund, Inc. -a

1.7148 7.53% 3.91% 2.21% 0.81% Primarily invested in foreign currency securities ALFM Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $467.13 2.88% 2.2% 2.32% -0.23% ALFM Euro Bond Fund, Inc. -a Є213.64 -1.08% 0.45% 0.5% -2.77% ATRAM Total Return Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -b $1.1763 0.89% 1.74% 1.66% -2.56% First Metro Save and Learn Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $0.0257 1.98% 1.06% 0.96% -0.39% PAMI Global Bond Fund, Inc -a $1.0464 -1.16% -0.81% -0.79% -4.46% Philam Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $2.3783 5.54% 2.47% 2.06% -1.06% Philequity Dollar Income Fund Inc. -a $0.0594364 2.24% 1.43% 1.33% -1.46% Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Abundance Fund, Inc. -a $3.1408 5.88% 1.88% 1.99% -1.09% Money Market Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities ALFM Money Market Fund, Inc. -a 127.23 3.89% 3.07% 2.32% 1.15% First Metro Save and Learn Money Market Fund, Inc. -a,3 1.0361 2.73% n.a. n.a.

0.95% Philam Managed Income Fund, Inc. -a 1.2707 6.21% 3.46% 1.86% 1.11% Sun Life Prosperity Money Market Fund, Inc. -a 1.2766 3.39% 3% 2.52% 0.95% Primarily invested in foreign currency securities Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Starter Fund, Inc. -a $1.0409 1.68% n.a. n.a.

0.36% Feeder Fund Primarily invested in foreign currency securities ALFM Global Multi-Asset Income Fund Inc. -b,d,4 $0.9 n.a. n.a. n.a.

-9.09% a - NAVPS as of the previous banking day. b - NAVPS as of two banking days ago. c - Listed in the PSE. d - in Net Asset Value per Unit (NAVPU).

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

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

7 - Adjusted due to stock dividend issuance last October 9, 2019.

8 - Launch date is December 09, 2019.

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

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Banking&Finance

Fintech inks deal to expand reach F

inance technology (fintech) company UBX Philippines Inc. announced on Thursday it has entered into agreements with non-monetary financial institutions (MFIs) to expand its reach.

UBX, the fintech platform of Union Bank of the Philippines, said it has allowed entry into its i21 network LBC Express Inc., PeraHub operator Petnet Inc. and Cebuana Lhuillier Services Corp. UBX said i21 rural bank members are now linked to outlets of these companies.

This adds 11,000 new locations for customers to settle transactions, the fintech firm said.

UBX Philippines President John Januszczak said he believes the deals hatched with the non-MFIs will help a lot of Filipinos who need access to send and receive funds, especially during this pandemic and the enhanced community quarantine.”

“By adding more options for cashin and cash-out points, we hope to lessen the travel and time outside the home for Filipinos when they access financial services, particularly during this pandemic,” Januszczak was quoted in the statement as saying.

Earlier, UBX rolled its remote mobile-enabled automated teller machine (ATM) solution, which allows rural banks and financial cooperatives across the country to distribute government subsidies to beneficiaries.

The fintech firm explained that the mobile ATM operates like a

standard ATM, offering services like withdrawals and balance inquiry.

The i21 network has now over 110 members with nearly 1,000 branches, UBX Philippines said.

T he compa ny Un ion B a n k launched last year developed the mobile ATM with Irish financial service group Fexco, which is primarily engaged in delivering technologyenabled financial services for banking and fintech players.

“This partnership will allow us to rapidly deliver crucial financial services to consumers across the UBX and UBP banking partner network,” Fexco Philippines CEO Cathal Brendan Foley said. “Fexco and UBX are both dedicated to enhancing financial inclusion for both the businesses and the people of the Philippines.”

Earlier, the Aboitiz-led bank earlier urged public to settle tax payments online from the comforts of their home during the pandemic to practice social distancing and lessen exposure to the virus.

This was made possible after launching an electronic payment facility last year in partnership with the Bureau of Internal Revenue. In 2019, the bank collected over P338-billion worth of taxes, which was 16 percent of the total tax collections.

UnionBank shares climbed by 30 centavos, or 0.56 percent, to close at P54.20 each amid the 0.46-percent hike for the main index on Thursday.

Tyrone Jasper C. Piad

Association virtual events: The ‘new normal’?

M

y work as an association executive entails that I have to continuously learn and be updated on association governance and management topics and trends. As such, I join a number of international societies of association professionals.

With my membership comes a lot of educational and certification resources to tap. I also subscribe to various e-newsletters and blogs of association-focused service providers such as association management companies, research organizations, software developers and hardware manufacturers.

With the current coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, I noticed a sudden surge of virtual events (podcasts and webinars) around the world. I get to be invited to attend or be part of a panel of speakers to these online programs because of my memberships and subscriptions.

During this 45-day enhanced community quarantine, I have already joined more than two webinars a week for the last two weeks and more are scheduled for the coming weeks.

This is not to say I do not pick and choose the webinars I attend.

Here are my ‘mental’ criteria for selecting the webinars I attend or speak in: Relevance. Many webinars offered nowadays deal with Covid-19 and its impact on associations. I choose those focused on relevant aspects of running an association, not those that provide general information.

Organizers and speakers.

Much like in social media, I look for credible sources of content.

Watch out for some who are out only to sell a product or a service, or get your contact details. I also look for speakers who are association executives and practitioners themselves so I can gain experiential knowledge and applicability.

Time difference. Those organized from North A mer ica (US, Canada) time their webinars mid-day or early afternoon which means midnight and early morning in the Philippines so these are

Association World Octavio Peralta difficult timings. Those organized in Europe are six to seven hours lagging behind us so midday or early afternoon times are manageable. Those from Australia are good since there are only two hours-time difference.

Free or for a fee. There are webinars that are free but exclusive only to members. Most service providers offer theirs for free in exchange for contact details and future marketing while others are fee-based. Whether the webinar is for free or for a fee, it is important to determine if the webinar will be relevant to your needs.

Takeaways. I like organizers who inform you at the outset that the presentation materials, a recording, and further Q&A will be available after the webinar. If there is no mention about this, you may consider taking photos of the slides and recording the event for future reference. You may, however, need to inform the organizers and speakers about this.

Will virtual events like webinars be the “new normal” past Covid-19? Moving forward, it is inevitable that associations need to have a variety of educational portfolios for their members. A mixture of face-to-face and virtual events will be a prominent profile of an association’s programming agenda.

The column contributor, Octavio “Bobby” Peralta, is concurrently the secretary general of the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific and the Founder & CEO of the Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives. Pcaae is holding the Associations Summit 8 on November 25 and 26, 2020 at the Philippine International Convention Center which is expected to draw over 200 association professionals here and abroad. The 2-day event is supported

by Adfiap, the Tourism Promotions Board, and the PICC. E-mail inquiries@adfiap.org for more details on AS8.

BusinessMirror

Friday, April 24, 2020 B3

BPI hedges vs expected losses, cutting Q1 gains

A

By Tyrone Jasper C. Piad

@Tyronepiad

yala-led Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) has widened its room to squirm from market constriction borne from the 45-day enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) as it saw first quarter earnings suffer.

The listed bank said it hiked provisions for losses by more than twice (2.4 times) than the P1.80 billion it set aside in 2019 for the January to March period. BPI said it did so due to anticipated increase in nonperforming loans (NPL) amid the pandemic.

“This [increase in provision] is in expectation of NPLs in the future. It is not something that we see today ... [but] there is no question that there will be losses,” BPI President Cezar P. Consing said on Thursday.

The BPI posted net income of

P6.39 billion in the first quarter, which was 5-percent lower than the P6.72 billion it reported in the same period last year.

The lower margin comes despite BPI’s revenues in the first three months climbing 10.9 percent to P25.26 billion; net interest income also surged 13 percent to P18.14 billion. Net interest margin stood at 3.63 percent—higher by 24 basis points from 3.39 percent year-onyear—as of end-March.

BPI said its loan portfolio also

grew by 7.3 percent to P1.45 trillion in the first quarter, driven by microfinance, small and medium enterprise (SME), consumer and corporate loan segments. Total deposits, meanwhile, jumped by 4.3 percent to P1.68 trillion.

During BPI’s stockholders’ meeting, Consing said the bank has also focused on rendering loans to SMEs, especially at a time that firms face problems with cash flows amid the pandemic-induced lockdown.

