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IN this July 20, 2017, file photo, President Duterte, in a camouflage uniform with a pistol tucked in his waist, arrives in Camp Ranao in Marawi City to cheer troops who have been trying to quell an uprising by Islamic State group-linked militants. ACE MORANDANTE/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTOGRAPHERS DIVISION, MALACAÑANG PALACE VIA AP
WAR ON 2 FRONTS
I.S. UNITES MINDANAO TERROR GROUPS IN SULU AMID CORONAVIRUS 2019 PANDEMIC
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By Rene Acosta
HE unenviable role of soldiers as frontliners in the fight to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19) may have been deceitfully used by the Islamic State (IS) to unify warring factions of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in Sulu and align these previously disparate bands with the international terrorist group.
The recent firefight in the province, which pitted Army troops against fighters under two of the most senior and notorious terrorist leaders in Sulu, seems to support the assertion that IS may have completed its goal to recruit the entire ASG under its wings. Last week’s battle, where 11 soldiers were killed and 14 others wounded, was waged on the other side by around 40 combined fighters under Radullan Sahiron, the “emir” of the ASG, and Hatib Hadjan Sawadjaan, leader of the IS in Mindanao. For Sahiron and Sawadjaan to collaborate and work together, along
with their men, is seen as a “worrisome” development in the government’s effort to counter the IS’s recruitment of local members and stop its terrorist activities in the country.
Continuing recruitment
THE alignment, or recruitment, of Sahiron and his men into the IS jibed with a report of the United States in December last year about the resurgence of the IS terror activities and its recruitment in Mindanao. The report, issued by the Lead Inspector General for the Operation Pacific Eagle-Philippines (OPE-P), the US counterterrorism program
in the country, noted IS’s stepped up and sustained recruitment effort, including from the ranks of displaced Marawi City residents. The IS led by its leader, the late Isnilon Hapilon, a former commander of the ASG in Basilan and the head of the IS-East Asia, occupied Marawi City in 2017, resulting in a devastating five-month battle that left most parts of the once-bustling Islamic city in rubbles. The US report also raised the possibility that the IS and its aligned groups could stage a “high-profile operation” similar to the Marawi siege if the recruitment is not de-
railed decisively, and soon. Armed Forces Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) commander Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana has ordered a fresh offensive against the combined Sahiron-Sawadjaan group as part of the sustained operations against the ASG in Sulu in the aftermath of the latest clash. The gunbattle, where three of the slain soldiers were also beheaded, lent credence to the belief that Sawadjaan may have been successful in recruiting Sahiron and his men into the IS fold while the military is busy helping in the fight against the pandemic. Continued on A2
When $8 trillion in global fiscal stimulus still isn’t enough By Michelle Jamrisko & Gregor Stuart Hunter
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Bloomberg News
s governments dedicate more than $8 trillion to fight the coronavirus pandemic, a further widening in the gap between rich and poor countries threatens to exacerbate the global economy’s pain.
Wealthy nations have delved deep to cushion the blow. For instance, Germany and Italy have each allocated more than 30 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) to direct spending, bank guarantees, and loan and equity injections, for a combined $1.84 trillion in aid, figures from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) show. Yet, the countries IMF analysts say they’re most concerned about have only been able to trickle out support: Many Afri-
can and Latin American economies have failed to reach even a few billion dollars in fiscal aid, according to IMF data and reporting from more than 60 countries collated by Bloomberg News. “Governments worldwide are unleashing fiscal support measures, but not all fiscal packages are the same,” said Chua Hak Bin, a senior economist at Maybank Kim Eng Research Pte. in Singapore. While “fiscal bazookas are the norm in the more advanced economies,” emerging-market gov-
PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 50.8350
ernments “don’t have that kind of ammunition and fiscal space. Their fiscal packages are more water pistols than bazookas.” IMF Chief Economist Gita Gopinath has repeatedly voiced concern that developing nations have less policy space and less sophisticated infrastructure to manage the virus outbreaks taking hold in their countries. Much of the global fiscal tally of more than $8 trillion consists of bank guarantees in developed nations—France and Spain have allocated more than $300 billion and $100 billion, respectively, for this kind of support, for example. Total virus-relief spending in the US stands in excess of $2.3 trillion. South Africa, the continent’s only member of the Group of 20, has managed to boost its support to about $26 billion, yet many of its neighbors are far more strapped. Tracking fiscal support across the world isn’t a straightforward 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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When $8 trillion in global fiscal stimulus still isn’t enough Continued from A1
exercise, making global comparisons difficult. Some countries like Russia haven’t yet published official figures for aid, while others like Mexico provide too few details to estimate a support package. For Bloomberg’s collection of data, no central bank funding was considered. Fiscal support generally fell into three categories: direct aid for medical response to the virus; consumer support, including cash handouts; and funds for businesses, including tax breaks, loan support, bank guarantees, and wage subsidies. In many cases, governments have reallocated spending that was already budgeted, while also adding new measures. Here’s a look at some highlights across regions:
Asia-Pacific
CHINA’S stimulus in the crisis thus far has been “remarkably restrained,” with fiscal measures amounting to about 3 trillion yuan ($424 billion), or 3 percent of gross domestic product, Chang Shu at Bloomberg Economics calculates. That includes faster unemployment insurance payments, lower value-added tax rates for small firms, and infrastructure investment. In the rest of Asia, governments are showing a willingness to prioritize near-term stimulus over the usual long-term deficit concerns. Japan’s fiscal support stands at more than 20 percent of GDP, while Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia have each rolled out spending amounting to 10 percent or more of GDP. Indonesia has already ad-
justed its deficit-spending cap. In Thailand, where the tourism sector makes up about onefifth of the economy in normal times, officials have rolled out several aid packages that mix support from the central bank and fiscal authorities.
Americas
THE US has enacted three different pieces of legislation that together pledge more than $2 trillion in support for virus relief, with lawmakers close to finalizing an almost half-trillion-dollar deal on more aid. American taxpayers are seeing cash handouts reach their bank accounts, while small businesses have appealed for a top-up to a $349-billion payroll-support program that ran out of funds in less than two weeks. President Donald Trump announced last week that the government will draw on a chunk of the approved funding to offer $16 billion in direct payments to beleaguered farmers and put $3 billion toward government purchases of meat, dairy products and other foods. In Latin America the response has been spotty. Argentine officials are more focused on negotiating longer-term debt relief, and Brazil’s government is in disagreement about the threat of the virus. In Mexico, even allies of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador say he’s been too restrained in offering fiscal aid.
Europe
GERMANY has pledged more than $1 trillion in support, about half of that in the form of bank guaran-
SCOTTS Road is nearly empty of traffic in the shopping district of Singapore on Monday, April 20, 2020. The number of daily coronavirus cases in Singapore topped 1,000 for the first time since the pandemic began, as an outbreak among migrant workers living in shared dormitories continued to surge. WEI LENG TAY/BLOOMBERG
tees. UK authorities have garnered some praise for their measures, which total more than a half-trillion dollars and include aid targeted at furloughed employees and special groups of vulnerable people such as the self-employed. Russia’s government hasn’t offered a specific amount for its overall fiscal support, but analysts
at ING Bank calculate that tax breaks, state guarantees, and other spending total about 3 trillion rubles ($38.6 billion).
Middle East & Africa
AS the number of confirmed cases starts to rise in the Southern Hemisphere, the conversation around governments’ need and
ability to help remains much different. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed warned in an April 12 Bloomberg op-ed that Africa’s economies need emergency debt relief, for starters—with the risk that the plight of the continent’s 1.3 billion people could reverberate around the world. In the Middle East, econo-
mies are grappling with chaos in oil markets in addition to coronavirus. The United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain were among countries pledging early packages of assistance. Saudi Arabia has pledged about 79 billion riyal ($21 billion) in fiscal aid, according to estimates from Ziad Daoud at Bloomberg Economics.
WAR ON 2 FRONTS
IN this May 28, 2017, file photo, Philippine Marines walk to the frontline to drive out militants linked to the Islamic State group in Marawi City. AP/BULLIT MARQUEZ Continued from A1
A purported video of the firefight—showing a terrorist beheading a dead soldier—flashed a foreignlooking fighter among the terrorists. Sobejana said no more than 200 ASG members still operate in Sulu.
Minding their own
BEFORE the encounter with soldiers, Sahiron and Sawadjaan, and even their respective groups, were reported to have been keeping a distance from each other because of their terror nomenclature, although it is not unusual for factions of the ASG to bind together if they are attacked by soldiers. The military still counts Sawadjaan as a commander of the ASG while, at the same time, as the head of the IS in Mindanao, a post that he assumed after the death of Hapilon in Marawi City in 2017. Before the Marawi attack, a falling out between Sahiron and Hapilon was reported, with Hapilon having been booted out of the ASG because of his decision to join the IS and become its leader in Southeast Asia. During the siege of the city, Sahiron and his group did not help, or even come to the aid of Hapilon and
his group, which included some ASG fighters from Sulu. The gap between them likewise surfaced when Sawadjaan was carrying out terror activities in the name of the IS—including the Jolo Cathedral bombing and in the bombing of the headquarters of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, both in Sulu.
More IS attacks
THE gunbattle between soldiers and the combined group of Sahiron and Sawadjaan was followed by reports, which circulated through short messaging and in the form of videos of more impending attacks by the IS, but which were dismissed as a “viral rumor” by the Westmincom. “Viral rumors about planned Islamic State-inspired attacks, in forms of circulated text messages and videos, are dismissed as malicious form to instill fear and confusion in communities while the nation grapples with coronavirus disease 2019,” the command said through its spokesman Maj. Arvin Encinas. “These viral messages are, in fact, recycled and circulated even before the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law in 2017,” Encinas added. The local military spokesman said a “certain 2nd Lt. Daniel Pe-
dregosa,” originally listed purveyor of the rumor, “is not a member of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, or listed on our roster of troops.” On the other hand, Encinas claimed that the videos circulating on social media are old viral videos dating back to early 2016. “We now implore the vigilance and cooperation of our fellow Filipinos. We entreat you to be prudent in using social media to prevent their becoming malicious platforms,” Encinas said. “The Western Mindanao Command is nevertheless on top of the situation. We will not let our guard down in putting an end to terrorism in the midst of this pandemic,” he assured.
Fighting two strains
THE Sulu-based 11th Infantry Division said it is now fighting the twin strains of terrorism and the coronavirus in the province, both equally deadly, and giving soldiers no room to be complacent. “But we are doing our tasks,” said 11th ID spokesman Capt. Rex Payot, adding that their anti-coronavirus and counterterrorism operations are both aligned with their mission, which is to secure peace and order in the province.
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Fleet of ships marooned at Manila Bay revives World War II memories By Recto Mercene
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ot since the American ar mada crammed Manila Bay in World War II to drive the Japanese out of the Philippines did locals see the spectacle of eight massive ships filling the horizon. Onboard these ships are an estimated 4,000 to 5,000 Filipino seafarers returning home, only to be quarantined in the very same vessels for the next 14 days for lack of confinement spaces in their home destination. Asia’s largest cruise ship, Spectrum of the Seas, will join the eight others late Friday night to drop anchor off Sangley Point, Cavite, bringing with her 577 Filipino crew members. The ship, which calls Shanghai its home, has been on a tour of Asia when it was called to dock at the nearest point due to the coronavirus pandemic, leaving the Filipino crew behind. The Spectrum of the Seas, a passenger ship with a gross tonnage of 170,000, is a quantum-ultraclass cruise ship owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises. It will join its sister ship Voyager of Seas now anchored off Manila Bay. The seven other ships are Sun Princess, Ma-
jestic Princess, Sapphire Princess, Pacific Dawn, Pacific Explorer and the pride of Cunard Shipping the Queen Elizabeth. All the Filipino cruise ship crew onboard have been ordered by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) to undergo the mandatory 14-day quarantine in individual cabins. After the quarantine period, it was gathered that the ships could proceed to unload its human cargo at the Port of Manila Piers 13 and 15. Recruitment consultant Manny Geslani said that about eight more cruise ships are scheduled to join the flotilla in Manila Bay, bringing with it thousands more of the now jobless Filipino seamen. As of Thursday, the Department of Foreign A ffairs said some 20,000 returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have been repatriated since the first batch of Filipinos arrived from Wuhan in Februar y 2020. A sked how long t he DFA will continue to repatriate OFWs who have been rendered jobless by the Covid-19 pandemic, or those who have been laid off in the Middle East and elsewhere, Assistant Secretary Ed Meneses said “the DFA will continue repatriating those OFWs who wish to come home.”
PHL, ADB ink $1.5-billion loan agreement to boost Covid response war chest
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By Bernadette D. Nicolas
HE Philippines and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed a $1.5-billion loan agreement to help the government beef up its war chest against Covid-19. In a news statement, the Department of Finance announced that the Philippines and the Manila-based multilateral lender signed the loan agreement that would enable the government to access up to $1.5 billion in budgetary support. Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III signed the loan accord on behalf of the Philippine government, while ADB Country Director for the Philippines Kelly Bird signed on behalf of the bank. Dominguez said the loan agreement is par t of the national government’s ex ternal financing program this year to help fund the necessar y programs to defeat Covid-19 and bridge the higher deficit requirement, estimated at P990.1 billion (around $19.5 billion), b r o u g h t a b o u t b y t h e p a n d e m i c ’s economic fallout. “We thank the ADB under the leadership of President Masatsugu Asakawa for swiftly responding to the Philippines’s call for funding support in this time of crisis. We thank the Bank as well for streamlining its operations to quickly deliver its assistance and for tripling the size of its response package from $6.5 billion to $20 billion to help developing member-countries combat Covid-19,” Dominguez said. ADB President Masatsugu Asakawa reiterated that ADB is strongly committed to provide swift and effective assistance to help the country mitigate the economic and social impacts of the pandemic. “Our new financing, the largest budget support ever to the Philippines, is par t of a well-sequenced suppor t package that will provide financial and technical advice to help the government meet the challenges posed by a crisis that is wreaking havoc both globally and nationally,” Asakawa said. The loan for the Covid-19 Active Response and Expenditure S uppor t (C ARES) program of the Philippine government covered by this agreement
is under the ADB’s Countercylical Support Facility Pandemic Response Option (CPRO). This is a quick-disbursing budgetsupport facility to aid countries like the Philippines in mitigating the severe economic shocks caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and bankrolling measures to prevent the further spread of the highly contagious virus. Under the terms and conditions of the CARES loan, the first $500 million that the Philippines can tap from the ADB’s CPRO facility will be disbursed in US dollars amounting to $250 million, and the Euro equivalent of the other half of the amount. This portion of the loan is payable in 10 years inclusive of a three-year grace period. The remaining $1 billion will also be divided equally into the US dollar and Euro equivalents of the amount under the terms of the loan accord. This amount is payable in five years inclusive of a threeyear grace period. The disbursement of the first $1billion tranche is expected this month while the remaining $500 million may be disbursed on or before June 20. Asakawa also commended the Philippine government for its “strong leadership and decisive actions to halt the spread of Covid-19 and quickly implementing financial assistance packages to families and small businesses to address the economic downturn.” The ADB was among the first multilateral development institutions to provide assistance to the Philippines’s Covid response effor ts with its delivery of a $3-million grant for the government’s p urchase of medical supplies for health workers. It has also approved an emergency grant of $5 million for the Philippines to leverage private-sector donations for a food distribution program that has benefited 5 5,000 p oor households in Metro Manila and neighboring areas. The food distribution program was implemented in coordination with the Departments of Finance, Social Welfare and Development and of the Interior and Local Government, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Saturday, April 25, 2020
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Govt extends ECQ in Metro, other Covid ‘high-risk’ areas
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By Samuel P. Medenilla
RESIDENT Duterte on Friday extended to May 15 the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) imposed on areas deemed still at “high risk” of coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19), topped by the National Capital Region (NCR) and other nearby provinces in Central and Southern Luzon. At the same time, the President approved a recommendation to place under a new regime called “general community quarantine [GCQ ]” those areas deemed at “moderate,” or “low risk,” of infections. Being placed under GCQ means the tough ECQ restrictions will be eased and certain economic activities may be resumed. However, schools would remain closed and people deemed at risk like the very young, those with socalled comorbidities, or illnesses, that could be complicated by Covid-19, and senior citizens, will not be allowed out. Authorities said the evaluation of all areas currently classified as high, moderate, and low-risk categories is continuing until May 15, depending on how well they respond to battling the highly transmissible Covid-19 virus.
