BusinessMirror June 01, 2020

PHL credit rating hinges on recovery

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CONOMIC output may be down in the first quarter of 2020, but confidence remains high for the Philippine economy, especially after S&P Global Ratings’ most recent move to maintain the country’s credit rating despite global distress due to the pandemic.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Benjamin Diokno called S&P’s move a “big vote of confidence” on the post-pandemic economic recovery of the Philippines.

Over the weekend, S&P issued a statement, affirming the Philippines’ credit rating at “BBB+” with a stable outlook. A BBB+ rating means the credit rating agency remains fairly confident that the country has the capacity to repay its borrowings and financial obligations.

A stable outlook on the rating means the

A MECHANIC wearing a facemask fixes a motorcycle at a motorcycle parts shop. Two-wheeled modes of conveyances are becoming popular, both as a means of transportation and a way to practice social distancing in the new normal. ROY DOMINGO

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rating is not bound to change in the next 12 to 18 months.

The debt watcher said it may upgrade the credit rating of the Philippines in the next two years if the country will have a swift economic turnaround from the devastation wrought by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

In a statement over the weekend, it said the country’s economy is bound for a strong recovery in 2021 assuming the virus is contained by the first half of next year.

“We may raise the rating over the next two years if the economy recovers much more quickly than expected, and the government makes significant further achievements in its fiscal reform program, such that the net general government indebtedness falls below 30 percent of GDP,” S&P said.

Its long-term outlook remains stable on the back of normal policymaking seen to support credit metrics and anticipated economic recovery next year. This, as the credit-rating firm expects a substantial drop in budget deficit in 2021.

In its assessment, S&P said: “The Philippines’ economy should achieve a strong recovery from 2021, following a deep slowdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic this year. Although the economic slowdown will weigh heavily on fiscal and debt metrics over the near term, we expect a meaningful stabilization over the next three to four years owing to strong economic fundamentals and generally orthodox policymaking.”

“The stable outlook reflects our expectations that the Philippines’ economy will achieve strong growth from 2021, and

its fiscal deficits will decline meaningfully after a significant rise in 2020,” it added.

Defying downgrade trend

OVER the course of the pandemic, Moody’s Investors Service and Fitch Ratings both already announced they are maintaining the Philippines’ credit rating despite global economic stress. S&P’s announcement completes the move from all three major credit watchers in the world.

“The Philippines is defying the global trend of rating downgrades and negative rating outlook as an aftermath of the health crisis and the subsequent containment measures of many governments,” Diokno said on Sunday.

Due to the effects of massive economic and travel restrictions, the

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OVERSEAS JOBS DIM

TRAINS servicing the Manila Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT1) and Line 2 (LRT2) are seen parked at the LRT Depot in Pasay City. To comply with physical-distancing rules the trains will run at 10 to 12 percent capacity, according to Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade. NONIE REYES

By Bernadette D. Nicolas & Recto L. Mercene

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SALCEDA SEES 9.6% Q2 CONTRACTION; PUSHES 2 BILLS’ OK

HE number of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) stranded across the globe has swelled to nearly 100,000, according to the latest data of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

Of the stranded, over 36,000 have been repatriated in a series of special operations by the Department of Foreign Affairs, in coordination with foreign governments, airlines, the DOLE and manning agencies, amid restrictions posed by pandemic-induced lockdowns in hundreds of countries and territories.

The 100,000 stranded OFWs, however, is just a tenth of the estimated number of migrant workers who could be out of the market by 2021, according to a veteran in the Philippine recruitment sector.

Economists and recruitment in-

dustry leaders have recently warned that a combination of the recession across the globe caused by Covid19-induced lockdowns and the slump in the world oil prices would shrink the labor market for OFWs, who for four decades have shored up the Philippine economy with over $30 billion in remittances.

Quoting the DOLE data, recruitment consultant Manny Geslani predicted on Sunday “a loss of over 1 million OFW jobs by 2021 with over 500,000 jobs by the end of this year.”

From “a high of 1,200 recruit-

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TRANSPORTATION Secretary Arthur Tugade checks the progress of the new traffic scheme on Edsa, which involves the creation of bicycle lanes, median bus lanes and rationalization of routes, as the government prepares for the influx of motorists and commuters under a GCQ. DOTR COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE

ment and manning agencies registered last year, it is estimated that surviving recruitment agencies could be counted in one hand by next year,” said Geslani.

“DOLE’s grim prediction will have a devastating effect on over 1,200 land- and sea-based licensed

recruitment and manning agencies with over 50 percent of the existing agencies not expected to survive the next few months,” Geslani added, saying, “the deployment so far has gone down by 99.8 percent as of 2020.”

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CAB tells carriers to reset flights initially for June 1

By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo & Recto L. Mercene

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HE Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) on Saturday stopped Philippine carriers from selling tickets for flights, which were supposed to commence on Monday, June 1, as the National Capital Region shifts to general community quarantine (GCQ) status.

The three largest commercial air carriers in the country had announced their intentions to resume commercial flight

operations starting June 1, a day immediately following the lifting of restrictions imposed by the government.

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL), Cebu Pacific (CEB) and Air Asia (Z2) issued similar announcements of their intent to take to the skies come June 1.

Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said during a televised briefing “that the government would place Metro Manila, Laguna province, and Cebu City in Visayas under a “modified enhanced community quarantine” from May 16 to May 31.

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The local carriers took this to mean that come June 1, the lockdown would be lifted so that they can resume commercial flights, both domestic and international, albeit on a staggered basis for the latter.

Aside from a few cargo and so-called sweeper or chartered flights, the three carriers have been grounded since March 15 when the community quarantine (CQ) was first imposed, then elevated to an enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) to last from March 17 to May 14. However, this was revised by the Inter-Agency Task

Force (IATF) and downgraded into modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) to last until May 31.

An advisory signed on May 30, 2020,

by CAB Executive Director Carmelo L. Arcilla, a copy of which was obtained by the BusinessMirror, said, “Please be informed that the IATF has yet to approve the routes for domestic operations in the first week of June 2020. Consequently, airlines are hereby advised to cancel their flights on June 1, 2020, and to stop selling tickets for the said date.”

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

HE Philippine economy could contract to as deep as 9.6 percent in the second quarter of the year with the continuing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the House Ways and Means panel chairman said at the weekend.

Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda said there is still a chance the country might enter a period of positive growth during the year if Congress approves the proposed P1.3-trillion Accelerated Recovery and Investments Stimulus for the Economy (ARISE) and the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) Act.

“Q1 GDP growth was -0.2 percent, but the real cost is the opportunity cost.

We economists speak in terms of that. What could easily have been, versus what the actual GDP growth figures were. Considering we could have easily grown by 6.5 percent in Q1, the opportunity cost is essentially around 8 percent of GDP for that quarter,” said the analyst-lawmaker.

“As for Q2, I would not be surprised if the GDP contraction hits double digits, although a good estimate would be between a quarterly GDP growth of -6.5 percent to -9.6 percent. Again, considering opportunity costs, that’s easily a cost of 13 percent to 16 percent more of quarterly GDP that could have been realized if we were under normal circumstances,” he added.

Salceda said if the country enters negative growth during the third and fourth quarters, its ability to achieve poverty reduction and countryside development goals will be significantly delayed by several years.

“That is why while we still can, we have to boost the economy with the right signals—one, that we are fully capable of rooting out Covid-19; two, that we will support the economy through a sufficient spending plan; and three, that we will support business expansion through CREATE, the new Citira [Corporate Income Tax and Incentives Reform Act],” he said.

Improving performance

MEANWHILE, the House leader said improving the Department of Health performance is the key to unleashing the creative powers of the stimulus measures meant to revive a Covid-devastated economy as lockdowns in the pandemic shuttered most businesses.

“Stimulus won’t work and will just be wasted in a lockdown. Ultimately, it is all about confidence—confidence in health, confidence in incomes, confidence about employment, confidence in growth in that order,” he said.

“Both those said figures are almost entirely behind us now, and any damage those figures would have meant was already incurred. What matters now is how do we recover from this?” he said.

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n JAPAN 0.4714 n UK 62.5210 n HK 6.5434 n CHINA 7.1000 n SINGAPORE 35.7989 n AUSTRALIA 33.5762 n EU 56.2055 n SAUDI ARABIA 13.5074

Source: BSP (May 29, 2020)

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With transport curbs, govt urged to resort to service contracting

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By Lorenz S. Marasigan

ITHOUT assisting public utility vehicle (PUV) operators and drivers, the government risks a transport paralysis, which could lead to an economic recession, a coalition of transport advocates warned.

Move As One, a coalition of 134 organizations and 11,000 transport advocates, said to avoid this scenario, the government should implement service contracting to protect transport workers and ensure adequate public transportation in areas under the general community quarantine (GCQ).

“Service contracting is not new to the transport sector or the government. In fact, several cities contracted jeeps and tricycles to provide free transport for essential workers during the lockdown. DOTr used a service contracting model to augment the services of Edsa MRT when it was in crisis,” Mandaue-Sabang-Danao Multicab Operators and Drivers Multipurpose Cooperative Manager Angie Mata said.

Under service contracting, the government pays the operators and drivers a per-kilometer fee to run the routes. This is far different from the prevailing “boundary system,” in which earnings are based on the number of passengers ferried.

With GCQ rules requiring PUVs to cut their capacities in half, operators and drivers are expected to take a loss should they operate. This may mean that they are better off suspending their services than operating at a loss.

Move As One has proposed to the government a P30-billion package to contract out thousands of PUVs nationwide. This is part of its so-called P110-billion Biyahenihan Package that will reform the transport sector amid the Covid-19 outbreak.

“Serving the public under those conditions, with reduced incomes and increased risks of infection, may be too much to ask of the transport sector. Many of them may opt not to run or may not earn enough income to survive,” Pagkakaisa ng Manggagawa sa Transportasyon (PMT) Vice President Miles Reyes said.

Service contracting, according to National Confederation of Transport Workers Union President Ernie Cruz, will provide safeguards for the drivers and operators, who solely rely on their

A PASSENGER gets on a traditional jeepney fitted with plastic sheets that serve as physical-distancing barriers, in Barangay Mambugan, Antipolo City. BERNARD TESTA

jobs to feed their families.

“This policy will protect the families of millions of transport workers who are now on the brink of starvation, especially those who did not receive the promised aid,” he explained.

Move As One called this initial phase of service contracting a “just transition,” as it not only promotes the welfare of commuters, but also safeguards the income of drivers and operators.

“Before the Covid-19 crisis, we

were already in a transportation crisis—with commuters suffering the hardship of crowded vehicles, long trips and major delays. Bus and jeepney drivers and operators were already struggling to get by. The enhanced community quarantine put the crisis on hold, but the GCQ, without an adequate supply of public transportation, threatens to multiply the crisis, exacerbating the risks to public health and the economy,” Komyut Convenor Toix Cerna said.

The government investment into the transport sector, Move As One added, will also “protect the jobs of the 88 percent of households who do not have cars…and ensure the safety of 20 million students.”

The coalition continued: “Workers need to get to their jobs. Employers need their workers. The economy will suffer another blow if businesses can’t restart because their workers can’t get to the office, or the factory or if their workers get sick.”

1,698 SC employees negative in Covid test

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TOTAL of 1,698 Supreme Court personnel including five justices have tested negative for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) after undergoing rapid tests that started on May 26.

SC spokesman Brian Keith Hosaka said the rapid testing will continue until all of the 2,700 officials and employees have been tested as part of the SC’s complementary efforts to the government’s drive against Covid-19.

“As of now, five justices have undergone rapid testing. We could probably expect more as they report to the SC,” Hosaka said.

Chief Justice Diosdado M. Peralta personally supervised the first day of rapid testing on May 26 in two medical tents set up at the two SC buildings on Padre Faura Street in Ermita, Manila.

The SC’s dignitaries’ lounge is also being used as testing center.

The rapid tests are being conducted

by SC’s medical personnel who were provided with personal protective equipment (PPE), he said.

The Chief Justice assured the public that the SC has enough rapid test kits for all officials and employees.

Proper arrangements have also been made with concerned government agencies should anyone be found positive for Covid-19 during the rapid test, he added.

The SC has also distributed face masks and rubbing alcohol to employees and offices as part of its health protocols.

Peralta had earlier announced that all courts nationwide will be fully operational starting June 1, although there would be limits on the number of people allowed inside court premises.

Cases, pleadings and required documents may still be filed either manually or electronically. Joel R. San Juan

Business groups seek fair enforcement of lockdown

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USINESS groups on Sunday called on the government to uphold the highest standards in observing and enforcing the rule of law after state officials themselves breached lockdown protocols intended to safeguard the public’s health.

In a statement, the business groups lambasted public servants who violated the guidelines on health and safety issued by the Interagency Task Force and the Department of Health. They said the rules were put in place to protect public health and should be adhered to by everyone, more so by people mandated to implement them.

They argued the quarantine restrictions affected the lives of millions of people, especially those living near or below the poverty line, in terms of livelihood and freedom of movement.

They added the seeming confusion and varying interpretations of the protocols resulted in thousands of quarantine violations. Citing official data, the business groups said close to 30,000 violators were arrested between March 17 and April 17— of which 6,616 had to undergo inquest and 23,016 are to face charges—and that number jumped to about 41,000 on May 1.

This matter had led Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon to point out on Friday, at a marathon Senate hearing on the proposed Bayanihan Law extension, that the second phase of the measure should exclude the penal provisions for

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Philippine economy contracted by 0.2 percent in the first quarter of the year.

This is the country’s first contraction in 22 years.

In its report, S&P said it expects the Philippines to remain in negative territory in 2020, with an average GDP contraction of 0.2 percent.

For 2021, however, S&P sees the Philippines growing by 9 percent, before normalizing at 6.7 and 7 percent in 2022 and 2023, respectively.

Economic recovery

THE growth will be driven by investment and exports, it added.

“The Philippine economy is among the fastest growing in the world on a 10year weighted-average per capita basis—a reflection of its supportive policy dynamics and improving investment climate,” S&P explained.

S&P estimates that GDP per capita will reach $3,540 this year. Real GDP per capita growth, meanwhile, is expected to average approximately 4.2 percent annually in 2020 to 2023.

It warned, however, that the uncertainty in export markets and “modest, though improving,” transportation infrastructure are dragging the economy.

“As such, ongoing work to close infrastructure gaps and improve the business climate through greater political stability and regulatory reforms should be support-

quarantine violations, since Bayanihan is meant to help people in the pandemic, not punish them for minor infractions that can very well be prosecuted under the Revised Penal Code.

It was reported, the main business groups said at the weekend, that many of the arrested individuals suffered detention, costs, humiliation and inconvenience, and some even endured unwarranted prison time on failure of unopened courts and government offices to process their bail in a timely manner, the business groups lamented.

“Above happened even with the Supreme Court’s recently issued administrative circulars that reduce bail and allow recognizance as among the means of releasing the accused. The compounding economic hardships and unfamiliarity with new rules resulted in many people languishing in detention centers for many days; thus, risking exposure to the virus in overcrowded facilities,” they said.

As such, they find it disappointing to the point of dismay that a number of public officials violated the very rules they were supposed to implement for the welfare of their constituents.

“Upholding the law and ensuring faith in our justice system stand as the bedrock of our democracy, and will enable the economy to survive and recover from these most trying times. The sacrifice

of our people deserves nothing less,” the business groups argued.

One of the most controversial cases of this kind was the early-morning birthday party, also known as mañanita, thrown for National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Chief Debold Sinas on May 8, photos of which were released by the NCRPO Public Information Office itself on its Facebook page.

The now-deleted images showed Sinas celebrating his birthday with his men in spite of a state order prohibiting the conduct of mass gatherings due to the coronavirus pandemic. It was also observed in the photos that police officers who attended the party failed to practice physical distancing and some of them were not even wearing face masks.

In spite of the violation, Sinas was instructed to maintain his position as Metro Manila police chief by none other than President Duterte himself.

The call to uphold the rule of law in the ongoing crisis was made in a joint statement by the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines, Institute of Corporate Directors, Institute for Solidarity in Asia, Judicial Reform Initiative, Management Association of the Philippines and the Makati Business Club. Joining them in this call were the business chambers of American and Canadian firms.

Elijah Felice Rosales

ive of economic productivity,” the credit assessor said.

been spared from the economic effects of this global pandemic, the Philippines’ strong economic fundamentals and inclusive recovery measures “will power our return to growth.”

Chua added: “Thanks to our ample buffers and fiscal space, we can jumpstart domestic demand by investing more in healthcare, infrastructure and the entire food value chain.”

S&P said in its report that the Philippine economy’s constructive trajectory is underpinned by strong household and company balance sheets, sizable inward remittance flows, and an adequately performing financial system. “Prior to the outbreak of Covid-19, the country’s unemployment rate had been declining for a few years, signaling the economy’s strengthening labor market even as the working-age population continued to grow,” S&P said.

For the part of the BSP, Diokno said critical institutional reforms and sound policy management gives them the advantage of having ample monetary space to carry out further easing, if necessary.

“While being mindful of our price and financial stability mandates, we are thinking outside the box to enact policies that ultimately help safeguard the lives and livelihoods of our people. Such is our solemn responsibility in this once-in-alifetime crisis, and I am confident that our approach will demonstrate the resilience of our country,” Diokno said.

S&P in its report also hailed the fact that the local banking sector remains largely deposit-funded, with high liquidity and limited linkage to global markets.

Economic managers rejoice

LOCAL economic managers welcomed the decision of S&P.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said the affirmation of the “BBB+” rating with “stable” outlook is an “unequivocal recognition by S&P of the resilience of the Philippine economy”.

“We are confident that our government’s four-pillar strategy to deal with the pandemic will see us through this global health emergency as we remain focused on saving lives and protecting communities while gradually lifting mobility restrictions to restart the economy and get people back to work,” Dominguez said.

The government has launched a fourpillar socioeconomic strategy in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, worth about P1.7 trillion or approximately 9.1 percent of GDP. This includes support to vulnerable groups and individuals, additional resources for frontline medical workers, as well as a slew of ad hoc fiscal and monetary measures.

With this, S&P expects the general government deficit to widen to a historical high of 7.3 percent of GDP in 2020, which will push the net general government debt stock to almost 35 percent of GDP, a level not seen since 2010. Nevertheless, S&P notes that this level of indebtedness is lower than the Philippines’ international peers’.

Strong fundamentals

ACTING National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) Secretary Karl Chua said, meanwhile, that while no country has

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Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • Monday, June 1, 2020 A3

Congress studies extending Duterte’s emergency powers

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie

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HILE Congress is deliberating permanent mechanisms to ease the financial burden of Filipinos, lawmakers are proposing to extend the power of President Duterte under the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act to suspend further the rent and the payment of bills.

House Committee on Ways and Means Chairman Joey Sarte Salceda said Congress can extend the power of the President as more people and businesses default on their payments for utilities and rent.

“That’s the most obvious first solution,” Salceda said. “We are studying what other mechanisms can be enacted—there’s a whole range of possible alternatives, from partial payment schemes to the more complex but market-oriented ones like rent guarantees.”

“While we have made adjustments to the loan payment schedules, there will be defaults because defaults are the inevitable fact of financial crises,” he added.

Jolted

ACCORDING to Salceda, there is a chance that people may default on

their utilities bill, if the behavior of utilities is like that of Meralco’s “shock” bills.

“Some months ago, my suggestion on bills and loans is that we suspend the collection of bills for some time— credit-card payments and loans included—and we spread it out for the rest of the term, or we place the due payments on the back end of the term so that if your lease was, say, for 12 months, you pay the gap month on the 13th month,” he said.

The lawmaker said the Congress must do something “for those who fall through the cracks.”

“I am looking into what we can do. The current Eviction Law makes it a condition that the tenant should have not paid rent for three months before the landowner has grounds to evict the tenant on the basis of nonpayment,” Salceda said. “The twomonth suspension of rent due to ECQ [enhanced community quarantine] makes that a five-month leeway.”

Overdue

ANG Probinsyano Party-list Rep. Ronnie L. Ong, meanwhile, urged banks and utility companies to provide more flexible payment scheme to consumers.

“A lot of bills and monthly payments will be defaulted because of

the impact of the pandemic,” Ong said. “With this, banks and utility companies should give a more flexible payment scheme and maybe just charge interest for now.”

He added a law should be passed to have straight and direct rules on how consumers should follow.

PBA Party-list Rep. Jericho Jonas B. Nograles said it would be unconscionable for residential and commercial lessors to collect rent from lessees for the lockdown months if the lessees did not utilize the leased premises.

“However, if the leased premises were utilized during lockdown, then rent should be paid in accordance with the contract,” Nograles said.

“If, due to financial constraints, the lessee cannot repay rent, then renegotiation for humanitarian reasons should at least be entertained.”

Nograles explained “the fundamental legal question really is whether or not the lockdown should be considered force majeure, an unforeseeable circumstance that prevented any party to fulfill their contractual obligation.

“There are pros and cons to such a general declaration but Congress has yet to debate on that, or a bill, to my knowledge, has yet to be filed on that,” he added.

Zambales prioritizes dredging project to stimulate economy

Vicissitude

FOR his part, Kabayan Rep. Ron P. Salo said that with the economic downturn and joblessness, it is inevitable that many have defaulted and will continue to default on their payment of rent and utilities.

Salo noted that the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act provides that rentals falling due during the quarantine period are given a 30-day extension without incurring penalty and interest.

He explained the subject of rental fees for shops in malls, meanwhile, is addressed by Department of Trade and Industry Circular 20-04, which provides that landlords and owners of business spaces must waive the corresponding rental fees and charges for March 15, 2020, to April 14 2020. These apply to retail stores and establishments located inside malls in the National Capital Region, which were not allowed to operate during the community quarantine.

The Bayanihan law will expire in June unless extended by Congress.

Eviction

ON the other hand, Salo said residential rental rates are governed

by Republic Act (RA) 9653 or the

By Bernadette D. Nicolas

BA, Zambales—As Zambales transitions to general community quarantine (GCQ) beginning June 1, Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. said the provincial government has prioritized a dredging project that would earn hard cash while providing a solution to the perennial problem of flooding in communities near major river systems.

Ebdane said in an online briefing the provincial government must embark on several projects to stimulate the local economy, provide jobs and food security, as well as generate income to the government.

Projects under the economic recovery program include agri-fishery recovery and assistance programs targeting farmers and fishermen, as well as micro and small enterprises.

The dredging project is designed to quickly shore up local revenue, he said.

“We now have to establish programs to generate income for the thousands of displaced workers, including returning OFWs [overseas Filipino workers],” Ebdane said.

“The transition to GCQ was made because of the need for the industries to move, for the economy to recover,” he explained. “It doesn’t mean that there is no more virus around but, simply that the government doesn’t have much money anymore.”

The governor stressed that the provincial government must now rely more on its own resources to boost its finances; which he expects would come from the dredging project.

He said the river dredging project has already been approved by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources late last year. The approval has led to the issuance by DENR of Department Administrative Order 13 (DAO 13) and the screening for qualified operators early this year.

DAO 13 called for the immediate dredging and restoration of the

HE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said more than 80,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic in various locations across the globe received cash, food and medical assistance.

On top of a one-time $200 cash assistance given to OFWs, the labor department said it also distributed food packs, face masks and medicines through Philippine Overseas Labor Offices (POLOs) in 40 foreign posts.

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ZAMBALES Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. is shown in this photo discussing the program to stimulate economic activities, generate jobs and revenue, and ensure food security in the province under the general community quarantine.

natural state and water flow in the Bucao, Maloma, and Santo TomasNaculcol rivers, which had become the channels for billions of cubic meter of Mount Pinatubo pyroclastic deposits on their way to the sea, Ebdane said.

“Every year, the river beds rise by 1 meter. And periodically, the province and the DPWH had to raise the height of the dikes that border these rivers to protect the outlying barangays,” Ebdane noted, adding that the national and local governments spend so much to dredge the rivers and their delta.

“This time, however, it is the government that will be earning from the project,” Ebdane pointed out.

Accordingly, the dredging operators will collect the lahar sand that accumulated at the mouth of the three rivers, thus clearing the delta for a more efficient draining of river water into the sea. The collected materials will be shipped out to buyers outside the country.