“We are focused on being a more financially inclusive bank. This is evident in the setting up of our microfinance and SME lending businesses,” he said.

Consing said that 3-year old business segment it calls “BPI BanKo” is now the second largest microfinance bank, with 15-percent market share, a network of 300 branches and over 100,000 clients. BPI BanKo’s loan portfolio currently stands at P4.3 billion, according to the executive.

With limited mobility, Consing said most of its clients are turning to digital platforms for banking ser-

PhilHealth eases payment schedule as PHL Covid-19 cases rise to 6,981

T

HE company paying for medical expenses of Covid-19 patients announced it has extended the deadline to May 31 of payment of premiums for all direct contributors whose payments are due for February to April.

In an advisory on Thursday, the state-run Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) said it is issuing a moratorium on contribution payments for applicable months of February to April considering that the “economy is witnessing the temporary suspension and closure of businesses, causing inevitable unemployment and loss of income.”

“Payment of premiums for the applicable months shall be extended until May 31, 2020 without interest for all direct contributors,” read PhilHealth Advisory 2020-027 signed by its President and Chief Executive Officer Ricardo C. Morales.

PhilHealth said it “remains one with whole nation in ensuring the health and safety of all and prioritizing the protection of lives and livelihoods.”

Employers implementing a skeletal workforce arrangement are requested to ensure that employees with no earnings or income are properly reported using the RF-1 form.

Employers who have temporarily stopped operations are asked to submit an electronic copy of a properly accomplished ER-3 form to their respective Accounts Officer, Philhealth said.

As of April 23, the Department of Health reported 271 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), bringing the total number of cases in the country at 6,981.

The first case was reported 84 days ago on January 30.

The DOH also announced 29 new recoveries, bringing the total to 722.

Death toll in the country due to Covid-19 reached 462, including 16 new deaths. Bernadette D. Nicolas

GSIS provides additional ₧500,000 life insurance to Covid-19 govt frontliners

R

olando Ledesma Macasaet, President and General Manager of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), announced on April 23 that the state pension fund will provide additional life insurance coverage to a total of 27,682 frontline workers of the government nationwide who are putting their lives at risk in the fight against Covid-19.

Macasaet said the GSIS Board of Trustees approved the establishment of the Bayanihan Fund for Frontliners (BFF), which entitles the survivors of government frontliners who died of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) to receive an additional P500,000 in insurance benefits.

“This is on top of the P1-million death benefit to be provided by the government under the ‘Bayanihan to Heal as One’ law and the regular life insurance benefit from GSIS,” he added.

As GSIS members, government frontline workers are automatically covered by the Enhanced Life Program (ELP) of GSIS which, upon the member’s demise, entitles his or her legal heirs to an insurance benefit equivalent to 150 percent of the annual salary of the member. In addition to this, the same survivors will also receive P500,000 under the BFF program.

“For instance, the legal heirs of a government nurse who earns P30,000 a month will receive P540,000 (150 percent of the mem-

ber’s annual salary) in insurance benefits from GSIS upon his or her death. On top of this, the BFF program will pay his or her survivors an additional amount of P500,000 for a total of P1.04 million,” Macasaet explained.

“This is to show our appreciation for the courage, heroism and selfless dedication of our frontline workers in government. We hope that this will somewhat help assuage the grief felt by the families left behind by these heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country,” Macasaet said.

Aside from doctors and nurses, the BFF program will cover other GSIS members involved in providing healthcare and assistance to Covid-19 patients such as cardiovascular technologists (ECG, ultrasound), medical technologists, radiologists/X-ray technicians, pulmo-therapists, pulmonologists, nursing aides, pharmacists, ambulance drivers, administrative staff, housekeeping/janitors and security guards, among others.

The BFF insurance cover will be effective from March 1 to December 31, 2020, Macasaet said.

BAD LOANS CLIMB Mount Fuji is seen on the horizon inside a building in Japan. Japan’s

long-suffering regional banks face the biggest threat to their survival since the 1990s post-bubble malaise as the coronavirus hammers their few remaining profit drivers. Bloomberg News

vices, noting that 92 percent of the transactions last week were done virtually. Around 40 percent of clients are now enrolled in BPI’s digital channels and 25 percent of them are considered regular digital “transactors,” he said. Consing added that digital service fees now total to P1 billion annually. Currently, the BPI official said that the bank is operating under a skeletal workforce arrangement after activating its business continuity plan, keeping about a third of its branches open for services.

“BPI is preparing for the potential extension of the enhanced community quarantine in its present form and modified form. We can run this place definitely under these circumstances,” he added.

Last month, BPI raised P33.9 billion—surpassing the initial target size of P5 billion by over six-fold— from bond issuance. Each bond carries interest rate of 4.05 percent per annum and has a tenor of 1.5 years.

BPI shares ended flat at P60 each amid 0.46-percent uptick for the benchmark index on Thursday.

DHSUD official lauds Pag-Ibig loan approvals

D

epartment of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Secretary Eduardo D. Del Rosario commended officials of the Home Development Mutual Fund or Pag-IBIG Fund, for their “swift action” in extending loans to thousands of members.

“Pag-IBIG’s pro-active stance on making funds immediately available for loans to our members is huge amid these difficult times,” Del Rosario, who is also the chairman of the Pag-IBIG Fund Board of Trustees, said. “I also commend Pag-IBIG officials for implementing easier procedures, particularly the online applications, for our members to avail of the program while following quarantine protocols,” he added.

Earlier, Del Rosario presided over a meeting of the Pag-IBIG Fund Board of Trustees (BOT), wherein the Pag-IBIG management briefed the BOT on the agency’s measures to aid members and assessed the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

During the briefing, Pag-IBIG Fund officials announced the approval of cash loan applications of 37,901 members affected by the extended enhanced community quarantine (ECQ). They form less than 1 percent of the total 14.01 million 2018 Pag-IBIG Fund members.

They said that the agency has granted cash loans amounting to P716.26 million to help members with their finances during the lockdown.

Pag-IBIG Fund offers short-term loans (STL) composed of the calamity loan and the multi-purpose loan.

The STL programs serve as a readily-accessible and affordable source of funds where qualified members can borrow up to 80 percent of their total savings in Pag-IBIG Fund. As of 2018, savings in the Pag-IBIG Fund has hit P40.27 billion, the fund’s financial report said.

Currently, members, or employers acting on their behalf, are allowed to submit loan applications through email, with the move being made to minimize disruption in service during the ECQ. The Pag-IBIG Fund has started accepting applications via email just three days after the ECQ was imposed in Luzon last month. Pag-IBIG Fund CEO Acmad Rizaldy P. Moti said they have received 221,851 cash loan applications as of April 15. “Our members have come to rely on our cash loans for emergencies and this time, it’s no different. That’s why we moved the application process online and set up multiple email addresses to receive applications by area,” Moti said.

Rene Acosta

B4

Friday, April 24, 2020

Show BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Erik Matti provokes public anger; Ogie releases praise music

Today’s Horoscope

By Eugenia Last

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Jack Quaid, 28; David Boudia, 31; Kelly Clarkson, 38; Barbra Streisand, 78.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Be open to suggestions but honest with yourself about what you need. Keep your life and possibilities in perspective if you want to get ahead. Putting in quality time and effort without drama and fuss will be essential. High energy, coupled with enthusiasm and discipline, will manifest into something worthwhile. Personal improvement is encouraged. Your lucky numbers are 4, 12, 23, 25, 31, 36, 48.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Start early with the intent to finish what you start. Use your intelligence to sort out differences, not to argue or get in to a standoff that is likely to damage your reputation or dismantle a meaningful relationship. ★★★

OGIE ALCASID

GAB FAB JET VALLE

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Do what needs to be done, and stick to your budget.

Stubbornness, anger and impatience will lead to an emotional scene. Distance yourself from trouble, unpredictable situations and unrealistic individuals. ★★★

@jetvalle

F

ILIPINOS are angry nowadays. Well, some of them are at China for allegedly trying to conceal the coronavirus outbreak at the start.

A number are angry at insensitive so-called influencers who either spread fake news, or fool people by saying a certain Twitter account is theirs and then eventually disowning it, or throwing all sorts of invectives at marginalized people.

But much of the anger in recent days had been directed toward Erik Matti, who in a Twitter post declared that Filipino movies and television series are “doomed in the future� because of the popularity of Korean drama series. He even called local films and TV series as “faux-Cinderella stories with Belo-fied actors whiter than white.�

Many were up in arms. And why not? They defended their K-drama choice, saying these shows are really even better than what we produce. Some say that there is nothing wrong in patronizing these dramas as they are entertained by it.