‘New normal’
S ta rt i ng ne x t mont h , t he
gover nment w i l l a lso be implement ing t he “new nor ma l,” w he re i n on ly Me t ro M a n i l a and other areas w ith high cases of Cov id-19 w ill be placed ECQ. Aside from the NCR, other areas in Luzon, which will still be covered by the ECQ for being high-risk areas include Pangasinan, Bataan, Bulacan, Aurora, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Batangas, Laguna, Cavite, Rizal, Quezon, Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Albay, Catanduanes. “The ECQ will be maintained in NCR, Region 3, 4A [and] all other areas with high risk of Covid-19 cases up to May 15. These will undergo reevaluation up to May 16,” Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said during a recorded video news briefing aired on Friday. As of Friday, Antique, Iloilo, Aklan, Cebu province, Cebu City, Benguet, Pangasinan, Tarlac, Zamabales, Davao del Norte, Davao City, Davao de Oro are also in-
cluded in the list of areas covered by the ECQ, but will be subjected to “rechecking” by April 30, 2020, based from Resolution 28 of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), which classified areas based on their Covid risk approved by President Duterte. “Other provinces not included [in the list] to remain under ECQ will be covered by the new normal, or what is being called as the general community quarantine,” Roque said.
Further evaluation
Roque noted there are GCQ areas, which are on the verge of being included in the high-risk category. “This means these [areas] will also undergo evaluation to determine [if] these…will have a general community quarantine, or an ECQ,” Roque said. The areas include Abra, Ilocos Norte, La Union, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Marinduque, Camarines Sur, A klan, Capiz, Samar, Western Samar, Zamboanga del Sur, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental and Misamis Oriental, North Cotabato, South Cotabato, Maguindanao. Under ECQ, classes, work, and public transportation will remain suspended and people will still required to undergo home quarantine. P r e s i d e nt D ut e r t e p l a c e d t he ent ire Lu zon u nder ECQ on Ma rc h 17 because of t he soa r ing Cov id-19 cases in t he countr y’s largest island. It was supposed to end on Apr i l 13, but was e x tended to Apr i l 30.
A ‘conservative and cautious’ decision: Solons back Duterte order to extend ECQ By Butch Fernandez
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e n. Sher win Gatchalian backed President Duterte’s option to extend the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) agreeing more time is needed to effectively contain the deadly coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19). In an interview with CNN-Philippines on Friday, the senator agreed that Malacañang was on the right track. Asked by CNN if he supports Duterte’s decision, Gatchalian replied: “The President made the most conservative and the most cautious decision considering that we just started our mass testing capabilities.” The senator said he was also reviewing relevant data, which showed that “to date, we can only test about 3,000 patients per day and that is the capacity of our labs.” Gatchalian noted that “under the President’s report, the government intends to target 900,000 tests in the next three months and if you are targeting that amount of test, you need to conduct about 21,000 tests per day” which, he said, means that “we are still far from the current to the targeted capacity.” “That is only 14 percent. But having said that, we are winning the war,” the senator asserted, adding, “Looking at the graphs, we are slowly flattening the curve that is why we can see that the President also opened up some of the provinces for commerce.” He affirmed his support for President Duterte’s extension of the ECQ on the National Capital Region “and some of the high-risk areas because we need to continue to boost our testing capabilities and, in order to do that, we need time.” “Lifting it prematurely, our efforts might go to waste and, I think, this is the most conservative and the most prudent decision. And I support that,” Gatchalian added. At the same time, the senator agreed when asked about to the possibility of lifting
the imposition of a general community quarantine (GCQ) in low-risk areas. “Yes, hindi naman lahat ng probinsya ngayon may cases. [There are provinces with no virus cases]. Some of the provinces are actually doing very well in terms of containing the Covid cases so doon sa mga probinsyang walang case at low risk, pwede na silang mag negosyo [Those provinces with no case or at low risk may resume business] and they can allow small and medium businesses to interact slowly and do business.” G atc h a l i a n a d d e d : “ Th e s e s m a l l businesses can thrive and make the local economy work and at least they can earn income and need not rely on government support.” The senator observed that some local governments conveyed concerns that an extended ECQ lockdown stretching through out the first quarter of the year may adversely affect local revenues. “I was talking to some local government [officials] yesterday through teleconference and those areas where we will extend the ECQ, for sure the local government will exhaust all their cash position.” “If you remember, this is only the first quarter so businesses have yet to re-renew their business permits. A lot of the local government extended the renewal of their business permit and the real property tax which is half of their revenue has not come in yet so meaning walang cash ang ating mga local government,” he added. Citing reports reaching his office, Gatchalian noted that “in the first fortyfive days, they (LGUs) have exhausted every single centavo of their cash so the lockdown extension will be a big problem for a lot of LGUs. He suggested “there are two ways here: one, grant LGUs additional Covid-19 internal revenue allotment [IRA] and, two, expedite giving out the social amelioration program. As we speak, it is already delayed.”
Fighting a ‘protracted war’
Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co, one of the original proponents of the selective and modified quarantine scheme, lauded on Friday the decision of President Duterte to extend the ECQ in Metro Manila and other provinces while gradually easing stay-at-home orders in areas with zero, or very few cases, of Covid-19. Last April 14, it will be recalled that Co pushed for conditional quarantine lifting to restart economic activities in select areas and help ease government’s burden amid the Covid-19 pandemic. These include island-provinces with zero to one case of Covid-19 in the last 15 days, or, in the case of municipalities, only those with zero cases. “The objective of quarantine lifting is to allow people, albeit in limited numbers and in select localities, to return to their jobs. We’re fighting a protracted war and until no vaccine is invented, government’s limited resources can’t support and feed all those who were displaced. We need to save government funds for the longer battle,” Co stressed. During today’s televised briefing, President Duterte—per advise of the InterAgency Task Force of Emerging Infectious Diseases—declared that 40 provinces with moderate to low rates of Covid-19 infection will be placed under general community quarantine where return to work will be in phases. Many of these areas are islandprovinces that Co has earlier identified as primary candidates for modified quarantine. While the lawmaker welcomed the gradual easing of quarantine restrictions as a precursor to full economic reopening, he advised local residents in those areas to continuously observe social distancing, wearing of masks and frequent hand washing. “We sacrificed for more than a month under strict quarantine. Don’t throw it away by letting our guard down. Let’s follow the new norm,” he stressed.
Relaxed restrictions
Areas with moderate or low risk of Covid-19, which will be placed under GCQ, Roque noted, could resume business operations for some sectors in phases. This includes non-leisure shops in malls and priority and essential construction projects. He also said only those, of age 21 to 59 will be exempted from home quarantine in areas under GCQ provided they have an ID and not sickly. They will be required to undergo mandatory temperature check, wearing of masks and hand sanitation through the use of rubbing alcohol. Public transport modes would also be allowed to operate at reduced capacity in GCQ areas. Air and sea ports will also be opened in the said locations. The I ATF also recommended GCQ-covered areas to reopen classes in September as well as to limit leisure, amusement, gaming and fitness, tourism, religious gatherings and conference to reduce the risk of spreading Covid-19. I ATF also tasked the Department of Health, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Trade and Industr y, the Department of Labor and Employment and the Department of Public Works and Highways to complete the minimum health s t a nd a rd f or G C Q a re a s b y April 25. The said minimum health standards should be implemented starting April 27.
D.O.F extends application for Small Business Wage Subsidy to May 8
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HE government has extended the application period for the Small Business Wage Subsidy (SBWS) program to May 8 from the original April 30 deadline. In an advisory on Friday, the Department of Finance (DOF) announced the deadline of extension for the SBWS program following the technical problems in the web site of the state-run Social Security System (SSS). The application period for the program started on April 16. DOF said eligible employers may use one of two methods to apply for the program on behalf of their employees. According to DOF, instructions for the application have been sent to SBWS-eligible employers, whose e-mail addresses are on file with SSS. Those who did not receive the e-mailed instructions may proceed with the regular application process via their My.SSS account, DOF said. Under the SBWS program, wage subsidies will be given to 3.4 million employees who are not able to work due to the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in the entire Luzon and other parts of the country. The wage subsidies to be given will range from P5,000 to P8,000 per month for two months depending on the regions where the workers are employed. The DOF announced earlier that the first tranche of wage subsidies under the program will be released from May 1 to May 15. The second tranche will be given from May 16 to May 31, which is dependent on whether the ECQ is lifted at an earlier date or is extended by the President. On Friday, President Duterte announced that he is extending the ECQ period until May 15 in the National Capital Region, Region 3, Region 4A, and all other high-risk areas. Moderate-risk areas will be under general community quarantine (GCQ) starting May 1, subject to further evaluation. Low-risk areas will fall under general community quarantine starting May 1, and if there is no deterioration, the GCQ will be relaxed leading to normalization starting May 16. Bernadette D. Nicolas
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NJ expanding virus testing with cases on brink of 100K
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ew Jersey reported quicker and more test results and a drop in ventilator use as it’s on the brink of exceeding 100,000 cases of the new coronavirus. The state added 4,247 positive results, for a total of 99,989. There were 307 more deaths reported, for a cumulative 5,368. It’s taking some of 21 counties more than 30 days to double cases; last month, some doubled every three days. Governor Phil Murphy said at a Thursday news briefing that test results now take five to seven days, rather than two weeks. The state has at least 86 testing sites, some using a rapid analysis developed by Rutgers, the state university. That could prevent “boomerang
Britain launches Covid-19 vaccine study, latest in race
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esting of an experimental Covid-19 vaccine began in healthy volunteers in Britain Thursday, the latest in a cluster of early-stage studies in search of protection against the coronavirus. University of Oxford researchers gave injections to volunteers in a study that eventually aims to include hundreds in hopes of telling not only if the vaccine is safe but if it works. Researchers created the new vaccine by inserting genes for a spikey protein that studs the outer surface of the new coronavirus into another, harmless virus. The idea: The immune system will spot the foreign protein and make antibodies to fight it, primed to react quickly if the person eventually is exposed to Covid-19. These kinds of studies often give volunteers either the real vaccine, or a dummy shot. But this experimental vaccine may briefly cause soreness and maybe a low fever meaning if a dummy shot was the comparison, the participants might figure out who got the real thing, said Dr. Andrew Pollard, one of the Oxford chief researchers. “ Th a t m i g h t i n f l u e n c e p e o p l e’s behavior, perhaps make them more likely to be exposed to the virus,” which in turn would make it harder to prove if the vaccine worked, Pollard told The Associated Press. AP
outbreaks,” the governor said. “I am not in a position yet to begin reopening our state,” he said. Murphy said it was very unlikely that typical celebrations, including parades, will occur during the long Memorial Day holiday on the last weekend in May. But he likely will announce on April 27 a reopening framework for workplaces, businesses and government services.
Ramping up
Labs have conducted 180,000
Covid-19 tests, with 44 percent positiv it y, according to state Hea lth Commissioner Jud ith Persichilli. At the start of April, there had been fewer than 57,000. Brian Strom, a medical doctor and chancellor of Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, said the school has developed two Food and Drug Administration-approved coronavirus tests. One returns results in 40 minutes. Another, based on a saliva sample, delivers results in 24 hours and requires no swabs and little, if any, personal protective equipment, and is being used in some drive-through sites, Strom said at a Trenton news conference. In the next week, testing will start on residents of state-run developmental centers and employees of RWJBarnabas Health hospitals, Strom said. Rutgers expects to run as many as 10,000 tests daily, with an initial focus on Newark, the
state’s most populous city. The biggest need right now, Strom said, was 20 to 30 technicians to process the results. “We don’t need the swabs—we don’t need the viral media,” Strom said. “The equipment is gettable.” As the infection rate recedes in New Jersey’s northern region, health officials have warned that the peak is approaching in the center and south. The last of the state’s three Federal Emergency Management Agency field hospitals opened Tuesday in Atlantic Cit y. A lthough their 750 combined beds are mostly empty, Murphy said they may be pressed into service if a resurgence strikes, as scientists have warned. The state this week received 500 ventilators that it had bought on its own, which should cut its dependence on a federal stockpile.
Oil steadies after dramatic week that saw it plunge below zero
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fter a dramatic week that saw prices plunge below zero for the first time in history, oil continued to claw back losses as attention turned to output cuts in response to the demand hit from coronavirus lockdowns. New York futures for June delivery rose for a fourth day to above $17 a barrel after the May contract fell as low as -$40.32 on Monday before expiring the next day. US operators have already started to shut in old wells and halt new drilling, actions that could reduce output by 20 percent, while Kuwait and Algeria said they are reducing produc tion earlier than required to under the Opec+ deal. Th e m a s s i ve g l u t wo n’t b e c l e a re d q u i c k l y, h o w e v e r, m e a n i n g W e s t Tex a s I nte r m e d i ate ( W T I ) a n d g l o b a l b e n c h m a r k B re n t c r u d e a re s t i l l a t r i s k o f f u r t h e r d e c l i n e s. I n a s i g n o f h o w s e ve re t h e s u p p l y i m b a l a n c e i s, re f i n e r s a re h u n t i n g f o r ve s s e l s t o s t o re g a s o l i n e a n d j e t f u e l, w h i l e an American pipeline operator is l o o k i n g a t w ay s t o f re e u p s p a c e o n i t s c o n d u i t s t o s t o re m o re c r u d e. With still no clear indication of w h e n d e m a n d m i g h t r e c o v e r, t h e market is set for a prolonged slump
that will reshape the industr y for years to come. Oil’s collapse will be followed by the weakest recover y in histor y, according to the World Bank, while co n s u l t a n c y R y s t a d E n e rg y re v i s e d down its demand estimates for a four th time since early March. “It does look like, given the smaller trading ranges, that we are seeing a more stable environment,” said Michael McCar thy, chief market strategist at CMC Markets Asia Pacific. The start of production cuts is “very constructive” and the equilibrium price for WTI in the shorter term seems to be around $15 to $20 a barrel, he said. W TI crude for June deliver y rose 5.5 percent to $17.40 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange as of 12:54 p.m. in Singapore. The contrac t is down 30 percent for the week. The premium of the December futures over June narrowed to near $12 a barrel from higher than $15 earlier in the week, indicating concern over the glut is easing slightly. Brent crude for June settlement climbed 4.7 percent to $22.33 a barrel on the ICE Futures Europe exchange after advancing 4.7 percent on Thursday. It’s down 20 percent so far this week.