Ebdane said that income from the dredging project will go to the national government, as well as the provincial coffers and host towns and barangays. An agreement between provincial and municipal officials would also give shares other towns and barangays not affected by the

project, he added.

In the same briefing, the Provincial Agriculture Office outlined programs geared towards revenue generation in the agriculture and fishery sectors. These included backyard food production program, rice resiliency project, food accessibility and affordability measures, and cash assistance and aid for marginalized farmers and fishermen.

Ebdane said the provincial government’s agro-fishery initiatives ensure the availability, accessibility, and affordability of food for Zambaleños during the continuing quarantine period. However, he acknowledged that there is still a pressing need to establish employment programs for displaced workers like tricycle drivers and returning OFWs. In last Saturday’s briefing, the Zambales Provincial Health Office reported that as of May 30, the province has recorded a total of 24 confirmed Covid-19 cases, with 20 recoveries, one fatality and three active cases.

Ebdane urged his constituents to continue stringent health measures like home quarantine, wearing of mask, sanitizing and disinfecting and social distancing.

The governor said Zambales will continue to enforce border controls and curfew from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Electricity

AS for utilities, Salo said the Energy

Regulatory Commission directed electricity distribution companies to implement a staggered payment scheme amid the lockdown.

He added other major utilities distributor and providers have also voluntarily extended grace periods for payment in order to assist their clients and subscribers during these extra challenging times.

“As a lawyer, I can safely conclude that our laws provide sufficient safeguards for the protection of the interest of both tenant and landlord, the subscribers and utilities providers,” he said. “Outside the legal means, any dispute is best settled through amicable means such as compromise. With our economic concerns, compounded by health risks posed

by Covid-19 pandemic, costly and adversarial litigation must be the last option.”

Salo believes that “going through the courts would unnecessarily expose anyone to health risks.”

He added the DTI Memorandum Circular 20-12 provides added protection to tenants.

Salo said under the circular, no eviction for failure to pay the residential or commercial rent due may be enforced within the 30-day period after the lifting of the ECQ.

DOLE: More than 80k OFWs given assistance

By Henry Empeño Correspondent

Rent Control Act. He added that the process of eviction is governed by the New Civil Code and the Rules of Court. Salo explained that evictions on residential leases “have massive sociocultural impact as these concerns one of our people’s most basic necessities, which is shelter.”

“Before a tenant can be evicted on account of nonpayment of rentals, the landlord must at least give written notices to the tenant demanding compliance with the conditions of the lease [which is to pay rental, among others] and to vacate,” he said.

Salo explained that from the receipt of the tenant of the demand letter, the landlord must allow at least five days for the tenant to comply with the demand pursuant to Section 2, Rule 70 of the Rules of Court.

“In case of continued noncompliance by the tenant, the landlord is not authorized to forcibly evict him,” Salo said adding the remedy is to institute an action for Unlawful Detainer against the tenant before the regular courts pursuant to Rule 70 of the Rules of Court.

As of May 29, the labor department said it has extended assistance to 81,388 OFWs. The DOLE said that of this number, 66,271 are from Middle East and Africa, 3,637 are from Asia and the Pacific while 9,403 are from Europe and Americas.

The Kuwait POLO distributed food packs to 28,179 OFWs, the DOLE said. There were 9,358 and 7,723 beneficiaries in Jeddah and Qatar, respectively.

Meanwhile, the POLOs in the United Arab Emirates reached out to 3,437 OFWs. Of this number, 1,820 beneficiaries are in Abu

Dhabi and 1,617 received assistance in Dubai.

On top of the food and medical assistance, 2,077 OFWs who were found Covid-positive were also given $200 cash assistance by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, the DOLE said. Of the total, 1,937 are land-based and 140 are sea-based OFWs. Lebanon registered the most number of Covidpositive beneficiaries at 1,104.

The labor department said it will continue its campaign to help all onsite OFWs affected by the pandemic, which has reached more than 320,000.

CDO center to enhance PRC’s Covid-testing capacity–Gordon

S

EN. Richard J. Gordon, chairman and CEO of the Philippine Red Cross, expressed optimism that the PRC’s Covid-19 testing capacity will be enhanced by the opening of a testing center in Cagayan de Oro (CDO), which will be built through the generosity of Reckitt Benckiser Healthcare Philippines (RBHP) Inc., the company behind the Lysol brand of products.

Gordon received on Friday the donation for the construction of a molecular laboratory in CDO, which will be equipped with two polymerase reaction chain machines that are capable of running a combined total of 2,000 tests per day.

“We welcome Lysol, one of the biggest companies in the world, as our partner in helping control the spread of Covid-19,” Gordon said. “They are a company who has invested most of their resources to studying pathogens and developing solutions that can kill these [pathogens].”

Aside from donating funds for the facility, RBHP, represented by its general manager in the country, Aleli Arcilla, also donated an equivalent amount to the PRC’s Covid Samaritan fund intended to cover testing costs for indigent Filipinos. The company also donated Lysol products.

“Your generosity will allow us to

THIS photo provided by the Philippine Red Cross shows PRC Chairman and CEO Sen. Richard J. Gordon (center); Aleli Arcilla, general manager of Reckitt Benckiser Healthcare Philippines (Lysol Philippines) Inc. (right); and Lysol Philippines Regulatory Affairs Director Alfred So.

build another testing center and has contributed significantly to our Covid-19 Samaritan fund that will shoulder the processing fees to test around 5,000 Filipinos from the most susceptible groups,” Gordon said. “Thank you and also to Lysol Southeast Asia General Manager Gonzalo Balcanzar.”

The PRC already opened three molecular laboratories in order to ensure victory over Covid by unmasking the virus in order to isolate, conduct contact tracing and treat those who are infected. Two

of the facilities are located in PRC’s national headquarters along Edsa, while the other one is located in its former national headquarters in Port Area, Manila. All three facilities are equipped with four PCR machines each that capable of running a combined total of 12,000 tests per day.

The PRC is also set to open testing centers in Subic, Clark, Batangas, Laguna and Cebu in the next few weeks and several others will be constructed in other areas across the country.

United Nations to allocate $96.2 million for PHL’s battle against Covid

T

HE United Nations will be allocating a total of $96.2 million for the Philippines under its revised Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) response plan in light of the coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

In a statement, the UN said bulk

of the amount, worth $33.5 million, will be allocated to the food security and agriculture cluster.

The other large appropriations will be for health worth $23.2 million, and water, sanitation and hygiene worth $15.5 million.

“The overall objective of the revised HCT response plan is to support the government in containing the spread of the outbreak and decrease deterioration of living conditions of those most vulnerable or at risk in the affected areas,” the UN said.

Most vulnerable

ACCORDING to the UN, the response plan targets 5 million of the most vulnerable people living in Covid-19 hot spot areas as well as those displaced in Mindanao that

will require multisectoral humanitarian assistance.

The response plan includes interventions to earthquake-affected people in North Cotabato and Davao del Sur and to conflict-affected population in Mindanao to address their

specific needs due to the pandemic.

The response approach, the UN said, will frontload humanitarian interventions in the first few months and then transition in the early recovery mode until the end of the year.

Cai U. Ordinario

Agriculture/Commodities BusinessMirror

A4 Monday, June 1, 2020 • Editor: Jennifer A. Ng

www.businessmirror.com.ph

PHL still world’s 2nd largest exporter of pineapples–FAO

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

T

HE Philippines remained the world’s second-largest exporter of fresh pineapples in 2019, with total shipments of over 600,000 metric tons (MT), according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

In a recent market report, the FAO noted that Philippine fresh pineapple exports last year expanded by 50 percent to 667,633 MT, from 447,570 MT in 2018.

The FAO said the Philippines cornered 21 percent of global pineapple trade in 2019. Costa Rica, which shipped nearly 2 million MT (MMT), was still the world’s top exporter of pineapples last year.

The rise in Philippine shipments drove global exports of pineapples in 2019 to increase by 5 percent to 3.2 MMT, the FAO added. ”This expansion is mainly due to a

50-percent increase in exports from the Philippines, the second-largest supplier of pineapples to world markets,” the FAO said.

The FAO attributed the increase in Philippine pineapple exports to area expansion, improved productivity and ”strong increase” in import demand from China. ”Following substantial investments into area expansion and productivity, exports from the Philippines are set to rise to an estimated 670, 000 tons in 2019, thereby reaching an approximate 21-percent global market share,” it said. ”Filipino pineapples of the MD2 variety are well received by the Chinese market due to their high brix levels and the fact that supplies are available year round, while domestic Chinese production remains largely restricted to a two to three month harvesting period between March and May.” �������������������������������� FAO data ����������������������� revealed that the coun-

try’s fresh pineapple exports last year was 55.5 percent higher than its shipment average of 429,260 MT in 2013-2017.

Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data indicated that the country’s fresh pineapple exports last year grew 61.1 percent to 631,486.224 MT, from 391,982.064 MT in 2018.

PSA data also showed that total value of fresh pineapple exports nearly doubled to $324.905 million in 2019, from the previous year’s $164.289 million.

Figures from the PSA indicated that the country’s pineapple output in 2019 grew slightly to 2.747 MMT, from 2.731 MMT in 2018.

“Pineapple registered a 0.8-percent increase in production. There was expansion in harvested area, and lesser incidence of pest and diseases in Northern Mindanao.

Newly opened pineapple areas were also noted in Calabarzon due to high price,” it said.

100K OFWs stranded, overseas jobs dim. . .

In a virtual hearing with the Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) chief, lawyer Bernard Olalia, had disclosed “that only 47 land-based new-hire OFWs and 362 seafarers were deployed so far this year aside from 1,000 BalikManggagawa medical personnel.”

Quoting the POEA, Geslani said the deployment of Filipino workers abroad, both new hires and rehires, has decreased by over 99 percent amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Geslani said the low oil prices seen to persist in the near future and the economic recession even in the more successful Gulf countries means a greatly shrunken market for foreign workers.

“In contrast to past oil-price downward cycles, the coronavirus-induced economic crisis will have a lasting effect on the Gulf economies,” he said.

The pandemic has triggered mass lockdowns in many countries in the world, especially in the Middle East, where millions of OFWs are based.

An estimated 250,000 of them have been displaced and 30,000 so far have returned home.

Geslani sees no positive developments for any major deployment this year except for health workers, who are the subject of debate, given the view in some quarters that keeping them in the country during the pandemic is the greater national interest. Geslani sees no silver lining in the future for the overseas recruitment industry. New markets in Europe are still in lockdown “and even Japan, which is our newest market, has closed its borders to 111 countries, including the Philippines.”POLO report The DOLE said in a statement on Sunday that its command center in Manila recorded a total of 98,615 stranded workers as of May 29, citing reports from the Philippine Overseas Labor Offices (POLOs) in 40 foreign posts.

Of the total stranded, 83,483 are

in the Middle East; 12,050 are in Europe and American region; and 3,082 in nearby Asian countries.

The OFWs deemed stranded are either affected by lockdowns in their respective host countries, or are in distress for some employment-related grievance and are seeking to be repatriated, or those whose work contracts have expired but cannot return to the Philippines due to the absence of commercial flights.

Most OFWs from the Middle East are land-based workers at 83,380, while those in Europe-Americas are mostly sea-based workers at 11,372. Of those in Asia, 2,110 are mostly landbased and the rest, sea-based workers.

Of the total stranded OFWs, about 19,631 have unfinished contracts or are distressed, and needing repatriation in the coming weeks.

The POLOs have so far recorded the repatriation of 36,625 OFWs since the outbreak of the pandemic.

Local quarantine Meanwhile,theDOLEcommandcenter also reported that all of the 24,000plus OFWs held in various quarantine facilities would have been transported to their provinces by Sunday.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III last week ordered the activation of the command center to monitor and direct actions on the repatriation, assistance, reintegration and deployment of OFWs, and prevent a repeat of the seemingly disorderly process in dealing with returning OFWs.

OWWA’s expense: P700M

AS of Sunday noon, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) said that 23,472 OFWs had embarked on the final leg of their long journey to a safe reunion with their families.

OWWA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac said only 488 OFWs were awaiting clearances as of Sunday afternoon.

A l l transpor ted OF Ws were

given clearances after undergoing Covid-19 tests following prolonged quarantine in governmentdesignated facilities.

OWWA has so far spent over P700 million for the repatriation, transport, accommodation and food of the returning OFWs.

Kuwait amnesty

MEANWHILE, 380 distressed OFWs from Kuwait will arrive this week as part of the State of Kuwait’s amnesty program, which started in April 2020.

Two chartered flights arranged by the Kuwaiti government will fly into Manila on Monday (June 1) and on Wednesday, with 190 OFWs onboard each flight via Kuwait Airlines KU417 at 2 p.m.

According to Labor Undersecretary Claro Arellano, 2,277 OFWs were repatriated after the Kuwaiti government decided on March 30 to effect the amnesty program covering all expatriates with expired residency visa, including those with absconding cases provided that they have no travel ban.

“The Kuwaiti government shouldered the airfare costs, including provision for food and accommodation, to qualified OFW availees pending their departure to the Philippines,” said Arellano.

The labor department, through the POLO in Kuwait, closely coordinated with the Public Authority for Manpower and the Ministry of Interior to ensure that qualified OFWs get priority access in the amnesty program of the host government which ended on April 30, 2020. Recruitment industry Meanwhile, sectors related to the OFW market are expected to suffer also from the pandemic-induced fallout. The recruitment industry and collateral businesses employ hundreds of thousands of employees and with the severe lack of business for the past months and for the foreseeable future “it would mean the closure of the

continued from a1

small and medium size agencies whose deployment is less than 200 OFWs a year,” according to Geslani.

He said even agencies that used to deploy thousands of OFWs and household service workers (HSWs) will be forced to cut back on the number of their employees “and may even have to close their provincial branches.”

He described the deployment of OFWs as a multibillion-dollar business, which includes the $35-billion yearly remittance to the Philippine coffers and another $30-billion yearly income from related agencies “both land- and sea-based.”

He said the industry also provides $10 billion worth of business to travel agencies, medical clinics, trade testing, real-estate rentals, airline travel, passports and government agencies such as the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, Social Security System, Pag-IBIG Fund, PhilHealth, National Bureau of Investigation, the Professional Regulation Commission, and Philippine Statistics Authority.

The POEA, which regulates the recruitment industry, may have to downsize “due to the lack of job orders,” while OWWA may see a loss of income from the $25 fee collected from new and rehires in the coming months, Geslani pointed out.

Cruise ships

GESLANI predicts the sea-based industry will lose more than 150,000 seafarers this year with major cruise lines remaining docked in ports until late August or even September this year.

“More than 80,000 cruise-ship members are expected to return home jobless for the next few months or even years,” he said.

The slowdown of the world economy will affect general shipping and many cargo or container ships may have to lay off more workers for lack of business and send home our seafarers too, Geslani predicted.

Salceda sees 9.6% Q2 contraction; pushes 2 bills’ OK. . . continued from a1 He said the government must improve business and consumer confidence to secure a “V-shaped” recovery.

“We will enter positive territory, and achieve a V-shaped recovery if and only if the government does its best to improve business and consumer confidence by actually convincing people that it’s safe enough to buy and sell things,” he said.

“You can’t do that without aggressive and exhaustive mass testing and tracing [by the DOH], and without the right tax and spending signals,” he said.

3-decade legislation

MEANWHILE, Salceda said the urgent passage of reform bills is “the right thing to do for the country.”

In response to criticism that CREATE, the second package of the comprehensive tax reform program, is being “rushed,” the measure’s principal author said Congress has been discussing

it for three decades now.

“We’ve been at it for three decades, and this administration has approved this reform since 2018. I don’t know if anyone can call that rushing, but my first term was in 1998, and every Congress from that year, I have filed some version of this reform. If this passes this year, it will be the culmination of decades’ worth of work, and not some rush to get it done,” he said.

The House tax panel chairman said that as early as 1998, he has already filed the “Subsidy Council Act,” which is “the intellectual ancestor of a performance-based, time-bound, targeted, and transparent regime” under CREATE. “Then as now, I would dare opponents of fiscal incentives reform: show me your financial statements, and let me see how the reform hurts you, so that we can make adjustments. After all, my career before

being a congressman involved analyzing financial statements—so there is nothing there that I will not understand. I’m on my fifth term in Congress now, and no one has taken up that request among all the opponents of the reform,” he said.

“I respect the minority of economists who have reservations about this reform. But the consensus among leading economists and captains of industry has been simple: just get it done now,” Salceda said.

The lawmaker said the country lost $12 billion in investments over the past three years due to the delays. Letting that number increase, at this point, is a sin of policy-making omission, he added.

Economic asylum

AS for the country’s strategy to lure investors seeking “economic asylum” from China due to Covid-19 and USChina trade tensions, Salceda said that

there can be no attracting new investors without ending the uncertainty.

“So, downright, the proposal to delay it is a bad idea. If you were an investor, would you invest in a country that keeps postponing tax policy, or would you go to one where the conditions are more certain? We can add sweeteners when we get there.

Besides, this country has some of the strongest labor and financial fundamentals in the region. And under the new CREATE, there is no chance that we will miss elephant-sized investments like Samsung. But first, let’s get there. After three decades of discussions, let’s pass this now,” he said.

“I can count 16 senators who now support the enactment of CREATE. It’s past the point of a debate on whether it should happen. It will happen. And it will be the right thing to do for the country if it does. Our country will be all the better for it,” he said.

CAB tells carriers to reset flights initially for June 1 ...

continued from a1

The advisory was released at around 7 p.m., and sent to the CEOs and other executives of the Air Carriers Association of the Philippines, Air Juan Aviation Inc., Air Philippines Corp., Airswift Transport Inc. Cebu Pacific, Cebgo, Island Aviation Inc., PAL, AirAsia Philippines, and SkyJet Airlines.

Following the CAB advisory, PAL revised its plans, and announced on Saturday evening that its domestic flights would resume on June 8. Aviation sources intimated CAB had actually approved the flights for June 1, but failed to inform the IATF. CAB officials did not respond to text messages from this paper.

PAL had said it will mount limited international services on routes to the US, Canada, Guam, Vietnam, mainland China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Taipei, Singapore, Japan, the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

However, the airlines said domestic flights on most routes to and from its hub airport in Manila are fewer.

PAL domestic routes out of Manila go to: Basco, Laoag, Legaspi, Puerto Princesa, Busuanga, Bacolod, Cebu, Dumaguete, Iloilo, Kaliba, Caticlan, Roxas, Tacloban, Tagbilaran, Butuan, Cotabato, Cagayan de Oro, Dipolog, Davao, General Santos, Ozamis, Pagadian, Zamboanga.

CEB and Ceb go said it will resume passenger flights on June 2, 2020, with a limited number of domestic flights. “We will continue to work with IATF, as well as other national and local government authorities, on the rules and requirements to resume commercial passenger flights between areas under general community quarantine (GCQ).”

AirAsia said it is set to gradually resume services in the Philippines on June 3 “following the government’s directive of easing community quarantine restrictions in Metro Manila and several parts of the country.”

The airline said, “The resumption of services will initially be for key domestic routes and will gradually increase to include international destinations by 1 July.”

The three air carriers said that, during the interim when flights were suspended, all of them have maintained their fleet properly, following aviation regulations set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (Icao).

“During the hibernation of our fleet, we took the time to step up our handling procedures to ensure that our guests have a swift and safe journey with us. We are well prepared to welcome everyone onboard. As we resume our services around our network, AirAsia is determined to help rebuild our economy and country.” said AirAsia Philippines CEO Ricky Isla.

“All international flights remain

suspended from June 1 to 30, 2020,” Isla added, saying the carrier will provide updates on flight schedules from June 5 onwards PAL said it will operate the Manila to Los Angeles round trip on PR 102/103 from June 8 and June 10, while flight PR 102 and 103 is every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday to take effect on June 11.

For AirAsia, the foreign routes open on June 12, going to Singapore, Xiamen, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Ho Chi Minh.

“The Manila-Hong Kong round trip will take effect on June 13, and 17, 2020, while Manila-Taipei round trip takes effect on June 16, ManilaTokyo-Manila effective June 22 and the rest of Japan routes.”

AirAsia said Middle East flights to Doha, Dubai, Dammam, Riyadh will take effect on June 15.

Miaa ready–Monreal

THE Manila International Airport Authority (Miaa) is ready to accommodate domestic and international flights.

Airport chief Ed Monreal said, “we are all set for the resumption of flights. All facilities are disinfected, social distancing are observed and our operation department and personnel are ready, even our public affairs assisting our senior citizen, and to guide passengers where to go or proceed for airline information.”

Provinces not ready

MEANWHILE, Undersecretary for Tourism Regulation, Coordination, and Resource Generation Arturo P. Boncato Jr. said several provinces in the south sought a postponement of commercial flights to prepare their airports and resorts to host tourists.

Among these are Siargao and Boracay.

“The provincial government of Surigao del Norte would like to prepare for the reopening of Siargao especially dealing with incoming flights and reopening of resorts, etc.

They are working on their protocols,” he said. The province has requested the IATF for a “suspension of regular airport operations up to August 31,” and discourages the entry of tourists, as per the LGU’s Executive Order 20018 issued on May 30.

Boncato added, “The province of Aklan and LGU of Malay are also doing simulations and dry runs for reopening and have yet to announce a reopening date.” Malay hosts Boracay Island, dubbed one of the best beaches in the world. The island is building a Covid-19 laboratory, in anticipation of the tourist influx, said the DOT official.

Other provinces which have also declined to reopen for tourism were Bohol and Baguio. These provinces have been placed under MECQ and as per IATF regulations, are allowed to resume tourism activities.

The World BusinessMirror

Editor: Angel R. Calso

Trump breaks ties with WHO, ends HK special trade status

W

ASHINGTON—President Donald J. Trump has announced that he would withdraw funding from the World Health Organization, end Hong Kong’s special trade status and suspend visas of Chinese graduate students suspected of conducting research on behalf of their government, escalating tensions with China that have surged during the coronavirus pandemic.

ter Trump’s initial announcement calling WHO “absolutely critical to the world’s efforts to win the war against Covid-19.” The UN chief said then that it was not the time to examine how Covid-19 emerged, spread so quickly, and how all those involved reacted. Guterres said “once we have finally turned the page on this epidemic” these issues must be examined.

Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, chairman of the Senate health committee, warned that the president’s decision could interfere with vaccine trials and international cooperation during future outbreaks.

“Certainly there needs to be a good, hard look at mistakes the World Health Organization might have made in connection with coronavirus, but the time to do that is after the crisis has been dealt with, not in the middle of it,” said Alexander, echoing a point made by others, including the head of the United Nations.

Tensions over Hong Kong have increased over the past year as China has cracked down on protesters and sought to exert more control over the former British territory.

Trump said the administration would begin eliminating the “full range” of agreements that had given Hong Kong a relationship with the US that mainland China lacked, including exemptions from controls on certain exports. He said the State Department would begin warning US citizens of the threat of surveillance and arrest when visiting the city.

“China has replaced its promised formula of one country, two systems, with one country, one system,” he said.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo notified Congress on Wednesday that Hong Kong is no longer deserving of the preferential trade and commercial status it has enjoyed from the US since it reverted to Chinese rule in 1997.

It’s not yet clear what impact the decision will have on US com-

panies that operate in Hong Kong or on the city’s position as Asia’s major financial hub, or how China will react to the decision.

“The downward spiral in the bilateral relationship has now reached lows not seen since the June 4, 1989 Tiananmen massacre, and there is little reason to expect things to get better soon,” said Dexter Tiff Roberts, an Asia expert at the Atlantic Council, which publishes nonpartisan policy analysis.

The president also said the US would be suspending entry of Chinese graduate students who are suspected of taking part in an extensive government campaign to acquire trade knowledge and academic research for the country’s military and industrial development.

Allowing their continued entry to the country would be “detrimental to the interests of the United States,” Trump said in an order released after the White House announcement.

Revocation of the visas has faced opposition from US universities and scientific organizations that depend on tuition fees paid by Chinese students to offset other costs and fear possible reciprocal action from Beijing that could limit their access to China.

The president’s order includes exemptions for students whose work was not expected to benefit the Chinese military.