I really understand where Erik Matti is coming from. After all, he has written, produced and directed some exceptional works, but the reception of those works has been dismal compared to how we welcome Korean shows. Some of his films hardly achieved return on investment.

But it’s not only his films. There are a lot of Filipino films and shows that haven’t been received well, even when they were exceptionally done. One or two would might emerge as an exception but that’s about it. So that maybe where his frustration lies.

But while Matti wants to drive a point, there is no need to insult other people’s choice of entertainment.

He generalized these shows in a negative light. Which of course begs the question: Would it be OK if a Korean replies to him that all Filipino films and TV shows are just about sampalan, over-the-top sabunutans and querida stories?

My wish is actually that, thanks to Netflix and other streaming services, more Filipinos will be exposed to other works and eventually develop their taste to make it more mature and sophisticated.

They would demand for producers to create works that keep up to their evolving tastes and, hopefully, this would elevate the state of Philippine TV and movies. And then patronize brilliant Pinoy films and shows with the same enthusiasm they do with K-drama.

A netizen with the Twitter handle @fueledbyajitama retorted to Matti’s tweet by the way, saying, “May narinig ka ba sa amin when you brought us Gagamboy?� While many people didn’t get that movie (placing a poor seventh on the Metro Manila Film Festival list of the 10 top grossing films in the year it was released), some critics recognized it as an effective parody on the superhero genre.

So, just like his intention with Gagamboy, Erik Matti’s message just got muddled.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Distance yourself from anyone who asks for too much or isn’t forthright when it comes to sharing information.

Channel your energy into personal gains, physical fitness and ridding yourself of any lingering negativity in your life. Surround yourself with upbeat people. ★★★

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Participate in events that interest you, or volunteer your time to an organization that shares your beliefs.

Listen, learn and develop a pattern that will help you incorporate what you know, what you do well and what brings you joy into the mix. ★★★★

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): You may understand what you are trying to accomplish, but reaching your goal won’t be that easy if you let others interfere. Discipline, along with physical input, will be required. ★★

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): A change will be refreshing. Start watching a new series, or plan to do something that will help you get in touch with friends through social media. Digest the information you gather, and come up with a plan tailored to your needs. ★★★★★

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Don’t get angry about the things you cannot change.

Concentrate on what you can do to make a difference. Choose to be moderate and to make life adjustments that will encourage a less stressful environment. ★★★

■■■OGIE ALCASID finds reassurance in God’s abundant love amid today’s pandemic with his newly released single “Live for Jesus,� his first collaboration with Regine Velasquez and couple Jaya and Gary Gotidoc.  “It is my hope and prayer that this song inspires us to keep believing that despite the crisis, we will survive this,� Ogie said. “Jesus is our answer. It is also during these times when we are weak that our savior is strongest. How His grace is sufficient for us.�

The praise song, launched on April 17 under record label Star Music, features backup vocals by Regine and Jaya, as well as a short rap verse from Jaya’s partner, Gary.  With words and music by Ogie, “Live for Jesus� was arranged by Mark Lopez, and mixed and mastered by Tim Recla.  The singer-songwriter said he took inspiration from the Bible verse of 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV) in writing the song, which says, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.�  Ogie, along with Regine and Jaya, also recently joined other ABS-CBN artists in bringing hope through Christ’s love, helping ABS-CBN’s “Pantawid ng Pag-Ibig� program by singing the prayer song “Ililigtas Ka Niya.� Regine also released her new rendition of “Heal Our Land� with the Villancico Vocal

Ensemble earlier this month.  Praise Jesus in the face of hardships by listening to “Live for Jesus,â€? out now on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube. Check it out on MusicShare’s Music Heals playlist on Spotify. â–

CCP ONLINE THIS WEEK WATCH for free more performances premiering this week as Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Online brings HD and archival recordings in theater, dance, visual arts, film, literary and workshop events from its Cultural Content Digital Archives.

Featured shows are Mga Eksena sa Buhay ng Kontrabida written by Dustin Celestino and directed

by Roobak Valle for Virgin Labfest 14, which screened on April 22, and Batang Mujahideen written by Malou Jacob and directed by Guelan Luarca on April 24 at 3 pm. The Philippine Madrigal Singers: Mmmm...More! with Choirmaster Mark Anthony Carpio, which premiered on April 20, is also available.

These productions go live for a week. Interested parties can subscribe to the YouTube channel at bit.ly/ CCPOnlineYT.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Someone you encounter will have a positive influence on something you’ve been trying to develop.

An opportunity will open up if you check out online job opportunities or attend an online event that attracts likeminded people. ★★★

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): A manipulative individual will cause chaos in your life if you are gullible or too accommodating.

Be smart when it comes to relationships, and question anything or anyone who is persistent or nosy. ★★★

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Stick close to home, protect your possessions and relationships, and don’t believe everything you hear. Someone will lead you astray if given a chance.

Do your fact-finding before you take action. ★★★★★

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Emotional difficulties with someone close to you will surface. Don’t let the changes that unfold ruin your plans. Stick to what works best for you, and engage in activities that are positive and geared toward bringing you closer to someone you love. ★★

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Greater involvement in your community or a group you belong to will bring high returns. An opportunity to slide in to a better position looks promising. Get together with an old friend, or reconnect with someone you used to work alongside. ★★★★ BIRTHDAY BABY: You are adaptable, unique and helpful.

You are intelligent and energetic.

‘food storage’ BY PAM KLAWITTER The Universal Crossword/Edited by David Steinberg

ACROSS 1 Meyers of late-night 5 Once, once 9 Carpet cleaners, for short 13 Beginner 14 Birch of American Beauty 16 Coup d’___ 17 Place to store spherical legumes?

19 Jaffe or Barrett 20 Web destination 21 Place to store a stuffing seasoning?

23 Oatmeal vessel 24 “Psych!�

26 Brawl 27 It might flood at high tide 29 Ending for “kitchen�

32 Personal ID 33 What Doris Day sang after “Que�

34 Private’s privy 37 Place to store a T-bone or porterhouse?

40 Missy of rap 41 Pair of pants?

44 Grate remains

47 ___ best friend (dog) 48 Guarantee 50 Hogs’ hangouts 52 Big Pharma regulator 53 Part of a jazz combo 54 Place to store a German sausage?

58 Stretch across 60 Polish, as a manuscript 61 Place to store a Wisconsin cheese?

64 Theme park headache 65 Smooth shift 66 French fashion magazine 67 Theater section 68 GPS ancestors 69 Revolutionary time?

DOWN 1 Fuel additive brand 2 Urban blight 3 They change sides 4 Joy Reid or Rachel Maddow 5 Summer on the Seine 6 Fictional Butler 7 Frosh, next year 8 Card above a deuce

9 “Jesus wept� is the shortest one in many Bibles 10 Snorkeling spots 11 Paddle boats?

12 New York island 15 Biceps’ location 18 Clark in comic books 22 Make corrections to 23 Family-friendly movie ratings 25 “Aren’t you fancy!�

28 ___ Britain (art gallery) 29 Cultural belief system 30 Moderate race pace 31 Leaned 35 Of the same ilk 36 Elongated swimmers 38 Nightmarish film locale, briefly 39 Not meant to be thrown away 42 Kind of bar for a hiker 43 Word after “safe� or “same�

44 To boot 45 Place to make tracks?

46 HR concern 49 InSight Mars Lander org.

51 52 55 56 57 59 62 63

Lauder of cosmetics Out of patience Adds as a recipient “Pardon me...�

Big name in video games Worm, to the early bird ___ Moines Boomer’s kid, perhaps

Solution to yesterday’s puzzle:

www.businessmirror.com.ph

SOCIAL distancing, strict hygiene measures, and wearing of protective personal equipment are just some of the practices strictly implemented in CPFI plants to ensure the safety of its employees.

CPFI adopts enhanced safety measures in manufacturing plants TO meet the upsurge in consumer demand while ensuring the health of its employees against Covid-19, Century Pacific Food Inc. (CPFI), makers of tuna and sardines brands such as Century Tuna and 555, is implementing stringent health and hygiene measures in its manufacturing plants to protect workers who continue to work amid the pandemic.