W h i l e t h e re o p e n i n g o f C h i n a’s economy may aid demand, the nation’s inventories have risen to a point that w i l l m a ke i t d i f f i c u l t t o m a i n t a i n current impor t levels, Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. said in a note. China’s combined commercial and strategic re s e r ve s h a ve re a c h e d a ro u n d 1 . 3 billion barrels, more than 1.15 billion barrels in the US, it said. Oil markets are also having to grapple with a wave of volatility spurred by exchange-traded funds. At least four brokerages—including INTL FCStone Financial Inc. and Marex Spectron—are restricting the ability of clients to enter into new trades in the most active oil benchmarks in a bid to curb losses. In Asia, retail customers of Bank of China Ltd. suffered around $85 million of losses from crude’s plunge. Pro d u ce r s a n d re f i n e r s a re a l s o star ting to declare force majeure in what could be a wave of broken co nt ra c t s. Am e r i c a n s h a l e ex p l o re r Continental Resources Inc. told at least one refiner it couldn’t make an oil deliver y after the price rout, while the trading unit of Petroleos Mexicanos said it couldn’t impor t gasoline from at least one US company. AP
Editor: Angel R. Calso
Singapore eyeing mass testing as coronavirus outbreak balloons
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ingapore is looking to pivot to a more ag gressive coronav irus response strateg y that involves mass testing for its population of 5.7 million people as cases in the city-state jumped more than tenfold this month to cross 11,000. The country hopes to be able to “progressively reopen” its economy in about a month’s time, with “much more testings for the entire population and, at the same time, to take on” additional safe distancing measures, Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing said Thursday in an interview with Bloomberg TV’s Haslinda Amin. While Chan did not elaborate on the plan, it would mark further toughening in the stance of a country that until now has relied on methodical contact tracing and a more moderate testing policy. Already, Singapore is ramping up testing among its foreign workers, who make up the vast majority of its confirmed cases, though continued local transmission and rising unlinked cases remain a concern. The trade ministry said it didn’t have further comments beyond Chan’s interview. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said this week that the country needs to scale up testing for Covid-19 “substantially” so that it can quickly detect any new cases that pop up. ”This we are progressively doing, not only by procuring test kits and equipment from other countries, but also by developing and manufacturing our own test kits,” he said.
Testing rate
Singapore’s early public rhetoric indicated a reluctance to test widely, with a focus on those with symptoms to avoid wasting tests. Kenneth Mak, the health ministry’s director
of medical services, said in early March that “community testing for all people, irrespective of whether they have symptoms, or not, will generate a lot of activity” but have a low yield. The city-state has already been testing at a very high rate compared to other countries, according to health experts. The health ministry’s web site says it had swabbed about 14,500 unique individuals per million as of April 20, with more than 80,000 unique people tested in total. The possible move comes as South Korea, which launched a massive testing campaign, managed to slow the growth of infection by early March. Due in part to its actions, the epidemic spiked quickly in the country but also ebbed rapidly. Hong Kong also widened its virus response beyond contact tracing to include community testing as it became apparent the coronavirus was different from 2003’s Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, where those infected fell seriously— and obviously—ill. A pivot in Singapore’s strategy could come as it grapples with a surge in cases among low-wage migrant workers living in cramped dormitories, who have long been essential in the city-state’s service and construction sectors. It reported a fourth straight day of virus cases going above 1,000 on Thursday, and confirmed cases now number more than 11,000. While total cases are rising, infections in the local community have in fact dropped since so-called circuit breaker measures were installed more than two weeks ago. Those cases fell to an average of 25 per day in the past week, from an average of 34 cases per day in the week before, the health ministry said Thursday.
Bloomberg News
Meat-shortage risk climbs with 25% of America’s pork capacity offline
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he US is edging closer to possible meat shortages with another major plant taken offline. About a quarter of American pork production and 10 percent of beef output has now been shuttered, according to the United Food & Commercial Workers, which estimates that 13 US plants have seen closures. On Thursday, Tyson Foods Inc. said it was shutting its beef facility in Pasco, Washington, fresh on the heels of the company idling two key pork plants. Case counts are continuing to mount, including in Canada, where industry groups are saying they’ll probably hold back some supplies usually exported to the US. And the head of JBS SA, the world’s top meat producer, is warning of shortfalls. Meanwhile, 100 US Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspectors have tested positive for the coronavirus. The workers, part of the Food Safety and Inspection Service that employs about 6,500 inspectors, have been traveling
between plants with known infections to other facilities. And at least one inspector has died a f ter appa rent ly cont ract ing Covid-19, according to information the federal agency provided Thursday during a phone call with consumer groups. The infections among inspectors are adding to fears that shutdowns will keep occurring, especially if the sick USDA employees bring the infection to plants where there’s not yet an outbreak. “A traveling inspector bringing in the disease is our biggest worry,” said Mike Callicrate, a rancher, processor and advocate in Kansas. Meat prices are surging on the disruptions. US wholesale beef hit the highest on record. Pork bellies, the cut turned into bacon, soared 137 percent in the five days through Wednesday. T hings are so dire that Iowa, t he big gest hog st ate, ac t ivat ed t he Nat ion a l Gu a rd to he lp protec t suppl ies.
bloomberg
“What people don’t realize is in the coming months, that’s going to be one the biggest issues out there is getting the meats and provisions, for not only restaurants, I hate to say it, but grocery stores as well,” said Peter Cancro, chief executive officer of Jersey Mike’s Franchise Systems Inc. Jersey Mike’s, which has 1,750 stores across the US, is working with its ham supplier Clemens
Food Group to ensure its supply of pork, something they sell quite a bit of in their sub sandwiches, he said. “We’re backing it up already because of the coming—we feel— the coming shortages,” he said. With slaughterhouses closing, farmers don’t have a place to sell their animals. T hat’s forcing livestock producers to dispose of them.
Shuttered or reduced processing capacity has prompted some hog farmers in eastern Canada to euthanize animals that were ready for slaughter, said Rick Bergmann, chairman of the Canadian Pork Council. In Minnesota, farmers may have to kill 200,000 pigs in the next few weeks, according to an industry association. It’s the latest cruel blow to supply chains, with food being wasted en masse at the same time that grocery store shelves are running empty. Dairy farmers are spilling milk that can’t be sold to processors and some fruit and vegetables are rotting in fields due to labor shortages, or distribution disruptions. Meanwhile, the inventory numbers that had long been pointed to as a cushion of supplies for consumers are starting to come into question now that meat-plant shutdowns are taking place indefinitely. The US government on Wednesday pushed out its monthly figures
on frozen food inventories. Combined pork, beef and poultry supplies in cold-storage facilities now stand equal to roughly two weeks of total American meat production. With most plant shutdowns lasting about 14 days for safety reasons, that raises the potential for deficits. In March, when US shoppers were clearing grocer y shelves amid lockdowns, frozen pork in warehouses slumped 4.2 percent from February, the biggest drop for any March since 2014. That happened before the meat plants started closing. “We may see a meat-supply issue ahead, depending on the number and the size of plants shut at the same time,” Gilberto Tomazoni, chief executive officer of JBS, said in a webinar sponsored by XP Investimentos. While at this point it’s hard to predict what will happen, continuous plant shutdown may spur a meat shortfall, he said. “The virus won’t go away tomorrow,” he said.
The World BusinessMirror
www.businessmirror.com.ph
Trump sees coronavirus hope in summer, sunlight and bleach
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he coronavirus doesn’t last as long on door handles and other nonporous surfaces when it’s exposed to sunlight, higher temperatures and humidity, according to a US government study. “The virus is dying at a much more rapid pace” from exposure to humidity or heat, Bill Bryan, an undersecretary at the Homeland Security Department, said at a White House news conference Thursday. President Donald Trump has previously expressed interest in whether summer weather would end the outbreak of the virus, suggesting in February that warmer spring temperatures could eliminate cases by this month. More than 870,000 people in the US have been confirmed infected with the virus and more than 49,000 have died. About 20,000 new cases were added on Thursday. Bryan suggested the new US research offered practical tips for many Americans, including “increasing the temperature and humidity for potentially contaminated indoor spaces” in order to kill the virus on surfaces. At a temperature of 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit and 80 percent humidity in the summer sun, for example, the research showed the virus would last just two minutes on a porous surface. Dry environments Bryan said, may require “extra care.”
‘Very powerful light’
Trump appeared intrigued by the research after Bryan’s presentation. “Suppose we hit the body with a tremendous ultraviolet or just very powerful light,” Trump said, following Bryan’s presentation. “I think that hasn’t been checked but you’re going to test it.” Researchers could also bring “the light inside the body” Trump said, “either through the skin or in some other way.” The World Health Organization has warned against using UV lamps to sterilize any part of the body, saying it can cause skin irritation. Bryan also said that research had shown bleach could kill the virus in saliva or respiratory fluids in five minutes and isopropyl alcohol could kill it even more quickly. Trump suggested there would be more testing there, too. “The disinfectant knocks it out in a minute. One minute,” he said. “Is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside?” He said it would be “almost a cleaning. It gets in the lungs and does a tremendous number on the lungs.”
Not a treatment
Bleach is a toxic chemical, and inhaling it could damage the lungs. “Inhaling chlorine bleach would be absolutely the worst thing for the lungs,” said John Balmes, a pulmonoligist in Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, and a professor of medicine at the University of California San Francisco. “The airway and lungs are not made to be exposed to even an aerosol of disinfectant.” “Not even a low dilution of bleach or isopropyl alcohol is safe,” Balmes said in a telephone interview. “It’s a totally
ridiculous concept.” Disinfecting surfaces is an important practice in infection control. The coronavirus is fragile outside the body, and is essentially a packet of genetic information wrapped in a packet of lipids. Hand washing with soap is particularly effective in cleaning it and stopping transmission. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned Americans to be careful with cleaning products in their rush to use cleaners and disinfectants, which have been snapped up from store shelves and are still hard to find at many retailers. Poisonings related to cleaners and disinfectants rose significantly in March, according to the CDC. In one case, a woman was sent to the hospital after filling her sink with bleach solution, vinegar and hot water to soak her vegetables.
Weather matters
As some US states begin planning to roll back socialdistancing restrictions, an important question has become whether summer heat might impact the virus—and whether the fall might bring a new outbreak, as some experts inside and outside the government have suggested. Weather and UV rays are often an important factor in the transmission of infectious diseases. Transmission of the flu, for example, is often correlated with cold temperatures and dry air. One study found that in northern Europe, low temperature and low UV indexes coincided with peaks of the flu virus in the period between 2010 and 2018. “We know that respiratory viruses are quite seasonal. Coronaviruses are also respiratory viruses, and we had hope and anticipation it would be, too,” said William Schaffner, an infectious disease professor at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. But, he said, not all coronaviruses show strong seasonal variation, and it’s not clear that this one will. Scientists continue to research the new coronavirus, and the pathogen has circulated in parts of the world with high, humid temperatures. Singapore is experiencing a surge of cases despite hot, humid weather. And in the developed world, many people spend much of their time indoors in controlled, cooler, drier environments without direct sunlight. Anthony Fauci, the National Institutes of Health scientist on the White House task force, said in an April 9 television interview that, “one should not assume that we are going to be rescued by a change in the weather. You must assume that the virus will continue to do its thing.” Studies of other coronaviruses have suggested that certain types of UV light may act as a sort of disinfectant. Sunlight contains three types of ultraviolet light, and one of them, UVC is often used to sterilize medical equipment. In China and Italy, robots that disinfect using UVC light have reportedly been deployed in hospitals. Some studies, however, have suggested the opposite. One recent study of cities in Southern China, for example, found that heat and UV rays seemed to have no impact on the virus. Bloomberg News
Saturday, April 25, 2020
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Virus pushes US unemployment toward highest since Depression
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EW YORK—Unemployment in the US is swelling to levels last seen during the Great Depression of the 1930s, with 1 in 6 American workers thrown out of a job by the coronavirus, according to new data released on Thursday. In response to the deepening economic crisis, the House passed a nearly $500-billion spending package to help buckled businesses and hospitals. More than 4.4 million laid-off Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, the government reported. In all, roughly 26 million people—the population of the 10 biggest US cities combined—have now filed for jobless aid in five weeks, an epic collapse that has raised the stakes in the debate over how and when to ease the shutdowns of factories and other businesses. In the hardest-hit corner of the US, evidence emerged that perhaps 2.7 million New York state residents have been infected by the virus—10 times the number confirmed by lab tests. A small, preliminary statewide survey of around 3,000 people found that nearly 14 percent had antibodies showing they had been infected, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. Just in New York City, with a population of 8.6 million, Health Commissioner Oxiris Barbot said as many as 1 million may have been infected. In Washington, many House lawmakers wore face masks and bandanas—and some sat in the otherwise vacant visitors gallery to stay away from others—as they debated the latest spending package. A near-unanimous vote sent it to President Donald Trump in the evening. Anchoring the bill is the administration’s $250-billion request to replenish a fund to help smalland medium-size businesses with payroll, rent and other expenses. Trump said the bill “will help small businesses to keep millions of workers on the payroll.” Abroad, there was mixed news about the epidemic. Some countries, including Greece, Bangladesh and Malaysia, announced extensions of their lockdowns. Vietnam, New Zealand and Croatia were among those moving to end,
or ease such measures. In Africa, Covid-19 cases surged 43 percent in the past week to 26,000, according to John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The figures underscored a recent warning from the World Health Organization (WHO) that the virus could kill more than 300,000 people in Africa and push 30 million into desperate poverty. Brazil’s health ministry confirmed 407 deaths due to the outbreak in the last 24 hours, a daily high for the country. Huge lines have formed at food banks from El Paso, Texas, to the Paris suburbs, and food shortages are hitting Africa especially hard. At a virtual summit, European Union leaders agreed to set up a massive recovery fund to help rebuild the 27-nation bloc’s ravaged economies. While no figure was put on the plan, officials said 1-1.5 trillion euros ($1.1-1.6 trillion) would be needed. The coronavirus has killed over 190,000 people worldwide, including more than 100,000 in Europe and nearly 50,000 in the United States, according to a tally compiled by Johns Hopkins University from official government figures. The true numbers are almost certainly far higher. In the US, the economic consequences of the shutdowns have sparked angry rallies in state capitals by protesters demanding that businesses reopen, and Trump has expressed impatience over the restrictions. Some governors have begun easing up despite warnings from health authorities that it may be too soon to do so without sparking a second wave of infections. In Georgia, gyms, hair salons and bowling alleys can reopen Friday. Texas has reopened its state parks. Few Americans count on Trump as a reliable source of information on the outbreak, according to a survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Af-
Raelene Critchlow, 86, receives a visit from her great-grandchild Camille Carter, 6, at Creekside Senior Living on April 23, in Bountiful, Utah. Window visits help seniors connect to families despite coronavirus restrictions. AP
fairs Research. About 23 percent said they have high levels of trust in what he tells the public, while 21 percent said they trust him a moderate amount. On the economic front, few experts foresee a downturn as severe as the Depression, when unemployment remained above 14 percent from 1931 to 1940, peaking at 25 percent. But unemployment is considered likely to remain elevated well into next year and probably beyond, and will surely top the 10 percent peak of the 2008-2009 recession. Janet Simon, laid off as a waitress at a Miami IHOP restaurant, said she has just $200 and is getting panic attacks because of uncertainty over how she will care for her three children. Simon, 33, filed for unemployment a month ago, and her application is still listed as “pending.” “I’m doing everything to keep my family safe, my children safe, but everything else around me is falling apart,” Simon said. “But they see it, no matter how much I try to hide my despair.” Corey Williams, 31, lost his warehouse job in Michigan a month ago and saw his rent, insurance and other bills pile up while he anxiously awaited his unemployment benefits. That finally happened on Wednesday, and he quickly paid $1,700 in bills. “It was getting pretty tight, pretty tight,” he said. “It was definitely stressful for the last few days.” In northern Colorado, a major meatpacking plant that closed because of an outbrea k t hat claimed the lives of four workers was set to reopen Friday after a two-week disinfection, even as
some questioned how employees can maintain social distancing inside the facility. While the health crisis has eased in places like Italy, Spain and France, experts say it is far from over, and the threat of new outbreaks looms large. “The question is not whether there will be a second wave,” said Dr. Hans Kluge, the head of the WHO’s Europe office. “The question is whether we will take into account the biggest lessons so far.” German Chancellor A ngela Merkel criticized some German states for moving too briskly in trying to reopen their economies. Germany has been praised for its approach to the pandemic and has a much lower reported death toll than other large European countries. “We’re not living in the final phase of the pandemic, but still at the beginning,” Merkel warned. “It would be a shame if premature hope ultimately punishes us all.” G o ve r n me nt s a re b e a r i n g that risk in mind with the onset of Ramadan, the holy month of daytime fasting, overnight festivities and communal prayer that begins for the world’s 1.8 billion Muslims with this week ’s new moon. Many Muslim leaders have closed mosques or banned collective evening prayer to ward off infections. The virus has already disrupted Christianity’s Holy Week, Passover, the Muslim hajj pilgrimage and other major religious events. Authorities in the capital of Indonesia, the most populous Muslim-majority nation, extended restrictions to cover all of Ramadan. Turkey banned communal eating during the holiday. AP
Kim Jong Un has put North Korea in position to outlast his reign
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hatever the state of Kim Jong Un’s health, he has already put North Korea in its strongest position to resist US pressure in decades. Eight years after Kim filled the power vacuum left by the death of his reclusive father, Kim Jong Il, North Korea is more secure and less isolated. The 36-year-old supreme leader has achieved two key marks of legitimacy long sought by his predecessors: a nuclear arsenal that can credibly deter an American attack and a personal relationship with the US president, including three face-to-face meetings with Donald Trump. While North Korea is still among the world’s most impoverished nations, living standards are rising for the ruling elite in Pyongyang. Kim has shown he can endure crushing economic sanctions, illustrated by a United Nations report published Tuesday accusing the regime of widespread evasion. Moreover, the Kim dynasty holds a renewed pledge of strategic support from its ultimate guarantor, China. “The country has pole-vaulted in their nucleardestruction potential and missile-delivery capabilities compared to capabilities under grandfather or father Kim,” said Soo Kim, a Rand Corp. policy analyst who specializes in Korean peninsula issues. “The specter of a North Korean nuclear attack breeds enough unease in the international community to lean more toward accommodation than confrontation.” That’s why many longtime observers of North Korea say the current uncertainty surrounding Kim Jong
Un is less consequential than past succession scares. Speculation has been swirling about Kim’s health since he dropped out of state media last week, failing for the first time to attend events to celebrate the April 15 birthday of his late grandfather, Kim Il Sung. US officials said they were told Kim was in critical condition after cardiovascular surgery, while South Korea said he was conducting “normal activities” in a rural part of the country. Trump told reporters that he thought that a separate CNN report earlier this week, which said that Kim was in grave condition, was “incorrect,” adding: “I’m hearing they used old documents.” No matter what, North Korea leaders have strong incentives to preserve the regime and Kim’s strategy of seeking sanctions relief from the US by building a more dangerous nuclear arsenal. Indeed, US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, who has traveled to Pyongyang four times, indicated that the dispute between the two countries would persist if a successor such as Kim’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, took power. “The challenge remains the same, the goal remains unchanged,” Pompeo said Wednesday on Fox News. “Whoever is leading North Korea, we want them to give up their nuclear program.” The US retains control over trade restrictions that held North Korea’s economic growth to 1.8 percent last year, according to the UN Conference on Trade and Development, following its biggest slump in decades in 2018. Although the regime has found
ways around the restrictions, including cyber-heists and high-seas oil transfers, North Korea can’t tolerate the embargo forever.