China seemed to signal in recent days that it was hoping to ease tensions. Premier Li Keqiang told reporters on Thursday that both countries stood to gain from cooperation and to lose from confrontation because their economies have become so interconnected.

“We must use our wisdom to expand common interests and manage differences and disagreements,” Li said. Still, the country has insisted that its control of Hong Kong is an internal matter, and it has disputed that it mishandled the response to the virus. AP

Trump has been expressing anger at the World Health Organization for weeks over what he has portrayed as an inadequate response to the initial outbreak of the coronavirus in China's Wuhan province late last year’ The president said in a White House announcement on Friday that Chinese officials “ignored” their reporting obligations to the WHO and pressured the organization to mislead the public about an outbreak that has now killed more than 100,000 Americans.

“We have detailed the reforms that it must make and engaged with them directly, but they have refused to act,” the president said.

“Because they have failed to make the requested and greatly needed reforms, we will be today terminating the relationship.”

The US is the largest source of financial support for the WHO, and its exit is expected to significantly weaken the organization. Trump said the US would be “redirecting” the money to “other worldwide and deserving urgent global public health needs,” without providing specifics.

He noted that the US contributes about $450 million to the world body while China provides about $40 million.

Congressional Democrats said

in April, when the president first proposed withholding money from the WHO, that it would be illegal without approval from Congress and that they would challenge it.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday called the move “an act of extraordinary senselessness.”

Other critics of the administration’s decision to cut funding called it misguided, saying it would undermine an important institution that is leading vaccine development efforts and drug trials to address the Covid-19 outbreak.

“Severing ties with the World Health Organization serves no logical purpose and makes finding a way out of this public health crisis dramatically more challenging,” said Dr. Patrice Harris, president of the American Medical Association.

The WHO declined to comment on the announcement. Officials of the UN agency have not directly addressed a letter that Trump sent to the general director on May 18 warning that he would make permanent a temporary freeze on US funding and reconsider US membership unless it committed to “major substantive improvements within the next 30 days.”

The United Nations reiterated Secretary-General Antonio Guterres” statement on April 8 af-

In world’s happiest nation, teens no longer want to vape

Pope Francis presides over virus prayer in hint normalcy returning

I

n the happiest nation on Earth, vaping has been all but eradicated. Finland’s decision to ban flavors such as strawberry cheesecake and peach tea on e-cigarettes a few years ago appears to have worked. Now, the country is on track to reach its goal of becoming smoker free by 2030.

The world’s top per-capita cigarette consumer in the 1920s, Finland has managed to cut in half the number of smokers over the past 20 years. Vaping is declining among those aged 14 to 17, with under 1 percent of high-school students using e-cigarettes daily. In the US, around 6 percent of high-school kids vape regularly, and 21 percent occasionally.

In 2030, Finland’s government expects that less than 5 percent of the population will regularly consume tobacco products. Now, about 16 percent of working-age men light up each day, and more than half of those who smoke want to quit, according to the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare.

“While tobacco use overall is now declining worldwide, the reduction has been particularly strong in Finland,” Hanna Ollila, a specialist at the health authority, said by phone. “One of the most effective ways to reduce smoking has been taxation. Taxes on tobacco have been raised almost every year since 2009, which has led to a doubling in the average price of cigarettes.”

Finland has also tackled smoking via its education system. Its decision to put mandatory health education on the curriculum as an independent subject at schools since 2001 is “quite unique internationally” and “has played a role in preventing kids from taking up smoking,” Ollila said. Other measures include enforcing smoke-free environments, such as workplaces and restaurants, retail licenses, marketing bans and putting cigarettes under the counter.

Bloomberg News

R

OME — Pope Francis prayed on Saturday for an end to the coronavirus pandemic and the development of a vaccine as he presided over an outdoor gathering that signaled a semblance of normalcy returning to the Vatican after a coronavirus lockdown lasting more than two months.

Francis was joined in the Vatican Gardens by a representative sampling of people on the front lines of the emergency: a doctor, a nurse, a hospital chaplain, a pharmacist, a journalist and a civil protection official.

A recovered Covid-19 patient, a person with a relative who died during Italy’s outbreak, and the parents of a baby born during the emergency also were among the pope’s more than 100 guests for the prayer at the grotto dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

They sat spaced far apart, and most wore protective masks; Francis didn't.

In his prayer, Francis urged Mary to comfort those who lost a love one to the virus. He noted that many virus victims died alone due to hospitals needing to prohibit visitors and that the dead were “buried sometimes in a way that wounds the soul.”

He prayed that doctors and nurses are protected from becoming infected themselves and for God to “illuminate the minds of the men and women of science, so that they find the right solutions

Photo/Alessandra Tarantino

to beat this illness.”

He begged world leaders to act wisely and generously to provide social and economic relief for the many workers who have lost jobs. And he called for the “enormous sums of money used to grow and perfect armaments be instead used to fund research to prevent similar catastrophes in the future.”

The prayer service, held on a cool evening in the verdant Vatican Gardens, marked Francis’ biggest gathering to date since the Vatican followed Italy in locking down in March to prevent virus infections.

During the peak of the outbreak, when churches were closed for services, Francis livestreamed

his morning Masses each day and presided over Holy Week and Easter services without any faithful present. One of the most stirring moments of the outbreak in Italy was his solitary March 27 nighttime prayer for an end to the pandemic in a rain-slicked and empty St. Peter’s Square.

Italy is now opening back up.

Francis is due to celebrate a Pentecost Mass in St. Peter's Basilica on Sunday, albeit without members of the public in attendance. He will then go to his studio window to recite his blessing at noon to the crowds below.

The Vatican says police will ensure the faithful gathered in the piazza keep an appropriate distance apart. AP

A5

China, Hong Kong push back against Trump’s trade threats

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ong Kong’s government said actions threatened by President Donald J. Trump are “unjustified” and that China is within its “legitimate rights” to pursue new national security laws that Beijing says will help quell months of unrest.

Separately, the People’s Daily, mouthpiece of China’s Communist Party, wrote that the plans outlined by Trump at the White House on Friday were “gross interference” in Beijing’s affairs and were “doomed to fail.” In a second commentary published on Sunday on its front page, the newspaper accused the US and Western politicians of “double standards” and “shameless hegemony” for their criticism of the legislation.

And China’s ambassador to the US wrote in a Bloomberg Opinion editorial that the central government has the ultimate responsibility for upholding national security in Hong Kong, and that the proposed legislation “will protect lawabiding citizens.”

The US moves would include stripping Hong Kong of some of its privileged trade status as a result of Beijing’s crackdown on the island, and come as tensions simmer between the world’s two biggest economies over the origins of the coronavirus pandemic and how the Trump administration characterizes China’s role in its spread.

Officials from Hong Kong wrote in a 949-word statement that they’re “not unduly worried” about the sanctions and trade restrictions proposed by Trump. Hong Kong will continue to rely on rule of law, judicial independence, and a free and open trade policy, according to a statement issued on Saturday evening local time.

Officials defended the actions of China’s legislature, which this week approved a plan to draft legislation that China has called essential to national security, and which Hong Kong democracy advocates have said will curb freedom of speech and undermine an independent judiciary.

Those actions, on top of relations fraught by the pandemic, led Secretary of State Michael Pompeo to decertify the former British colony’s autonomy under US law. Trump vowed “strong” and “meaningful” actions while providing few specifics.

The proposed legislation “does not give rise

to fears of the loss of liberties by its people that will warrant international debate or interference by another country” and such fears are “simply fallacious,” the Hong Kong government said in its statement.

“We note with deep regret that President Trump and his administration continue to smear and demonize the legitimate rights and duty of our sovereign to safeguard national security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region which in turn is aimed at restoring stability to Hong Kong society,” the statement said.

Cui Tiankai, China’s US ambassador, wrote on Saturday that Hong Kong was “a romantic fusion of the East and the West.”

“To our regret, such romance is evaporating,” the envoy wrote. The violent actions of protesters against police, citizens and property there had crossed “a red line” for Beijing, he said. “Hong Kong is in disarray. China’s national security is at risk. That is why the central government has chosen to act.”

Hong Kong has been roiled by protests, some of them violent, since last year as demonstrators sought full democracy and police accountability, demands that remain unmet.

The coronavirus pandemic had, until recently, kept protesters at home; larger demonstrations have returned in the past week as people fought controversial legislation to criminalize disrespect toward China’s national anthem and Beijing’s efforts to impose the new security law on the territory, which has had relative autonomy since being returned to China by Britain in 1997.

China’s rubber-stamp legislature on Thursday approved a proposal for sweeping new national security laws for Hong Kong, but it could take Chinese officials months to sort out details of laws banning subversion, secession, terrorism and foreign interference.

The People’s Daily reported that China would be firm in responding to any US moves, without specifying what actions Beijing might take. In Sunday’s commentary it said the proposed legislation is a rightful move to defend China’s sovereignty and compatible with international practice.

Bloomberg News

SpaceX capsule speeding astronauts to Space Station in landmark journey

T

wo American astronauts are cruising to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX capsule, forging a new landmark for Nasa and visionary billionaire Elon Musk.

The Dragon capsule carrying Nasa astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley is scheduled to arrive at the orbiting lab at 10:30 a.m. Eastern time on Sunday, about 19 hours after lifting off from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Approximately 10 million people watched the launch live.

“Today was just an amazing day,” Nasa Administrator Jim Bridenstine said after the launch.

“I’m breathing a sigh of relief, but I’m not going to celebrate until Bob and Doug are home safely.”

The milestone flight marked the first time that humans have traveled to orbit in a commercially developed spacecraft—and the first time American astronauts have flown from US soil since the space shuttle program ended in 2011. The launch comes 18 years after Musk founded Space Exploration Technologies Corp. with the ultimate goal of populating other planets.

‘So proud’

Pope Francis waves as he leaves after a rosary in Vatican gardens on Saturday, May 30, 2020. Pope Francis is reciting a special prayer for the end of the coronavirus pandemic surrounded by a representative sampling of people on the frontlines in his biggest post-lockdown gathering to date. AP

Monday, June 1, 2020

The highest-profile US rocket launch in decades captured interest around the globe, coming at a time when people are clamoring for good news amid the Covid-19 pandemic, surging unemployment and growing US protests against police violence.

President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence were among those who gathered with Musk to watch the spectacle. Trump spoke with the two astronauts prior to the launch and, in a brief exchange with reporters, referred to Musk as one of the “great brains,” according to a pool report.

The rooftop shook as the rocket rumbled to orbit, according to the report. Within seconds, Elton John’s “Rocket Man”—a Trump rally classic—began to play over speakers, the report said.

“They have a long way to go but that’s a very dangerous part of it there,” Trump said. “I’m so proud of the people, of NASA, public and private.

When you see a sight like that, it’s incredible. When you hear that sound—the roar—you can imagine how dangerous it is.”

The launch and the initial phases of the journey proceeded smoothly. The main rocket booster flew back to Earth and stuck the landing on a drone ship—a once-remarkable feat that has become routine for SpaceX. When the astronauts arrive at the space station, they will meet with the Expedition 63 crew members already in residence. Their voyage, known as Demo-2, is the final major test of SpaceX’s human spaceflight system before the National Aeronautics and Space Administration certifies it to fly working missions to the space station.

Boeing Co. is also preparing to carry people to the orbiting lab as part of the same Commercial Crew program at Nasa.

Weather clears

The SpaceX launch was originally slated for May 27, but was scrubbed due to bad weather. While rain showers earlier Saturday briefly raked launch complex 39A, the weather cleared and SpaceX loaded fuel onto the Falcon 9 rocket and moved through a final check of its systems.

Gwynne Shotwell, the company’s president and chief operating officer, said she was “supernervous, stomach-in-throat,” in a television interview from SpaceX headquarters minutes before lift-off. Shotwell and her team monitored the mission from the company’s control center in Hawthorne, California, wearing masks and sitting at carefully spaced terminals.

Successfully carrying humans to space would mark the latest breakthrough for a company known for setting audacious goals. In the decade since the first Falcon 9 rocket reached orbit, SpaceX has eclipsed rivals like Europe’s Arianespace and United Launch Alliance, a Boeing-Lockheed Martin Corp. venture, to grab the lead of commercial launches.

“Launching satellites is nice and we got to bring in more money than we spend, this is important, but ultimately this is life beyond earth,” Musk said at a briefing after the launch, where he recalled how he developed SpaceX with funds he got from PayPal. “Hopefully this is the first step on that journey” for “life becoming multi-planetary for the first time.”

Musk’s space company is valued at about $36 billion, and its bravado and reusable rockets have inspired other entrepreneurs. The competition could get fierce this decade as Blue Origin, founded and funded by billionaire Jeff Bezos, Northrop Grumman Corp., ULA and Sierra Nevada Corp. all bring new spacecraft to market.

‘Numerous providers’

At least that’s the dream for Bridenstine, the Nasa administrator. The US space agency is seeking to change the notion that government must create both demand and supply for spaceflight. He said at a post-launch briefing that Nasa is seeking a business model where it’s not the only customer.

“We want to have numerous providers competing on cost, innovation and safety,” he said in an interview on Bloomberg TV on May 27.

Commercial spaceflight has taken a long time to evolve since 2001, when engineer and entrepreneur Dennis Tito, founder and CEO of Wilshire Associates, became the first private individual to buy a seat to space aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket.

Bloomberg News

A6

Monday, June 1 , 2020 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

Opinion BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

editorial

The new Covid-19 PTSD

I

N a BusinessMirror editorial—“China’s health problem is our problem”—on January 24, we wrote: “Professor Neil Ferguson, an epidemiology expert at Imperial College London, said the new strain is currently as deadly as the Spanish flu epidemic.”

Ferguson, using available data from Wuhan and China in general, created a mathematical model for his conclusions. He had been widely accepted as an expert in this field based on his past experience with other epidemic outbreaks.

However, the statistical problems included relying on the data the Chinese government reported—which were not reliable—and assumptions that were faulty. For example, he assumed that 50 percent of households in which there was a case would not comply with a voluntary quarantine. Further, the algorithms that he formulated have been found to be unreliable in the sense that if even one assumption was incorrect, the model failed. He predicted that by now there would have been 2 to 4 million global deaths.

The actual count is less than 400,000.

The good professor recently resigned from all policy advising positions as he was discovered to have broken the national quarantine—based on his model—to have some “quality time” with his married mistress.

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a genuine and serious mental health condition defined as “mental and emotional stress occurring as a result of severe psychological shock.” We all have probably experienced even a mild form of PTSD. The rumbling vibrations of a passing truck can trigger an emotional and physical response even months after we went through an earthquake. However, there’s kind of another side to PTSD that can affect us.

As the Covid-19 pandemic has spread around the world, we were told to mentally and physically prepare for the absolute worst.

However, estimates even as early as the beginning of March made by various sources in the Philippines were actually more accurate.

They were based on adherence to the length of time of the lockdown, and effectiveness of the enhanced community quarantine.

Yet one study by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies in April gave a super worst-case scenario—meaning no ECQ of any sort or testing/tracking—of 19 million cases and 1.7 million Filipinos dying of Covid-19. There is absolutely nothing wrong in this type of forecast. We need to know how bad things can become and we all tried to prepare for it.

Thankfully, it now appears that the worst is over and the Covid-19 apocalypse did not happen. But we are all looking over our shoulder to make sure the monster that we were told was coming is not lurking in the shadows. That is a problem. Who wants to be the first in line at the nearest beauty salon or barbershop?

Our trip to a big mall on Sunday revealed that many retail stores are open. Distancing measures for whatever they are worth were in place, with elevators limited to three passengers. You could not enter the doughnut shop, but you can get your ordered goodies from its limited menu at the door. Mall foot traffic seemed to be about 20 percent to 30 percent of normal for a Sunday afternoon.

The economic question though is how long is it going to take for our post-quarantine PTSD to dissolve? Maybe that question will be answered when the first “Three-Day Sale” comes around at the mall.

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BusinessMirror A broader look at today’s business

The side effects of technology on our children Atty. Jose Ferdinand M. Rojas II

RISING SUN

Conclusion

S

ince children are spending more time in front of the screens because of distance learning, it is now up to the parents to balance screen time or online time with family bonding activities and offline tasks, for the sake of everyone’s well-being.

A British teacher named Andria Zafirakou suggests looking at what materials you have at home and to create lessons based on these.

Drawing activities, making collages, spending time in the garden (drawing or writing or actually gardening), having conversations and laughing together are just some of the easy examples.

Experts said there is always something parents can do to mitigate the harm related to their kids having too much online time.

Thomas M. Orbos

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STREET TALK

T. Anthony C. Cabangon Lourdes M. Fernandez

If parents can help it, they should delay, for as long as possible, giving their children mobile devices.

Sure, they can use the laptop or the computer for their online classes, but use should be limited to that to avoid gaming addiction or exposure to restricted content, for example.

Parental control plays a big role on whether a child will experience the above mentioned cyber risks or not.

Parents must remain vigilant now more than ever.

It wouldn’t be practical to tell children, don’t play online. But it is very important to teach them how to calculate screen time and to inform them about the side effects of too much screen time. Ideally, chil-

Turning parking lots into parks

✝ Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon Chua Publisher

On the issue of cyber safety and the children’s increased exposure to risks—such as cyberbullying, fake news, gaming disorders, privacy issues, online sexual behavior, reputational risks, among others—stakeholders need to start looking into establishing regulatory measures to make sure our children are protected.

Some experts are calling for a “global framework for the protection of children’s data” and are starting to ask questions like “how are children’s information being used?”

If parents can help it, they should delay, for as long as possible, giving their children mobile devices. Sure, they can use the laptop or the computer for their online classes, but use should be limited to that to avoid gaming addiction or exposure to restricted content.

W

E all hear about the resurgence of open spaces in the light of the need for social distancing brought about by the pandemic. It may be one of the good things that will come out of this tragedy given that in the past years, our societies had been finding ways and means to decongest our habitats to increase the quality of our lives. The question is—where do we find the open spaces in the urban jungle of Metro Manila?

City administrators worldwide are grappling with the very same question as they are beginning to allow the opening of businesses and the resumption of commuter travel while pursuing the containment of the virus. And while you have residents tired of the lockdown and impatient to go out of their residences, there is still a lot of hesitation and fear in going back to their normal lives. Public transport has given in to bike commuting and pedestrian usage with a several fold increase projected in the next few months as commuters avoid the dense environment of the trains and buses.

On the other hand, despite malls and restaurants opening up, only trickles of the public reluctantly are coming in to what once were their familiar

grounds. In turn, sprouting all over these cities are open-air cafés and flea markets that are now more preferred by the public.

Thus a major reshaping of the cities, impromptu as the case may be, is now happening. And though most cities especially those in the first world economies had more than adequate public parks and other public spaces even before the Covid era, the need for open space has become more pronounced with a social distancing requirement dictating it.

These cities are getting such additional breathing areas from almost everywhere. Once traffic filled roads are now cordoned off and converted into bike lanes. Unused sports arenas are now being converted into open air markets. Restaurants are allowed

to take over the adjacent sidewalks for their open-air extensions. A “liberate the golf courses” movement is happening in some cities, targeting specifically public golf courses where it is now being contemplated to allow non-golfers to use the courses for leisurely walks and runs. And informal and unsaid as it maybe, cemeteries and graveyards are now seeing more visitors and activities during these times.

So where indeed can we find open spaces in Metro Manila to allow the needed social distancing for our residents? With bikers and pedestrians, the government is moving in the right direction with the opening up of bike lanes even in major thoroughfares—unheard of in the past. Hence, it is now supposedly safe to bike to work from Quezon City to Makati.

But authorities can do more. Curbside can immediately be converted to widen sidewalks in many areas, especially with the increase of pedestrians that are avoiding mass transportation. Military camps and public golf courses can also be opened up, especially if we are only talking about pass through bikers and pedestrians.

Other resources now in abundance because of the drastic reduction in urban outdoors activities are the commercial parking spaces.

These you can see in the central business districts in Metro Manila catering then to office workers and mall shoppers who have now mostly

dren should be able to self-manage their screen time. This is the work of DQ World, an online educational platform developed by DQ Institute founder Yuhyun Park.

DQ stands for “digital intelligence,” a term pioneered by Park, a trained statistician. The DQ Institute measures child online safety around the world through the Child Online Safety Index. DQ World offers modules on skills like critical thinking and screen time to cyberbullying and privacy. It would be worth your while to read more about the work that the DQ Institute is doing to make sure that we’re all being careful about rushing to implement a technology that is yet unproven.

Technology and online learning are not the culprit. It is the lack of knowledge, lack of discipline, and uncontrolled digital use that are harmful for children and their families. Parents must also realize that since they cannot be watching their kids 24/7, it is then very important to equip them with the ability to think independently to discern the risks and make the right decisions when they are online.

shifted online. These are now eerily vacant with parking lot demand at maybe 70 percent to 80 percent decrease from pre-Covid usage. These can be perfect for public gatherings that require social distancing.

Imagine Salcedo market, though not congested as how it was, now being done daily. Market offerings by both established and informal producers can be patronized by the public in such an open-air environment.

Brick and mortar restaurants can now use these for al fresco dining or drive-thru orders. Evening concerts can be held as well as drive-in movie theaters. And why not, maybe drivein religious exercises can be held in these grounds. On a more permanent note, these parking spaces even be converted to urban farms utilizing hydroponics, which is more suitable in our urban environment.

The pandemic has indeed pushed us to look for open spaces—an idea we knew we needed in Metro Manila even before, but remained ignored. It will not be a difficult task to do now, not just because of the necessity but also because of the availability of spaces that can be converted immediately for such a use.

Thomas Tim Orbos was former DOTr undersecretary for roads and general manager of the MMDA. He is currently undertaking further studies at the McCourt School of Public Policy of Georgetown University. He can be reached via e-mail at thomas_orbos@sloan.mit.edu

Opinion BusinessMirror

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Supply Chain Management 101

Master Teacher in the digital world

I

These coming days, learning can be difficult to both the teacher and the student, but it is not impossible. Teachers just have to be creative. We need to reorient our mindsets and accept that the traditional teacher-centric teaching method can, and will likely, be replaced with an equally effective online studentcentric learning method instead.

In contrast, the role of education is just as critical since the future will be impacted by the way our youth is educated. For me, we can never postpone or cancel an academic year of education for the sake of public health.

There are so many other ways where education can be carried out despite limited face-to-face interaction.

Being in the academe for more than 20 years now, I have both witnessed and adopted different teaching methods to help my students learn. As millennials these days are tech-savvy, learning can even be enhanced. There are a good number of Internet-based applications for education available for the taking.

In the public school environment where some students would not have access to decent Internet connection, school materials can be sent home for reference with teacher involvement by phone or pre-recorded video lectures. For this new way of doing things, however, technology is just the means and learning is the end.

about four professor-student interactions (PSI) online via Zoom. Instead of my usual scribbled notes in the school whiteboard, I present to them key points via PowerPoint as I share my screen during the PSI. Despite the lack of physical interactions, I believe I can still assess the performance of my students with the hope that they are learning what we have discussed through the mechanisms of quiz feedback and PSI. These coming days, learning can be difficult to both the teacher and the student, but it is not impossible. Teachers just have to be creative. We need to reorient our mindsets and accept that the traditional teacher-centric teaching method can, and will likely, be replaced with an equally effective online student-centric learning method instead.

In history, one Master Teacher radically changed the teaching methods that prevailed during his time. He was a creative storyteller with lots of credibility, whose stories shocked and awed many of his students and listeners. He used quite a lot of hyperbole not only to get his students’ attention but also to definitely get his lessons across.

He taught not within the confines of a classroom, but in any place where people would want to listen to him.

He asked a lot of questions to his students similar to a law professor.

An avid promoter of visual communication, he made use of various tangible aids to communicate his message visually. Once he employed

Siegfred Bueno Mison, Esq.

THE PATRIOT

Jovy Jader

DEBIT CREDIT

C

urfews, lockdowns, quarantines, and stay-at-home orders brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic created an awareness on how our food supply operates.

Farmers harvest produce such as fruits and vegetables and food factories process them as packaged food.

Middlemen such as wholesalers and distributors buy the produce and deliver the packaged foods respectively.