“We stand by our commitment to help ensure food security during the Covid-19 crisis by keeping our plant fully operational,“ says Greg Banzon, EVP and COO of CPFI. “At the same time, we have to make the welfare of our employees a top priority to sustain operations during the enhanced community quarantine period. We have also adopted a variety of actions for the health, safety and comfort of our employees.”

Social distancing, strict hygiene measures, wearing protective personal equipment and incentives for employees are just some of the practices strictly implemented in CPFI plants to ensure the safety of its employees and its products.

Before employees enter the plant, they go through a strict daily screening that include temperature reading, disinfecting footbaths, and handwashing.

Hand sanitizer dispensers are installed all over the plants to sustain disinfection throughout the workday.

Social distancing is also required in all key processes of production with foot markers spread across the tuna and sardine plants in General Santos and Zamboanga to help workers maintain a safe distance from each other. These markers are based on the distance prescribed by the World Health Organization. Additionally, employee-resting areas during breaks are also laid out to ensure proper social distancing.

Employees are provided with masks, hairnets and manufacturing gowns while those who interact frequently with coworkers are required to wear face shields to add extra layers of protection for workers in the production lines.

Implementing these practices consequently adds to overall safety of CPFI canned products, where each can is processed on high heat exceeding 120 degrees Celsius and under very strict quality standards. CPFI also looks after the well-being of its employees by increasing employee incentives.

Banzon says, “Our employees are the backbone of our operations and we need to keep an eye on their welfare, even more so during this global health crisis when we are doing our part in ensuring food security.”

Workers receive assistance in the form of free canned goods for their families, free meals at the plant along with vitamin supplements to boost their immunity. CPFI was also among the companies who have released the pro-rated portion of the 13th month pay. The company also offers free rides— practicing one seat apart—via the company shuttle for employees living outside the immediate community.

With these enhanced security measures in its manufacturing plants, CPFI ensures the safety of its plant workers and consequently leads to continuous availability and overall safety of CPFI canned products.

Relationships BusinessMirror

Friday, April 24, 2020

B5

Why ‘WFH’ now means ‘working all the time’ SOMETHING LIKE LIFE

MA. STELLA F. ARNALDO

@akosistellaBM

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ORKING from home used to be the purview of freelance writers, columnists, online teachers, and transcriptionists.

Since the enhanced community quarantine was imposed to contain the spread of the coronavirus (Covid-19), however, many 9-to-5 employees have been forced to stay home and accomplish the tasks assigned to them by their respective companies.

But a number of friends have told me that they seem to be more busy now that they are working from home, than when they were actually at their offices.

That’s perfectly understandable.

Because many of us keep the computer switched on all the time these days and online, waiting for the boss and colleagues to chime in with the latest comments on our work, or meet on some issues that needed threshing out (e.g., the company’s sales recovery plan) and the like.

Back when we had offices to go to, we could get up from the work station, take a break and chit-chat with friends in other departments; or go out and have coffee at the nearby café. Generally, we had a few moments to be ourselves, in a casual setting, nonoffice mode, to interact socially with others (or just be alone), without the boss—or some officemate who thinks he’s the boss—suddenly showing up behind our backs and leaning over to check what we’ve been up to at the computer.

“Working from home,” however, now feels like “working all the time.” And our personal space and

work boundaries have all but disappeared. Which shouldn’t be the case. And I wish the bosses of my desperate friends start realizing that there’s a time for work, and there’s a time to switch off everything.

Here are some tips I can offer to handle the new work-from-home lifestyle: ■ STICK TO A DAILY ROUTINE. Go through the same work schedule as you had been doing when you still went to the office. If you woke up at 6 am to have breakfast before going to work, keep doing the same. If you had your usual staff meeting at 10 am on Monday, stick to the same schedule (encourage your work colleagues or your boss to do this).

And if you used to go home by 6 pm, then switch off your home computer at the same time, as well.

Don’t entertain work-related phone calls after you switch off the computer; nothing is that super important that it can’t wait until the next day. Also, if it’s the weekend, do weekend stuff, not work.

■ KEEP A SEPARATE OFFICE SPACE. For those who live in small spaces, this can be a challenge. But ideally, just put some distance between your bed/room and your office setup at home. Put your computer on a sturdy desk or table, and have your files and all your work things nearby.

I understand that those families who have small kids will find it more difficult to do this, but if you must play with them, do so away from your work station. Go to the living room, kitchen or bedroom.

It’s also good training for your children to learn that when Mommy or Daddy is working, he/she should not be disturbed unless it’s an emergency (i.e., the cookie jar is empty and there’s no more milk or juice boxes in the fridge).

■ DRESS UP. I don’t mean putting on your work clothes when you sit down in front of the computer.

But to complete the transition from your home life to work mode, get out your jammies and dasters, otherwise you will feel lethargic. This is something I learned from one of my yoga teachers—you need to change the energy in yourself and around you for the tasks you do each day. So if you’re ready to sit down to work, put on some casual attire that feels a bit more

formal than your usual home or weekend attire. Then if you’re going to bed, change into your pantulog.

■ TAKE A BREAK. If you feel you need to come up for air after the boss has yakked away during the fourhour Zoom meeting, where nothing was actually decided (again!), then by God, get up from your desk.

Pour yourself some coffee, take a nap, and recover your energy. I’ve found this to be most effective—the coffee will just give you enough of the caffeine boost to keep you from napping beyond 15 to 20 minutes. After this, I usually feel refreshed, alert and ready to write.

■ EASE UP ON YOUR EYES. Whenever I go for my regular checkups, my glaucoma doctor, Dr. Imelda Veloso of the Asian Eye Institute, always warns me of eye strain, as she knows I usually stare at the computer screen all day because of my work. She advices to stop looking at the screen and look at a far away object. Like, for every 20 to 30 minutes that you stare at the monitor, glance at a distance object for 30 seconds. Also, blink often to refresh and moisten your eyes. (The good doctora has prescribed artificial tears for me, but that’s because she says as one gets older, the eyes tend to dry up.)

■ MOISTURIZE AND USE SUNSCREEN. Just because you’re working from home doesn’t mean you can ease up on your skin-care routine. My dermatologist Dr. Reena Corona of La Nouvelle Image says the lighting from the computer screen is just as harmful as the sun’s rays. Also, artificial lighting at home, especially fluorescent lights, harm the skin as well. So, regularly apply moisturizer and sunscreen in the morning, and clean your face in the evening. (For more skin-care tips, see “A simple skin-care regimen for women over 50,” BUSINESSMIRROR, February 22, 2018.)

As we go on our sixth week of ECQ, we may have fallen into certain bad habits and propagated the overlapping of our home and work lives. The struggle is real, but we can reinstall those work-home boundaries by following the tips above. This will not just restore our mental health, but also prepare us to return to the real office setup when the lockdown is eventually lifted.

Stay strong, folks. ■

SM Supermalls supports BFP community service advocacy IN support of the Bureau of Fire Protection’s corporate social responsibility initiative, SM Cares, the CSR arm of SM Supermalls, donated 3,000 SM Bears of Joy plush toys to children during the Fire Square Road Show, a fire awareness and protection education program for children, and during the BFP Children’s Party held recently in Quezon City. SM also sponsored entertainment, including free tickets from SM cinemas, bowling, skating, and SM Storyland, in some of the activities organized by the BFP. The BFP assisted SM with their 40-hour mandatory training for Fire Brigade, and accredited 1,500 fire brigade members that are composed of maintenance personnel, security guards and technical personnel from SM Supermalls. According to SM, they have organized 84 fire brigades in different malls, including SMDC strip malls.

In recognition of its support, SM Prime Holdings Inc. (SMPHI) received a recognition from the BFP during the 46th Fire Service Recognition Day, an event that celebrates the exemplary efforts rendered by individuals and firms that further the causes of the BFP. This year, SM Prime was one of only five

companies awarded by BFP. Sen. Bong Go and BFP Chief Leonard Bañago presented the award to SM representative, Atty.

Pearly Joan Turley of SM’s Corporate Compliance Group. Chief Bañago said: “We are sincerely thankful to SM Prime for helping us make this country a safer place to live in.”

The BFP awarded three plaques of appreciation to SMPHI, including SM Supermalls and SM Cinemas, for being reliable partners during the promotion campaign of fire safety awareness to the public.

Plaques of appreciation and recognition were given to SM Supermalls for generously supporting the “Oplan Paalala: Iwas Paputok 2019” campaign, in addition to the token of recognition given to SMPHI. The awards were given to SMPHI for being a steadfast supporter of the BFP. SM has provided logistic support to BFP’s major campaigns, including the Fire Square Road Shows and fire prevention campaigns, like Iwas Paputok.