Trump handshake
“People that say Kim doesn’t have to worry about sanctions are likely viewing the situation too optimistically, because North Korea is now under sanctions like never before,” said Kim Keun-sik, a Far Eastern studies professor at Kyungnam University who has advised South Korea’s foreign ministry. “The more it cries self-reliance or rehabilitation, the more trouble you know they’re in.” Still, North Korea has given up little since Kim’s unprecedented handshake with Trump almost two years ago in Singapore. Besides halting launches of missiles that can reach the US mainland and demolishing some testing facilities, Kim has signed only a vaguely worded pledge to “work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.” At the same time, the summits have raised North Korea’s profile to a level once unimaginable for a country sometimes called the Hermit Kingdom. After staying in North Korea for his first six years in power, Kim went on nine overseas trips between March 2018 and July 2019, events that saw him speaking live on foreign television and interacting with Western reporters. The trips have helped legitimize North Korea’s government, despite continued complaints about
human-rights abuses and sanctions violations. Chinese President Xi Jinping, who had put off a meeting with Kim for five years, quickly invited the North Korean leader to Beijing ahead of the Singapore summit. Russia’s Vladimir Putin similarly feted Kim last year after his talks with the US president broke down.
‘Strategic apathy’
China and Russia—both veto-wielding members of the UN Security Council—now regularly advocate for easing sanctions on North Korea amid their own disputes with the US. Trump himself continues to offer some of Washington’s most generous support for Kim, offering aid to help the country fight the coronavirus outbreak in a letter to the North Korean leader last month. Meanwhile, the US president has shrugged off a record-breaking string of ballistic missile launches by Kim that have demonstrated increasing capabilities to strike all of South Korea, including US bases there. Ankit Panda, an adjunct senior fellow at the Federation of American Scientists’s Defense Posture Project, has described Trump’s policy as “strategic apathy,” a play on the Obama administration approach sometimes called “strategic patience.” “When Kim arrived at the helm, North Korea had demonstrated the beginnings of viability as a nuclear power. By 2018, Kim claimed to have ‘completed’ a deterrent,” Panda said. “Now, that cause continues, but with qualitative refinement and quantitative expansion.” Bloomberg News
A6 Saturday, April 25, 2020
ExportUnlimited BusinessMirror
Businesses urged to explore online market spaces during virus pandemic
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USINESSES should look at market spaces, like online platforms, more than geographic spaces, during and after the Covid-19 pandemic, said Senen M. Perlada, director of the Department of Trade and Industry-Export Marketing Bureau (DTI-EMB) during a webinar held on April 22 dubbed, “Market Adjustments and Sustainability: Where do We Sell from Here?” “If there’s one thing that the enhanced community quarantine [ECQ] taught us, it’s that we can explore the possibilities in the digital space,” said Perlada. Fellow panelists in the fourth episode of #ResilienceandRecoveryPH eforum series include Roberto Amores, president of the Philippine Food Processors and Exporters Organization; Sherill Quintana, president of the Philippine Franchise Association (PFA); and Janette Toral, a digital influencer, coach, and trainer. Philippine Exporters Conferederation Inc. (Philexport). Assistant Vice President Ma. Flordeliza Cusi-Leong moderated the discussion. “We are now driven to accelerate
our digital transformation. To thrive during this time, businesses should strengthen their online-to-offline platforms. Customers can buy online and then just have their orders for pickup, or delivery,” he added. Perlada also suggested the power of a good narrative in products. He cited the viral Facebook post last March 11, 2020, that sold 1,600 kilograms of mangoes en route to Manila for the National Food Fair. Aside from being present in online marketplaces, he said that all businesses should have their own web site. Citing the results of a recent survey conducted by the DTI-EMB, Perlada said that only
40 percent of exporters have a web site. “Not having a web site is okay if you’re selling products, or services, domestically. But it is unacceptable if you are exporting to other countries,” he said. Perlada admitted that Philippine exports will decline due to the pandemic. “We will get there again, but the focus is domestic,” he explained. On the other hand, he shared that sectors like agriculture, health care, logistics, and financial services stand to grow during this quarter. In terms of export markets, he said that China and South Korea are slowly getting back on track and that exporters to US are most affected. The demand for electronics exports is still high, as the demand for health-care devices skyrocket. The e-forum was organized by the Philexport, Employers Confederation of the Philippines (Ecop), Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI).
Digital shift
COMPANIES affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic are advised to turn to digital marketing to ride out the pandemic as they also prepare for long-term disruption. “Explore possible online solutions for marketing strategies and delivery of goods. Explore the possibility of having your goods delivered through fast courier
delivery services,” the PDRF said. It said they need to continue communicating with their customers and suppliers to inform them of their business plans, and to let them know how they can still purchase goods or ask for their services “Inform your customers about changes in your business operations,” it added. “Be ready to answer questions, or inquiries, from your customers.” PDRF said coronavirus-affected firms also need to maintain a contact list of alternative suppliers and connect with other enterprise owners or business associations and look for ways of supporting one another. They can also utilize communication channels, such as social media, to share how Covid-19 has impacted their businesses to give key stakeholders—government agencies and private sector actors— ideas on “how they can help,” it added. PDRF also urged firms to monitor their finances and prepare for long-term disruption. “Research on available economic packages and services from government agencies and private sector providers,” it added, underscoring the need to also explore ecommerce and other online banking solutions. It, likewise, advised them to enroll in online courses and join webinars that help increase their business resilience, and enable them to adapt to business disruptions more efficiently.
Low-cost financing options available for coronavirus-affected MSMEs
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ICRO, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) which are suffering a drastic reduction in sales due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) can avail of low-cost financing options to enable them to recover from the economic impact of the pandemic. Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) Small Business Corp. President Luna Cacanando said they are setting up a P1.5-billion Enterprise Rehabilitation Financing (ERF) facility under the Pondo sa Pagbabago at Pag-asenso (named Covid19 P3-ERF). “The priority of SB Corp. is the micro and small [firms] because the medium enterprises, except who are into project developments, are already catered by the banks,” she said during a webinar on funding MSMEs post Covid-19. Cacanando said priority will be enterprises producing essential products and services, which refer to things the economy needs to recover, such as food and health services. As to companies offering non-essential products and services, she added, we will see if the local economy, even the export economy, if there is a market for it. The funding has to follow the evolution of the markets. Under the ERF
facility, which comprises three chunks at P500 million each, Cacanando said micro enterprises with asset size of not more than P3 million may borrow up to P200,000, while small enterprises with asset size of not more than P10 million may borrow a higher loan amount of up to P500,000. The remaining P500 million will be earmarked for small and medium enterprises that are retrofitting their operations so they can produce personal protective equipment (PPE), even ventilators and other medical kits, she said. “The third chunk [for] SMEs producing PPE, we are still awaiting for the approval of the Office of the President to reprogram that. Because under the GAA [General Appropriations Act], the fund is meant for small borrowers. Under the third chunk, the loan can be up to P5 million each and if the loan is beyond P5 million, we will tie-up with the DBP [Development Bank of the Philippines] and Land Bank [of the Philippines] so we can have some sort of financing,” she added. Cacanando said the ERF fund offers a lower interest rate of 0.5 percent per month, or 6 percent per annum, while the grace period is six months and can be extended depending on the situation.
“These are clean loans, no collateral, the process would be easy. We will ensure that the process will be easy to access for the MSMEs. We know the situation, madami sa kanila ubos pambayad sa employees nila, pambayad sa rent, nasira ’yung kanilang mga [many of them exhausted funds to pay their employees, rents, and lose their] inventory so everybody is suffering,” she added. Cacanando recalled the agency operated a similar ERF for MSMEs affected by Supertyphoon Yolanda in 2013. “We will implement this as soon as the ECQ is lifted. But right now, we are preparing our IT processes, briefing our staff, and we are actually partnering with the Negosyo Centers to help us disseminate the information. The Negosyo Centers will be accepting the loan application of the micro and small enterprises,” she said. The implementation of Luzon-wide ECQ has been extended until April 30, 2020 from the original April 12, to curb the spread of Covid-19. “We will do a pilot for one month here in Luzon. Our target actually in June will be nationwide,” she added. “We assure the public that we will allocate an amount for Mindanao, Visayas, for Luzon. We are trying to service all
regions and provinces.” Apart from the ERF facility, Cacanando said an additional P1-billion funding has been recommended for the MSME sector. “Congress is looking at much bigger amounts, respectable amounts for the MSME sector,” she said. For her part, Fintech Alliance Executive Director Griselda Santos said the MSMEs can avail of fintech financing and services. “For the most part, the processing side is faster, they claim their processing side is faster. Secondly, the disbursement is faster. And then the interest rate, there are some who will go for 0.5 percent per month to 1 percent per month,” she said. Santos also dispelled misconceptions that one should be equipped with high technology in order to avail of fintech services. “Even regular phones can be a means to access finance. We have fintech companies that don’t run on the high-tech phones,” she said. “Fintech is not a silver bullet, it is a complementing effort in all other efforts towards the Covid-19 pandemic. This is complementing the Bayanihan Act, the private sector efforts, the individual efforts,” she added.
Demand for PHL exports rises; some BPOs may expand despite contagion
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EMAND for some local products in overseas markets barely affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) is increasing, while some business-process outsourcing (BPO) firms are gearing up for expansion even as most businesses are reeling from the economic impact of the coronavirus, according to a Mindanao-based businessman. “Here in Mindanao, the agribusiness is still fortunate because demand for bananas for example from China, is actually going up. So we are actually seeing an increase in exports to countries who are less affected [by Covid-19] over the next six months,” said Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. President John Carlo Tria in a webinar. Tria, who also has business interests in the Visayas, said they likewise see a lot of BPO companies may be expanding their operations after a month. “Because many foreign companies, we were told, are looking at offsourcing, or outsourcing even critical operations, so the challenge there is to innovate, as well to meet the increasing needs of these companies,” he said. However, Tria said some sectors are incurring problems brought about by Covid-19 spread, while others continue operating. To fortify the sectors that are continuing their operations, he underscored the importance of securing financing for these companies. “We are not seeing a rebound in two months, we are probably going to see it in 2021. That’s already our honest assessment. Between now and 2021, I think financing would be needed,” he added.
BOC asked to waive demurrage fees for containers, apply super green lane process to transshipments
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HE suspension of demurrage charges and adoption of the super green lane (SGL) process for Philippine Export Zone Authority (Peza) shipments are two of the top recommendations from various port stakeholders to address logistics delays and higher transport costs stemming from the impact of the lockdown and the Covid-19 pandemic. Marilyn Alberto, president of the Philippine Multimodal Transport and Logistics Association Inc., in an e-forum on April 15, called for the mandated suspension of demurrage charges for shipments stuck at the port, saying the charges are incurred due to slow department order issuances, bank processing and Customs clearance. She also urged for the retroactive suspension of demurrage charges on all shipments affected as well as the extension of the free storage period from the current five days to 10 days. The Export Development Council, according to e-forum moderator Dr. Henry Basilio, has also sent a letter to the government similarly asking for a waiver of demurrage charges. The suggestion was supported by Charlie Villasenor, chairman of the Procurement and Supply Institute of Asia, who said exporters and importers, rather than be penalized, “need to be incentivized” to remove their containers. Atty. Vincent Maronilla, spokesman of the Bureau of Customs, in the same dialogue responded that it is not the BOC but the Philippine Ports Authority which has exclusive purview over the terminal fees levied by port operators. Nonetheless, he said, during their executive committee meeting on April 13, Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero already instructed the agency’s representative to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to act on this request.
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Filemon T. Berba: Science & math advocate and devoted family man
Editor: Angel R. Calso • Saturday, April 25, 2020 A7
Don’t wake me up when it’s over By Nick Tayag
By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes
my sixty-zen’S WORTH
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eading Filemon T. Berba's books that discuss leadership, management, innovation, and productivity is like discovering tons of wisdom and important values in life. In like manner, putting everything we gathered from him in our interview—his experiences in academe and corporate world— won’t be possible. That’s why this writer decided to just highlight some of his milestones and advocacies. Berba, who worked as senior managing director of the Ayala Group from 1991 to 2003, wrote two books—Looking Back and Moving Forward: A Journey Through Road Less Traveled and Leadership For Extraordinary Results-Bringing Out the Best in People—after he retired from the corporate world to “pay tribute to our parents who made the sacrifices that allowed us to benefit from good education, and who set the examples for a ‘moral compass’ to guide our behavior in life, and to his family, specially his wife Bobbie, for focusing on raising their five children during their formative years.”