Retailers such as supermarkets, wet markets, mom & pop sari-sari stores, and convenience stores buy the produce and packaged foods from middlemen to sell to consumers. In between them all are depots, cold storage facilities, and warehouses, which act as stocking areas, buffers, and in-transit points for transport providers.

Welcome to the realm of the Supply Chain! It is a network of suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, retailers down to the final consumers characterized by three streams of flow: Goods Flow. Goods move from suppliers to the final consumers. This is where transportation and warehousing play a vital role.

Information Flow. Information is needed on where the goods are.

It ranges from how many and how much, what are the prices, what’s the quality like, what are the conditions and terms of contracts and payment.

And so forth.

Cash Flow. It’s the exchange of capital and funds between consumers, customers, and suppliers, which makes the supply chain crucial.

Anything that we consume requires a supply chain. Designing, planning and executing the supply chain is called Supply Chain Management.

This is not a new concept.

Ever since humans started to trade, there was a supply chain. It is the arena where goods are exchanged, where all kinds of merchandise are delivered, and payments are transacted. It is a connected system of buyers and sellers that form relationships and actively do business with one another as they agree on things like price, quantity, and terms of payment.

What makes the supply chain complicated are the multiple numbers and layers of suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers, storage and transportation providers that participate.

And we should not fail to mention the financial institutions such as banks, investment firms, and insurance agencies that under-write the supply chain’s transactions of capital. And we do not also exclude the underlying technologies that speed the flow of both goods and data. Coupled with all these is the variable demand and the upsurge in brands and stock-keeping units that add to the complexity.

A sudden shortage of face masks at the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic caught practically all global organizations by surprise. The large spike in demand outstripped supply. There were not enough materials and vendors could not quickly

Monday, June 1, 2020

Ever since humans started to trade, there was a supply chain.

It is the arena where goods are exchanged, where all kinds of merchandise are delivered, and payments are transacted. It is a connected system of buyers and sellers that form relationships and actively do business with one another as they agree on things like price, quantity, and terms of payment. respond. Laborers were limited, more so that many were forced to stay home under quarantine or to avoid risk of infecting coworkers.

The shortages cascaded from procurement, to production, to logistics in which lockdowns prevented people from showing up to drive trucks or prepare goods.

In food producing regions, local lockdowns delayed deliveries to cities. People had difficulties selling and buying. There were shortages and at the same time there were surpluses.

We need to remind ourselves that the supply chain is about interconnections.

Factories need raw and packing materials, manpower, spare parts, supplies, as well as water, electricity, and fuel. Safety and health items such as personal protective equipment have become prominent in the mustneed list of items. One company discovered the need of sleeping bed mattresses to house employees that had difficulties going home or going to work at the height of pandemic quarantines.

Retailers (e.g. supermarkets, groceries, convenience stores) have realized the intricate needs for manpower and merchandise to keep their store shelves stocked, cash registers manned, and shopper traffic controlled given the speculations of consumers especially with the uncertainties of their purchasing powers.

Other sectors like the construction industry, which are labor-intensive in nature and may not seem vital, are significant contributors to the national economy. If the clients aren’t present, their supply chains cannot prosper, if not survive. Every supply chain needs the presence of suppliers and customers.

Supply Chain Management will evolve in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Practitioners need to be reminded of the interconnections and realize the intricacies and risks.

Expertise will be key in the emergence of businesses, big or small.

The good news is that the talent is available. We are ready to serve.

Mr. Jovy Jader is a Supply Chain Advisor and Consultant on Supply Chain Management. Mr. Jader is the coauthor of the book Speed Kills...Your Competition: Driving Growth Through Supply Chain Excellence. His e-mail address is jjader@prosultsconsulting.com.

T has been said that there are seven pillars of society, namely religion, family, business, education, government, arts and entertainment, and media. Some add an eighth pillar—sports and culture. While others cut them down to just five fundamental pillars: respect for the human person, the institution of the family, fair and effective law and government, universities and economic organizations. Whether it is seven, eight, or five, I concur with the proposition that government and education are the two pillars that differentiate societies that simply survive from those that thrive. The role of government cannot be overstated as things at present are affected by decisions of policy-makers. What has been done or not done during the 75 days (thus far) of community quarantine were largely, if not solely, dictated by government leaders. In the days to come, all of us will depend not on what we may think is best for us, but rather, on what those in government think is best for the general welfare of society.

In Ateneo Law, for instance, the leadership has decided to apply an online learning philosophy, which largely depends on three essential ingredients—content, teacher, and student. Primarily asynchronous, online learning can be designed in such a way that the focus is not on teachers’ lectures but on students’ tasks or assignments. For instance, since the lockdown started, I have administered seven quizzes to my law students via Google Drive. As soon as I upload the quiz, they answer in real-time since I can actually see what they write while they are encoding their answers. I can also see when they actually submit their answers, seeing the time stamp when their file was last edited or uploaded. Checking their quizzes takes more time though, as I try to give them more than just the right answer. I even give them tips on how to answer any law exam question in the process.

In my freshmen class, we’ve had

Bloomberg Opinion

A

N overwhelming majority of Hong Kong residents said they oppose a controversial new security legislation that China plans to impose on the city, a move that has generated criticism from western democracies amid concerns over basic freedoms in the financial hub.

Results released on Friday showed

that 96 percent of 9,477 pro-democracy supporters in the semi-autonomous city opposed the laws, according to a survey released by Hong Kong Public Opinion Program. Of 1,186 respondents identifying themselves as supporters of the government, only 29 percent rejected the legislation while 62 percent supported it, the survey said.

The results came the same day Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam issued a letter to the city’s

an actual child to teach child-like faith. He treated his students as his masters one time to teach the principle of servant leadership. He crafted some catchy sayings, the most widely known perhaps is what we now know as the Golden Rule. In the Bible, Luke 6:31 tells us that the Master Teacher said, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.”

The lesson sticks! We all remember!

Online learning can be just as effective as the traditional way of teaching. So, for educators like me, if we want to be an effective teacher, in the advent of this New Normal, let’s model our methods after Jesus, the Master Teacher. As inspirational author Andy Stanley says, “Memorable is portable.” If our students remember what we tell them, then they have learned the lesson. Believers learn and apply lessons from the Master Teacher all throughout their lives. In the same vein, our students will carry the lessons they have learned from us wherever they go now, and, more important, in the future. As teachers to their own children, parents are reminded to “Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.”(Proverbs 22:6) Society depends on us to teach our students and our children effectively as much as our country depends on them in the future as influencers in any of the pillars of society—religion, family, business, education, government, arts and entertainment, sports and culture, and media.

A former infantry and intelligence officer in the Army, Siegfred Mison showcased his servant leadership philosophy in organizations such as the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, Malcolm Law Offices, Infogix Inc., University of the East, Bureau of Immigration, and Philippine Airlines. He is a graduate of West Point in New York, Ateneo Law School, and University of Southern California. A corporate lawyer by profession, he is an inspirational teacher and a Spirit-filled writer with a mission.

For questions and comments, please e-mail me at sbmison@gmail.com.

Could Opec+ become a victim of its own success?

By Julian Lee | Bloomberg Opinion

W

ith oil prices roaring back, the Opec+ output cuts are undoubtedly doing their job.

But they’re due to be reviewed in a little over a week, and the unwieldy group needs to ensure the fault lines between its de facto leaders, Saudi Arabia and Russia, don’t resurface.

We all know what happened last time they couldn’t agree on the way forward. For now, the results of the collaboration are almost too good to be true. In the first month of execution, the level of compliance achieved by most of the 20 countries that signed up to the deal has been astonishingly good. That may be a sign of their desperation as crude prices plunged below zero, or a reflection of the struggle to sell cargoes in a world where demand has collapsed.

Perhaps not surprisingly, countries outside the deal have played their parts too, as economic forces drove oil companies to slash output. But the extent of the moves is eye-popping. Weekly data show US production down by 1.6 million barrels a day, or 12 percent, in two months. The real drop may be even bigger, as the Energy Information Administration can only make its

supply and demand estimates balance with a -999,000 barrel-a-day “adjustment factor.” That’s the biggest negative potential-adjustment number ever and at least some of it is almost certainly an overestimation of production. In Canada, production in Alberta has fallen by a quarter, or 1 million barrels a day.

Things are definitely moving in the right direction, but the question is how producers should respond.

The view from the Moscow office of Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak is that all of the output cuts, combined with recovering Chinese oil demand, will bring global supply and demand back into balance in June or July. That may be glossing over the details a little too quickly.

It’s really too soon for producers to relax. The demand recovery has yet to take hold in the US or Europe, or in much of Asia beyond China. Fuel consumption in India is currently about 40 percent below last year’s levels, while in the US, a surprise second dip in demand in last week’s data means it remains about 25 percent lower than at the same point last year.

Producers should keep this in mind as they prepare to meet again in another series of virtual gatherings on June 9 and 10, to assess the effectiveness of the output deal and

confirm their next steps.

They’ll have plenty to celebrate, not least the recovery in oil prices.

They need to exercise caution, though. The temptation to begin raising production is all too seductive, but the recovery in oil prices should not be taken as a license to open the taps—especially since it’s being helped by the extracurricular efforts of some in-group members.

Saudi Arabia and its neighbors decided earlier this month to make additional output cuts in June, beyond those already agreed. That could take another 1.2 million barrels a day off the market and send Saudi Arabia’s oil production as low as 7.5 million barrels a day next month, a level not seen for 20 years, except in the immediate aftermath of the attacks on Saudi oil processing plants last year.

Still, some in the Opec+ group, most noticeably Russia, are eager to stick to the deal they agreed to in April and to begin reopening the taps at the start of July. A challenge for Opec+ is that it has every right to do so. Their hard-fought deal has built-in sunset clauses that allow participants to start easing their restraint in July. If they do, that could trigger the rapid return of anywhere between 2 million and nearly 4 million barrels a day of oil supply.

Most Hong Kong residents oppose national security law

By Dominic Lau, Karen Leigh & Iain Marlow

A7

people asking them to support the legislation, which has sparked the biggest street protests since last year and fresh concerns about the city’s future autonomy from China.

The law “will only target an extremely small minority of illegal and criminal acts and activities, while the life and property, basic rights and freedoms of the overwhelming majority of citizens will be protected,” Lam wrote in an open letter posted to the Hong Kong government

web site on Friday.

Her appeal came the day after China’s legislature, the National People’s Congress, approved a proposal for the sweeping new measures. In doing so, it defied a US threat to respond strongly to a proposal democracy advocates say will curb essential freedoms in Hong Kong. China could now take months to sort out the details of laws banning subversion, secession, terrorism and foreign interference before they’re given to Hong Kong’s

Beijing-backed administration to promulgate.

Lam, who previously defended the legislation even as calls for protests grew, asserted in her letter that Hong Kong’s citizens would continue to enjoy freedoms of speech, the press, assembly and demonstration.

Protests against China’s increasing grip rocked Hong Kong for months last year, but were effectively halted as the city grappled with the coronavirus pandemic. Demonstra-

Luckily other participants seem more cautious, and Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates may be among them. One idea that has been floated is to revise April’s agreement and extend the May-June production targets all the way to the end of the year. It’s a suggestion that hasn’t found favor in Moscow.

But Saudi Arabia and Russia—the group’s biggest producers by a large margin—appear to be trying to avoid another conflict. For this coming round, the two countries agreed to closely coordinate during a phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman last week.

They have held similar talks before previous Opec+ meetings.

But it wasn’t so long ago that Russia’s refusal to accept deeper output cuts being pushed by Saudi Arabia led to the collapse of talks altogether and triggered the market-share battle that saw the kingdom boost production above 12 million barrels a day— and we all know how that ended, with storage being filled to near capacity and the lowest oil prices in 20 years.

After April’s hard-won deal, it’s up to the Opec+ group to make sure it’s not a short-lived success story now that the imminent threat of collapsing oil prices has receded.

tors have gathered multiple times since China’s announcement that it planned to enact the security legislation, defying virus-induced limits on public gatherings.

Some of them chanted for independence, a clear red line that Beijing used to justify passing the laws.

“Hong Kong has become a gaping hole in national security, and our city’s prosperity and stability are at risk,” Lam wrote, saying she saw outside influences at play.

A8 Monday, June 1, 2020

PPP projects vital to Covid response were shelved

By Cai U. Ordinario

@caiordinario

T

WO projects under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) initiative that would have allowed the Philippines to better cope with the ill effects of the pandemic were shelved in 2013 and 2014.

In a recent Stratbase forum, former PPP Center Executive Director Cosette Canilao identified the projects as the P453-million Vaccine Self-Sufficiency Project and the P693.4-million Establishment of Cold Chain Systems Covering Strategic Areas in the Philippines. These were shelved in 2013 and 2014, respectively.

The Vaccine Self-Sufficiency Project, Canilao said, was shelved as a PPP project in favor of using government funds while the funding for the cold chain project was shifted to Official Development Assistance (ODA) from the Korean government.

“When I was still with the PPP Center, we actually developed two projects that are very critical to what’s happening right now. I really hoped that if that progressed then we would really have mitigated some impact of this Covid-19,” Canilao said.

“I hope government can revisit these projects.”

In 2013, Canilao told this newspaper that the Department of Health (DOH) decided to undertake the Vaccine Self-Sufficiency Project through the regular procurement system rather than via PPP. Back then, Canilao said the DOH expressed interest in proposing a PPP for digital cancer centers, which she had thought then would not maximize the potential of a full-blown PPP project. Based on the latest PPP Center project list, a project under development is the University of the Philippines’s Philippine General Hospital Manila Cancer Center.

The PPP Center said the project will include design, financing, construction, equipping and maintenance and operation of the first comprehensive cancer care center in the Philippines as a PPP.

Peza okays 26 fresh projects as virus lockdowns are eased

T

By Elijah Felice E. Rosales

@alyasjah

HE Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza) has approved 26 fresh projects that will bring in over P13 billion in new capital and generate nearly 20,000 jobs, as investors take their next steps now that quarantine restrictions nationwide are eased.

A total of 26 projects were given the green light by the Peza Board last week in its first ever meeting since the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ ) in Luzon.

These projects, to be put up in various economic zones across the archipelago, will inject P13.1 billion in investments and employ 19,894 workers once operational.

More than two-thirds of the 26 projects was tendered by foreign firms mostly from the United States, Japan, Taiwan and China, while the remaining one-third was submitted by local investors.

Peza Director General Charito B. Plaza said her agency approved the proposals in response to the need to maintain the country’s competitiveness in this coronavirus pandemic. She added that the projects will not only bring in capital and generate export income, but also provide jobs to thousands of Filipinos at a time many are getting displaced.

“Indeed, the Philippines continues to maintain and attract [the] trust and confidence of investors and business groups whether in terms of new or expansion projects,” Plaza said in a statement.

Based on latest records, there are a total of 408 economic zones nationwide housing 4,542 locators that employ roughly 1.6 million workers. However, hundreds of firms that shut down operations due to the ECQ have yet to resume again.

Citing a survey as basis, the Peza reported that around 65 percent of economic

Crash

INVESTMENTS applied to the Peza in the first quarter crashed almost 28 percent to P16.49 billion, from P22.9 billion during the same period last year, as not a single peso was recorded in March with board members unable to convene.

The Peza is coming from two consecutive years of double-digit declines and is trying to recover this year by growing investments by 10 percent.

Last year, investments registered with the agency slipped by at least 16 percent to P117.54 billion, from P140.24 billion in 2018, on uncertainties arising from the government’s move to rationalize fiscal incentives.

DOLE backs stimulus, jobs bills T

Cold storage vital

Meanwhile, Canilao said, the cold storage project would have helped the Department of Agriculture (DA) improve its food logistics system. It can be noted that at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, farmers encountered problems in bringing their produce to Manila.

The project was designed to provide cold storage facilities for farmers bringing their produce to Manila from Benguet and some parts of Southern Luzon.

But in 2014, the DA pulled out the project to be funded by “DA’s other programs,” Canilao told the BusinessMirror. The project was removed from PPP funding together with the P400-million Grains Central Project, the funding for which was shifted to a joint-venture agreement with National Agribusiness Corp. (Nabcor). “[Using PPPs that were designed before could] save government two to three years in putting together its own pipeline of projects via a mode that they’re more comfortable with. However, we are where we are and I think [it will be good] for us to use private participation to revive the economy. I hope the government will focus on the projects that are already at the advanced stages,” Canilao said.

In a statement in 2011, the PPP Center said the Vaccine Self-Sufficiency Project was expected to reduce the overall cost for the DOH’s annual vaccine procurement by at least 20 percent to 30 percent.

This means government could have saved approximately P240 million to P360 million out of the P1.2billion annual purchase cost of the vaccines.

It also aimed to accelerate local vaccine production by establishing facilities for the local formulation, packaging and labeling of pentavalent vaccine (Diptheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Hepatitis B, Haemophilus Influenza B), Tetanus Toxoid, and single-dose Hepatitis B. The cold chain PPP project, meanwhile, was initially envisioned to be directly managed by the DA, intends to reduce postharvest losses and maintain an inventory of quality perishable goods, stabilize food prices, and promote food safety consciousness.

The project initially involved the construction and operation of Cold Chain Centers in major production and consolidation areas of agri-fishery products of the Benguet-Manila cold chain route.

Activities include precooling, packaging, handling, transportation, storage, and distribution, among others, for high-value crops such as fruits and vegetables, cut flowers, fishery, livestock and poultry meat products.

zone locators are now operating either in full, with skeleton force or in work from home arrangements.

On the other hand, about 35 percent of firms are keeping their plants shut without a definite calendar for reopening. The poll was conducted in May, the month when quarantine restrictions were extended for the third and fourth time, and gathered the insights of 2,634 respondents.

A METRO Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT 3) train is seen on Edsa, as MRT 3 management conducts a “new normal” dry run in preparation for the capital region’s transition on Monday (June 1) to general community quarantine status in an easing of Covid-19 lockdowns. NONOY LACZA

BLGF eyes 30% cut in LGU collections

By Bernadette D. Nicolas @BNicolasBM

T

HE Bureau of Local Government Finance (BLGF) is projecting at least a 30-percent reduction in its collection target this year in light of the pandemic, which could translate into a potential lower target than its goal in 2019.

The original target of the attached agency of the Department of Finance originally set a P307.08-billion collection target this year for all provincial, city and municipal treasurers.

This year’s original target was 19 percent higher than last year’s original target of P257.58 billion, composed of own-source revenues of local government units (LGUs) from real-property tax (RPT), local business, and other taxes, fees and charges, and receipts from operations of local economic activities and enterprises.

Asked if this would mean that the new target for this year would be revised downward to P214.96 billion, BLGF Executive Director Niño Raymond B. Alvina told the BusinessMirror: “Potentially, if computed against the aggregate target of all LGUs [local government units].”

However, Alvina pointed out that the sum of the individual reductions in the target may be higher or lower depending on several factors.

“We are looking at a possible minimum reduction of 30 percent target, but the actual reduction per LGU will depend on: [i] their collection performance vs targets for full years of FY2018 and FY2019, and of Q1 FY2020 when Covid-19 crisis started, and [ii] the severity of impact of Covid-19 crisis on LGU finances, as we note that the expenditure requirements vary individually,” he said. “It’s likely that higher reductions will occur in urbanized local governments. We will also consider the individual requests of LGUs received before ECQ [enhanced community quarantine].”

The deadline for the fourth quarter reports of LGUs was moved to June 15 while the deadline for the payment of local taxes, fees and charges was extended until June 25.

Of the original P307.08-billion collection target this year, the bulk was expected to come from local business and other taxes at P126.19 billion or 41 percent, followed by real-property taxes at P107.19 billion or 35 percent; fees and charges at P43.91 billion or 14 percent; and P29.79 billion or 10 percent from receipts from economic enterprise of LGUs.

HE Department of Labor and Employment is backing the early approval of multibillion-peso stimulus funds for workers and for job generation to restart the economy.

The labor department expressed its support for the early passage of two stimulus bills pending in Congress —the P1.3-trillion Accelerated Recovery and Investments Stimulus for the Economy (Arise) bill and the P1.5-trillion Covid-19 Unemployment Reduction Economic Stimulus (CURES) Act of 2020.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said in a statement on Sunday that the passage of the Arise bill will enable the government to extend wage subsidies to workers and help them recover from the effects of the pandemic.

Mainly sponsored by House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Albay Rep. Joey Salceda and Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo, the Arise bill, formerly called Philippine Economic Stimulus Act (Pesa), seeks to allot a total of P140 billion for wage subsidies and “cash for work” under the department’s enhanced Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (Tupad) program. Of the P140 billion, P110 billion will be allotted for wage subsidies while P30 billion will be earmarked for the enhanced Tupad program.

Overall, the Arise bill seeks to earmark P1.3 trillion for the government to utilize post-lockdown efforts. It aims to inject cash in various sectors to keep the economy afloat, inserting at least P650 billion for an expanded infrastructure program on health care, education and food security.

The labor department also threw its support behind the CURES Act of 2020, which also included its proposal of a Barangay Emergency Employment Program (BEEP) to generate employment and mitigate unemployment due to Covid-19 and ensure income for formal and informal sectors during the post-pandemic recovery stage.

The labor department’s BEEP proposal seeks to ensure income and employment retention for formal workers and provide wage amelioration and other unemployment benefits to freelance and self-employed workers, including the repatriated OFWs. The program is seen to benefit workers in tourism, transportation, trade and industries, and those working in the priority programs of the government. It will also cover freelancers and self-employed individuals and repatriated OFWs. Aside from this, the DOLE said the CURES bill shall fund “shovel-ready” infrastructure projects.

Proposed by Deputy Speaker Luis Raymund F. Villafuerte Jr., 2nd District Representative of Camarines Sur, the CURES Act of 2020 aims to provide an economic stimulus package that assures a sustainable employment and an improved economy through investments on public works, such as hospitals and other health-care facilities, digital infrastructures for health-care management and public education, agriculture, and road networks. Both the Arise and CURES bills are already pending for second reading approval of the House plenary. Bernadette D. Nicolas

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Companies BusinessMirror

Monday, June 1, 2020

B1

Pandemic prompts Phoenix to slash costs, 2020 capex

By Lenie Lectura

P

@llectura

hoenix Petroleum Philippines Inc. said it has reduced its capital expenditure (capex) this year by half to P1.5 billion in its bid to conserve cash while the country is grappling with a health crisis.

“We are cutting capex to P1.5 billion and focusing on projects that are immediately revenue generating. We will continue to work to put the company on firmer financial footing as we have done in the past year,” said Phoenix Chief Financial Officer Concepcion de Claro.

The listed-independent oil player has earlier programmed a capex of P3 billion.

Like other oil firms, Phoenix is implementing measures to conserve cash, reduce operating expenses (opex) and shore up working capital.

It could realize about P800 million in savings “mostly sourced from marketing, advertising and travel as we shift resources from

traditional channels to digital.”

“These cost actions will help keep our capex in line with the expected weaknesses in demand this year,” said de Claro.

Moreover, the company is committed to achieving its deleveraging goal of less than 2.25 x pe (priceto-earnings) ratio and maintaining a 1.1x current ratio through the shortening of cash cycle, which as of end-2019 was at 66 days, by progressing on collections, incentivizing early payments and bringing down inventory days.

Phoenix also intends to align its debt maturities with its long-term assets for more flexibility.

“Despite the near-term pressures and uncertainties today, we

are confident that the business plan we have, which is investing more on higher margin and higher growth businesses such as retail and LPG [liquefied petroleum gas], and the financial discipline will not only preserve resources but also ensure that we will remain well positioned and will thrive when the industry recovers,” said de Claro.

Meanwhile, Phoenix Pilipinas Gas and Power Inc. (Phoenix Gas) and United States-based Mesa Natural Gas Solutions LLC are set to introduce gas-powered genset units in the country next month.

Mesa is manufacturing the gensets while Phoenix will be in charge of the business in the country.

“We are happy to share that amid the ongoing crisis, Phoenix Gas and Mesa have finished developing our gas-powered gensets, which are now en route to the Philippines for utilization," said Phoenix Gas President Henry Albert Fadullon.

“We are optimistic about the future of these types of gensets in the country, and we hope that this will signal the revolution towards a cleaner and more reliable power source.”