To help spread awareness, they also allowed the BFP to air their public service announcements in SM movie theaters for free.

SM Cares donated SM Bears of Joy plush toys to children during the activities organized by the Bureau of Fire Protection.

B6 Friday, April 24, 2020

FDCP reallocates P20M Fund, expands DEAR ACTION to help more freelance AV content workers DPWH to turn over masks to gov't hospitals

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HE Department of Public Works and Highways will turn over surgical masks to six (6) major government hospitals in Metro Manila to address the immediate needs of surgical masks.

Secretary Mark A. Villar has identified Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital, National Kidney & Transplant Institute, Philippine Heart Center, Philippine General Hospital, Lung Center of the Philippines, and Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center to receive 2,000 pieces of surgical masks each.

Secretary Villar said that DPWH thru the Unified Project Management Office (UPMO) Operations headed by Undersectary Emil K. Sadain secured these surgical face masks from donations of contractors and consultants.

Initiatives such as these donations are a big help in protecting health workers and DPWH personnel from the virus and the concerted efforts among public and private institutions demonstrated the spirit of “Bayanihan to Heal as One”, added Secretary Villar.

The additional donations of medical supplies were received by Undersecretary Sadain from CCCC Highway Consultants Co., Ltd. and Hillmarcs Construction Corporation on Wednesday, April 22, 2020.

According to Undersecretary Sadain, CCCC Highway Consultants Co., Ltd. which is involved in the conduct of feasibility studies of several proposed DPWH-UPMO projects donated 19,000 pieces of surgical masks and 1,000 pieces of N-95 masks for hospital personnel and DPWH workers who are involved in the construction of additional health facilities and providing other missioncritical service.

On the otherhand, Hillmarcs Construction Corporation donated 200 gallons of disinfectant alcohol for DPWH frontliners, added Undersecretary Sadain.

Secretary Villar expressed his gratitude to all donors for partnering with DPWH in its effort to beat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Undersecretary Sadain said that as frontliners continue to fight COVID-19, the medical supplies will help in containing the spread of the virus.

T

HE Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), in its new Advisory 1-A issued on April 3, has expanded the coverage of its DEAR ACTION! program to cater to more freelance audio-visual (AV) content workers who have been displaced by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis. The income cap on qualified applicants is lifted, the required number of suspended work days is lessened, and AV companies can now apply on behalf of their freelance workers.

The DEAR ACTION! is now open to all eligible freelance AV content workers who have suddenly lost work or became out of work due to COVID-19, regardless of how much they make. However, FDCP reserves the right to prioritize lowincome earners who have a talent fee of P3,000 or less per day or a package rate of P20,000 or less per project.

A company applying for DEAR ACTION! must have a production or business that was suspended as a direct result of COVID-19. An extra step is the verification of the company’s legitimacy.

Since the launch of DEAR ACTION! on March 23, the FDCP National Registry has received more than 1,000 inquiries and has started processing applications. Over 900 film workers were added to FDCP’s database thanks to the Lockdown Cinema Club, which organized its own fundraising

program to support low-income film workers. As of April 3, there are more than 500 approved DEAR ACTION! applicants who have started receiving their one-time tax-free benefit payment of P8,000. The release of the DEAR ACTION! financial assistance began on March 27.

“The DEAR Program is FDCP's own quick response program. It is a disaster fund that was approved days after the Enhanced Community Quarantine was announced.

Our Board of Trustees quickly approved a fund that will give financial assistance to our freelance workers because 70% of our workers have a ‘no work, no pay’ status and are paid on a per day or per project basis,” said FDCP Chairperson and CEO Liza Diño.

She also clarified, “The Department of Labor and Employment’s CAMP (COVID-19 Adjustment Measures Program) and FDCP’s DEAR are complementary programs for displaced workers of the AV industry. CAMP is for AV content industry employees under companies while DEAR is for freelancers.”

The FDCP has also launched the DEAR PRESS! program that will give P5,000 to freelance entertainment press members affected by the COVID-19 situation.

For inquiries, contact the FDCP National Registry, the implementing office of the DEAR Program, at dearnationalregistry@ fdcp.ph or 0917-8003227.

Immune-boosting juice recipes

Real Estate on Air: PRIME Philippines holds its first nationwide property webinar series

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HE real estate remains as resilient as before despite the short-term to medium-term setbacks given the current situation nowadays. In particular, this applies in the office, retail and hotel sectors.

This is according to PRIME Philippines’ Head of Research and Advisory, Connor Kelman.

The advisory took place during the first exclusive real estate webinar series: ‘Real Estate on Air’ with the week’s episode ‘Philippine Real Estate Outlook & Sentiments amid Quarantine’ on April 17, 2020 via WebinarJam, an online webinar hosting platform.

Aside from the latest updates on the Philippine real estate market amid the current crisis, Kelman also discussed some key lessons from the 2003 SARS outbreak that real estate practitioners today may learn from for the current crisis despite the different circumstances from then and today. He also shared some insights from PRIME Philippines’ Geospatial Investor Confidence Map highlighting regions where local investors are most bullish investing in.

The esteemed panel discussants included real estate business leaders from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao – Delfin ‘Buds’ Wenceslao, CEO of D.M. Wenceslao and Associates and Managing Director of Aseana Holdings; Jose ‘Joe’ Soberano III, Chairman, President and CEO of Cebu Landmasters; Ricardo ‘Cary’ Lagdameo, First Vice President of Damosa Land; John Tria, President of Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry; and, Jet Yu, CEO and Founder of PRIME Philippines. They discussed their sentiments and outlook on the local property market amid the crisis.

They also shared advices and insights on how real estate stakeholders may counter the adverse effects of the pandemic on their businesses.

By the end of the webinar, PRIME Philippines also launched the first real estate-focused survey report in the country, the “2020-2021 Philippine Real Estate Business Intelligence Compendium”. The survey report will be a three-volume part. The first volume highlights the sentiments and insights ofnearly 500 landlords, occupiers/tenants and investors/developers on the impact of COVID-19 in the overall economic and real estate business in the Philippines. The real estate advisory and consultancy firm also commits 10% of the net proceeds from this compendium subscription initiative to support the precarious mission of our

front-liners in battling COVID-19 in the Philippines. The front-liners shall receive essentials such as personal protective equipment, 70% ethyl alcohol and canned products.

PRIME Philippines is a leading real estate consultancy firm in the country with offices in Manila, Cebu and Davao, with over USD 400 million in successful deals, over 3,000 clients served, and over 200 projects. Interested individuals and organizations may go to this link to subscribe: https://realestateintelligence. primephilippines.com/.

For the succeeding webinars, stay tuned in PRIME Philippines’ social media pages: https:// www.facebook.com/PRIMEPhilippines/ (Facebook) and https://www.linkedin.com/ company/prime-corporation-philippines/ (LinkedIn).

Pho24’s slow-cooked PHO noodle soup with a blend of 24 herbs and spices now open for delivery

S

OMETIMES all you need is the comforting feel of a hot and hearty bowl of delicious pho noodle soup to calm your senses during uncertain times.

You can now enjoy this Vietnamese staple food in the comfort of your own home as Pho24®, Vietnam’s leading pho restaurant, now delivers its authentic pho noodle soups served fresh daily via food delivery apps Foodpanda and GrabFood.

Slow-cooked, served fast Pho24® was established in 2003 when Dr. Ly Quy Trung introduced his family’s secret pho recipe in Ho Chi Minh City. Its signature beef pho uses

100% real beef shin bones (not buffalo or pork), which are simmered for eighthours to extract the mouth-watering savory goodness, and nutrient packed benefits, of rich bone marrow.

During the cooking process, the chef gradually adds spices, herbs, briskets of beef, vegetables, and all the other 24 special ingredients that make up its secret family recipe. Its rice noodles are also hand-made every day, with no preservatives.

Filipino foodies have made Beef Fillet Pho and Beef Brisket the bestsellers in Pho24® branch in Double Dragon Plaza, Pasay City.

Vietnam’s comfort food

Pronounced “fuh,” pho comes from the French phrase “pot au feu” (pot of fire) and was believed to originate from the town of Nam Dinh, northern Vietnam in 1880.

Pho travelled from the north to the south of Vietnam, and as this happens, more spices, herbs, vegetables, and garnishes are added to the recipe.