The early years
IN Looking Back and Moving Forward, Berba recalled how he enrolled at V. Mapa High School after finishing his primary education at Padre Burgos Elementary School. Some of his classmates include former Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban and Dr. Cornelio Banaag, top psychiatrist and founder of the Child Psychiatry Organization in the Philippines. Berba studied electrical engineering in UP Diliman, where he was accepted as a scholar. He said the first year was tough for him. “I was so scared during the first semester since my father had said that if I got kicked out of UP, he could not send me to a private school,” Berba recalled. All his sacrifices paid when Berba graduated magna cum laude in 1959. Moreover, he had the highest grade among the 1,500 graduates of UP, with an average of 1.39. There was no summa cum laude at that time. He also topped the electrical engineering board examinations that same year. Berba had to work hard for that milestone because he was then working in his first job at General Electric. Two years later, he married Bobbie Mayo and they have been together for 59 years. The union is blessed with three sons and two daughters, three daughters-in-law and 13 grandchildren.
Serving the country
Having been involved in many companies engaged in such industries as construction, electrical manufacturing, electronics manufacturing, computers and information technology, telecommunications and water system management, Berba imparts his wisdom and the importance of periodic adjustments in facing challenges. “In all cases, the key to effective management is understanding and empathy for the common worker. Technology also works as an enabler for motivated people,” he said. Berba stressed the importance of the head
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Berba with wife Bobbie
of the human resource management, saying the human resource department as his most important partner. “He must understand the view from the implementing people so that they harmonize with the overall plans and policies of the organization,” he said. Elizabeth Canlas, who worked with Berba at the Philippine Electric Corp., said he was not only an exceptional executive but also belongs to a rare breed of leaders who can transform the organizations they manage, as well as the people they worked with. Canlas said Berba is also an ardent believer in a strong learning culture, stressing that employees must continue to enhance their skills to succeed in their personal and professional lives. “At PHILEC, Mr. Berba practically retooled the work force to build a winning team. Top talents were sent abroad for training, particularly in transformer manufacturing companies in Japan and the US,” she said. Early on, Berba decided that he wanted to make a difference for his land of birth. In fact, he resisted several opportunities to work abroad for a “better life.” “I’ve always believed that we must do our share to make life better in this country for all of us,” he said. “I have tried becoming involved in all the possible ways on rendering service, except working in government,” he added. From 1984 to 1994, Berba served as a member of the Philippine Council for Industry and Energy Research and Development (PCIERD). At the same time, Berba also served as member of the Science and Technology Coordinating Council. He was also the private sector representative in the Export Processing Authority. Along with former Science Secretary Ceferino Follosco, Meneleo Carlos, Mike Unson, Tony Agra and Johnny Quintos, Berba formed the Philippine Quality and Productivity Movement. Science and technology is another passion of Berba. In 1984, Follosco, former Caltex President Amaury Gutierrez and Resins Chairman Meneleo Carlos established the Philippine Foundation for Science and Technology. Berba also joined the group. He later served
as president of PFST. Right now, he serves as the chairman. Through the Philippine Science Centrum, the PFST helps build appreciation of science and technology among the youth. The PSC is the first interactive museum in the country. Children and even adults will enjoy touring the complex and, more important, appreciate science through the interactive learning system. PFST’s vision, according to Berba, is “dedicated to making our country a nation of science-culture and productive citizenry.” For Berba, the best way to promote science is to start exposing elementary and high-school students. “They have to realize that science is not difficult, and in fact can be fun,” Berba said. The Science Centrum, located at the Riverbanks Center in Marikina City, receives about 60,000 to 70,000 students and teachers annually. It has about 150 exhibits. It has seven traveling mini-centrums going all over the country and visited by about 400,000 people annually. He said Science Secretary Fortunato de la Peña is one of its biggest supporters. In 1989, Berba established the annual Filemon Fortunato Berba Memorial Awards, in honor of his father, for graduating students who have excelled in math and science. The awardees are given cash and trophies. For Berba, money should not be the motivation in a person’s career. It should be the satisfaction of doing what one is passionate about and competent on. “Money comes as a result of that,” he said. As a believer of empowerment, he said an executive should be capable of tactfully disagreeing with his peers and boss when he knows they are wrong. “Leadership is not about giving orders. It has more to do with communication and guidance,” he said. As a devoted family man, Berba believes in work and family balance because “we can measure success by the smiles and laughter in the family when we are together.” Prior to his retirement in 2003, Berba held positions as president of PHILEC; president of Westinghouse Asia Controls Corp; president of Integrated Microelectronics Inc., Manila Water, and Globe Telecom— all of the Ayala Group, and vice president of United Laboratories.
any people are having problems about staying at home during this period of enforced quarantine. They constantly whine and complain about it on social media, to the point of irritation. Feeling restless, they venture out of their homes in spite of the risks. Nowadays, the streets are not as empty as during the first few days of the lockdown. As far as I am concerned, I am completely “at home.” I relish long moments of isolation. I enjoy being left alone. You’ve probably guessed by now. I am an introvert. Psychologists say that introversion is a preference for environments that are not overstimulating. In 1921, Carl Jung said in his book Psychological Types that introverts are drawn into the inner world of thought and feeling while the extroverts lean to the external life and activities of people. Introverts recharge when alone while extroverts get their energy from socializing. Introverts may look absent-minded because they are often in deep thought. A lot of them love reading, solitary engagement in a hobby, and daydreaming. Introverts dislike group work, mingling and public speaking. Introverts are at their best when they work in isolation. Steve Wozniak was mostly alone when he developed the world’s first personal computer. He said, “Most inventors and engineers I’ve met are…almost like artists…and artists work best alone.” Yes, I know that our business culture is slanted toward the more outgoing personality. Adulation is given to people who are great at presentations. Staff who are vocal in meetings and who like to rub elbows with peers and superiors in cocktail parties get to step up the corporate ladder sooner than the quiet types. Me? In a room of people I always sit at the back and I am not the type to ask questions during the open forum. Much less start an argument or debate a point with someone. But more than just being a natural born introvert, I am also introspective. No, I am contemplative. That sounds more like it. That’s because I try to stick to activities that give me space or room for slow absorption and reflection. In my choice of conveniences, I much prefer things to be simple as possible. Basic functions are all I want with my mobile phone. I don’t go for upgrades because I hate complicated gizmos. Why? Simplicity begins with an inward focus, and eliminates external distractions. It fosters an inner attitude. Sometimes, I have a feeling that I must have been a Buddhist monk or hermit in a past life. That’s why I was always attracted toward monasticism since childhood. I tried acting, teaching, lecturing, presenting in front of an audience, but it was no dice. Believe it or not, I even tried to be a stand-up
comedian and do magic tricks, but I was a dud. I am predisposed to solitary tasks such as writing and unhurried activities like reading, or simply listening, watching and observing, picking the scraps of daily life. These need a lot of mental processing and require being left alone for lengthy periods of time—undisturbed. Most people can’t get by without saying something to someone. I can go on without saying anything for days. I let my mind and hand do the talking. Or, fingers, in this digital era. I am more of a note taker not a talker. On the phone, I hate to carry a conversation for more than five minutes. In fact, my wife would often go batty because my mind meanders while she engages me in a conversation. I plead guilty to her accusation that I spend more time with my books than with her. They say I have a phlegmatic personality. Maybe so. I don’t react immediately to a given stimulus. I would rather let it sink first and then look at the context and from a wider perspective. That’s how I let things happen to me in my life. I call it waiting for the ripe time. Definitely, I don’t subscribe to the acta non verba motto. With my attitude and the nature of my personality, I find myself going against the flow. People want problems to be fixed right away. They want leaders who act first before thinking. No more dilly-dallying. The mantra is just do it. Their favorite buzzword is “political will.” I exist as a counterpoint to all that. An odd man out, I seem to be more and more out of place in today’s world where people want action and quick fixes and fast-paced performances. Slow, passive, contemplative people seem to have no place in this world. But this is me. I can’t help it. But one thing I can tell you: gift me with some moments of isolation, then I would most probably serve you a fresh creative concept for a communications campaign, or a new idea for a film, or an essay, or a poem at the end of the hibernation. I would not be surprised, therefore, that when the dust has settled, and we are allowed to get out of our bunkers, there would be a rainbow explosion of new inventions and new books, all incubated during the long lockdown. I am very certain, this enforced isolation has galvanized budding Steve Wozniaks of the world who chose to do their time creatively working, instead of whining about being bored or pining for a cup of Starbucks cappuccino. So, in the new social order that will surely emerge after this pandemic, be more considerate and sensitive to that geeky-looking, quiet guy in the room because he might just amaze you. He may be dull and lackluster. But he could be a silent genius at work. As for me, don’t bother knocking on my door when the lockdown is lifted. I would be too deeply immersed in some book or creatively inspired about something.
DOJ finalizing details of GCTA for ill, Mass virus test in nursing home seeks to combat loneliness elderly persons deprived of liberty
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ANILA—The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Friday said it is finalizing details for the uniform manual on Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA), particularly for the ill and elderly persons deprived of liberty (PDLs). “We are setting meetings by video conference to finalize the manual. But even pending finalization of the manual, and for humanitarian considerations, the release of PDLs in the vulnerable/high-risk category not guilty of heinous crimes or of other serious offenses is being expedited,” Justice Undersecretary and spokesman Markk Perete told reporters. The implementation of the expanded GCTA law hit a snag last year after reports noted that PDLs not entitled to its benefits such as those convicted for heinous crimes had been allowed to get
credits under it. The DOJ earlier said that the country’s justice system has measures in place to ensure humanitarian treatment for old and sickly PDLs even before the Covid-19 pandemic broke out. The agency has instructed the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) and the Board of Pardons and Parole (BPP) to expedite the release or grant of executive clemency to old and sickly PDLs serving their sentence, for humanitarian reasons. The BuCor and the BPP service the needs of inmates serving their sentence while the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology houses PDLs before conviction in pending cases before courts. Prison officials earlier said any release of PDLs must be based on existing laws. PNA
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MMERSCHWIHR, France— Some were born in this warren of small rooms in what used to be a hospital, dating to the 17th century. Many are likely to die here. And all are currently confined to their rooms, denied the simple comfort of human companionship. The residents at the Weiss nursing home in eastern France want to chat face to face, to play board games, to share meals. And so each gave a vial of blood to be tested for the coronavirus, as did each staff member— about 580 tests in all. The goal: to identify who must be isolated and who will be allowed the freedom to leave their rooms. “We spend all our days between those four walls—that’s it, we are not allowed to go out. We don’t even have the right to go out in the hallway,” said Henry Bohn, a 69-year-old who suffered a stroke that has left him in a wheelchair. “They bring us breakfast, lunch and dinner here in
the room. Luckily, we have the sun these days and it helps, but we do miss the essential things.” An Associated Press photographer spent two days chronicling the virus testing at three of the 10 nursing homes in France’s Haut-Rhin region, where comprehensive testing was ordered by local authorities. The site in Ammerschwihr poses particular problems with its small rooms and long corridors, and residents with often-severe cognitive difficulties. “It is hard for them to remember the rules that we give them. When we put masks on them, they hardly keep them on, and they need to socialize and leave their rooms,” said Sylvie Ghiringhelli, the head nurse. Some patients wander out anyway, clustering in hallways or taking seats in the common room before they can be led gently back. The elderly make up a disproportional share of coronavirus victims globally, and that is especially true
in nursing homes, which have seen a horrific number of deaths around the world. In France, nursing home deaths account for more than a third of the country’s total 17,000 coronavirus victims—figures the government now documents meticulously after weeks of pressure. Infections have swept through the country’s 7,000 residences for the elderly, with more than 15,000 confirmed cases among patients and 8,900 among staff between March 1 and April 14. And nowhere has it been deadlier than in France’s east, near the border with Germany, where the outbreak began at an evangelical gathering in the city of Mulhouse. Overall mortality in the Haut-Rhin was up 143 percent from March 1 to April 6, according to government figures. Restricting residents to their rooms can take a different kind of toll. “The confinement stopped all
the communal meals in the dining room, stopped every form of social life,” Ghiringhelli said. “There are no more activities, no more visits. Our residents bear the consequences.” Marie Louise Kopp’s room is filled with souvenirs—photos, china cats, octagonal paintings—to help jog a 79-year-old memory that waxes and wanes. “My son was coming to visit me and some family, but now nobody can,” she said, an untouched newspaper on her lap. “Everyone stays at home with this crisis.” France’s health minister, Olivier Véran, said family visits would again be permitted beginning on Monday, at a resident’s request and as long as the nursing home staff can organize a system of ensure protection against the virus. “There will not be physical contact but there can be visual contact, and that can provide solace,” Véran said. AP
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A SMARTPHONE belonging to Drew Grande, 40, of Cranston, Rhode Island, shows notes he made for contact tracing on April 15. Grande began keeping a log on his phone at the beginning of April, after he heard Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo urge residents to start out of concern about the spread of the coronavirus. AP
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Public trust key, EU insists, in developing virus apps
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BY LORNE COOK The Associated Press
once they are no longer needed. Their use should be voluntary, and no one should be punished for deciding not to download them. The apps should function through Bluetooth wireless connections and work without any other mobile phone location services being activated. Ideally, data would be protected by state-of-the-art encryption and only be kept as long as needed, the commission said. “We don’t recommend to use personal location for this. We actually say that it is not necessary,” Bahrke said. “The idea of tracing is not that the user knows who might have had it, but that he has had contact with someone who could have had it.” Essentially, it’s a case of who, not where. The idea is to warn people when they have come close, and for a certain time, to someone who is infected, but not to log exactly where that contact might have taken place. The apps should then provide advice about the best next steps, like whether to self-isolate, where to be tested and what to do to manage any symptoms. It could also allow patients to communicate with their doctors. While no single Europe-wide app is likely to be developed, the commission said it’s important to align national systems given that many people commute to work in neighboring countries. The Dutch government is organizing an online “appathon” over the weekend so that experts and members of the public can comment on apps being considered for use in the Netherlands to track and trace infections and report symptoms to health authorities. The government is expected to announce next week whether or not to deploy the apps in its fight against the spread of the coronavirus. ■
RUSSELS—As European countries develop coronavirus tracing apps, the European Union is urging its 27 member-states to make them voluntary and ensure that the many national systems can work together. The virus has infected more than 850,000 Europeans, killing some 90,000 people, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. As countries lift restrictions on movement, tracing whether someone has come into contact with an infected person will be key to allowing a return to normal life. The use of such apps would do away with the need for the time-consuming, painstaking work involved in questioning people who have contracted the disease to try to work out where they picked it up. In a new set of guidelines, the European Commission says that public trust is paramount for the system to work because the apps are most effective when many people use them. “Such apps can only show their full potential if many people use them. Therefore, we want to give Europeans the trust in these apps,” said commission spokesman Johannes Bahrke. “It’s fundamental that the instillation and use of an app is voluntary.” Concern is rife about the potentially invasive nature of tracking people’s movements or the risk that their data might be shared with unknown authorities without their consent. In the past, European consumer groups have routinely warned about the privacy risks posed by using online health devices. The commission said the platforms should be managed by public health authorities and dismantled
GCASH ENCOURAGES FILIPINOS TO DIGITALLY SETTLE BILLS TO HELP FLATTEN THE CURVE
THE coronavirus global pandemic (Covid-19) has forced Filipinos to stay at home to flatten the curve, but with the enhanced community quarantine in most parts of the country, paying bills has become a burdensome task for some. Typically, Filipinos pay for their bills via payment centers, but due to the limitations in manpower and the strict implementation of social distancing protocols, lines at these facilities have become longer than usual. Aside from the stress from the long wait, this also exposes people who are lining up to pay their bills to the deadly virus. With this, health experts and even government officials encouraged people to transact—including paying for their utility bills or even government dues—digitally to avoid going out amid the national health crisis. The leading mobile wallet in the Philippines, GCash has made it easier for its users to pay for their bills within the comforts of their homes through their smartphones. In as short as a minute, GCash users have the ability to settle payments for their electricity, water, cable, Internet, telecoms, credit cards, loans, government dues, insurance, rent, and health-care providers, among others. “As the leader in the local financial technology landscape, we strive to provide Filipinos with the best service in the market. We have partnered with over 400 billers nationwide to make it easier for our users to transact. Our digital bills payment solution is a powerful tool that can help the government in implementing social distancing and other health protocols during these trying times,” said GCash Chief Technology and Operations Officer Pebbles Sy-Manalang. To use the service, GCash users need only to click on the Pay Bills icon on the GCash app, choose their biller, input their accounts and the amount they need to pay, and click on confirm. GCash users may also save their frequently used billers and their respective accounts to make it easier to pay their bills. For instance, one can save his Globe postpaid account by clicking on the Pay Bills icon, then tapping the Add a Biller option on the upper left portion of the screen, and inputting the billing details. The user may also set an in-app monthly reminder for further convenience. “We all need to stay at home during this global health crisis and follow health protocols to help flatten the curve. Using digital finance to manage bills payments is a way for us to contribute in this fight against Covid-19,” Sy-Manalang said. Aside from settling utilities and other transactions, the Pay Bills icon in the GCash app also houses the accounts of nongovernment organizations that have partnered with GCash, as well as the GCash-led digital donation drive called #FightCOVID19. GCash users may donate any amount to these accounts to support medical frontline workers as well as help provide daily necessities to those who are most affected by the virus. More information is available at mynt.xyz.