For the pilot run, three genset units, each with a maximum capacity of 350 kilowatts, were produced.

The generator sets are compact-designed, mobile, and custom-engineered to help businesses continue their operations, especially those that are in remote areas and those struggling to get a reliable power supply due to the consequences of the ongoing pandemic.

The units will also use propane rich LPG, a clean, reliable, and more sustainable power source, to function, which will be supplied

by Phoenix LPG Philippines Inc. Primarily targeting to serve companies in the hospitality and manufacturing businesses, the Phoenix Gas-Mesa gensets are designed to enable remote performance monitoring on a real-time basis. Its technology also includes an on-site troubleshooting feature, if the need arises.

In December 2019, the two companies signed a partnership to promote the use of gas in the country, and to contribute to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ initiatives on Clean Development Mechanism.

PSE to reopen Taguig trading floor

By VG Cabuag @villygc

T

he trading floor of the Philippine Stock Exchange Inc. in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, will open on Monday as Metro Manila transitions to a less restrictive general community quarantine.

The floor which serves as the trading hub of more than 60 percent of stockbrokerage firms has been closed since March 19 following the lockdown measures issued by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

“While our floorless or offsite trading from March 19 to May 29 has proven to be efficient and

Commuters may pay bus fare via GCash

F

inancial technology (fintech) player GCash has partnered with AF Payments Inc. to enable commuters to pay for their Edsa bus fares through their mobile phones, a move that will help buses keep with new regulations amid the so-called new normal.

With the partnership, a GCash user need only to generate a QR code from his app and have it scanned on the beep handheld terminal.

“We believe that through our platform, we are able to help the government reduce the spread of the virus and provide commuters with a safe, secure, and very convenient way of paying for their transport needs,” said GCash VP and Head of Payments Jovitt Bajar.

He explained that this innovation reduces the need for cash handling and cuts face-to-face interaction between transport personnel and commuters.

Government regulations now require public transport operators to implement cashless fare collection systems to reduce the risk of spreading the virus through physical contacts.

“Cashless is really the future, and it is being accelerated at an unprecedented pace due to the pandemic. As a pioneer and leader in the fintech space, we at GCash are ready to support the growing demand for digital payments solutions, especially in crucial services such as public transport,” said Bajar.

GCash recently partnered with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board to enable taxis to collect fares through their mobile phones. Lorenz S. Marasigan

seamless, we decided to reopen and resume trading on the floor to convey a strong message to the investing public that things are back to ‘normal’ in the capital markets,” said PSE President and CEO Ramon S. Monzon.

“Hopefully, the optics of the reopening will contribute to the restoration of the general public’s much needed confidence in the recovery of our economy.”

Monzon noted that the brokers who were vacated from the trading floor upon the imposition of the enhanced community quarantine in Metro Manila by the IATF had to look for alternative sites where they could transfer their trading operations.

“This caused them to incur

additional expenses for rental, employee board and lodging and connectivity costs. With the reopening of the trading floor, the brokers would be finally be spared from these incremental and substantial expenses,” said Monzon.

The PSE said it will observe the health and safety guidelines for the workplace prescribed by the IATF, the Department of Health, and the Department of Labor and Employment.

PSE will do temperature checks on the traders prior to entry in the floor and midway through the trading session. Traders will also be required to submit daily health declarations prior to entry.

To comply with social distancing requirements, only one trader

per booth will be allowed compared to two or three traders per booth before. All persons inside the trading floor will be required to wear masks at all times and no congregation in any area within the floor will be allowed.

PSE said it also provide hand sanitizers at strategic areas on the floor and will diligently perform the disinfecting protocols.

“The above measures may be inconvenient and troublesome but we trust the traders will understand and appreciate that all these are being done to safeguard their health and well-being,” said Monzon.

The PSE will continue to observe shortened trading hours, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., until further notice.

Bacolod court orders arrest of Yanson siblings

By Roderick L. Abad @rodrik_28 Contributor

T

he Municipal Trial Court of Bacolod City has ordered the arrest of four Yanson siblings, including five others, for the alleged grave coercion case filed by the other faction of the family over the management of Vallacar Transit Inc. (VTI), the country's largest bus company.

Judge Abraham A. Bayona of Branch 7 of the Municipal Trial Court of Bacolod City greenlighted the issuance of the arrest warrant against Emily Yanson, Roy Yanson, Ricardo Yanson Jr., Maria Lourdes Celina Yanson Lopez, Jerica Leanne Ramos, Jerina Louise Ramos, Ma. Judy Alcala, PGen. Noli Romana and PCol. Jomil John Trio.

Bayona recently released the order during a hearing last May 29 of Criminal Case No. 20-0334459 for the charge of grave coercion against the accused.

In a prev ious order d ated March 10, the judge found probable cause against the Yanson siblings and their collaborators for the crime and set their bail at P36,000, each. Arraignment

of the accused is set on July 10.

“After careful evaluation of the resolution of the investigating prosecutor and the supporting documents pursuant to Section 6[b] in relation to Section 6[a] of Rule 112 of the Revised Rule on Criminal Procedure, the court finds probable cause exists and that there is a necessity of placing the accused under the immediate custody so as not to frustrate the ends of justice,” Bayona said in his order.

A family feud is brewing between the Yanson siblings—the Matriach side, Olivia Yanson and her son Leo Rey Y. Yanson, and the so-called Yanson Four—over the ownership of the company.

The said case stemmed from the four Yanson siblings' takeover of the management of Vallacar Transit last year with the four Yanson siblings, backed by the security guards of A-Y 76 Security Specialists Inc., took possession and control the bus liner's main office on July 7, 2019.

On July 7, 2019, the four Yanson siblings held a meeting and unseated Leo Rey as the president of the bus company, with Roy Yanson, the eldest brother, taking over.

Leo Rey, with the support of his mother, Olivia V. Yanson and sister Ginnette Y. Dumancas, refused to step down.

A series of stockholders meeting of the units of Yanson bus groups between the two camps were held in t he succeed ing months after the incident, with each of them declaring their own set of board of directors.

E s t a bl i s he d i n 19 6 8 , t he 52-year-old Vallacar Transit was founded by the late Ricardo Yanson Sr. and wife Olivia. It is considered the largest bus company in the Philippines transporting goods and 700,000 passengers daily. It is the company behind Ceres Liner, Ceres Tours, Sugbo Transit and Sugbo Tours.

The company has 15 terminals across Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao. The Yanson Group, the parent company, operates 4,800 bus units run by 18,000 employees, and has its main office in Bacolod City.

The Securities and Exchange Commission already warned the two factions to avoid dishing out misinformation to the public as this will negatively impact not only the warring factions but also the investors, the consumers and the overall market. With VG Cabuag

Health crisis cuts Megawide income in January-March M

egawide Construction Corp. said it had a net income of P206 million for the first quarter of the year ending March, some 27 percent lower than last year’s P282 million.

“We are building on the strong performance of all our segments for the full year of 2019 and the first quarter of this year. Moving forward, while we anticipate challenges created by the Covid-19 pandemic, we are also primed to take advantage of the new opportunities it has created,” said Edgar Saavedra, Megawide chairman and CEO. Revenues for the quarter rose 42 percent to P5.06 billion, from last year’s P3.56 billion, mainly on the recovery of its construction business.

The construction business continued to rebound as revenues increased 52 percent yearon-year to P3.9 billion, despite the imposition of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) across Luzon in the second half of March, it said.

The global onset of Covid-19 affected both international and domestic travel early in the year with the imposition of travel restrictions. As a result, airport revenues declined by 10 percent to P803 million for the quarter as total passenger volume fell by 21 percent to 2.4 million. Domestic segment fell 16 percent at 1.7 million passengers while the international segment declined 29 per-

cent to 742,000 passengers.

The landport delivered P287 million in revenues for the quarter, despite the suspension of terminal operations under the enhanced community quarantine guidelines towards the second half of March.

The Parañaque Integrated Transport Exchange served as a public service convergence point for free transportation for healthcare workers and frontliners fighting Covid-19 around Metro Manila.

“The new normal emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic presents several challenges for our businesses yet unlocks exciting opportunities in construction and infrastructure development, which we are in a very strong position to line up for,” said Saavedra.

“In the construction segment, the government’s infrastructure acceleration under the modified ‘Build, Build, Build’ program will be very attractive, considering our fully-integrated EPC [engineering, procurement, construction] capabilities, engineering technologies like precast and track record in PPPs [public-private partnerships].”

For 2019, Megawide's income plunged 45 percent to P1.04 billion, from the previous year's P1.89 billion. Revenues rose 24 percent to P19.78 billion from the previous P15.99 billion. VG Cabuag

Experts push for utility, rent payment schemes

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

T

he Covid-19 pandemic could cause more problems for landlords and utilities, as Filipinos who lost their job may not be able to pay rent and electricity and water bills, according to local economists.

Citing figures shared by the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda), Ateneo Center for Economic Research and Development (ACERD) Director Alvin P. Ang noted that 44 percent of nongovernment workers lost their jobs.

The consequent loss of income, Ang said, would make it difficult for these workers to meet their financial obligations. He said this is the impetus behind ACERD’s proposal for a “lifeline subsidy.”

“This is expected given the situation. Without deferred payments or payment schemes, they won’t be able to meet their obligations,” he said.

“We also proposed that these workers be provided with a lifeline subsidy for four months, equivalent to P2,000 per household."

However, Ang said the delay in the release of the Labor Force Survey (LFS) survey results will make it difficult to make estimates as to the number of households that will miss payments.

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said the LFS was one of the surveys that were affected by the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) that has been in place since mid-March.

Initially, the PSA was not granted an exemption by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID). The PSA will release the results of the survey before the end of June.

“It’s better to wait for the LFS. Everyone is blind now. That’s why its difficult to estimate,” said Ang. University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) economist Peter Lee U agreed with Ang’s statement that many households are expected to miss rent payments and will not be able to pay their utility bills.

He said he is hoping utilities would consider “spreading out their collection as an act of solidarity with many of their fellow Filipinos.”

He told the BusinessMirror it was difficult to determine the kind of payment schemes that would benefit households given that there was no “one size fits all formula” that can be used by households and firms.

“In these times, I think, we really have to appeal to all to do what they can and sacrifice where they can for our countrymen. Even President Duterte appealed to landlords for exemptions,” said U. “I am sure some will abuse and take advantage. But I think many more Filipinos will rise to the occasion.”

However, Former Energy Secretary Raphael P.M. Lotilla told this newspaper that he does not expect many consumers to default on payments, especially for essential items, such as utilities and housing. Lotilla also said there are many safety nets, particularly in the case of the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco). He said Meralco offers discount rates for households consuming 100 kilowatt per hour (kwh) and below monthly.

Households consuming 20 kwh and below per month, he said, receive a 100 percent discount from Meralco. “For non-lifeline customers, distribution charge and energy tax are graduated. So there are many safety nets.”

Based on the consumer survey conducted by Neda, around 44 percent of the respondents said their income was not enough to meet their basic needs. The survey also showed that a total of 1.127 million workers in the top 10 most affected sectors have already lost their jobs during the ECQ period.

The construction sector posted the highest job losses at 689,974 followed by education with 130,514; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles, 74,758; tourism, 51,446; and finance and insurance activities, 41,027.

The other sectors that made up the top 10 hardest hit sectors were arts, entertainment, and recreation which lost 39,446 jobs; sports and fitness, 31,547; professional, scientific, and technical activities, 24,579; repair of other items, 23,364; and real estate, 20,964.

The Neda conducted its consumer survey between April 5 to 8 this year. A total of 389,859 Filipinos took part in the survey.

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Companies BusinessMirror

Monday, June 1, 2020

PSE STOCK QUOTATIONS

May 29, 2020

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

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

47.1 100.1 66.3 18.9 6.08 35.2 8.79 17.02 21.15 43.3 16.34 81.7 53.75 0.67 15.6 2.32 0.93 0.285 0.6 167.1

47.45 100.4 66.4 18.92 6.45 35.25 9.89 18.44 21.5 43.5 16.5 82.6 53.95 0.76 16 2.54 1.04 0.305 0.63 171.6

45.55 92 63.95 18.88 6.55 34.8 8.75 17 20.85 43.5 16.48 86 53.9 0.67 16.1 2.33 0.99 0.3 0.61 170

47.5 100.4 66.3 18.94 6.55 35.2 9.89 17 21.95 43.5 16.5 89.4 53.95 0.67 16.1 2.33 1.06 0.305 0.64 173.9

45.2 92 63.05 18.86 6.08 34.4 8.75 17 20.8 43.5 16.3 81.7 53.75 0.67 15.6 2.32 0.93 0.3 0.6 167

47.45 100.4 66.3 18.9 6.08 35.2 9.89 17 21.5 43.5 16.5 81.7 53.75 0.67 15.6 2.32 0.95 0.305 0.63 171.6

19000 17,339,760 1 9905920 257100 7031500 10127700 12100 300 167200 1000 144900 23,754,380 1 3830 26000 5200 2000 105000 80000 66000 4430

877020 ,702,089,067.5 649420715 4854608 43219593 354808360 106339 5100 3552670 43500 2369364 ,972,484,593.5 205887 17420 81510 4650 103650 24050 40180 752572

284740 301501926 16901382.5 -1841190 -23011868 58596864.9996 607300 1648 -660517694.5 -72028.5 -

INDUSTRIAL AC ENERGY 2.17 2.18 2.14 2.19 2.14 2.18 1223000 2657130 0.84 0.93 0.84 0.84 0.84 0.84 1000 840 ALSONS CONS ABOITIZ POWER 27.6 27.8 26.6 27.8 26.15 27.8 3151400 86883330 BASIC ENERGY 0.161 0.166 0.161 0.166 0.161 0.166 20000 3270 20.4 20.5 20.3 20.6 20.2 20.4 3618500 73976705 FIRST GEN 54 54.15 54.15 54.15 53.9 54 23730 1282591 FIRST PHIL HLDG MERALCO 281.6 283 273.4 283 270.4 283 714360 199934764 11.22 11.6 11.96 11.96 11.22 11.22 5049400 57857428 MANILA WATER 2.82 2.9 2.9 2.95 2.82 2.82 4607000 13198730 PETRON PETROENERGY 2.25 2.4 2.42 2.46 2.4 2.4 257000 622430 11.2 11.46 11.18 11.5 11.16 11.5 222700 2513916 PHX PETROLEUM 17.12 17.16 17.1 17.28 17 17.12 1152400 19696536 PILIPINAS SHELL 7.89 7.9 7.72 7.96 7.72 7.89 43800 342616 SPC POWER VIVANT 12.1 15 12.04 12.04 12.04 12.04 200 2408 7 7.09 7.29 7.3 6.98 7.09 433800 3083333 AGRINURTURE 2.53 2.54 2.58 2.58 2.54 2.54 662000 1685920 AXELUM BOGO MEDELLIN 73 83.7 73 73 73 73 170 12410 14.98 15 15.22 15.22 14.96 14.98 296000 4434904 CENTURY FOOD 4.4 4.52 4.54 4.54 4.45 4.5 26000 116540 DEL MONTE 4.55 4.64 4.48 4.8 4.48 4.55 8382000 38434400 DNL INDUS EMPERADOR 7.82 7.83 7.8 7.84 7.8 7.83 1259900 9829098 63.9 64 62.95 64.75 62.8 63.9 277820 17783341.5 SMC FOODANDBEV 0.56 0.57 0.57 0.57 0.56 0.57 152000 86140 ALLIANCE SELECT FRUITAS HLDG 1.24 1.25 1.26 1.26 1.23 1.25 3000000 3728190 GINEBRA 29.2 30.15 30 30.3 29 30.15 63000 1833880 108.7 110.3 116.5 118.8 108.7 108.7 13572400 1504297030 JOLLIBEE 40 42.5 40 40 40 40 400 16000 LIBERTY FLOUR MAXS GROUP 5.54 5.55 5.5 5.9 5.45 5.54 1520600 8525531 1.88 1.89 1.9 1.9 1.88 1.89 947000 1788960 PEPSI COLA 5.8 5.95 5.61 6 5.61 5.8 1946800 11376778 SHAKEYS PIZZA ROXAS AND CO 1.8 1.81 1.72 1.83 1.72 1.8 3023000 5362300 RFM CORP 4.26 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 1000 4500 1.35 1.48 1.43 1.48 1.4 1.4 45000 64070 ROXAS HLDG SWIFT FOODS 0.103 0.111 0.103 0.103 0.103 0.103 10000 1030 130.5 131 125.5 131 125.1 131 2688890 349899093 UNIV ROBINA 0.78 0.79 0.79 0.8 0.77 0.79 14052000 11151510 VITARICH 2.21 2.34 2.36 2.36 2.36 2.36 1000 2360 VICTORIAS CEMEX HLDG 1.06 1.07 1.07 1.07 1.05 1.06 2711000 2872840 EAGLE CEMENT 8.13 8.24 8.18 8.24 8.09 8.24 96200 783251 4.45 4.46 4.46 4.48 4.42 4.46 1295000 5765970 EEI CORP HOLCIM 7.67 7.68 7.68 7.75 7.6 7.68 318200 2449453 MEGAWIDE 4.75 4.95 5.05 5.1 4.75 4.75 14295900 69127693 8.31 8.76 8.5 8.77 8.5 8.77 1100 9377 PHINMA 0.73 0.76 0.73 0.78 0.73 0.76 90000 65780 TKC METALS VULCAN INDL 0.62 0.63 0.63 0.63 0.63 0.63 88000 55440 2.2 2.28 2.15 2.28 2.12 2.2 567000 1259480 EUROMED 3.3 3.4 3.4 3.4 3.4 3.4 3000 10200 MABUHAY VINYL PRYCE CORP 4.3 4.52 4.32 4.32 4.3 4.3 144000 619680 CONCEPCION 21.55 24.5 24 24.5 24 24.5 1400 34150 1.61 1.62 1.56 1.64 1.54 1.62 8957000 14297010 GREENERGY 5.43 5.44 5.39 5.7 5.3 5.43 87900 484991 INTEGRATED MICR IONICS 1.1 1.12 1.15 1.15 1.07 1.12 271000 299820 PANASONIC 4 4.65 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 2000 9000 1.25 1.26 1.23 1.26 1.2 1.26 1484000 1834530 SFA SEMICON CIRTEK HLDG 7.2 7.21 7.4 7.6 7.2 7.2 1800500 13304413

-623060 15450355 -31533945 -605204.5 7477612 -35771966 -4913990 2601434 20952 63260 22970 3621974 -13500 -2709540 -9360000 10354958 249440 -400227907 2674905 -1671900 -5550711 -313280 110605812 -8800 38160 113335.0003 35760 15320 -38524159 73860 -408690 142510 -61426 -22199.9999 172124

HOLDING & FRIMS ABACORE CAPITAL 0.47 0.475 0.48 0.49 0.47 0.47 2610000 1237350 7.87 8.08 8 8.06 7.85 8.06 34800 275590 ASIABEST GROUP AYALA CORP 731 747.5 687 747.5 675.5 747.5 1362450 999873345 ABOITIZ EQUITY 42.9 42.95 40.6 42.9 40.6 42.9 3756700 160425290 5.99 6 5.98 6.02 5.97 6 4284400 25701787 ALLIANCE GLOBAL 1.58 1.59 1.58 1.59 1.57 1.58 1241000 1958380 AYALA LAND LOG ANSCOR 6 6.1 6.2 6.2 6 6 16500 99800 0.57 0.58 0.58 0.58 0.56 0.58 2134000 1217620 ATN HLDG A 0.59 0.6 0.59 0.6 0.59 0.6 619000 367600 ATN HLDG B COSCO CAPITAL 4.83 5 5.1 5.2 4.83 4.83 5687100 27896392 DMCI HLDG 3.94 3.96 3.95 4.05 3.9 3.94 52828000 208410580 383.4 387 370 387 365 387 667170 253004062 GT CAPITAL 3.2 3.28 3.21 3.25 3.2 3.25 53000 170180 HOUSE OF INV JG SUMMIT 48.6 48.8 48.2 48.95 47.75 48.8 6180700 301188675 0.53 0.55 0.52 0.56 0.52 0.53 77000 41870 LODESTAR 2.39 2.4 2.5 2.5 2.4 2.4 3502000 8411000 LOPEZ HLDG LT GROUP 7.87 7.88 7.78 8.05 7.77 7.88 2373100 18775325 METRO PAC INV 2.88 2.89 2.84 2.89 2.79 2.89 76466000 218975740 2.63 3 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.7 9000 24300 PACIFICA HLDG 0.81 0.82 0.8 0.83 0.8 0.81 1299000 1052650 PRIME MEDIA SM INVESTMENTS 893.5 915 837 915 835 915 1216260 1096838610 95.3 96 96 96 95 96 152450 14593933.5 SAN MIGUEL CORP 0.65 0.71 0.65 0.65 0.65 0.65 21000 13650 SOC RESOURCES SEAFRONT RES 1.79 1.98 1.79 1.79 1.79 1.79 1000 1790 134.2 135 135 137 134.2 134.2 4010 541382 TOP FRONTIER 0.176 0.18 0.177 0.18 0.176 0.176 1120000 197860 WELLEX INDUS 0.137 0.145 0.145 0.145 0.145 0.145 10000 1450 ZEUS HLDG

-232200 356428530 12134830 -11163514 15700 72000 238220 1507064.9996 31069770 -71212004 -122180 -18327595 -3008470 -2930 9212790 242392510 -4671375 -

PROPERTY ARTHALAND CORP 0.49 0.5 0.48 0.5 0.48 0.5 247000 120080 7.37 8.9 8.9 8.9 8.9 8.9 100 890 ANCHOR LAND AYALA LAND 32 32.05 32 32.1 31.35 32 60551300 1933252480 ARANETA PROP 1 1.01 1 1.05 1 1 123000 123260 1.33 1.35 1.35 1.38 1.32 1.35 591000 793700 BELLE CORP 0.54 0.55 0.54 0.56 0.54 0.54 988000 539570 A BROWN CEB LANDMASTERS 3.64 3.69 3.66 3.7 3.63 3.69 953000 3512330 0.365 0.375 0.35 0.375 0.35 0.375 14160000 5162650 CENTURY PROP 0.255 0.28 0.26 0.26 0.26 0.26 60000 15600 CYBER BAY DOUBLEDRAGON 16.02 16.3 16.4 16.86 16.02 16.02 666800 10831912 DM WENCESLAO 6.4 6.57 6.43 6.52 6.38 6.38 339100 2191163 0.27 0.295 0.275 0.3 0.27 0.275 6500000 1849250 EMPIRE EAST 0.115 0.12 0.12 0.121 0.11 0.12 11480000 1337670 EVER GOTESCO FILINVEST LAND 0.9 0.92 0.94 0.94 0.9 0.9 22167000 20044030 0.78 0.79 0.79 0.79 0.78 0.78 236000 184160 GLOBAL ESTATE 9.82 10 9.8 10.02 9.8 9.82 6200 61250 8990 HLDG PHIL INFRADEV 0.81 0.82 0.8 0.83 0.77 0.82 10485000 8139530 3.42 3.66 3.5 3.66 3.5 3.66 2000 7160 KEPPEL PROP 0.7 0.71 0.71 0.71 0.71 0.71 10000 7100 CITY AND LAND 2.82 2.85 2.75 2.85 2.71 2.85 47672000 134446300 MEGAWORLD MRC ALLIED 0.141 0.143 0.141 0.143 0.139 0.143 3030000 424830 1.46 1.48 1.44 1.48 1.44 1.48 11000 15970 PRIMEX CORP 14.78 14.8 14.46 14.78 14.26 14.78 6446100 95020380 ROBINSONS LAND PHIL REALTY 0.222 0.236 0.223 0.223 0.222 0.222 130000 28920 2.56 2.61 2.56 2.61 2.56 2.56 145000 372130 SHANG PROP 1.86 1.9 1.9 1.9 1.89 1.9 212000 402700 STA LUCIA LAND 30 30.15 29.6 30.15 29.2 30.15 27177200 815054590 SM PRIME HLDG VISTAMALLS 3.57 3.6 3.69 3.69 3.6 3.6 9000 32670 1.15 1.16 1.13 1.15 1.13 1.15 1991000 2286590 SUNTRUST HOME 3.25 3.44 3.55 3.55 3.25 3.25 6119000 20014400 VISTA LAND