Considered the national dish of Vietnam, pho is served in every Vietnamese household.

Now you and your family can also enjoy this mouthwatering Vietnamese comfort food via Pho24® delivery services in select areas in Metro Manila using Foodpanda and GrabFood.

H

YDRATION is an important element in boosting your immune system; whether it’s water, green juice, or a wheatgrass shot. These high-fiber drinks are ideal for cleansing while boosting the immune system THE FARM GREEN JUICE INGREDIENTS, 1 Glass. INGREDIENTS: 100 g lettuce, 300 g cucumber, 50 g sprouts, ½ green apple & 1 stalk of celery, 1 cup coconut juice METHOD Combine all ingredients in a juicer or blender. Blend until smooth. Strain using a fine strainer, and transfer to an oldfashioned glass. Serve WHEATGRASS JUICE, 1 shot glass, INGREDIENTS, 3 bunches organic wheatgrass METHOD Put the wheatgrass into a “wheatgrass extractor”, and process until smooth. Pour into a shot glass. Serve.

DETOX CLEANSER with Chia Seeds It is best to consume the Detox Cleansing Drink at night 30-45 minutes before sleeping for 3 consecutive nights then every other night thereafter for 1 – 2 weeks. You may continue to consume cleansing drinks after 2 weeks to keep a healthy gut DRINK 1, INGREDIENTS: 2 oz apple juice, 4 oz water, 1 tbsp bentonite, 1 tsp chia seeds METHOD Combine all ingredients in an old fashioned glass, stir and drink first.

DRINK 2, INGREDIENTS: 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp apple cider vinegar, 2 oz water METHOD Combine all ingredients in a shot glass. Stir and drink immediately after consuming Drink 1.

DETOX CLEANSER with Psyllium Husk It is best to consume the Detox Cleansing Drink at night 30-45 minutes before sleeping for 3 consecutive nights then every other night thereafter for 1 – 2 weeks. You may continue to consume cleansing drinks after 2 weeks to keep a healthy gut DRINK 1, INGREDIENTS: 2 oz apple juice, 4 oz water, 1 tbsp bentonite, 1 tsp psyllium husk METHOD Combine all ingredients in an old-fashioned glass. Stir and drink first.

DRINK 2, INGREDIENTS: 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp apple cider vinegar, 2 oz water METHOD Combine all ingredients in a

shot glass. Stir and drink immediately after consuming Drink 1.

ELECTROLYTE LEMONADE, 1 Glass, INGREDIENTS: Juice from 1 orange, 1 pear, peeled and de-seeded, 3 tbsp lemon juice, 3 tbsp grapefruit juice, 3 tbsp honey, pinch of salt, 1 cup coconut juice, 3 ice cubes METHOD Combine all ingredients in a blender except ice cubes and blend until smooth. Strain using a fine strainer. Pour into an old-fashioned glass then add the ice cubes.

Stir and serve.

TROPICAL ENZYMES, 1 Glass, INGREDIENTS: 1⁄2 cup pineapple, chopped, 1⁄2 cup papaya, chopped, 1⁄2 cup coconut juice, 1 tbsp honey, 1⁄2 cup orange juice, 1 tsp calamansi fruit juice, 3 ice cubes METHOD Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into an old fashioned glass. Serve.

LIVER ENERGIZER P, 1 Glass, INGREDIENTS: 1 red beet, peeled and chopped, 1 tbsp ginger, 1⁄4 cup mint leaves, 1 cup coconut juice, 3 tsp honey, 3 ice cubes METHOD Combine all ingredients in a blender except ice cubes and blend until smooth. Strain using a fine strainer. Pour into a high ball glass then add the ice cubes.

Stir and serve.

MEGA 3, 1 Glass, INGREDIENTS: 1⁄4 cup coconut meat, 1 tbsp walnut butter, 1⁄2 tsp flax seed oil, 2 tbsp honey, 1 tsp cinnamon, Pinch salt, 1⁄2 cup nut milk, 3 ice cubes METHOD Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into an oldfashioned glass. Serve.

GREEN LEMONADE, 1 Glass, INGREDIENTS: 1⁄4 cup pineapple, 1⁄4 apple, peeled, 1⁄2 cup cucumber, peeled, 1 stalk celery, 1 cup coconut juice, 3 ice cubes METHOD Combine all ingredients in a blender except ice cubes and blend until smooth. Strain using a fine strainer. Pour into an old-fashioned glass then add the ice cubes.

Stir and serve.

We have more recipes in The Farm’s RAW vegan recipe book: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ 1iwtddDnZsYtLwrw7Npbr9GKbTYxs2VV_ Attachments area

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

ROGER FEDERER: These are tough times in every sport. AP

Federer raises prospect of merging men’s, women’s professional tours

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OGER FEDERER used a string of tweets Wednesday to call for the merger of the governing bodies for the men’s and women’s professional tennis tours, sparking a conversation among players and fans.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion’s comments drew plenty of support, including from rival Rafael Nadal and 12-time major singles champion Billie Jean King, who founded the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and has long said men and women should share one tour.

“Am I the only one thinking that now is the time for men’s and women’s tennis to be united and come together as one?” Federer wrote, leading to a flurry of responses online.

The professional era in tennis started in 1968, and the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) was founded in 1972, running the men’s game since. The women’s WTA began a year later.

The idea, not new, but spotlighted by Federer: combine the two into a single body.

“It probably should have happened a long time ago,” Federer wrote. “But maybe now is really the time.”

King agreed, noting that the suspension of the tours until at least mid-July because of the coronavirus pandemic might offer an opportunity to study restructuring tennis.

“Now I think it’s a possibility. A real possibility. And why not?” King said Wednesday.

“I just think this would be so huge for our sport.

I’m just so happy Roger said something.”

Federer’s statements came a day after the ATP and WTA announced they were joining with the four Grand Slam tournaments and the International Tennis Federation to form a relief fund that will offer money to lower-ranked players in need of financial help because of the Covid-19 outbreak.

As with plenty of other industries, tennis has been hit hard by the recent economic downturn because of a loss of income from things like ticket sales and media rights.

“Our sport has a big opportunity if we can come together in the spirit of collaboration and unity,” ATP CEO Andrea Gaudenzi said in an e-mail. “Recent cooperation between governing bodies has only strengthened my belief that a unified sport is the surest way to maximize our potential and to deliver an optimal experience for fans on-site, on television and online. To that end, I welcome the views of our players.”

Simona Halep and Garbiñe Muguruza, both recent Wimbledon champions, were among the players taking to social media to give a thumbsup to Federer’s idea.

Nadal, a 19-time major champion, wrote on Twitter to Federer: “As you know per our discussions, I completely agree that it would be great to get out of this world crisis with the union of men’s and women’s tennis in one only organization.”

There has never been a united tennis tour, but male and female players do play at the same tournaments several times each year, including at the four Grand Slam tournaments.

Much of the season, however, they are completely separate.

“It’s too confusing for the fans when there are different ranking systems, different logos, different Web sites, different tournament categories,” Federer said in a response to a reader’s comment. AP

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BusinessMirror

Friday, April 24, 2020 B7

MENTAL STRESS FOR ATHLETES

By Dave Campbell The Associated Press

M

INNEAPOLIS—The flu-like illness Michael Jordan fought through to lead the Chicago Bulls to a crucial victory in the 1997 National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals created instant fodder for the virtue of perseverance.

Pushing past boundaries, overcoming obstacles and adversity—that is part of the ethos of major competitive sports. That is how elite athletes become wired to win.

It is also in direct conflict with the medical wisdom currently steering society in a bid to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Think about Jordan’s “Flu Game” through the lens of the pandemic and social distancing. It’s jarring.

Seasons have been on pause for weeks with no end in sight. So, too, has the competitive drive of tens of thousands of the world’s best athletes, the bottle corked by simple, sobering orders: Back off. Stay home.

“This flew in the face of what they had been taught and socialized to do, which is, ‘Let’s play,’” said John Tauer, the men’s basketball coach and psychology professor at the University of Saint Thomas in Minnesota.

The safety of the living room replaced the comfort of the arena.

“You really don’t know what the next day holds,” Buffalo Sabres star Jack Eichel said. ”Every morning you wake up, you don’t have to go to the rink, you don’t have to perform.... You’re just trying to stay busy and keep your mind in a good, healthy place.”

Eichel has spent some of his quarantine time reading The Mindful Athlete, a book by sports psychologist George Mumford, who worked with the Bulls and taught Jordan the art of meditation.