‘Stylish on the outside, savage on the inside’ PRIMETIME
DINNA CHAN VASQUEZ @dinnachanvasquez luckydinna@gmail.com
SO the average gamer these days is not 16 years old but 38 and mostly, they’re married with children looking for the perfect work-life balance that extends to their computers. Thus, it is important that their laptops, which they use for both work and gaming, look work-appropriate but have the power required of gaming laptops. “Stylish on the outside, savage on the inside” is how Lenovo describes its latest lineup of Legion PCs and monitors. Among the thousands of global players surveyed by Lenovo, nearly half responded that they use their gaming PCs for everyday computing as well as gaming. Their must-haves include better graphics, processors and memory options. Lenovo Philippines General Manager and President Michael Ngan said they remain optimistic that the demand for PCs will remain high because of the current work-from-home climate, and gamers who need to play to while away the time and unwind after a stressful day. Lenovo Philippines also hopes Legion will be used by more gamers in the country, with eSports being big here. “There are so many competitive titles out there where our players can shine but don’t simply because they lack the necessary gear to handle them. That’s where our new Legion lineup and services come in— to arm Filipino gamers with the devices they need to play the latest and greatest games in order to flourish as eSports professionals both locally and abroad,” said Ngan. Lenovo Asia-Pacific Gaming Lead Ian Tan said the new generation PCs have the right ergonomic and aesthetics that make sense. “Our innovations such as Lenovo Legion Coldfront 2.0 and TrueStrike keyboards offer superior thermals and typing comfort, further elevating the gaming
experience for everyone.” The 2020 lineup features laptops such as the Lenovo Legion 7i, Lenovo Legion 5Pi, Lenovo Legion 5i, Lenovo Legion 5, Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3i, and the refreshed Lenovo Legion Y740Si. The desktops include Lenovo Legion Tower 5i and the Lenovo IdeaCentre Gaming 5i. Among the innovations of the Windows 10 PCs are Lenovo Legion Coldfront 2.0; Lenovo Legion TrueStrike keyboard; Dual Burn to optimize CPU and GPU performance together; Nvidia Advanced Optimus, Hybrid Mode and Rapid Charge Pro for improved battery life; world-class immersive displays optimized by Dolby Vision and OverDrive Support with optional 240Hz refresh rates and response rates of under 1ms. “Gamers can expect maximum performance through the next-generation thermal efficiencies of Lenovo Legion Coldfront 2.0. This is the synergy of hardware and software that promotes better airflow, lower system temperatures to keep your Lenovo Legion laptop cool and quiet,” said Clifford Chong, Lenovo’s Gaming Category Manager of Lenovo Asia-Pacific. Lenovo Legion gaming PCs are the first to feature the new Advanced Optimus 3 designed in collaboration with Nvidia to boost battery life. Advanced Optimus dynamically switches between the use of the Integrated Graphic Processing Unit (found on the CPU) for more battery life, to the discrete Nvidia GPU for higher frames per second without a need to reboot the PC. If gamers want to manually disable their discrete GPU for a longer battery life, they can do so using Lenovo Vantage software’s Hybrid Mode. Lenovo Q-Control 3.0 also lets
users switch between three settings for system voltage and fan speeds. Other power-enhancing features include Rapid Charge Pro 4 (from zero to 50 percent battery in 30 minutes) and battery sip feature (instinctively releases power in small doses for more battery life consistency). Lenovo Legion makes the most of your display panel’s capabilities through Dolby Vision which offers deeper blacks and brighter whites without washing out color or contrast. Lenovo Legion laptops offer panels of up to 240hz refresh rates at under 1ms response times for ultra- smooth cinematics without screen tearing. The Lenovo Legion 7i is the premium 15” gaming laptop that delivers superior performance for the most demanding users. The 2.2kg laptop features an all-metal exterior and available in a sleek Slate Grey hue and stylish RGB lighting accents along the base and through the cooling vents. It is priced from P119,995 and will be available by June 2020.
THE Lenovo Legion 7i is the premium 15” gaming laptop that delivers superior performance for the most demanding users.
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FACEBOOK will soon let you know if you shared or interacted with dangerous coronavirus misinformation on the site, the latest in a string of aggressive efforts the social-media giant is taking to contain an outbreak of viral falsehoods. AP
Athletes share three important sports values to apply to life during lockdown ALMOST all sports leagues all over the world have been put on hold because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and it could be a while before we get to enjoy watching our athletes on the court again. We spoke to some athletes about what they think are the sports values we can apply in this time of crisis. TEAMWORK FOR Smart-sponsored Gilas Pilipinas and former Ateneo Blue Eagles athletes Matt and Mike Nieto, teamwork is very important in dealing with the Covid-19 crisis. The Nieto twins organized donation drives to support their uncle and godfather, Cainta City Mayor Kit Nieto. “Our Gilas Pilipinas family helped us, as well as our mother teams in the PBA—Rain or Shine Elasto Painters and NLEX Road Warriors—who gave relief goods for the people of Cainta,” Mike shared. The brothers personally helped in the packing and distribution of relief goods. “We saw of the faces of the people when they received the donation—they were thankful, some even cried,” Matt shared. “Lahat ng pagod namin ay nagiging worth it ’pag nakikita namin yung mga mukha ng mga tao,” he added. “This is really a situation where our faith, camaraderie and strategy are tested. As athletes and sports managers, we know this pandemic might change the industry as we know it,” said Gabby Cui, assistant vice president at PLDT-Smart, and team manager of Gilas Pilipinas and TNT KaTropa. “Since we cannot do our usual huddle in the sidelines, we rely on mobile data and stable Internet connection to hold team meetings. We also use video conferencing to coach and monitor the athletes when they do their lockdown drills and exercises,” he added. DISCIPLINE JUST like their attitude on the court, the Nieto twins reiterated the importance of discipline during the quarantine period. “Stay disciplined. We already know that we can’t go out of our homes so that we can prevent the spread of the virus. Let’s be disciplined, and let’s encourage others to stay home as well,” Mike shared. Even PLDT-Smart Omega team members also reassured fans that they are safe and healthy because they are staying inside the camp. “Kahit magpagupit, di namin magawa,” said “Hadjizy” Salic Imam. “Stay at home lang para matapos na ’to at matuloy na natin ang bakbakan sa The Nationals,” added “Haze” Jniel Bata-Anon. STAY HEALTHY MEANWHILE, volleyball hitter Maria Shola Alvarez also put a prime on staying healthy and productive during the lockdown. “Of course, we need to eat healthy food like vegetables and fruits, so that we can boost our immunity,” Alvarez said. “If we can, take vitamins daily and work out.” The PLDT Fibr Hitters player also suggested using alternative stuff at home in case no exercise equipment is available, clean the house and sanitize. Gilas Pilipinas guard Matt Nieto also encouraged exercising at home. “You can follow us on Instagram. We uploaded exercise tips so that people can stay healthy despite the lockdown.” He also reminded everyone to drink their vitamins, and to disinfect. “It’s important that we don’t infect other people, and always wear your face masks,” he shared. “Even if we’re inside our houses, we can do a lot to help our fellow Filipinos, especially those in need. Lahat ng ito gagawin natin para sa bayan,” his brother Mike said.
Facebook to warn users who ‘liked’ coronavirus hoaxes
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BY BARBARA O�TUTAY & AMANDA SEITZ The Associated Press
ACEBOOK will soon let you know if you shared or interacted with dangerous coronavirus misinformation on the site, the latest in a string of aggressive efforts the social-media giant is taking to contain an outbreak of viral falsehoods. The new notice will be sent to users who have clicked on, reacted to, or commented on posts featuring harmful or false claims about Covid-19 after they have been removed by moderators. The alert, which will start appearing on Facebook in the coming weeks, will direct users to a site where the World Health Organization (WHO) lists and debunks virus myths and rumors. Facebook, Google and Twitter are introducing stricter rules, altered algorithms and thousands of fact checks to stop the spread of bad misinformation online about the virus. Challenges remain. Tech platforms have sent home human moderators who police the platforms, forcing them to rely on automated systems to take down harmful content. They are also up against people’s mistrust of authoritative sources for information, such as the WHO. “Through this crisis, one of my top priorities is making sure that you see accurate and authoritative information across all of our apps,” Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote on his Facebook page on Thursday. The company disclosed on Thursday that it put more than 40 million warning labels in March over videos, posts or articles about the coronavirus that fact-checking organizations have determined are false or misleading. The number includes duplicate
claims—the labels were based on 4,000 fact checks. Facebook says those warning labels have stopped 95 percent of users from clicking on the false information. “It’s a big indicator that people are trusting the fact checkers,” said Baybars Orsek, the director of the International Fact-Checking Network. “The label has an impact on people’s information consumption.” But Orsek cautioned that the data Facebook provided should be reviewed by outside editors or experts, and called on the historically secretive company to release regular updates about the impact of its fact-checking initiative. Orsek’s organization is a nonprofit that certifies news organizations as fact checkers, a requirement to produce fact-checking articles for Facebook. Facebook has recruited dozens of news organizations around the globe to fact check bad information on its site. The Associated Press is part of that program. Facebook will also begin promoting the articles that debunk Covid-19 misinformation, of which there are thousands, on a new information center called “Get The Facts.” Putting trustworthy information in front of people can be just as useful, if not more, than simply debunking falsehoods. Still, conspiracy theories, claims about unverified treatments, and misinformation about coronavirus vaccines continue to pop up on the site daily— sometimes circumventing the safeguards Facebook has implemented. The new notification feature also only applies to posts on users’ main news feed—not in groups, where misinformation often spreads unchecked, and not on WhatsApp or Instagram, though Facebook has put some other protections in place on those platforms. That means a lot of users won’t get the new alert from Facebook, said Stephanie Edgerly, an associate
professor at Northwestern University who researches audience engagement. She said many users might simply see a false claim in their Facebook feed but not share, like or comment on it. “A lot of what we know about how people scroll through their news feed not clicking on things, they still reading posts or headlines, without clicking on the link,” Edgerly said. Facebook users, for example, viewed a false claim that the virus is destroyed by chlorine dioxide nearly 200,000 times, estimates a new study out today from Avaaz, a left-leaning advocacy group that tracks and researches online misinformation. The group found more than 100 pieces of misinformation about the coronavirus on Facebook, viewed millions of times even after the claims had been marked as false or misleading by fact checkers. Other false claims were not labeled as misinformation, despite being declared by factcheckers as false. “Coronavirus misinformation content mutates and spreads faster than Facebook’s current system can track it,” Avaaz said in its report. This is especially problematic for Italian and Spanish misinformation, the report said, because Facebook has been slower to issue warning labels on posts that aren’t in English. Avaaz also noted that it can take as long as 22 days for Facebook to label misinformation as such—giving it plenty of time to spread. False claims about coronavirus treatments have had deadly consequences. Last month, Iranian media reported more than 300 people had died and 1,000 were sickened in the country after ingesting methanol, a toxic alcohol rumored to be a remedy through private social-media messages. ■
Radenta launches cloud-based HR platform for 24/7 collaboration BY RIZAL RAOUL S. REYES RADENTA Technologies recently developed a cloud-based human resource platform that keeps business owners and team leaders fully in touch and collaborating with its work force on a 24/7 basis. Randall Lozano, president of Radenta, said that Human Empowerment Equals Happy Employees (HEMP) is a seamless, customized and scalable touchof-a-button solution that offers features like HR and Payroll, Performance Assist, Employee Accounting, Staff Hub and Biometrics Security. “We developed HEMP in response to the challenges of the times. HEMP helps manage the staff working in different locations to remain completely engaged at peak performance level and totally focused to achieve company goals, “Lozano said in a press statement. Furthermore, Lozano said the HR and Payroll feature of HEMP can handle e-201 files including SSS, PhilHealth, PagIBIG and GSIS. It includes leaves and holidays management. It can be an HR policy
repository with the ability to trigger automatic staff notification on new company rules. It is Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) compliant. He said the Perfomance Assist function can provide an automated timesheet ready for customer billing as well as a page for performance insight with configurable Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to set staff goals and targets. Lozano said Employee Accounting monitors leaves, holidays, staff expenses and reimbursements. It can also store BIR 2316 data and Alphalist Report. The global positioning system-enabled Staff Hub provides a mobile phone interface for employees that can display e-Payslips as well as the status of application and approval of requests for leaves, overtime or offset. It can also help employees track their expenses and reimbursements. It can also offer clock in/out capability. Biometrics Security seamlessly integrates with the company’s biometric system to record employee time in/out. The logs are then securely transmitted to HEMP for automated payroll processing through
Application Programing Interface (API) calls. This gives the company a real-time status of employees once they log in on the biometrics system either through the Admin or Staff Hub portals. HEMP frees the HR team from its repetitive tasks so it can focus more on creating strategies on corporate cultural improvements and staff retention plans. HEMP enables the staff to receive their pay slips either via e-mail or through the mobile application in real-time. This reduces staff disputes and in turn saves valuable company time. Lozano said the company’s cloud data storage has data encryption capabilities that protect client data from unauthorized access. Moreover, automated back-up facilities are present to mitigate data loss due to accidental access and computer failures. With regards to a simple encryption process, Lozano said HEMP is not at all complicated saying that data is readily accessible at a single glance be it on the self-service portal, timesheet, admin portal, pay runs, recurring pay items, staff status, employee location restriction, employee holidays and audit logs.