373269720 -3273530 145000 -5082056 108600 -342370 -8540640 13110640 11832174 -28060 -29411865 -6073400

SERVICES ABS CBN 14.6 14.7 14.5 14.88 14.42 14.68 365500 5346230 4.78 4.79 4.8 4.8 4.73 4.79 295000 1408930 GMA NETWORK MANILA BULLETIN 0.365 0.375 0.365 0.365 0.365 0.365 60000 21900 2260 2294 2190 2294 2180 2294 596745 1360829880 150513430 GLOBE TELECOM 1252 1275 1210 1275 1204 1275 377970 477705660 54717030 PLDT 0.039 0.041 0.04 0.041 0.04 0.041 8100000 325200 APOLLO GLOBAL DFNN INC 2.78 2.85 2.85 2.85 2.85 2.85 31000 88350 2.24 2.25 2.21 2.26 2.18 2.25 21882000 48938070 2271560 DITO CME HLDG 0.074 0.077 0.07 0.079 0.07 0.074 1140000 85090 ISLAND INFO JACKSTONES 1.52 1.86 1.86 1.86 1.86 1.86 2000 3720 1.69 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.65 1.7 494000 830450 NOW CORP 0.17 0.175 0.165 0.174 0.165 0.174 610000 104680 TRANSPACIFIC BR 2.21 2.23 2.1 2.29 2.04 2.21 1908000 4125980 -4960 PHILWEB 2GO GROUP 9.25 9.32 9.25 9.32 9 9.25 22500 206782 15.72 16 16.18 16.18 16 16 15300 244854 -244854 ASIAN TERMINALS 3.11 3.12 3.08 3.11 3.02 3.11 344000 1055760 CHELSEA CEBU AIR 36 36.05 35 40.9 35 36.05 2228500 82527530 -31753890 INTL CONTAINER 87.7 87.8 82.9 89 82.9 87.7 4369510 378567720.5 28489008.5 13 13.5 13 13 13 13 800 10400 LBC EXPRESS 4.11 4.12 4.46 4.65 4.11 4.11 19994000 85,352,840( 38,648,740.0004) MACROASIA METROALLIANCE A 2.45 2.47 2.51 2.55 2.4 2.45 1175000 2896120 6.71 6.72 6 7.05 6 6.71 205100 1374348 -93483 PAL HLDG 0.77 0.78 0.85 0.85 0.77 0.78 132000 102270 HARBOR STAR BOULEVARD HLDG 0.024 0.025 0.025 0.025 0.024 0.025 8100000 195500 0.375 0.39 0.365 0.39 0.35 0.385 680000 254550 WATERFRONT 5.6 6.27 5.56 5.6 5.56 5.6 800 4464 2240 CENTRO ESCOLAR 0.275 0.28 0.29 0.29 0.28 0.28 9450000 2683200 -1838850 STI HLDG BLOOMBERRY 6.17 6.2 5.9 6.32 5.88 6.2 20446500 126013296 33545145 1.8 1.89 1.89 1.89 1.89 1.89 9000 17010 PACIFIC ONLINE 1.41 1.45 1.42 1.42 1.41 1.41 108000 152650 LEISURE AND RES PH RESORTS GRP 2.3 2.47 2.5 2.61 2.5 2.61 36000 92150 0.285 0.29 0.29 0.3 0.29 0.29 6560000 1909300 203000 PREMIUM LEISURE 5.35 5.36 5.48 5.5 5.3 5.36 14965500 80531033 -413861 ALLHOME METRO RETAIL 1.52 1.53 1.54 1.57 1.52 1.52 1563000 2399920 -155000 PUREGOLD 45.85 46 46 46 45 46 81733900 3755471505 506275845 67.55 67.7 67.5 68.95 67 67.7 270920 18338789 -6399170.5 ROBINSONS RTL 127 130.5 127.1 130.8 127 127 1450 185373 74973 PHIL SEVEN CORP SSI GROUP 1.13 1.14 1.1 1.15 1.1 1.13 1892000 2106280 -1267710 WILCON DEPOT 15.2 15.98 15.76 16.18 15.2 15.2 3993700 63403640 31022274 0.285 0.29 0.29 0.29 0.285 0.285 310000 89500 APC GROUP EASYCALL 6.45 6.74 6.44 7 6.44 6.74 30100 198827 285 290 290 290 290 290 1010 292900 GOLDEN BRIA 0.192 0.201 0.2 0.205 0.192 0.192 1360000 272640 PRMIERE HORIZON 5.35 5.4 5.5 5.5 5.13 5.4 59000 314524 SBS PHIL CORP

MINING & OIL ATOK 9.71 10.18 10.2 10.2 9.7 10.18 31700 309829 APEX MINING 0.89 0.9 0.9 0.91 0.89 0.89 717000 644970 0.001 0.0011 0.001 0.0011 0.001 0.0011 1156000000 1158000 -5500 ABRA MINING 0.88 1.24 1.09 1.24 0.92 1.24 95000 105950 BENGUET A 0.172 0.18 0.186 0.186 0.179 0.18 90000 16210 COAL ASIA HLDG CENTURY PEAK 2.68 2.71 2.68 2.71 2.68 2.71 100000 269800 0.72 0.73 0.73 0.74 0.73 0.73 712000 519890 FERRONICKEL 0.198 0.205 0.2 0.201 0.197 0.201 170000 33980 GEOGRACE LEPANTO A 0.075 0.078 0.075 0.075 0.075 0.075 410000 30750 0.54 0.55 0.53 0.56 0.53 0.55 146000 79040 MARCVENTURES 1 1.01 0.98 1.01 0.98 1 49000 49000 NIHAO 1.5 1.52 1.51 1.54 1.48 1.52 5792000 8765640 -4521130 NICKEL ASIA PX MINING 2.2 2.27 2.28 2.28 2.2 2.27 216000 483200 22670.0002 11.02 11.38 11.5 11.5 11.02 11.02 409500 4570934 -2268022 SEMIRARA MINING 6.32 6.49 6.53 6.53 6.31 6.49 685700 4449902 649 ACE ENEXOR ORNTL PETROL A 0.0084 0.0086 0.0086 0.0086 0.0086 0.0086 1000000 8600 0.0085 0.01 0.0085 0.0095 0.0085 0.0095 6000000 54000 ORNTL PETROL B 0.0079 0.0082 0.0079 0.008 0.0079 0.008 6000000 47900 PHILODRILL 4.57 4.59 4.78 4.78 4.54 4.59 951000 4399650 393030 PXP ENERGY

PREFFERED AC PREF B1 500 502 500.5 500.5 500 500 1500 750015 AC PREF B2R 498 502 498 502 498 502 1050 525100 99.5 100.3 100 100.5 100 100.5 10000 1000525 CPG PREF A 100 101.4 101.4 101.4 100 100 30 3024 DD PREF 103.1 107 103.1 103.1 103 103 7500 772700 FGEN PREF G GLO PREF P 512 520 510 510 509 509 3000 1528500 997 999 997 999 997 997 6090 6082730 GTCAP PREF B 99.5 100 99.7 99.7 99.4 99.4 7160 713474 MWIDE PREF PNX PREF 4 997 999 999 999 999 999 1500 1498500 1015 1018 1015 1015 1015 1015 3520 3572800 PCOR PREF 3A 77.5 77.8 77.65 77.65 77.5 77.5 9540 739624.5 SMC PREF 2C 74.75 75.2 75 75 74.75 74.75 6190 462785 SMC PREF 2D SMC PREF 2H 75.3 76.95 75.5 75.5 75.25 75.25 14670 1104907.5 76.95 77.5 76.9 76.95 76.9 76.95 1300 99985 SMC PREF 2I

PHIL. DEPOSITARY RECEIPTS ABS HLDG PDR 13.56 13.6 13.6 13.6 13.6 13.6 500400 6805440 -6778240 GMA HLDG PDR 4.56 4.84 4.87 4.87 4.85 4.85 4000 19440

WARRANTS LR WARRANT 0.7 0.71 0.66 0.71 0.64 0.7 538000 374860

SMALL & MEDIUM ENTERPRISES ITALPINAS 1.81 1.82 1.72 1.84 1.68 1.81 1329000 2363700 -29660 KEPWEALTH 5.8 5.9 6 6 5.7 5.8 47900 279579 0.56 0.57 0.56 0.58 0.55 0.56 619000 346690 3850 XURPAS

EXHANGE TRADE FUNDS

FIRST METRO ETF 86.5 87.5 85.75 87.5 85.5 87.5 12550 1083590.5 34522.5

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Belle Corp. income dips 31% in Q1 on fall in tourist arrivals

B

By VG Cabuag

@villygc

elle Corp. said its net income for the first three months of the year fell 31 percent to P577 million, from last year’s P835 million, mainly as a result of the decline in the number of tourists visiting its properties and assets.

The company said revenues fell 25 percent to P1.42 billion from the previous year’s P1.89 billion in the first quarter when Taal Volcano erupted and the Covid-19 pandemic reached the Philippines.

“The effects of the pandemic began with declining tourist arrivals

prior to the implementation of the enhanced community quarantines nationwide and was compounded by the temporary suspension of gaming operations at City of Dreams Manila on March 16 in compliance with government initiatives to contain the virus,” the company said.

Belle’s primary growth driver, its share in the gaming revenues at City of Dreams Manila, reached P445 million in the first quarter, 39 percent lower than last year’s P725 million.

City of Dreams Manila, the integrated resort and casino in Entertainment City in Parañaque, is using the quarantine period to prioritize the health of its employees, to establish protocols that ensure a safe working and recreational environment and to support the government in keeping people safe and restarting the economy, the company said.

Belle’s real-estate operations also recorded an 8-percent drop in revenues to P754 million, from P822 million last year.

Of real-estate revenues, P668 million came from Belle’s lease of the land and buildings comprising

City of Dreams Manila to Melco Resorts and Entertainment (Philippines) Corp., which was essentially unchanged from 2019. Melco is the operator of COD Manila.

Belle’s real-estate sales and property management activities at its Tagaytay Highlands complex, which were affected by the Taal Volcano eruption in January, contributed P86 million for the period, 44 percent lower than the previous year's level.

Despite the challenging business environment, and in keeping with its efforts to consistently declare regular annual dividends, Belle said it fulfilled the payment of its regular cash dividend to its common shareholders in 2020 in the amount of 12 centavos per share, or approximately P1.2 billion in total. This was at par with its previous regular cash dividend paid in 2019.

Panic buying boosts Puregold Q1 income

P

uregold Price Club Inc., the grocery chain operator of businessman Lucio Co, said its net income in the first quarter grew 17 percent to P1.76 billion, from P1.51 billion last year.

The company said it recorded stronger sales partly as a result of panic buying caused by the lockdown measures and low inflation, which encouraged consumers to stock up on essential items.

“Puregold stores registered stronger than expected same-store sales growth [SSSG] of 14.4 per-

cent in the first quarter of 2020 while S&R registered 5.1 percent during the same period,” the company said.

“Our SSSG in this period is driven by higher consumer spending and pantry loading prior to the Covid-19 quarantine as well as the low inflation environment in 2020.”

Puregold consolidated net sales increased by 17 percent year-onyear to P40.95 billion in the first quarter. About 77 percent of the revenues came from the Puregold Stores network while 23 percent

STOCK-MARKET OUTLOOK Last week

Share prices gained last week, with the main index increasing by 5 percent to more than 5,800 points, partly due to the last-minute buying spree on Friday in anticipation of the MSCI rebalancing.

The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) gained 299.65 points to close at 5,838.84 points, during the four-day trading week.

Trading was sluggish during the first three days, as it was only valued at P4 billion a day. The value of trade surged to about P20.24 billion on Friday, when the MSCI Philippines rebalancing was announced.

Foreign investors were still net sellers for the week at P910.82 million.

All other subindices closed higher with the exception of the Mining and Oil index that lost 102.55 points to 4,362.72 points. The broader All Share index rose 107.72 to 3,457.70, the Financials index gained 73.92 to 1,176.42, the Industrial index climbed 6.28 to 7,311.09, the Holding Firms index surged 406.08 to 5,946.52, the Property index added 85.17 to 2,871.07 and the Services index was up 40.31 to 1,362.44.

For the week, losers still edged gainers 128 to 85 while 27 shares were unchanged.

Top gainers were Makati Finance Corp., Bloomberry Resorts Corp., ATN Holdings Inc. A and B shares, First Gen Corp., PH Resorts Group Holdings Inc. and Greenergy Holdings Inc. Top losers were Millennium Global Holdings Inc., Imperial Resources Inc., Bright Kindle Resources and Investments Inc., Jollibee Foods Corp., Pacifica Holdings Inc. and Benguet Corp. B.

This week

Share prices may continue to improve this week on optimism that the start of easing of lockdown measures in Metro Manila, which accounts for a chunk of the country's GDP, starting Monday may reignite the economy.

“Currently, the local market is enjoying the optimism stemming from the easing of restrictions here in the Philippines. Our major regions in terms of economic contribution are now allowed with more economic activities. The said optimism has even brought the market above its 5,700 resistance level,” said Japhet Louis O. Tantiangco, senior research analyst at Philstocks Financials Inc. Sustaining the optimism, he said, would depend on developments related to the spread of Covid-19.

“Next week, the number of new coronavirus cases here in the country would be monitored to see if the downgrading of restrictions has brought an unwanted consequence namely, a further spread of the virus. If so, the local market could fall below the 5,700-level again,” he said.

Online broker 2TradeAsia said investors will focus on the ability of the main index to move to the 6,000-point level but trade volatility is still imminent since several countries are gradually reviving their economy.

Stock picks

Broker Regina Capital Development Corp. recommended to hold on to the stock of Jollibee Foods Corp. (JFC). It said Jollibee's share price is now close to being oversold as it treads closer and closer to the nearest support at P108.10.

“Indicators have all maintained pretty strong sell signs. With volatility on a slow but steady ascent, there could be more downturn in store for JFC for the next few days,” it said.

Jollibee shares closed Friday at P108.70 apiece.

Meanwhile, it advised to trade the range on the stock of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. after its stock price remains on track to its month-long consolidation range of P2.55 to P2.97.

“Indicators are leaning toward the buy side. All things considered, MPIC will continue its uptrend at most until the resistance at P2.97. We think both momentum and volatility do not permit a breakout past this point,” it said.

MPIC shares closed last week at P2.89 apiece. VG Cabuag

was contributed by S&R Membership warehouse clubs and S&R New York Style Pizza stores.

Income from operations grew to P2.97 billion in the first quarter, up

mutual funds

by 15 percent from P2.57 billion last year.

As of end March, the Puregold group has a total of 443 stores nationwide. VG Cabuag May 29, 2020

NAV One Year Three Year Five Year Y-T-D per share Return* Return Stock Funds ALFM Growth Fund, Inc. -a 184.48 -28.86% -12.33% -7.26% -26.76% ATRAM Alpha Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a 0.9448 -40.59% -15.66% -8.1% -31.64% ATRAM Philippine Equity Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a 2.4617 -39.19% -17.02% -10.01% -33.07% Climbs Share Capital Equity Investment Fund Corp. -a 0.6331 -31.67% n.a. n.a. -29.43% First Metro Consumer Fund on MSCI Phils. IMI, Inc. -a 0.6529 -23.93% n.a. n.a. -23.12% First Metro Save and Learn Equity Fund,Inc. -a 4.024 -25.28% -9.22% -6.45% -24.48% First Metro Save and Learn Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a,4 0.6207 -27.94% -13.08% n.a.

-27.28% MBG Equity Investment Fund, Inc. -a 73.92 -40.24% n.a. n.a. -28.46% PAMI Equity Index Fund, Inc. -a 36.7482 -28.31% -11.07% n.a. -28.34% Philam Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a 397.13 -25.7% -10.11% -6.33% -25.46% Philequity Alpha One Fund, Inc. -a,d,5 0.8396 n.a. n.a. n.a. -18.49% Philequity Dividend Yield Fund, Inc. -a 0.9487 -27.12% -10.06% -5.52% -26.28% Philequity Fund, Inc. -a 27.7706 -27.42% -9.69% -5.43% -26.72% Philequity MSCI Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a 0.7261 -29.25% n.a. n.a. -28.68% Philequity PSE Index Fund Inc. -a 3.7445 -27.93% -10.55% -5.52% -28.31% Philippine Stock Index Fund Corp. -a 625.95 -27.82% -10.53% -5.71% -28.22% Soldivo Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a 0.5733 -37.73% -14.19% -9.58% -32.66% Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Equity Fund, Inc. -a 2.9418 -30.95% -11.37% -6.62% -30.11% Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Stock Index Fund, Inc. -a 0.718 -27.98% -10.69% -5.68% -28.26% United Fund, Inc. -a 2.6882 -27.22% -8.51% -4.64% -26.42% Exchange Traded Fund First Metro Phil. Equity Exchange Traded Fund, Inc. -a,c 83.9391 -27.71% -10.08% -4.9% -28.23% ATRAM AsiaPlus Equity Fund, Inc. -b $0.8873 -6.1% -3.34% -4.09% -13.72% Sun Life Prosperity World Voyager Fund, Inc. -a $1.2982 3.56% 3.94% n.a.

-5.84% Balanced Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities ATRAM Dynamic Allocation Fund, Inc. -a 1.4974 -12.09% -5.64% -4.5% -4.18% ATRAM Philippine Balanced Fund, Inc. -a 1.9591 -14.48% -6.05% -3.12% -10.18% First Metro Save and Learn Balanced Fund Inc. -a 2.3297 -10.85% -3.4% -3.83% -11.47% First Metro Save and Learn F.O.C.C.U.S. Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a,1 0.1817 n.a. n.a. n.a.

-20.48% NCM Mutual Fund of the Phils., Inc. -a 1.7844 -6.8% -2.15% -1.09% -9.1% PAMI Horizon Fund, Inc. -a 3.321 -9.28% -3.85% -2.59% -12.35% Philam Fund, Inc. -a 14.8345 -10.21% -4.05% -2.73% -12.54% -2.54% -13.73% Solidaritas Fund, Inc. -a 1.8339 -13.76% -5.08% Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Balanced Fund, Inc. -a 3.1265 -18.19% -6.12% -3.83% -19.08% Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2028, Inc. -a,d 0.8979 -9.67% n.a. n.a.

-11.6% Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2038, Inc. -a,d 0.7857 -20.52% n.a. n.a. -21.15% Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2048, Inc. -a,d 0.7603 -22.89% n.a. n.a. -23.45% Sun Life Prosperity Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a 0.7705 -21.29% -7.19% -5.04% -20.96% Primarily invested in foreign currency securities Cocolife Dollar Fund Builder, Inc. -a $0.03835 4.67% 2.53% 1.59% 0.31% PAMI Asia Balanced Fund, Inc. -b $0.9368 -1.28% -1.11% -1.73% -9.74% 2.77% 2.12% -5.51% Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Advantage Fund, Inc. -a $3.6953 1.28% Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Wellspring Fund, Inc. -a,3 $1.0795 0.06% 1.18% n.a.

-4.37% Bond Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities ALFM Peso Bond Fund, Inc. -a 363.82 4.26% 3.03% 2.46% 1.68% ATRAM Corporate Bond Fund, Inc. -a 1.9356 2.55% 0.91% -0.1% 1.77% Cocolife Fixed Income Fund, Inc. -a 3.1798 4.69% 5.16% 5.11% 2.04% Ekklesia Mutual Fund Inc. -a 2.2824 5.26% 2.84% 2.25% 2.58% First Metro Save and Learn Fixed Income Fund,Inc. -a 2.4335 6.86% 3.18% 1.9% 3.15% Philam Bond Fund, Inc. -a 4.5452 11.33% 3.88% 3.94% 2.26% Philam Managed Income Fund, Inc. -a,6 1.2875 6.91% 3.88% 2.11% 2.45% Philequity Peso Bond Fund, Inc. -a 3.9217 8.01% 4.12% 2.17% 3.52% Soldivo Bond Fund, Inc. -a 1.0232 10.54% 3.38% 1.57% 6.11% Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Bond Fund, Inc. -a 3.1477 8.11% 4.69% 2.79% 2.33% Sun Life Prosperity GS Fund, Inc. -a

1.7356 7.47% 4.15% 2.33% 2.03% Primarily invested in foreign currency securities ALFM Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $471.19 3.31% 2.39% 2.5% 0.63% ALFM Euro Bond Fund, Inc. -a Є214.72 -0.64% 0.58% 0.74% -2.28% ATRAM Total Return Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -b $1.2139 3.6% 2.7% 2.29% 0.56% First Metro Save and Learn Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $0.0259 1.97% 1.32% 1.2% 0.39% PAMI Global Bond Fund, Inc -b $1.0625 -1.04% -0.33% -0.11% -2.99% Philam Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $2.4201 5.64% 3.03% 2.57% 0.68% Philequity Dollar Income Fund Inc. -a $0.0600315 2.35% 1.7% 1.58% -0.47% Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Abundance Fund, Inc. -a $3.1657 5.08% 2.12% 2.03% -0.3% Money Market Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities ALFM Money Market Fund, Inc. -a 127.74 3.83% 3.14% 2.38% 1.56% First Metro Save and Learn Money Market Fund, Inc. -a 1.0393 2.68% n.a. n.a.

1.27% Sun Life Prosperity Money Market Fund, Inc. -a 1.2804 3.27% 3.02% 2.55% 1.25% Primarily invested in foreign currency securities Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Starter Fund, Inc. -a $1.0428 1.63% n.a. n.a.

0.54% Feeder Fund Primarily invested in foreign currency securities ALFM Global Multi-Asset Income Fund Inc. -b,d,2 $0.92 n.a. n.a. n.a.

-7.07% a - NAVPS as of the previous banking day. b - NAVPS as of two banking days ago. c - Listed in the PSE. d - in Net Asset Value per Unit (NAVPU).

1 - Launch date is September 28, 2019. 2 - Launch date is November 15, 2019. 3 - Adjusted due to stock dividend issuance last October 9, 2019.

4 - Renaming was approved by the SEC last October 12, 2018 (formerly, One Wealthy Nation Fund, Inc.). 5 - Launch date is December 09, 2019.

6 - Re-classified into a Bond Fund starting February 21, 2020 (Formerly a Money Market Fund).

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

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Banking&Finance BusinessMirror

Bangko sa Baryo bill eyes unbanked Pinoys

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he House Committee on Banks and Financial Intermediaries has recently endorsed for plenary approval the proposed Bangko sa Baryo (banks in countryside) Act, which seeks to authorize “cash agents” to help serve the banking needs of people living in faraway places without banks.

Deputy Speaker for Finance Luis Raymund F. Villafuerte said House Bill (HB) 1297 is part of a reform package designed to let government upgrade the delivery of its future social amelioration programs (SAP).

Villafuerte added this would also help avoid a repeat of the hitches that had mired the initial release of cash subsidies to 18 million poor and low-income hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

Authored by Villafuerte, HB 1297 empowers the chosen “authorized cash agents” (ACAs) to assist in performing a broad range of bank services, including forwarding account opening applications, cash-in and cash-out services, and initial customer identity verification.

Villafuerte said the proposed law is one of a trio of measures under the “new normal” scenario. HB 1297, if passed and enacted, also seeks to avoid repetition of the initial delay in the release by the social welfare and development department of P200-billion worth of cash aid to 18 million underprivileged families under the SAP; billed as the biggest social protection initiative ever in

the country’s history.

His must-do list also includes the speedy and full implementation of the Philippine Identification System project and the National Broadband Program (NBP) of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).

The lawmaker explained that the World Bank has estimated that 60 percent of Filipinos remain unbanked while the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has said only 28 percent of Filipino adults own bank accounts.

Further citing ADB studies, Villafuerte said only 28 percent of Filipino adults own a bank account and only about 15 percent save money with a formal financial institution over a 12-month period, while only 10 percent borrow money from formal institutions over a similar timeframe.

The lawmaker pointed out in his bill that more than 36 percent of municipalities in the country have no banking presence.