More than two decades later, the brain plays a much bigger role in the way teams teach and guide their performers. Maintaining mental fitness during the pause could be as critical to

success as remaining in peak physical condition simply because athletes are facing anxiety in unprecedented ways.

“This may not be a crisis for many of us yet, but it’s still a big enough shift from our daily lives where it causes us to reflect and begin to say, ‘OK, when you pull something away from me that I identify with, how is this working for me?

Is this going the way I want it to?’” said Justin Anderson, team psychologist for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

In an occupation built on physical performance, athletes have a short career window, and opportunities to excel are few. For all the financial cushion many have, the identity loss during the shutdown has been severe. Their most elemental function as an employee has disappeared.

In the National Football League (NFL), a letter from the league and the players’ union sent to players this month included advice on how to deal with the angst, addressing loneliness, stress and other subjects. The global union for soccer players surveyed members and found increased levels of anxiety and depression.

“It’s a really strange environment, especially for athletes when they are used to being on the field, used to being in the gym, used to working out every day,” said Carlos Bocanegra, Atlanta United’s technical director.

College and high-school athletes were hit hard, their careers framed by eligibility limits.

Last month, when the NCAA shut down all activity, coaches scrambled to keep tabs on their players and keep spirits up.

Tauer’s team, ranked fourth in Division III, was supposed to play rival Saint John’s in the national tournament until it was canceled. In his season-ending speech, he encouraged his players to apply their unique experience of being on a team toward the new reality.

“Let’s do what a great teammate does, and that means think about the greater good as opposed to what my immediate wants might be Dmitry Yakukhny poses for a selfie at his home in Vladivostok, Russia. AP

right now,” Tauer said.

The Timberwolves made player wellness one of their top priorities when Gersson Rosas took over a year ago as president of basketball operations. He envisioned an innovative, holistic approach to player development to support the pursuit of a championship.

When the pandemic prompted the NBA to suspend the season, the Timberwolves were mired at the bottom of the Western Conference standings. Off the court, however, they were prepared to help keep the team as intact as possible while forced to sequester.

“Long before this happened, we valued certain things that in a crisis become even more apparent and important,” said Robby Sikka, the team’s vice president for basketball performance and technology. Sikka cited valuing the players’ health and nutrition, being player-centric and family oriented from the beginning.

The job created for Sikka—to integrate medical, technological and analytical knowledge and resources for improving wellness off the court and performance on it—has been vital.

The week before the league shut down, he warned players, “This will be your 9/11.”

Since then, he has helped coordinate player efforts to not only stay in shape with the practice facility closed but make sure mental health needs are being met. He sees it as setting up lifelong coping skills. Anderson has paid particular attention to anxiety management.

“It’s not something you either have or you don’t have. It’s something you develop, much like their shooting percentage or any other skill that they’re working on,” Anderson said.

Just because they’re some of the greatest athletes in the world doesn’t mean they don’t have flaws.

“At the end of the day, they have families, they have needs, they have challenges, that, if we choose to ignore them, we’re choosing to ignore them as individuals,” Rosas said. “That’s an area where we don’t want to fail.”

THE Bulls’ Scottie Pippen (right) embraces an exhausted Michael Jordan following their win in Game Five of the National Basketball Association Finals against the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City in June 1997. AP

Celtics have fun during quarantine

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OSTON—The Boston Celtics’ conference calls have become a star-studded affair, with Mark Wahlberg and LL Cool J talking to the team while it is waiting out the coronavirus pandemic.

Also making an appearance was former National Football League player Myron Rolle, who went on to become a doctor and is now treating Covid-19 patients at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge says Rolle has a “fascinating story” that he shared with the team.

Wahlberg, a Boston native frequently seen courtside at Celtics games, told stories from

his acting and singing career.

“He was a lot of fun. Our players got a kick out of him,” Ainge said in a conference call with reporters on Wednesday. “We’ve had some very inspirational speakers.”

Ainge said he is trying to get ready for the National Basketball Association draft while still holding out hope that the season will be able to resume. If that has to happen without fans, he said: “It’s not as much fun. It’s not ideal.”

“But it’s better than not playing,” he said, adding that he’s seen exciting games in college or high-school gyms with just a few dozen fans. “I’ve been involved in practices where there are zero fans in the room, and it’s intense. It’s a battle. I think it’s

Woods, Mickelson to stage TV match with Brady, Manning

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IGER WOODS and Phil Mickelson are ready for a made-for-TV rematch at a time when fans are craving live action.

And this time, they’ll have company.

Turner Sports says quarterbacks Tom Brady and Peyton Manning will join them for a two-

10-HR ULTRA RUN AROUND BED OSCOW—A Russian man in the far eastern city of Vladivostok ran circles around his bed for more than 10 hours in an effort to replicate completing a 100-kilometer ultramarathon.

Experienced ultra-runner Dmitry Yakukhny had planned to run the 250-kilometer (155-mile) Marathon des Sables in the Sahara Desert this month, but instead found himself stuck at home after the race was postponed to September because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Yakukhny spent 10 hours and 19 minutes running around a double bed in his apartment

Sports

on Saturday. He said he was inspired by a Frenchman who ran a marathon on his balcony last month, but decided to take it further.

Running such a small circuit in a confined space was a challenge.

“My head started spinning and my leg was aching on one side, so every 10 kilometers [6.2 miles] I changed the direction I was running,” Yakukhny told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

“I had the support of my family. Normally on an ultramarathon like that you’d be running with a rucksack between food stations. Here I just

waved a hand and my wife cooked something,” he said. “The kids gave me moral support and my wife was the DJ, changing the music all the time.”

Yakukhny said he used a tracker which showed he ran just over 100 kilometers (62 miles). After some viewers following his regular Instagram updates doubted he could have covered that distance, Yakukhny said there could be a “discrepancy” with the device working indoors, but said that didn’t take away from his 10-hour feat.

“It’s not the Guinness Book of Records.

I was running for myself,” he said. “I wasn’t trying to trick anybody.”

Russia has been on extended lockdown in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. AP

on-two match sometime in May. Missing from the announcement were such details as when and where the match would be played, except that tournament organizers would work with government and health officials to meet safety and health standards.

Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods square off with their illustrious counterparts from the National Football League. AP

not ideal, but I think it could work.”

Ainge also said that he and his family have been watching the ESPN documentary on Michael Jordan’s final season with the Chicago Bulls. Ainge made an appearance in the first episodes because he played golf with Jordan before a playoff game in which the Bulls star scored 63 points.

But the former Celtics guard said it was all new to his family.

“It was fun because they didn’t have too much recollection of it. When I tried to chime in and make a comment on what was happening, they gave me the hush,” Ainge said. “That was fun, to see how excited they were, and how little they knew of the era, and how little they knew about Michael. They were just intrigued by who he was.” AP Turner said all donations and fund-raising from “The Match: Champions for Charity” would benefit relief efforts for the Covid-19 pandemic.

The event will be televised on TNT, with social and digital content leading up and during the event available through Bleacher Report and House of Highlights.

“It’s on now,” Mickelson tweeted Wednesday afternoon responding to Bleacher Report.

He added that he would be paired with Brady, saying: “After feeling the sting of defeat the first time around, Looks like @TigerWoods is bringing a ringer to The Match (#PeytonManning). I’m bringing a GOAT. @TomBrady—Ready to hit bombs?”

The first match over Thanksgiving weekend in November 2018 was supposed to be pay-perview, except that technical difficulties allowed everyone to watch.

It lacked some of wild bets both players had teased, and the trash talking was forced at times.

Mickelson ended up winning the $9 million winner-take-all purse in a wedge contest under the lights when the matched ended in a tie.

Live golf was last seen on television March 12, the first round of The Players Championship as developments with the new coronavirus accelerated at such a rate that sports began shutting down.

The Professional Golfers’ Association Tour first decided not to have fans at the TPC Sawgrass, then canceled its premier event, and then began canceling or postponing all tournaments across each of its tours. AP

Motoring BusinessMirror

B8 Friday, April 24, 2020

ECQ exposes mobility anew as an essential part of society

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nce again, we yield this space to VINCE SOCCO, the incomparable master of discoursing any topic under the sun, and who was recently resurrected by Toyota Chairman Alfred Ty to continue spreading the gospel in the carworld.

This time, he bares his mind on the Covid-19 pandemic.