A10 Saturday, April 25, 2020
BusinessMirror
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LINKEDIN HELPS ACCELERATE RECRUITMENT OF FRONTLINERS BY RODERICK L. ABAD Contributor
Amazon and Microso�t need to give businesses a break
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BY CONO� SEN Bloomberg News
LARGE part of managing the economic disruption from the coronavirus crisis has been keeping businesses and individuals afloat amid the shutdown of large parts of the economy. Banks, landlords, the federal government, hospitals and workers have all chipped in to do their part. But one notable group of companies has been missing from this process—large technology companies, such as Amazon.com Inc. and Microsoft Corp. But they have a role to play as well, and they too now should offer relief to businesses. The general idea behind the efforts so far is that in a pandemic like we’ve experienced, large parts of the economy need to be shut down to slow the spread of the virus and that the economic harm needs to be managed and mitigated. Companies and workers lacking income still have bills to pay. In response, banks, in some cases with government mandates, are letting customers go months without paying mortgage and credit-card bills. Landlords have offered relief to tenants unable to pay rent, and some businesses, such as Cheesecake Factory, have simply refused to pay rent. The federal government has provided loans to businesses to keep them solvent and avoid job cuts; for workers who have been laid off it has increased unemployment benefits to help them pay their bills. Many hospitals, meanwhile, have canceled profitable elective surgeries to create more capacity for the surge in Covid-19 patients. But large technology companies, which happen
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THE secondgeneration iPhone SE will sell for as little as $399. That’s a 40-percent markdown from the most affordable iPhone 11 unveiled last year. AP
to be the most valuable and profitable enterprises in the world, have largely been left out of the relief conversation. To their credit a few, such as Cisco Systems Inc., have let customers defer payments on new products until 2021. But it’s largely been radio silence from even bigger companies, and yet companies such as Amazon and Microsoft have an even more crucial role to play. That’s because in the digital economy, advertising and cloud-software companies are the equivalent of the landlords we’re used to in the physical economy. In the physical world, a business decides where it’s going to locate to best serve its customers and signs a lease in a building. That lease and that space are what allows it to operate; the landlord is, in turn, hosting the business. For a company that operates virtually, there are similar dynamics but they’re served by technology companies rather than by a physical landlord and real estate. The company’s business rely on Amazon’s AWS cloud service or Microsoft’s Azure. For a retail company, rather than paying up for foot traffic on Fifth Avenue, they’re pay for digital ads on Facebook Inc. or Google (Alphabet Inc.) and in that way buying customer traffic. Right now we’re in a crisis where landlords are feeling pressure to offer relief to their tenants. There’s no reason why a company struggling to pay its bills should get a break from its bank and the federal government just so it has the money to pay its bills in full and on time to cash-rich tech companies that are worth hundreds of billions or even trillions of dollar. The only difference is that the public is more focused on how banks respond in this crisis than how large
tech companies do—for now. But that could change, particularly in the face of public pressure. We’ve seen Amazon address complaints about working conditions and pay in fulfillment centers in recent years. But we’re only a month into a crisis in which many businesses that rely on cloud services provided by these companies are struggling to pay their bills; many face the unpalatable choice of cutting job or what they pay to fabulously profitable tech companies. They shouldn’t have to make such a decision in the middle of a pandemic. Large tech companies, arguably more than those in any other industry, are in the financial position to offer relief to their customers. It would be good business for them—it’s not great to watch large numbers of your customers go out of business in the middle of a pandemic—and good politics for them as well. These companies have come under growing scrutiny during the past few years for their business practices, ranging from how they handle customer data and privacy to anti-competitive practices in their dealing with vendors and employees. Some of those anti-competitive instincts can be seen with Amazon squeezing participants in its affiliate marketing program since the onset of the crisis. What better way to foster goodwill than to help with the broader fiscal relief efforts now under way? Either way, how they’re dealing with customers struggling to pay bills right now deserves more scrutiny. Digital landlords are no different than physical landlords. It’s time that we realized it— and that they acted like it. ■
HEALTH-CARE and nonprofit organizations in the Philippines and even abroad working on coronavirus disaster relief and essential services can now post new mission critical jobs for free for the next three months on LinkedIn. Until June 30, hospitals, medical device providers, medical practice companies, mental-health institutions, disaster relief groups, warehouse owners, supermarkets and package delivery companies can tap this professional network platform so they can find and hire the frontliners they need to meet the surge for urgent roles in the face of the coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19). “This global pandemic has no doubt put a strain on economies and impacted jobs to a large degree. But in the midst of all this, we are hearing heroic stories of those on the frontlines who are working around the clock to protect the public. And it’s clear that more help is needed to fill urgent open roles within frontline organizations,” Olivier Legrand, LinkedIn managing director and vice president for Asia Pacific and China. The portal provider, likewise, helps job seekers with the right skill sets immediately find these open roles by further promoting them on its homepage and jobs page. Medical professionals will be automatically added to a list of urgent job postings for doctors and nurses, and will be surfaced through a special banner to reach members with relevant skills and experience. The professional portal has expanded its Recruiting For Good program in aid of health-care organizations and disaster relief nonprofit groups that are managing the secondary effects of Covid-19, such as unemployment, childcare and mental-health issues. Over 100 LinkedIn recruiters and talent professionals are already working to help source and screen talent so that these organizations can fill urgent paid and volunteer positions. Medical staffing firms reported that they need tools to identify critical health-care professionals efficiently. To help support their surge in hiring needs, these companies are offered the LinkedIn Talent Insights for free until end of June to gain access to realtime data and insights on the talent market. The latest Navigating Coronavirus microsite can help customers stay informed, connected and productive amid a rapidly changing hiring landscape. All professionals enlisted in LinkedIn are encouraged to take this opportunity to upskill as part of lifelong learning. “At LinkedIn, we are in a unique position to help these organizations and connect them with professionals with the necessary skills, as well as volunteers who are keen to join this cause. These are but a few ways we can help, and we are committed to identify new ways to support the community. Together, we can overcome this,” Legrand said. A huge global professional network, LinkedIn has over 675 million members, including 7 million from the Philippines.
Apple rolls out cheaper iPhone as pandemic curbs spending BY ANICK JESDANUN The Associated Press NEW YORK—Apple is releasing a new iPhone that will be vastly cheaper than the models it rolled out last fall when the economy was booming and the pandemic had yet to force people to rethink their spending. The second-generation iPhone SE introduced on Wednesday will sell for as little as $399, a 40-percent markdown from the most affordable iPhone 11 unveiled last year. Higher-end versions of the iPhone 11 sell for more than $1,000. Online orders for the iPhone SE will begin Friday, with the first deliveries expected April 24. Even before the pandemic, many people had begun to balk at the substantial price tags for smartphones that weren’t that much better than the ones they already owned. That pushed Apple to step up its emphasis on music and video services to the more than 1 billion people who carry around at least one of their Internet-connected devices. High-priced gadgets are expected to become an even tougher sell as the economy plunges into its deepest downturn in more than a decade. Apple maps out its products many months in advance and the new iPhone SE isn’t a direct response
to the economic meltdown hatched by the pandemic. Even though the iPhone SE will sell at a price that seems right for the tough times ahead, it is an extraordinarily difficult time to introduce a product, said Wedbush Securities analyst Daniel Ives. “Apple faced a tough decision to make and ultimately decided to release and green light this smartphone to the market in hopes of gaining contained success out of the gates,” Ives wrote. New iPhones are typically released with much fanfare at a Silicon Valley theater named after Apple founder Steve Jobs, who revolutionized the market when he introduced the first iPhone in 2007. The springtime event never happened this year because of the pandemic. Even before the rapidly spreading coronavirus forced most states to order lockdowns, Apple had been hit hard by efforts to contain it in China. Besides being its third-largest market behind the US and Europe, China is also where Apple makes most of its iPhones. With both its factories and stores in China shut down for several weeks this year, Apple issued a warning two months ago that quarterly sales will fall short of previous projections. The Cupertino, California, company is scheduled to release its result for the quarter later this month.
The new iPhone SE is an update to another lowcost model that Apple released four years ago. Apple stopped selling the original iPhone SE in 2018. The updated Phone SE is essentially the same as the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, which came out in 2017. The iPhone SE won’t share the same displays and cameras carried by the newer iPhone 11 models. But it will be powered by the same A13 processing chip that’s inside the more expensive iPhone 11. The original iPhone SE was a hit with budgetconscious consumers, or those who preferred a smaller, 4-inch screen as newer phones grow increasingly large. The new model is slightly larger than the original, with a 4.7-inch screen. In what could be another popular twist, the new iPhone SE brings back the home button. That’s a notable change from the iPhone 11 line, which ditched the once-familiar button to accommodate larger screens that can handle the highest-quality video and photos. The stock market’s ongoing worries about the pandemic eclipsed whatever enthusiasm investors could muster about a less-expensive iPhone helping to bolster Apple’s sales in a depressed economy. The company’s shares dipped $2.62 to close Wednesday at $284.43, leaving the stock 13 percent below its peak reached in late January.
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Saturday, April 25, 2020 A11
TWS Review: Jabra Elite 75t— all about the bass FreeBuds, to understand how successful they’ve become in recent years. But what about the other brands? In this two-part series we review the some of the best TWS earphones at different price points, starting with the Jabra Elite 75t.
TECHNIVORE ED UY
JABRA ELITE 75T: BETTER THAN AIRPODS?
whereiseduy@gmail.com
H
OW many of you saw this post on your social-media feeds? “If you don’t come out of this quarantine with 1) a new skill, 2) your side hustle started, or 3) more knowledge—you never lacked time. You lacked discipline.” I think it started on Twitter before it made the rounds—copy-pasted on numerous Facebook and Instagram posts or shared through stories. To be honest, I was amused at first—and felt a bit challenged. I was even planning on sending it to some friends whose favorite words throughout this enhanced quarantine period were “I’m bored.” But when I read it again, I realized how unfair that statement was to a lot of people. Suddenly, I was overwhelmed with mixed feelings. I felt anxious, tense, guilty, depressed and angry. Sort of like the feelings I get after watching those late night briefings on TV, or when reading about how some of our government officials are handling this Covid-19 pandemic. If you are indeed making the most out of this lockdown and improving yourself, then good for you. But know that it is insensitive to generalize and call people undisciplined just because they were too busy just trying to survive or provide for their families and couldn’t learn a new language or skill set. These are crazy, scary times we live in, and we all have our own ways of coping with everything that’s been happening. Instead of pressuring others to be productive or showing off how much you’ve accomplished, why not spend more time reaching out and talking to others who are feeling down and depressed. It’s OK if you’re using this time to play, or rest, or just do nothing. Not everyone has the privilege of turning a pandemic into something fun or productive. Whatever you do with your time, the important thing is to just stay home, try to be healthy, and do stuff that makes you happy—even if means flooding my wall with your TikTok videos. In my case, I’ve finally finished an extended summer cleaning of my old room. It took me three weeks to sort out my toy collection and other stuff I’ve hoarded, but it also gave me time to catch up and listen to my favorite podcasts on Spotify. And I have to thank DJ Mo Twister for GTWM, Rica Garcia and JC for The Halo-Halo Show, and Simon Miller of WhatCulture Wrestling for keeping me sane and entertained. It also gave me the chance to test several True Wireless Stereo (TWS) earphones, because as much as we all hate the demise of the headphone jack, there’s no denying that wireless earphones are here to stay. You just have to look at the popularity of the Apple AirPods, Samsung Galaxy Buds and Huawei’s
DEVOUR: ■ Very comfortable, snug fit ■ Improved battery life ■ Rich sound quality ■ Crystal clear calls ■ Thumping bass DISLIKE: ■ No wireless charging ■ No active noise cancellation ■ Controls a bit confusing at first When Jabra released the Elite 65t in 2018, it quickly became the favorite alternative for people who didn’t like the original AirPods’ one-size-fits-most design. With the Jabra Elite 75t, the brand further improves on that design concept, by making it 20 percent smaller, giving it an even longer battery life, USB-C fast charging and noticeably improved sound quality. ■ DESIGN: According to Jabra, the Elite 75t’s shape and size is based on thousands of ear scans and features an optimal 3D size and shape that fits ears comfortably across a wide range of users. The Elite 75t has a more streamlined look with the “pipe” (where the voice microphone lives) becoming barely noticeable without sacrificing call quality. It’s one of the nicer and more stylish-looking TWS earbuds I’ve seen, and once you try it on you’ll immediately appreciate how snug it fits. I used it while I was cleaning, vacuuming and moving stuff around the house, and it never felt loose or needed constant adjusting. This is because aside from making them smaller, Jabra also cut down on the weight of the Elite 75t earbuds so there’s less risk of them getting loose and tumbling out of your ear canal. ■ BATTERY: Despite the reduction in size, however, Jabra was able to increase battery life, and in my testing, I got an average of around 6 hours of continuous audio playback (up to 28 hours using the charging case). When it is time to charge the headphones, you can get an hour of playback from just 15 minutes of charging thanks to fast charging via USB-C. Speaking of the charging case, the lid now closes magnetically and it’s so satisfying to hear the “clicks” knowing that the buds are also firmly secured with magnets. You can try shaking the case or knock it against your other hand, and the earbuds won’t fall out. ■ CONTROLS: To pair the earbuds, you can either use direct Bluetooth connection or via the Jabra Sound+ app. The app is available for both Android and iOS, and I suggest you download the app that allows you to customize the equalizer, update firmware and adjust some other settings. On each earbud, you’ll find a round button that’s a bit crammed with a lot of functionality. For example, on the right earbud you press once to play/pause music or answer/end a call. Double
pressing it will activate either Siri, Google Assistant, Alexa, or reject a call. Press and hold to raise volume up. The left earbud controls are different, pressing once will enable or disable HearThrough mode (or mute call), double pressing for the next track (or enable sidetone when on a call) triple pressing to play the previous track while pressing and holding it will lower the volume down. It can can get a bit confusing at first but you’ll eventually get used to the controls after a few days. HearThrough or transparency mode lets ambient sound in and the Sound+ app lets you tweak the sound to your liking. The sidetone feature, on the other hand, allows you to hear your own voice during a call. ■ SOUND QUALITY: I wasn’t expecting too much because of its diminutive size, but the moment I started playing “Roses (Imanbek Remix)”, it felt like I was using one of those big over-the-ear headphones. The Elite 75t is LOUD and almost deafening with huge, deep bass. At full volume, however, the bass can get a bit too much, that’s why you need the Jabra Sound+ app to customize the EQ. There are several different presets to choose from but you can create a more personalized setting depending on what kind of audio you are listening to. If you listen to a lot of pop music, rap, or EDM, you’ll definitely love the Elite 75t’s “boom, badoom, boom, boom, badoom, boom bass ‘coz its got Superbass,” to borrow from Nicki Minaj. The Sound+ app also does a great job of adjusting the settings to make it sound better if you’re listening to jazz and acoustic music or some other genre. Another mode in the app is called Soundscapes, where you can select from 12 unique settings that produce soothing noises to relax you. Its incredibly useful if
you are feeling anxious, want to relax and calm down for a bit. As for watching movies? The Elite 75t makes it a more immersive experience. It’s like having a subwoofer even if you are just watching on your smartphone. I was watching this scene when I heard a knock, so I called out, got up and opened the door, only to realize that it was actually from the movie. That’s how realistic it sounds.