To make sure the government could make seamless online transfers of cash to beneficiaries of future subsidy programs via all banks, remittance centers, pay platforms or his proposed ACAs, Villafuerte said the DICT needs to expedite its NBP, which aims to deploy fiber optic cables and wireless technologies, to ensure regional connectivity and improve Internet speed, especially in remote villages nationwide.

Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

Perspectives

Business models evolve

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ovid-19, for the most part, has put physical retailing on pause. Indeed, with a significant proportion of the world’s consumers currently under some form of lockdown and all but essential services (generally food and pharmacy) permitted to operate, physical retailing is in a precarious state.

Given that physical stores have been the foundation of the retail experience since the dawn of ancient Greece, the implications for today’s retail business model are massive.

Even before the upheaval, it was becoming increasingly clear that store-based retailing had passed its zenith. And while many physical stores will certainly return to growth, it is clear that the days of being able to drive growth through physical stores alone are over. Those with no existing online or delivery channel will struggle to survive this challenging time.

At the same time, the challenges related to coronavirus disease 2019 are also forcing retailers to rethink the complexity of their value chain.

Companies now need to be good at not just buying and selling products, but also at things like online fulfillment, home delivery, data analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning and process automation.

The capabilities required to succeed in retail continue to expand. Given the current capability shortages and cash flow challenges, retailers should now be looking to refocus on the core retail fundamentals of buying and selling whilst partnering to deliver the other required skills.

Many are looking to platform companies to help deliver some of those important capabilities. Retailers (particularly that the days of being able to drive growth through physical small and medium sized ones) are also looking to them to drive footfall. Indeed, what this difficult time has clearly demonstrated is that online platforms are quickly becoming the shopping malls of tomorrow.

Retailers need to be in the right malls — and, just as importantly, in the right location—to see footfall today and (very likely) in the new consumer environment.

Generally speaking, most retailers now have three main options: 1) become a platform, 2) leverage platforms or 3) continue business as usual.

Creating their own platform.

Only a handful of market leaders currently have the strength (in capabilities, balance sheet or brand) to develop a platform ecosystem compelling enough to truly compete against the existing heavyweights.

However, for those that can, the added value of controlling the data, route to market and capabilities that come with a platform will be extraordinarily valuable.

Leverage platforms. Those without the scale to become a platform themselves will likely need to partner with one. As part of their business model planning, retail execs are starting to think carefully about what part of the value chain they should own and what parts could be better delivered through partnerships (where all parties put some skin in the game).

Business as usual. Being able to partner while expanding and maturing your omnichannel capabilities will be pivotal. Prior to Covid-19, consumers were increasingly jumping channels as they moved through the sales journey and retailers will need increasing sophistication in their omnichannel approach in order to ensure customer experiences are seamless going forward.

In this environment, business as usual would be challenging at best.

We believe that—over the coming year—ongoing challenges with supply, demand and business continuity will force many retail groups to rethink their future business models and make the respective choice. And that, in turn, should spark a new wave of innovation and competition across the industry.

The excerpt was taken from KPMG article “Global retail trends 2020: Preparing for the new reality.” © 2020 R.G. Manabat & Co., a Philippine partnership and a member-firm of the KPMG network of independent member firms affiliated with KPMG International Cooperative, a Swiss entity.

For more information on KPMG in the Philippines, you may visit www.kpmg.com.ph. (All rights reserved; printed in the Philippines)

Monday, June 1, 2020 B3

Despite higher inflation forecast, analyst sees no BSP rate cut in Q2

T

By Tyrone Jasper C. Piad

@Tyronepiad

he Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) might postpone monetary policy rate cuts in the second quarter amid higher inflation forecast, an analyst said.

Union Bank of the Philippines’s Ruben Carlo O. Asuncion projects inflation to rise to 2.4 percent in May, higher than the previous month’s 2.2 percent but lower than 3.0 percent year-on-year.

“This May inflation view may mean that the [BSP] may have to hold off additional monetary policy rate cuts this Q2 [second quarter] 2020 as inflationary pressures lingers on amid the Covid-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic,” Asuncion, UnionBank Chief

Economist said.

However, he said that the Central Bank “may have to consider its other liquidity tools in addressing needs of the financial system moving forward.”

In April, the Central Bank slashed the overnight repurchased rate by 50 basis points to 2.75 percent ahead of May 21 monetary policy meeting.

The BSP has cut the interest rates by 125 bp year-to-date.

Policy rate, last year, was brought down by a total of 75 bp to 4 percent.

The Monetary Board is set to meet on June 25.

After series of policy easing measures, BSP Governor Benjamin E. Diokno earlier this month said that the Central Bank was in wait-andsee mode before rendering another rate cut.

But reserve requirements could be further trimmed should the need for additional liquidity arise.

“I can assure you, if there is a need for additional liquidity, BSP will cut the reserve requirement,” he said in recent Senate hearing.

Reserve requirement ratio on reservable liabilities of universal and commercial banks were recently slashed by 200 bp to 12 percent.

Inflation

UnionBank attributed the higher inflation forecast to increasing rice prices.

“The Philippine Statistics Authority [PSA] has noted that farmgate price of palay [unhusked rice],

yellow and white corn grains and the wholesale and retail prices of regular and well-milled rice, white and yellow corn grains have, across the board, consistently [rose] since March 2020,” Asuncion noted.

UnionBank’s May inflation forecast is within the Central Bank’s forecast ranging from 1.9 percent to 2.7 percent.

BSP considered higher domestic oil prices and agricultural products due to supply bottlenecks arising from Typhoon Ambo in coming up with the forecast.

“Meanwhile, the electricity rates in Meralco-serviced areas declined during the month despite the reported increase in the total electricity bill due to higher consumption,” it added.

For the year, Asuncion said that inflation is seen to average at 2.8 percent, which lies within BSP target of 2 percent to 4 percent range.

Four-month inflation figure stood at 2.6 percent.

SCB PHL wins ₧1B-worth of cigarettes seized on World No Tobacco Day’s eve awards for

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he Bureau of Customs (BOC) seized P1 billion worth of counterfeit cigarettes and tax stamps in Victoria Alicia, Isabela on Saturday, the eve of the celebration of World No Tobacco Day. In a statement over the weekend, the bureau said the raid by BOC team members and local authorities also uncovered counterfeit foreign tax stamps; indicating the cigarettes may have also being smuggled to other countries.

Authorities’ initial estimate of the seized goods was at P1 billion, pend-

ing inventory of other goods in the raided warehouse.

Meanwhile, the BOC-Ninoy Aquino International Airport also condemned 8.7 tons of illegally imported medicines, cosmetics, cigarettes and electronic goods in Trece Martires, Cavite on May 29.

According to the BOC, the hazardous goods arrived through different warehouses without proper permits and clearances.

Since these goods are unfit for consumption, these cannot be sold through public auction, according

to the BOC. The goods were destroyed using the Thermal Decomposer (Pyrolysis) facility of the Integrated Waste Management Inc. to ensure these items would not be not sold or made available in the market.

The BOC also vowed that it will continue to be vigilant against the influx of dangerous drugs, anti-social goods and hazardous substances as well as the illegal importation and exportation of prohibited and counterfeit goods. Bernadette D. Nicolas and

Recto L. Mercene

Metrobank, GT Capital donate PPEs to hospitals

T

y family-led Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co. (Metrobank) announced it and GT Capital Holdings Inc., through the Metrobank Foundation Inc. (MBFI) and GT Foundation Inc. (GTFI), donated P15.25-million worth of personal protective equipment (PPE) sets to benefit 13 hospitals in Metro Manila, Cavite and Cagayan de Oro. The PPE sets consisting of hazardous material suits, face shields, N95 masks, gloves and shoe covers will be distributed to select hospitals treating a high number of confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases, Metrobank said.

These are: Doctor Jose Rodriguez Memorial Hospital (Caloocan City); Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center (City of Manila); Ospital ng Makati (Makati City); National Center for Mental Health, (Mandaluyong City); Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (Muntinlupa City); San Juan de Dios Hospital (Pasay City); East Avenue Medical Center, Philippine Heart Center, Philippine National Police

Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co. and GT Capital Holdings Inc., through the Metrobank Foundation Inc. and GT Foundation Inc., turned-over 1,000 sets of personal protective equipment each to Ospital ng Maynila and Ospital ng Makati as part of its P15.25-million donation to 13 hospitals in Metro Manila, Cavite and Cagayan de Oro. CREDIT: Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co.

(PNP) General Hospital, Victoriano Luna General Hospital and Veterans Memorial Medical Center (all in Quezon City); General Emilio Aguinaldo Hospital (Trece Martires, Cavite);

and, Northern Mindanao Medical Center (Cagayan de Oro City).

A total of 12,000 sets of PPEs will be distributed to the hospitals, Metrobank said.

An initial P5.07-million worth of PPEs were turned over to the Manila Doctors Hospital, the health-care arm of MBFI, and another P5.07 million to the Philippine General Hospital, Lung Center of the Philippines, and six District Hospitals in the City of Manila, Metrobank said.

Likewise, the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the PNP received additional masks and gloves amounting to P1.84 million for the use of their frontliners.

The donation is part of the P200 million pledge by Metrobank and GT Capital Holdings Group in support of the efforts to combat Covid-19.

Other social good initiatives of the Group include: food packages for underprivileged families, provision of testing kits and medical supplies, and the setup of a molecular laboratory for testing.

Insular Life launches digital selling system

I

nsular Life Assurance Co. Ltd. (InLife) announced the roll out of a system to sell insurance online.

The mutual life insurance company said the system allows its agents to sell products sans face-to-face interactions with the client “as the ‘New Normal’ enjoins people to observe social distancing.”

InLife Senior Executive Vice President Raoul Antonio E. Littaua said the system they call “ViBE” is a multiplatform system hinged on digital tools and “innovative” procedures.

Littaua said InLife has started

putting in place the necessary technologies since early 2015. These, he said, includes the automated underwriting system.

Now that the country and the rest of the world have implemented strict quarantine rules amid the global Covid-19 pandemic, the systems and tools at the disposal of InLife has positioned the company to function and operate fully digital, Littaua said.

According to the company, its system will allow clients to sign their policy electronically and to pay for their dues digitally or through online

bank transfers.

In a regular insurance sales cycle, the financial adviser and the client meet face-to-face and the former secures a physical signature from the client attached to the application.

“There is a big responsibility on the side of insurers to guarantee business continuity especially in times like this,” Littaua said. “Being able to provide coverage to our clients despite the absence of any physical interactions is a result of our big investments in technology.”

Ashley Manabat

transaction banking biz

S

tandard Chartered Bank (SCB) Philippines announced it recently won multiple industry awards for its Transaction Banking business.

The bank was named “Best Bank in Asia-Pacific” and received several country awards, namely “Best Trade and Supply Chain House Award for Philippines” in the Corporate Treasurer (CT) Awards 2019.

The winners of the coveted CT Awards for Asia’s best banks were drawn from across the region and decided by a unique research project conducted by CT and East & Partners Pty Ltd. It was based on a survey of top corporate treasurers and chief finance officers of the top 100 companies in Asia.

SCB was also awarded “Best Cash Management, Philippines”

by The Asset Triple A Treasury, Trade, SSC and Risk Management Awards 2020. This recognition is awarded annually to companies and financial institutions that have launched or helped implement initiatives in cor porate treasury management, trade finance, supply chain and risk management.

The winners are chosen by The Asset’s board of editors who are regarded as the most experienced and collectively have several decades’ worth of evaluating industry awards.

The board’s decisions are supplemented by client interaction generated from in-depth conversations and using data analytics produced

by Asset Benchmark Research, the region’s leading research organization evaluating client experience standards in the financial services industry.

“These awards reflect the confidence of our clients in our capabilities and our commitment to create the right solutions for them,” SCB Head of Transaction Banking KC Hernandez said. “We will continue to leverage on our extensive network, local expertise and global capabilities to deliver the best transaction banking services to our clients.”

Standard Chartered PLC is listed on the London and Hong Kong Stock Exchanges as well as the Bombay and National Stock Exchanges in India.

B4

Show BusinessMirror

Monday, June 1, 2020

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Artist Playground launches its first-ever ‘quickie’ online musical

Today’s Horoscope

By Eugenia Last

z

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Willow Shields, 20; Amy Schumer, 39; Heidi Klum, 47; Morgan Freeman, 83.

Happy Birthday: Learn as much as you can this year. Documentaries and online seminars will help reshape you for what’s to come. Consider what makes you happy or the type of challenge that will spark your imagination and motivate you to find a path that encourages you to follow your heart and dreams.

Commit to turning your intention into reality. Your lucky numbers are 8, 11, 20, 26, 32, 35, 44.

CLOCKWISE: Vince Conrad, Maestro Jesse Lucas, Jose Jeffrey Camañag and Jayson Santos

a

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Listen, observe and tune in to what experts say. Fill your mind with information that will help you make the right decision regarding your direction and income. Working alongside someone you love will help you both get what you want. HHH

T

HIS ongoing period of home quarantine has jolted every one out of our comfort zones.

Locked down in the confines of our homes for more than 11 weeks now, this season has brought about so many changes in our lives, taught us a few good lessons, and opened us up to so many realizations about ourselves, about others, and about life in general.

The performing arts industry has been hit hard by this pandemic, and the guidelines that are regularly updated by our leaders suggest that entertainment and the performing arts are down there in the bottom of priorities. For one, theater companies, its actors and production experts, are all feeling the brunt of this, when their world suddenly took a very long pause, and all productions, whether ongoing, planned or about to take off, have been cancelled.

But the creative minds of our artists can never be put on hold. New concepts and never-beforedone executions are being planned, studied and experimented. Take, for instance, the creative minds behind Artist Playground, a relatively new player in the theater arts circuit that has been making its presence felt since it debuted its first show in mid 2015.

Artist Playground has just launched its latest offering online, billed as Taguan, A Quickie Musical. The 12-minute musical, with spoken lines and original Filipino music, was created through the company’s newest program, called Artist Playground Theatrix, a new form of visual and aural performance art using the latest in technology that combines theater and film in its final output.

The team behind Taguan is composed of awardwinning creatives and industry experts. Narrative, script and lyrics of the songs were created by Jose Jeffrey Camañag, a recent Live Entertainment Awards and Festivals awardee for Best Director. Music is

b

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Think matters through before you decide to make a move.

If you act prematurely, you will miss out on something better. Have patience; time is on your side.

Discipline and hard work will pay off. HHH

c

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): A little will go a long way. Minimize your needs, and declutter your surroundings. Once you clear enough space, it will make room to start projects that will lead to a brighter future. Personal growth and physical improvement are favored. HHHHH

d

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Work hard, and prepare for whatever comes your way. Get fit and stay healthy. A steady routine will help you reach your goal. A couple of innovative alterations to your schedule will improve your lifestyle. Idle time will lead to emotional pitfalls. HH

e

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Pitch in and help. Offer physical action if it will make a difference in your community. Looking out for those who are vulnerable will help you gain respect and support when you decide to make a change. Selfimprovement is favored. HHHH

by the ever-reliable, multiawarded and well-loved maestro Jesse Lucas.

The musical tells of that one very special online video chat of two teenagers who, during quarantine, realized that they wanted to end their friendship.

There are three songs featured in the few minutes of their magical transition from friendship to something deeper. The songs are “Ganito Pala,” “Munting Alaala” and the title song “Taguan.” Jayson Santos and Vince Conrad star as the teenage best friends.

Artist Playground artistic director Roeder

Camañag shared, “We are exploring the new normalities in the performing arts. The challenges we are facing may seem insurmountable but we just keep on trying and pushing and creating. In Taguan, we blended musical theater and film. Sooner or later, we will have more materials and, hopefully, more platforms to showcase the Filipino talent, because there is no stopping our creative resources from coming out.”

To watch Taguan, A Quickie Musical, go to the Artist Playground YouTube channel and Facebook page. n

‘Wonder Gals’ Continued from B5 What superpower would be the most important one [for Wonder Woman] to have today, Steinem was asked by Vanity Fair.

“Her magic lasso that makes everyone tell the truth—no more falsehoods and Alternate Facts!”

‘Mrs. America’ Gloria Steinem is one of the principal characters in Mrs. America, the new limited series on FX on Hulu.

She’s portrayed by the Australian actress Rose Byrne. Mrs. America is a complex, compelling story about the feminist movement in the 1970s from the perspective of the anti-feminist (though she wasn’t exclusively a homemaker as she traveled across

f

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Stay on top of whatever job or responsibility belongs to you. Focus on being productive and using whatever skills you have to get things done with efficiency and in a timely fashion. HHH

g

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Explore possibilities. Consider what you enjoy doing most and the skills you have to help you reach your goal. Watch a tutorial or sign up for a course that will prepare you for a position you want to pursue. HHH

h

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Put a little thought and muscle into improving your surroundings. Use your imagination, and declutter your space to make room for the jobs or pastimes you want to explore. Avoid joint ventures or sharing expenses with others. Go forward alone. HHH

i

the USA for her cause), anti-LGBT (though she had a gay son) and “queen of the conservative movement” Phyllis Schlafly, played masterfully by the Australian Oscar winner Cate Blanchett. Phyllis spearheaded the defeat of the Equal Rights Amendment in Congress, which could have led to equal pay for women.

Uzo Aduba plays Shirley Chisholm, the first African American woman elected to Congress, and who ran for president in 1972; Tracey Ullman plays The Feminine Mystique author and National Organization for Women (NOW) cofounder Betty Friedan; Margo Martindale plays politician Bella Abzug; Elizabeth Banks plays Jill Ruckelshaus, who served as head of the Office of Women’s Programs in Nixon’s White House; Jeanne

Tripplehorn plays spinster Eleanor Schlafly; and Sarah Paulson plays the fictional housewife Alice Macray. The show boasts of stellar performances.

Cate and her costars will win all the acting trophies in the next awards season, post-Covid. Another reason to watch this series is the stupendous, period-appropriate costume pieces worn by the actresses. Designed by Bina Daigeler, who worked in Mulan (2020), Volver (2006), All About My Mother (1999), the costumes are a visual documentation of 1970s fashion.

Daigeler’s work entailed deep-dive research on how women dressed in the 1970s, relying on actual footage of the women, photojournalism and fashion magazines of the era. She scoured vintage shops and online boutiques, scoring amazing finds for Byrne, such

as Diane von Furstenberg dresses, an Yves Saint Laurent skirt, and the exact same aviator glasses that Steinem wore. The shirts and jeans that Byrne wore, however, were custom-made.

“Soft colors and A-line skirts were for the anti-feminists. None of them were wearing pants,” Daigeler told the Hollywoodreporter.com. “I wanted a classic American housewife, proper and clean. The ERA [look] was bohemian, New York-style, much more fun. Designer clothes.”

As she told Vogue, Daigeler sees the differences in style between the libbers and the anti-libbers as something that is still relevant today: “It’s about dressing up for ourselves and who we want to be, versus dressing the way you think you should dress or dressing more for men.” n

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Proceed with caution. Distance yourself from troublemakers or meddlers. Use common sense, and take action if the information you receive is factual. Refuse to let an outsider come between you and someone you love. HHHH

j

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Review details, conversations and information that could influence a decision you want to make.

Implement a change at home based on practical needs. HH

k

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Tend to money, contracts and personal documents with a goal in mind. An incentive that makes you want to save and keep everything in order will leave you open to take advantage of an opportunity that’s heading your way. HHHHH

l

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Do something you love. Refuse to let what others do lead you astray or cause you to miss something you enjoy. An idea you have will trigger a change that will improve the way you live and the pastimes you pursue.

HHH Birthday Baby: You are sensitive, charming and imaginative.

You are persuasive and proactive.

‘going green’ by andrew j. ries The Universal Crossword/Edited by David Steinberg

ACROSS 1 Make a narrow cut in 5 Simon of Mission: Impossible films 9 Some Celts 14 Single-consonant car make 15 Single-consonant berry 16 Strongly suggests 17 Communion or confirmation 18 *Bette Davis film on AFI’s 100 Years...100 Passions list 20 Striped gemstone 22 Fare on a stick 23 What the eye’s rods are helpful for 26 Troy sch.

29 Supply-and-demand subj.

30 Less self-sufficient 32 Category 34 “Skip to My ___” 36 Bearded mall temp 37 Seemingly silly poetry 41 Poke around 42 Pub offering 43 Dead-bolt insert 44 Early photograph 47 Baseball stitching

49 “That’s right” 50 My Big Fat Greek Wedding writer/ star 55 Hand-played drum 56 Popular vodka, informally 57 Mecca for wine lovers 62 Windy City paper, with “The” 63 The same 64 James who sang “Tell Mama” 65 Deadly sin that’s a hint to the starred answers’ “initials” 66 ___ and cream cheese 67 Thing on a to-do list 68 Fishing spool DOWN 1 ___ wrap 2 Mario’s brother 3 Pet name displayer 4 Get hitched 5 Omelet-making vessel 6 Prefix for “tourism” 7 Stares in amazement 8 Finally relent 9 From the country west of Suriname 10 The “A” of UAE

1 Veggie burger ingredient?

1 12 Spike with an Oscar 13 Ukr., e.g., once 19 Double-reed instrument 21 Space-saving abbr. in a list 24 Small rodent 25 Aware of 26 Get the suds off 27 Nickname that changes an “r” to a “y” 28 Fidelity plan, for short 31 Astronomers can’t directly detect it 32 Concave navel 33 State birds of Minnesota 35 Queen of the South channel 38 Story with plants, perhaps 39 Disney snow queen 40 Swerve 41 Place for a 59-Down 45 ___ colada 46 Aerie baby 48 Podcast interruptions 51 Physicist for whom a battery unit was named 52 Michaels of late-night fame

53 Muffuletta morsel 54 Fortune-teller, in old Greece 55 Make muffins, perhaps 57 Snatch 58 It’s near Miss.

59 Sow or boar 60 UFO passengers 61 Talk, talk, talk Solution to Friday’s puzzle:

Style

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Monday, June 1, 2020

B5

FROM left: Miss Themyscira: Gal Gadot wears a Louis Vuitton dress.

Photographed by Annie Leibovitz for Vogue May 2020; Ms. magazine, July 1972; and Mrs. America cast

‘Wonder Gals’ I t’s supposed to be pageant season. But Covid-19 derailed all of our plans. Not to fret, pop culture still satiated some of our cravings for things glamorous that pageantry brings.

Miss Themyscira via Israel JUST when Gal Gadot graced the cover of American Vogue this May, the world came to a standstill. The story, by Jonathan Van Meter and photographed

by Annie Leibovitz, went to press before Covid-19 paralyzed us all. “Obviously the circumstances are horrible and frightening, but we’re home and we’re trying to make the best of it—to enjoy the quality time. It’s so surreal,” Gal told van Meter. “I’ve never been through times like these. But I’m also full of hope for when it will be behind us.”

It’s a long-deserved feature in the world’s fashion bible, one I expected she would have accomplished before Wonder Woman was released in June 2017. The May cover was supposed to publicize the opening of Wonder Woman 1984 in June. It’s now postponed to August. Gal represented Israel in Miss Universe 2004 (won by Australia’s Jennifer Hawkins; Maricar Balagtas was our rep). It’s rare and I think this is the first time that a Miss Universe alumna snared a US Vogue cover. (The British actress Daisy Ridley, star of Star Wars, was cheekily called “Miss Universe” for her cover story in November 2017.)

Supermodel Helena Christensen, Miss Universe

Denmark 1986 (won by Venezuela’s Bárbara Palacios; Violeta Naluz was our rep), appeared twice in 1993: in January (photographed by Pierre Scherman) and April (by Herb Ritts). But she shared the cover with other models. She was solo on the cover of Vogue Germany October 2004 (by Mark Abrahams) and in multiple British Vogue issues.

After Wonder Woman 1984, Gal will next be seen in Kenneth Branagh’s Death in the Nile and in her selfproduced Untitled Hedy Lamarr Project, a TV miniseries.

For now, the world waits excitedly as Gal reprises her role as the princess/goddess from Themyscira.

“It completely changed my life. Somehow it came out at a point in time where people were really craving it. It made an impact. And [director] Patty [Jenkins] and I were very lucky, I would say, that the movie was received the way it was and that it came out in the era

it did,” she said to Vogue, “and I think we just, without even knowing consciously, ticked a lot of the right boxes. Because it was in our DNA—we didn’t have to think about it too much. We were two women who cared about something, and that wound up in the DNA of the movie.”