MAN was born to roam. Whether it is for sheer survival, adventure, the search of new opportunities or just plain fun, we are compelled to move. As well, man is basically a social creature. We are tribal and have a strong need to belong and to be among others.

Staying in place and staying apart

are simply not in our nature.

Since March 16, 2020, that changed.

To say that the Covid-19 pandemic caught the world by surprise is probably an understatement. Or maybe we were just too complacent.

It has now affected 210 countries around the world with the number

of global infections shattering the 2-million mark and deaths exceeding 130,000. The piece of good news is that recoveries outpace deaths by almost four to one.

As the pandemic spread around the world, country after country shut its borders and started to “lockdown” its own society and economy, confining people to their homes except for essential movements. In the context of a free world, this was shocking if not downright unimaginable. Failing a vaccine, the only way to mitigate the spread of the virus was to effect stringent social distancing measures together with the use of personal protective equipment and elevated personal hygiene practices.

Economy in recession

THE lockdowns were coupled with a decision to put the economy in recession. Governments chose to shut down their economies to save lives, the Philippines included.

Some estimates place the cost to the world economy at $9 trillion. The international economy is falling headlong into a massive recession, with global gross domestic product projected by the International Monetary Fund to fall to minus 3 percent, from a 2.4-percent growth in 2019. In the Philippines, lat-

est Neda projections put our GDP growth at below zero.

On top of the economic fallout is the social cost. In the United States, unemployment claims soared to 21 million in just a month. The numbers of those who lost their jobs in the Philippines are probably not any less significant. Hardest hit are daily wage earners and those in the informal economy. Even a good number of our beloved overseas Filipino workers were not spared.

The suddenness of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ ) caught everyone unprepared. One day it was business-as-usual, the next, we were confined to our homes. This resulted in confusion, heightened anxiety and very significant disruptions to daily life.

The battle for lives and livelihood is truly affecting us in more ways than we can probably understand at this time. Some will be temporary, others will be lasting.

The automotive industry will not be spared from the fallout of global social and economic lockdowns. From the supply side, production has been disrupted by breakdowns in the supply chain. On the demand side, a significant drop in discretionary income will surely impact on purchases of consumer durables. Capital expenditures by the business sector is also expected

to decline. The only question is by how much all this will impact on sales numbers.

No playbook

BUT, perhaps, that is not the right question to focus on at this time.

Surely, the impact will not be small. But businesses have natural responses in place carried over from previous crisis—the usual lineup of cost reduction, revenue maximization, cleaning up balance sheets, preserving cash and so on.

On the other hand, the question about how to reconfigure business models and practices as a result of the pandemic will be abundant with opportunities. In fact, focusing on this latter question will be more compelling and urgent since there is no playbook to go by. We will write it as we pull ourselves out from the chaos that this pandemic has wrought on us.

When the ECQ went into effect, what became clearly—and quickly—evident, was that mobility is an essential part of society and the economy. Shutting down transport systems crippled the ability of essential workers to report to their workplace. As well, in order to keep essential social services supplied, it was determined that the movement of cargo and goods needed to go unhampered.

Suzuki deploys Carry units for Covid-19 frontliners

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of their day-to-day commute Last April 15, 2020, SPH turned over 10 commercial vehicles to the DOTr, nine of which are Carry Utility Vans (UV) for the use of frontline health workers, and one Super Carry CV will be allocated for logistics and delivery use. The pick-up and drop-off points cover a considerable area in Metro Manila in an effort to accommodate frontline health workers from different communities. The eight routes include: SM City San Jose del Monte to Centris Station (Edsa, Quezon Avenue); SM City Masinag to The Medical City, Ortigas; Ortigas Hospital and Healthcare Center to Rizal Medical Center; Centris

Station (Edsa, Quezon Avenue) to CubaoArenta Center MRT 3 Station; SM City Taytay to De Los Santos Medical Center and St. Luke’s Medical Center along E. Rodriguez Avenue; SM City San Mateo to Robinsons Galleria and lastly, SM City San Jose del Monte to SM Fairview and Commonwealth Avenue.

“During these challenging times, we in Suzuki Philippines Inc. understand the impact that we can make as part of the automobile industry. We are more than willing to provide assistance to our frontline health workers for their unwavering commitment to continue serving the Filipino people especially at the cur-

rent time. We are grateful for their solid dedication and we thank the DOTr as well for opening up a window for us to be of help,” said Suzuki Philippines Inc. President Akira Utsumi.

Suzuki Philippines specifically selected the All-New Carry as the perfect reliable workhorse for these times that look for truly efficient and agile solutions. With this, SPH will continue to strive and take part in the community as we are currently experiencing a major speed bump worldwide. As Team Suzuki, their participation goes beyond not just by producing reliable products but being able to assist in continuing the way of life of our people.

PEE STOP With no immediate cure in sight, seemingly, let us keep the faith aflame. Believe because God, whatever you conceive Him to be, will never leave us. His will be done.

Victory Liner finalist in New York Festivals

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ITH the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) extended until the end of April 2020, frontline health workers face the daily challenge of commuting to and from their stations to provide service to Covid-19 patients on top of their daily hospital responsibilities.

Suzuki Philippines Inc. (SPH), the country’s pioneer in compact car distribution, has taken the opportunity to extend assistance, reaching out to participate in the Free Bus Ride for Health Workers Program of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) that will be an avenue to lend All-New Carry UV units to transport frontliners from different location points, helping ease the burden

Even when the economy shuts down, society and people need mobility. Sadly, the pandemic exposed the vulnerability of current transport systems. In this type of crisis, traditional modalities were ruled out because of inadequacies in the need for distancing and compliance with sanitation protocols. Mass transport as it is today is hard to repurpose to mitigate health risks.

This is an opportunity for auto makers to accelerate the development of self-driving vehicles, to eliminate the unnecessary risk to drivers and enable quick mobility reaction teams. These mobility platforms can be configured to assure adequate distancing, including provisions for proper hygiene.

Mobility platforms that can readily be repurposed will give the public sector much needed flexibility in deploying—and augmenting— its fleet of emergency and firstresponder units. This coronavirus 2019 pandemic has painfully shown us that the need for these types of vehicles is not in the future, but today. (To be continued.)

HREE film entries of Victory Liner Inc. have been shortlisted as finalists in the internationally recognized New York Festivals 2020 Advertising Awards. The New York Festivals is an international community of 400 of the world’s best and most respected leaders in the creative entertainment field. The body awards work done in advertising, radio, communication, film and television.

An Executive Jury composed of 20 respected chief creative officers and executive directors from the world’s most prominent advertising agencies chose Victory Liner’s Know Your North initiative as one of the world’s best in the Branded Content and Entertainment category. Megged by the country’s most creative production outfit, Extra Mile Productions, these short films, usually under five minutes and shown online, featured personalities and places never before or rarely visited by Filipinos.

Victory Liner is in the forefront of producing short videos which tell stories about Filipino heritage, culture and peoples from Northern Luzon.

In just three years, the bus company’s centerpiece campaign, “Know Your North” has reached millions of audiences far and wide, in the Philippines and abroad.

One of the shortlisted films tells of the story of the Agta Tribe, a part of “Project Katutubong Pilipino” photographer Jacob Maentz’s advocacy to document the lives of indigenous peoples in the Philippines. Maentz’s went back to Maconacon, one of the most remote and isolated coastal communities in the province of Isabela, and weaved a firsthand account of the changes in the lives of the Agta since his first visit in 2011. It is shortlisted as finalist in the cinematography and made for online film categories.

Other short films included in the Know Your North initiative showcased interesting slices of life in the Cordillera and Sierra Madre mountain ranges, as well as the majestic plains of Cagayan and Zambales. Victory Liner’s short films have won awards in the 2018 Adobo Awards. It also got the support of the Department of Tourism.

This is the 10th consecutive year that the New York Festivals will host some of the globe’s most awarded creative leaders to judge entries submitted into NYF Advertising Awards. This year’s Executive Jury is composed of luminaries from the field of advertising including Executive Jury President Alex Schill, Global chief creative officer, Serviceplan Group, Germany; Rodolfo Borrell, president and chief creative officer, Pagés BBDO, Dominican Republic; Sheena Jeng, chief creative officer of McCann Worldgroup based in China and others from the United States, Hong Kong, France, Australia, United Arab Emirates, Spain, India, Japan, South Africa and Argentina.

Shortlisted entries were selected by an online NYF Grand Jury and deliberated upon for four days in New York City. Winners will be announced on May 2.