FINAL WORD: To say the Jabra Elite 75t is just an
alternative to the AirPods would be unfair to the series that has earned such praises and great reviews. The Jabra Elite 75t improves upon its predecessor in just about every way—the smaller size makes it more comfortable to use, the longer battery life (plus fast charging) is perfect for those long trips, and sound quality is one of the best in its price point. It might not have active noise cancellation, but with its near-total noise isolation and superb fit, you don’t really need it. Wireless charging would be a welcome addition, but that just leaves us with something to look forward to. The Jabra Elite 75t Titanium Black is now available at P9,999 from authorized Jabra retail partners with a Gold Beige variant coming in the next few months. For athletes and runners, there’s the Jabra Elite Active 75t which has a higher IP57 and is priced at P10,999. Next week, we’ll review the Momax Pills BT1, and a couple of budget TWS from Joyroom. TECH THOUGHTS: Since we are naming babies Covid and Corona (Twins), Ko’Rona Vyress, Covid Bryant, Quarantina, Pandemica, Hoardia, Coviduvidapdap (only in the Philippines), are we calling the next generation “Coronnials”? ■
Telecom technicians keep households connected amid Covid-19 threat DESPITE mounting fears over the continuous spread of Covid-19 in the country, hardworking telecom technicians bravely go to the field day in and day out, leaving the safety of their homes just to ensure that customers are connected even while under enhanced community quarantine. Installers, repairmen, and other technicians working for Globe Telecom’s various contractors all over the country, for instance, visit as many as 10 homes a day but their challenges start before they reach the residence of the customers. Many barangays refused to grant them entry even with government orders exempting telecom services from ECQ. “We’re having difficulties requesting some barangays to allow our technicians to enter their areas. Sometimes, we even have to face them and show the IDs issued by Globe but they still refuse,” said Nerissa Gama, Edgecomm Field
supervisor. They also have to face apprehensive customers who are now wary of allowing strangers into their homes due to the virus threat. “There are subscribers who treat us like we are Covid patients. They don’t allow us to enter their houses. Others would almost bathe us in alcohol before they allow us to go inside their house,” said Christian Almonte, a repair technician of Edgecomm in Metro Manila. Aside from the challenges at work, the frontliners also have to bear the burden of being away from their loved ones at this time when most families stay at home. Jedlian technician in Tarlac, Alvin Fronda, whose wife and three kids reside in Nueva Ecija, said: “Right now, it’s hard because I am far from my family but I’m trying my best to carry on because this work is for my family, for Jedlian and Globe, and for service.” But despite the hardships, each of them
only has one goal in mind—to keep customers connected especially in this time of need. “The first thing that we think of is that we are frontliners because we are Globe contractors. With the lockdown where people are at home, they need the Internet and phone to communicate with their relatives,” said Michael Ariza, technician of Visatech in Manila. Michael’s words were echoed by Larry Antenor, technician of JBD in South Luzon province who proudly said: “We are frontliners. If the customers have a problem with their Internet, it is our responsibility to continue providing services to them.” Globe, for its part, expressed gratitude and extended full support to the frontliners who make sure that telecom services are always available to the country and its citizens. “Our critical skeletal team of technicians are hard at work to provide support for Globe At
Home broadband lines so that our customers remain productive, connected and informed. In line with this, we continue to implement stringent health check protocols to ensure the overall safety and well-being of our customers, our installers and repairmen,” said Martha Sazon, Globe senior vice president and head of
Broadband Business. Ensuring the safety of its frontliners and customers is part of the ongoing efforts of Globe in making everyone connected, informed and #SafeAtHome amid the extended ECQ in Luzon. More information is available at www. globe.com.ph/stay-safe-at-home.html.
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Sports BusinessMirror
Saturday, April 25, 2020
SPORTS GOES ON
...IN VANUATU P ORT VILA, Vanuatu—They’re ready to go live in Vanuatu. A tropical island in the South Pacific is very likely to be the only venue in the world hosting a competitive cricket final on Saturday, as most international sport remains shuttered around the globe. Vanuatu Cricket Association Chief Executive Shane Deitz is inviting anyone missing live action to tune in to a live stream. “It’s one of the only live sports around the world at the moment. We can showcase a bit of cricket for everyone who is in lockdown,” Deitz told The Associated Press. Bored sports fans, he added, “can see something a bit different. We can offer some entertainment—that’s what we’re trying to do.” The Tafea Blackbirds and the Power Sharks are playing off in the morning in a women’s match, with the winner playing the Mele Bulls in the women’s domestic league final. A condensed men’s exhibition match starts at 11 a.m. local time (0200 GMT) with the women’s final to follow at a stadium Deitz is calling the Vila Cricket Ground on the island of Efate. They’re setting up four cameras and commentary for the online stream on Vanuatu Cricket’s Facebook site. Vanuatu went into lockdown late last month as a precaution during the coranavirus pandemic, and was then hit by a destructive cyclone on April 6. So while they’re celebrating a reopening—a lockdown and closed borders meant there were no reported cases of Covid-19 in Vanuatu—
Editor: Jun Lomibao | mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph
there’s work to be done in parts of the island archipelago that are rebuilding in the wake of Cyclone Harold. The United Nations last week released $2.5 million from its emergency humanitarian fund to help thousands of people affected when the cyclone made landfall on Vanuatu’s largest island of Espiritu Santo before hitting the Solomon Islands, Fiji and Tonga. In Vanuatu, the UN humanitarian office said initial reports suggest as much as 90 percent of the population in Sanma, the most affected province, lost their homes, and more than half of all schools and almost a quarter of health centers were damaged. Crops were destroyed and many communities were cut off from help because of flooding and washed out roads. The cricket association is helping with fundraising for the relief effort at Santos, where it has an office and serious players. Cricket is a serious sport in Vanuatu, which has roughly 80 islands and a population of nearly 300,000. It’s located east of Australia, west of Fiji and north of New Zealand. In the past, Deitz said stars including former Australia captain Steve Waugh and fast bowler Merv Hughes visited Port Vila. After a decade of playing first-class cricket for South Australia, Deitz moved into coaching initially in New Zealand, then in Bangladesh and has lived for five years in Vanuatu, where he made his international debut as a player in 2018. His aim is to keep developing the game and facilities, hoping to make Vanuatu a destination for club teams and national junior teams to practice and play. The national women’s team is ranked 28th in the world, and most of the players in the squad will be involved on Saturday. Among them will be Selina Solman, who is captain of the national team. She has represented the International Cricket Council’s global development squad, and has played premier cricket for Deitz’s old club in Adelaide, the Southern Districts Stingrays. Lining up for Mele will be Valenta Langiatu, a hard-hitting opening bat and a potential star of the future. AP THE Vanuatu Cricket Association is inviting anyone missing live action to tune in to a live stream.
PAGCOR REMITTANCE TO PSC: ALMOST EMPTY T
By Jun Lomibao
HE Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.’s (Pagcor) remittance to the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) would only last for the this month, putting in jeopardy the national athletes and coaches allowances for the remainder of the year. Pagcor has no gaming revenues because casinos all over the country are closed, and are expected to remain shut until May 15 following the extension of the community quarantine. This imperiled the allowances of athletes and coaches on the national team—at least a
thousand of them—who have already received in full their financial assistance from the PSC for the first quarter of the year. Pagcor, in a statement, said it remitted P150.75 million to PSC on March 31 representing the state-gaming agency’s mandated contribution for February. It also said a check for P99.42 million for March is already for release to the PSC, thus putting to its total contribution to the sports agency so far this year to P409.10 million. Pagcor, however, stressed the monthly remittance for 2020 will only last until this month.
Call to unify men’s, women’s tennis 50 years late
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ERE was Billie Jean King’s initial reaction when she saw Roger Federer’s tweets suggesting that the men’s and women’s professional tennis tours unify: “I went, ‘This can happen! This can happen!’” she said by telephone. “The time’s right.” And then what came to mind for King? “I know not to get too excited, though,” cautioned the owner of a total of 39 Grand Slam titles, 12 in singles. “Unless you’re shaking hands at the net, it’s not done yet.” With his thinking-out-loud via social media Wednesday, Federer sparked a conversation about bringing together the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), which oversees the women’s circuit, and the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), its counterpart for men, to boost the sport. While such a move, if it actually happens, would be arriving about a half-century late, this most certainly is a case of better late than never, no matter what someone like 24-year-old Australian player Nick Kyrgios thinks. “It just brought back memories of how hard we’ve been trying all these years for that to happen,” King said. “In my day, the men, culturally, just could not wrap their heads around us ever making a dime.” She ushered in women’s pro tennis with a group called the Original 9, which signed a contract for a symbolic $1 to start a tour in 1970. Then she got the WTA going in 1973, a year after the ATP was formed. Her push about 50 years ago to put men and women under one umbrella was not wellreceived, King recalls. So does another member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame: Donald
Dell, a former player, Davis Cup captain, agent and cofounder of the ATP. “The men always felt that they were more dominant in the sport,” said Dell, who played mixed doubles at Wimbledon with King in the 1960s. “Now equal prize money has come into the sport, and the women’s game has grown and grown and grown to where there’s parity.” Remember, though: It took until the 2000s for equal pay at Grand Slam tournaments to become standard. Nowadays, Dell said, “It would be much better for the sport if there was a really intelligent way to combine the ATP and WTA into one working group.” It might be complicated to figure out how to make it happen—Dell asks: Start with a commissioner’s office led by two people, one from each tour?—but the benefits could be enormous, both in terms of finances and appeal to the public. As Federer noted: “It’s too confusing for the fans when there are different ranking systems, different logos, different web sites, different tournament categories.” He wasn’t advocating for competition to be combined. He was pushing for the sport to be run as one sport. And that would put it in a unique position, with global appeal because it features men and women. They already share a stage at the four Grand Slam tournaments and combined events such as at Indian Wells or the Miami Open. Leave the schedules mostly as-is—although King would love to see more team events—and hold onto some women-only or men-only tourneys. “The sport has spent so much time over the
The PSC draws its funds from general appropriations for its operations and from the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF)— where the Pagcor is the principal source—for its national team program. The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office and the Bureau of Customs are the PSC’s other sources of funds, but their contribution represents a mere 2 percent of the NSDF. The PSC anticipated the impending depletion of the NSDF with Chairman William Ramirez tasking his finance people to draw a social amelioration program for the national athletes and coaches.
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Ramirez set the PSC board will address the potential crisis when it meets on Thursday. “We will make our position and answers after the April 30 board meeting,” Ramirez told BusinessMirror on Friday. “We will finalize issues.” Ramirez also expressed that the PSC will tackle with finality the fate of the sports agency’s major programs for 2020 that need heavy funding, including the Philippine National Games and Batang Pinoy and the country’s hosting of the thrice postponed Asean Para Games. In the same statement, Pagcor said its firstquarter remittance to the PSC went down by 4.7 percent for the same period last year because of
QATAR VS. SAUDI FOR ASIAD ’30
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years cannibalizing itself, with different people selling different things,” said Federer’s manager, Tony Godsick. “If the sport really wants to grow and get to the next level—in terms of media, in terms of sponsorship, in terms of popularity and fan engagement—you have to not sell against yourselves, but sell yourselves together.” That is really the key here: Coming up with a way to organize things. “It probably should have happened a long time ago, but maybe now is really the time,” Federer wrote, with an eye to the financial woes facing players, tournaments and the tours themselves as a result of the coronavirus pandemic that has shuttered tennis until at least mid-July. “These are tough times in every sport, and we can come out of this with 2 weakened bodies or 1 stronger body.” It’s what King advocated all those years ago and others did more recently. Current Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott, for example, pushed for a merger before leaving his job as WTA CEO in 2009. The current head of the women’s tour, Steve Simon, and the leader of the men’s, Andrea Gaudenzi, have been cooperating to deal with the consequences of the Covid-19 outbreak, whether figuring out possible schedules for the resumption of play or drumming up funds to help lower-ranked players. “Tennis has always led the way when it comes to putting men and women together on the biggest stages,” Gaudenzi said via e-mail. “It’s one of our strengths, and sets us apart from many other sports.” Maybe it’s time to set themselves further apart by working jointly. AP
lower revenues brought about by the suspension of all gaming operations amid the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2019, the total PSC share remitted by Pagcor reached P1.79 billion. The amount excludes the gaming agency’s P842-million grant for the rehabilitation of the PhilSports Multipurpose Arena and Rizal Memorial Sports Complex for the country hosting of the 30th Southeast Asian Games last December. “The state-gaming agency is doing its best to continuously be of service to the nation, especially in this difficult time,” the Pagcor said in its statement.
UWAIT CITY, Kuwait—Regional rivals Qatar and Saudi Arabia will compete to host the 2030 Asian Games. The capital cities of Doha and Riyadh are the two bidders to meet the entry deadline, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) said Thursday. The sporting rivalry extends from a political one that intensified in 2017 when Saudi Arabia and regional allies imposed an economic and transport boycott on Qatar, the host of soccer’s 2022 World Cup. OCA members are set to pick the Asian Games host on November 29 at a meeting in Sanya, China. Doha staged the Asian Games in 2006, and Saudi Arabia has yet to host the multisport event. “With these two bids for the 2030 Asian Games we now have stability and continuity
in our sports movement for the next decade,” OCA President Sheikh Ahmad al-Fahad al-Sabah said in a statement. The next Asian Games editions are in 2022 in Hangzhou, China, and in 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. Sheikh Ahmad continues to lead the Asian Olympic body while self-suspended as a member of the International Olympic Committee and leader of the global group of national Olympic officials, known as ANOC. The Kuwaiti sheikh has been indicted in Geneva and is facing trial in a forgery case. The Philippines expressed its intention to host the 2030 Games following its success in last December’s 30th Southeast Asian Games. Apparently, no formal intent has been forwarded to the OCA. AP
Tokyo Olympics CEO promises ‘transparency’ over cost of delay
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OKYO—The chief executive of the Tokyo Olympics promised “transparency” with the Japanese public on Thursday regarding the cost of postponing the games until next year. Neither the Japanese organizers nor the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has said what it will cost to delay the Tokyo Games for one year. Early estimates in Japan range between $2 billion and $6 billion. “It’s highly likely that the expense will be higher than the originally planned budget,” CEO Toshiro Muto said, speaking through an interpreter at a weekly teleconference. He said the exact amount was unclear, “but we will proceed with transparency and explain to the taxpayers about the costs.” Although officials say the added costs are unknown, one thing is certain: Japanese taxpayers will pick up most of the bills. The Tokyo city government, the local organizers and the Japanese Olympic Committee are obligated under the “Host City Contract” signed in 2013 to cover most of the costs. The cost issue is sensitive in Japan, particularly for the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has been a fervent backer of the Olympics. Japan, like many countries, could be deep in a recession next year, brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. Japan is officially spending $12.6 billion to organize the Olympics, but a government audit report last year said it was at least twice that much. It’s all public money except for $5.6 billion in a privately funded operating budget. The Switzerland-based IOC has contributed $1.3 billion to that private budget, but is not expected to pay much more. It’s income over the latest four-year Olympic cycle was $5.7 billion. IOC member John Coates, who oversees planning for the Tokyo Olympics, said last week the IOC would need to pay “several hundred million dollars” to keep many international sports federations and national Olympic committees afloat. He did not indicate any of that money was going to Tokyo. Muto was asked point-blank if Japan was “prepared to pay all of the extra running costs— or should it be shared?” He did not answer directly, referring instead to a nondescript statement put out last week by the IOC and local organizers. “The joint statement is all we have,” Muto said. “We need to assess the impact of the postponement, and then we need to discuss how to address it.” Muto was asked repeatedly if the pandemic would allow the delayed Olympics to open on July 23, 2021. Earlier this week, a Japanese scientist and an expert in infectious disease said it was unlikely the Olympics could be held. “How this coronavirus infection situation will develop and when this will end—nobody can answer this question for sure,” Muto said. He said postponing until July 2021 gave organizers and the IOC “enough time.” He also discounted any chance of postponing until 2022. The Beijing Winter Olympics are scheduled for 2022 but are also under a cloud since it was in China where the virus was first discovered. “Prime Minster Abe said the nature of the Olympics would change if Tokyo 2020 were postponed for two years,” Muto said. A study of the worldwide Olympic bureaucracy’s finances, meanwhile, concludes there’s far more money available for athletes than what they receive, and that they would be best served by the sort of collective-bargaining arrangement that’s common in pro leagues. AP NEITHER the Japanese organizers nor the International Olympic Committee has said what it will cost to delay the Tokyo Games for one year. Early estimates in Japan range between $2 billion and $6 billion. AP