‘Ms.’ IN 1941, William Moulton Marston, a Harvard-trained psychologist famous for inventing the precursor to the lie-detector test, introduced his creation, Wonder Woman. It was the height of World War II, Superman and Batman were very popular, and Marston observed that there were no powerful role models for girls in comic books. Marston wanted his superhero to be strong and independent. She could stop bullets with her bracelets. And she should “be uncommonly beautiful; she’d wear a tiara, like the crown awarded at the Miss America pageant,” wrote Jill Lepore, author of The Secret History of Wonder Woman, in TheGuardian. com in December 2014.

DC Comics wanted to sell millions of comic books, so the instruction for the artist, Harry G. Peter, was to draw Wonder Woman as “a woman who’s as powerful as Superman, as sexy as Miss Fury, as scantily clad as Sheena the jungle queen, and as patriotic as Captain America.”

It was during the “Second Wave” of feminism, in the early 1970s, when Wonder Woman became a

symbol of the fight for women’s rights. In 1972, Gloria Steinem, the glamorous poster girl of the feminist movement, placed the superhero on the first regular cover of her liberal feminist magazine, called Ms., with the banner blaring: “Wonder Woman for President.”

By 1975, Wonder Woman had her own TV show, with beauty-queen-turned-actress Lynda Carter. As Miss USA, she competed in Miss World 1972, won

by Australia’s Belinda Green, and ending as finalist together with our own Evangeline Reyes.

“Sometimes you have to use a tiara to make a point,” Lynda said, in a quote in Variety in October 2016. “She doesn’t let anyone push her around.”

Because of her iconic portrayal, Lynda ushered in powerful female protagonists, such as Charlie’s Angels, Bionic Woman, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Xena: Warrior Princess, and The Charmed Ones. As a sex-positive role model, Wonder Woman blazed the trail for Madonna, Beyoncé and Lady Gaga. Lana del Rey, not so much.

“Wonder Woman symbolizes many of the values of the women’s culture that feminists are now trying to introduce into the mainstream: strength and selfreliance for women; sisterhood and mutual support among women; peacefulness and esteem for human life; a diminishment both of ‘masculine’ aggression and the belief that violence is the only way of solving conflicts,” Steinem wrote in 1972.

Continued on B4

Conceal, don’t feel: What you need to look for in concealers

ONE of the things I am most often asked about is concealers and I’m ashamed to say that I don’t know a lot about them. I use what is there, usually a press sample or something gifted by friends. Until recently, I haven’t seen much need for concealers because I wear foundation all the time. In truth, you can survive on wearing a concealer and a finishing powder and look polished for work (online or face-to-face).

Beyond knowing how to apply a concealer, there’s nothing much I know about them.

But I have realized that a concealer is important.

Most girls I know would not go out of the house without applying concealer under their eyes and on blemishes and discolorations.

I’d like to apologize that most of the concealers mentioned in this article are either high-end or midrange. I have not had much opportunity to try the drugstore brands.

My criteria for judging how good a concealer is includes smoothness of application, longevity, price, being travel friendly (even if we don’t really travel these days), amount of creasing, among other things.

I will only talk about the following concealers because I have used them and I love them. Here are my favorites: n Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Light-Capturing Self-Setting Concealer. This has a second-skin finish and if you

get matched correctly, it conceals dark under-eyes and blemishes in the most natural way. One of the reasons why I wasn’t a fan of concealers in the past was because I didn’t like the look of having a too-light concealer under my eyes. It made me look funny in pictures. The Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Self-Setting Concealer has the most natural finish ever. It comes in a tube with a wand that’s easy to work with. I apply the product with the wand and blend with my fingers.

The self-setting claim is also true. You really don’t need to use powder. It doesn’t crease or gather on your fine lines. It wears and photographs well and it’s the only concealer that I’ve finished. It’s quite expensive at around P1,700 but if you have the budget and you’re really bothered by dark circles under your eyes, it might be worth the splurge. n IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Full Coverae Anti-Aging Waterproof Concealer. This is one other concealer I love. It’s very different from the Make Up For Ever concealer cited here, in that this is thick with a pasty texture. You just need a dot for the under-eyes and when blended properly, the result is perfection.

What I like about it is that the coverage is medium to full but it still looks somewhat natural. There is some level of difficulty in using this because of the texture but it really is worth the trouble. The product comes in a tube with a tiny hole at the end. It’s easy to control the amount of product dispensed. Oh, and the price is quite steep at P1,850. n MAC Cosmetics Studio Fix 24-Hour Smooth Wear Concealer. I’ve never worn this concealer for more than eight hours but it does stay on longer than many other concealers. What I like about this is that in terms of color match, MAC Cosmetics is always spoton. I know that most people like their concealers to be one or two shades lighter but I like my concealer to be an exact match. I like the price point of this (P1,400) because if you divide the price to how many times you’ll use it, it’s not too bad at all. This also comes in

a tube with a wand applicator. The texture is slightly thick but the product is easy to blend with a brush, sponge or even your fingers. n Bare Minerals Correcting Concealer Broad Spectrum SPF 20. This is a concealer that works well on blemishes, acne marks and discolorations. I love that it comes in a small pan that you can put in your on-the-go makeup kit. The texture is surprisingly smooth and the coverage light to medium. Like most Bare Minerals products, this is formulated “without parabens, synthetic fragrances or artificial oils, it blends seamlessly to conceal blemishes, dark undereye circles and other skin imperfections.” This is

priced at $22 (not available in the Philippines). If there is one con about this concealer, it’s that the shade range is limited. I wish they had more shades. n Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment Concealer. For its price (around P350), this concealer performs well under the eyes to hide dark circles and smoothen the texture. It does not crease much and the color matches are average to above average (for warm-toned folks, at least).

Longevity is also okay. This is a concealer I would highly recommend if the person was looking for a good and affordable concealer. The only thing I don’t like about this is the spongy applicator.

B6 Monday, June 1, 2020

Jollibee Group Foundation’s Coin Banks go online to feed more families

I

N response to many families going hungry this COVID-19 pandemic, the Jollibee Group has been providing food to frontliners and affected families through its FoodAID Program. To give the public a convenient way to help feed even more families, the Jollibee Group Foundation (JGF) is now taking the coin banks that used to be found only on the counters of Jollibee Group stores and making them available online for the first time.

“We remain committed to continue extending a helping hand, and this time, the public can actively take part in this initiative,” said Jollibee Group Foundation Executive Director Gisela Tiongson.

The coin banks used to be found only inside the branches of Jollibee, Chowking, Mang Inasal, Greenwich, Burger King, Red Ribbon, Pho24, and Highlands Coffee. Now, these coin banks may also be found online via the www.jollibeefoundation.org website

so customers can donate via PayMaya and do bank account transfers from anywhere around the country and the world.

Donations through the digital coin bank will be used to bring food packs directly to the doorsteps of families in need through the help of nongovernmental organization (NGO) partners of JGF. The online coin bank program is on top of Jollibee Group’s P220 million-worth of food donations that have already served over 3.8 million meals to frontliners and families in need since March this year.

To help raise awareness for the digital coin bank and the thousands of families it will be able to help, Asia’s Songbird Regine Velasquez-Alcasid will be contributing her talent via a free online concert called “Regine: Joy from Home.” The concert can be streamed on the Jollibee Facebook Page and on the Jollibee Studios YouTube Channel on June 7, Sunday, at 8 in the evening.

The “Regine: Joy from Home” concert will treat viewers and their families to a night of beautiful music and stories of hope, courage, and bayanihan. This musical event will offer Filipino families an opportunity to bond together over songs and stories that can help them cope through these times, as well as provide them with a safe and convenient platform to extend help to families in need by donating to the Jollibee Group coin bank.

For interested donors, they may donate through online bank transfer to the Foundation’s Metrobank (Acct.

No: 473-7-473-01406-4; Swift Code: MBTCPHMM) and RCBC (Acct. No. 1253-10519-0) accounts, or via PayMaya (http://pymy.co/Jollibee)

Banning e-cigarettes and HTPS best option vs nicotine addiction – Public Health Advocates

A

CTION on Smoking and Health (ASH) Philippines and the Ecowaste Coalition support the position of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) banning e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products to prevent a new epidemic of nicotine addiction.

As this year’s World No Tobacco Day theme highlights the tobacco industry’s tactics to target the youth with cigarettes and novel tobacco products, ASH Philippines and Ecowaste Coalition together with its partners urge legislators to consider the ban or strict regulation of e-cigarettes, which is becoming increasingly popular among the youth.

“As these products do not have extensive evidence to back up claims on efficacy and safety, we encourage the government to be cautious in drafting policies on this subject.

We wish them to always prioritize health over any other interests. If we really want to provide maximum protection to Filipinos’ health, banning these products is still the best option,” said ASH Philippines Executive Director and Pulmonologist Dr. Maricar Limpin.

Meanwhile, Ecowaste Coalition highlighted that e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products do not only pose a greater risk for health but also in the environment.

“Aside from nicotine, these products may

contain toxic chemicals and can potentially leak heavy metals into the environment. As such, they may be qualified as both e-waste and biohazard waste. We already have issues in terms of conventional cigarette butts as the most visible toxic litter in our surroundings, we are expecting that the disposal of e-cigarettes along with its components is another environmental health hazard,” said Thony Dizon, Chemical Safety Campaigner of EcoWaste Coalition.

A recently released position paper from The Union analyzes scientific evidence regarding the health effects of novel nicotine products and cautions policymakers to be especially vigilant as these novel tobacco products to hook new users and expand the nicotine market in their own countries.

Even if it is marketed as a safer alternative that has fewer toxins compared to traditional cigarettes, it is becoming increasingly apparent that e-cigarettes possess their own unique health harms and that comparison to cigarettes should not be the only relevant question in determining its impact to health.

Last year, the Department of Health recorded the first case of e-cigarette or vaping product use associated lung injury (EVALI) from a 16-year-old girl from Visayas which sparked the call for regulation of the novel tobacco products in the Philippines.

Foodpanda now delivers grocery items right at your doorstep

Tulong Kapatid aids QC sanitation teams

A

S part of its corporate social responsibility, Tulong Kapatid, the alliance of foundations of the MVP Group of Companies, extended assistance to the Quezon City government’s waste management teams in line with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Taking part in the undertaking were Metro Pacific Investments Foundation Inc., One Meralco Foundation, PLDT-Smart Foundation, Maynilad, and Alagang Kapatid Foundation of TV5.

The conglomerate’s assistance consisted of face shields, food bags, and relevant implements to some 500 garbage collectors, pickers, river waste management, and street sweepers, who serve as community sanitation frontliners.

Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte expressed appreciation to the conglomerate for providing for the welfare of its waste management team which will help protect them from occupational hazards. She said that the protective items would be used in waste operations, especially now that they are in very high demand.

Metro Manila’s largest and most populous urban area, Quezon City had 34 of its barangays placed under extreme

enhanced community quarantine, thus increasing household wastes during the said period “The mandate for Tulong Kapatid to reach out to garbage collectors came from our Chairman, Manuel Pangilinan, who said not to disregard these people who are being exposed daily not only to danger such as broken glass, smoke and chemical inhalation but also to the corona virus. They play a vital role in our society and neglecting them could pose enormous health and environmental issues,” says Metro Pacific Investments Foundation president Melody del Rosario.

One Meralco Foundation president Jeffrey Tarayao noted that the power firm saw their importance in ensuring cleanliness and sanitation in the communities, which is key in fighting Covid-19. He said that the care packages represent Meralco’s gratitude and concern for their wellbeing and of their families.

“The MVP Group of Companies makes sure no one is left behind. The solid waste management are our frontliners who continue to work despite the Covid-19 threat, and keeping them healthy makes us healthy too,” concludes Maynilad Government Relations head Anette de Ocampo.

F

In photo at the turnover of the assistance at the Quezon City Hall are (from left) Annette de Ocampo, Melody del Rosario, Mayor Joy Belmonte, and Jeff Tarayao.

Villar pushes expansion of Las Pinas hospital to cater to patients in South of Metro Manila and Cavite

W

ITH the onslaught of COVID-19 pandemic and the probable occurrence of other emerging infectious diseases in the near future, Sen. Cynthia Villar is pushing for the expansion of the Las Pinas General Hospital and Satellite Trauma Center (LPGH & STC).

During the Senate Committee on Health hearing held today, Villar pushed for the passage of Senate Bill 143 which earmarks P500 million to increase the bed capacity of LPGH & STC from 200 to 500. The counterpart measure at the House of Representatives was authored by Las Pinas Rep. Camille Villar and passed on March 2, 2020.

“Given the health emergency we have today, it becomes imperative to improve our hospitals and health facilities. Increasing the capacity of LPGH & STC will greatly benefit patients in South of Manila and

nearby cities and municipalities of Cavite,” Villar said.

During the hearing, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said he is supporting the measure along with other bills increasing hospital bed capacities in Cagayan Valley Medical Center in Tuguegarao City and the Western Visayas Medical Center in Iloilo City.

The construction of the additional eight-storey building in LPGH & STC is slated to be finished next year. The senator also channelled PhP144 million last year to purchase the land and start building construction.

"We are in the middle of a healthcare crisis.

The Covid-19 pandemic, according to global health experts themselves, is here to stay. But as it stands now, existing hospital facilities are not enough to meet the requirements. So, I believe increasing the bed capacity of government hospitals will be a big

help to the people," said Villar.

There are about 456 hospitals in the country with a total bed capacity of 67,119. Approximately 41% of these beds are in government-owned hospitals while the remaining 59% are in private hospitals.

Villar cited that majority of existing hospital beds are being used for treating non-Covid patients, so local government units (LGUs) should really ensure the availability of more hospital beds for Covid-19 patients. Investment in healthcare facilities, she cited, is a must.

"Once the expansion of LPGH & STC is completed, the facilities for Covid-19 and non-Covid patients can be separated to avoid the spread of the virus, one building each. That would also ensure that regular healthcare services are not disrupted," the senator said.

OODPANDA, the on-demand food delivery service, announces grocery and essential items delivery through shops. In partnership with a variety of retailers nationwide, customers can now order products and groceries without any minimum order requirement. They can have items delivered right to their doorsteps, at an average delivery time of 25 minutes or less.

No need to schedule a grocery run when the pantry is empty with snacks, beverages, and bread as 7-Eleven’s list of favorite essentials are just a few taps away. Racks is also offering their ready-to-cook entrees from meats to seafood, while Tous Les Jours offers its frozen bread. For those who need their daily caffeine fix, they can now set up a cozy coffee station at home with Coffee Project and Bo’s Coffee. Hankering for Subway’s deli sandwiches? foodpanda shops offers their staple ingredients so anyone can recreate their signature favorites any time of the day! shops will surely make access to necessities and favorites much easier.

With more than a hundred partners already on board, and growing every day, foodpanda aims to continue to expand an even broader range of lifestyle and convenience offerings for its customers.

"In the Philippines, we know that comfort and convenience are king. That’s why with the launch of shops, consumers now have the ability to take control of their time, effort, and money as the platform now officially offers a one-stop-shop of everything they need from personal care, household items to other staples. shops provide foodpanda users with more options and upgrades so they will never have to run out of everyday essentials. With this newly added service, we’re confident that this will bring delight and satisfaction to our customers who need easy access to their daily essentials, while providing elevated experiences to Filipinos’ everyday lives”, said foodpanda’s Head of Grocery, Paolo Biondi Te. foodpanda’s growing pipeline of new business is fueled by its industry-leading network of partnerships, innovative technological platform, and dispatch algorithm.

Available on the foodpanda app, start by entering the delivery address, choose the shop and place an order. The merchant will prepare the items, and when ready, the courier delivers the items at once.

The customer can also track the rider in real-time.

Whatever customers need at the moment, all it takes is a few taps and let shops deliver the things that matter.

Security Bank joins Philippine Red Cross in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic

S

ECURITY Bank (SECB) continues to partner with the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) in aiding its initiatives to beat the COVID-19 pandemic. You can now use your Security Bank Credit Card rewards points as donations to Philippine Red Cross and support their humanitarian missions. Every 100 points redeemed is equivalent to a Php10 donation.

The donated points will help in giving PPEs and psychological support to our frontliners; and provisionary aids such as hot meals and ready-to-eat food (RTE) to affected communities. Together, we can get better.

This campaign is until July 18, 2020.

For more information on how to use reward points to donate to the PNRC and other advocacy partners, cardholders may visit www. securitybank.com/online-donation-form.

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Monday, June 1, 2020 B7

The coronavirus chronicles:

New normal speak for communicators

PR Matters

By Millie F. Dizon

W

ITHOUT a doubt, the coronavirus pandemic has changed everything.

And that includes the way we speak, and the way we write.

Within a few months, we have become acquainted with epidemiological words and phrases that have defined the time we are living in. These are frequently used in public briefings, newscasts, and even in ordinary conversations.

What is interesting for communicators is that some of these terms have been around for some time, and their origins are quite noteworthy, as we will see below:

The Institutions

n The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health.

Established on April 7, 1948, it is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The WHO’s mandate includes advocating for universal health care, monitoring public health risks, coordinating responses to health emergencies, and promoting human health and well-being. n RITM (Research Institute for Tropical Medicine) The Research Institute for Tropical Medicine is a health research facility in Muntinlupa established on April 23, 1981. Since then, it has emerged as a center for excellence in health research using the tools available in epidemiology, clinical medicine supported by microbiology, parasitology, public health, virology, immunology, molecular biology,

important while selling via third-party retailers and not directly to customers. n Consumers are adjusting to “living a new normal” and new buying habits may prompt permanent shifts in behavior.

n Intelligence: According to the latest WARC Global Ad Trends report, an advertising recession is likely GLOBAL—With Covid-19 wreaking havoc on the global economy, international advertising service WARC has released its latest Global Ad Trends report on “the impact of Covid-19 on ad investment.”

To help companies plan for 2020/2021, this new report summarizes the latest adspend projections by market, media, and product vertical from WARC Data, alongside commentary from industry experts.

Findings in this report include:

n An economic recession is highly probable, likely to lead to an advertising recession. n Major FMCG advertisers lowered advertising and marketing investment in the 2008-09 recession but it held as a share of sales revenue. n FMCG advertising money is moving online but brand building is still

Among the key takeaways are:

n Advertising investment is set to fall by 8.1 percent to $49.6 billion worldwide this year. This compares to a pre-outbreak forecast of 7.1 growth, equating to an absolute downgrade of $96.4 billion. n This year’s downturn will be softer than in 2009, when the ad market fell by 12.7 percent ($60.5 billion). Among the reasons for this are the US presidential elections this year, stronger-than-expected first-quarter results, and a more established online sector—particularly within e-commerce. n Almost all product sectors will record a decline in ad investment this year. The most severe falls will be recorded among travel and tourism (by 31.2 percent), leisure and entertainment (by 28.7 percent), financial services (18.2 percent), retail (15.2 percent), and automotive (by 11.4 percent). n Traditional media will fare far worse than online. Investment is set to fall by 16.3 percent ($51.4 billion) this year, with the biggest decline to hap-

pathology, and behavioral/social science.

RITM provides state-of-the-art facilities dedicated to research, training, clinical care, and biologicals manufacturing. It houses laboratories, hospital facilities, an insolate bank, and dormitory.

Health matters

n PPE or personal protective equipment is equipment that will protect the user against health or safety risks at work. It can include items such as safety helmets, gloves, eye protection, high-visibility clothing, safety footwear, and safety harnesses. It also includes respiratory protective equipment (RPE). n PUM and PUI. These are classifications of individuals who may have the coronavirus. A person under monitoring or PUM has a travel history in the past 14 days to areas with issued travel restrictions especially with cases of coronavirus. They usually have no signs or symptoms and warrant monitoring for 14 days.

A person under investigation (PUI), on the other hand, has fever or cough and a travel history in the past 14 days to areas with travel restrictions or a history of exposure to Covid 19.

On April 11, the Department of Health issued a new classification—Suspect, Probable, and Confirmed. n Contact tracing. Time Magazine’s daily coronavirus newsletter describes contact tracing as “a little like detective work. Trained staff interview people who have

pen for cinema, by 31.6 percent. n Internet advertising is set to record mild growth this year of 0.6 percent at a global level, though several key markets will witness a fall. Social media is expected to grow 9.8 percent, although online classified—particularly recruitment—is set to fall by 10.3 percent. n A recovery is forecasted for 2021 by 4.9 percent. This will still leave the value of global ad trade $21.9 billion lower than its 2019 peak. Ad investment would need to rise by 3.7 percent in 2022 to complete the recovery fully.

n Travel: Looking into the value of ecotourism in the new normal, according to international experts at the Ecotourism Philippines Webinar

MANLA, PHILIPPINES—The Ecotourism Philippines Webinar on May 28, 2020 was an initiative by Masungi Georeserve Foundation, Visita and Eco Explorations, in cooperation with the Asian Institute of Management – Andrew Tan Center for Tourism, to discuss the recovery of the tourism sector post-Covid.

It gathered international and national experts to explore how technology and low-volume ecotourism

been diagnosed with a contagious disease to figure out who they may have recently been in contact with.”

Then, “they go tell these people they may have been exposed, sometimes encouraging them to quarantine themselves to prevent spreading the disease any further.”

The technique, which Time describes as “part public health, and part investigation,” was used during the 2014 Ebola virus outbreak as well as the SARS outbreak in 2003. It is also used to combat sexually transmitted infections and other communicable diseases like tuberculosis.

Today, contact tracing is a “cornerstone of preventive medicine,” says Dr. Laura Beeher, medical director of occupational health services at the Mayo Clinic.

“Contact tracing,” she says, “is having a moment of glory right now with Covid because of the crucial importance of identifying those individuals who have been exposed quickly and isolating or quarantining themselves.” n Flatten the curve. According to Michigan Radio, the term was coined by University of Michigan medical historian Dr. Howard Markel while conducting research with the CDC regarding flu outbreaks in 2005.

Markel and his colleagues designed a study of the 1918-19 flu pandemic to compare cities that did flatten the curve—taking measures to reduce a spike (or tall curve) in infections and instead stretching them out over a longer (flatter) period of time—with

experiences can aid the process, and get the travel industry back on its feet.

“For ecotourism, the new normal is actually the old normal. In walking treks and canoeing, for example, you’re dealing with quite small numbers in remote areas where the risk [of Covid-19] is very low,” Tony Charters, vice-chairman of the Global Ecotourism Network and an international consultant with 25 years of experience, shared.

This was echoed by John Roberts, group director of sustainability for Minor Hotels, which operates more than 500 hospitality properties across the globe. “We [in ecotourism] have a head start. We should be coming back quicker than mass tourism. Camping might be an ideal way to travel because you’re bringing your own room with you.”

Boboi Costas, founder of Grassroots Travel and a former tourism officer of Cebu Province, hopes that the government will be able to give training for tourism frontliners who stopped working due to the travel restrictions. He said the government and its private sector partners could explore how to “provide digital skills training to communities to empower them. With the new normal, they’ll be able to promote their sites online.”

He added that the local govern-

those that didn’t.

And indeed, Markel says, “the cities that we studied that did those things did far better than those that did not.”

His study has certainly gone a long way, as today, “it’s the idea that society can slow the rate of infection for taking measures like canceling events, closing businesses, or sheltering in place. The hope is to reduce the number of patients who need urgent medical care all at once.”

Social matters

n New normal is a current state in being after some dramatic change—like the coronavirus pandemic—has transpired.

Learning a new normal like we are today means a change in lifestyle, and sometimes in our attitude It has its roots in financial conditions following the financial crisis of 2007- 2008 and the aftermath of the 2008-2012 global recession. The term has since been used in a variety of other contexts to imply that something which has been previously abnormal has become commonplace.

It was coined in 2009 by ElErian and his colleagues at Pacific Investment Management Co. to describe their meager outlook for global activity: slower growth and more regulation. n WFH or work from home has emerged as part of today’s new normal lifestyle because of lockdowns to prevent the coronavirus from spreading.

WFH is a concept where the employees can do their job outside of the office. It offers the flexibil-

ment of Aloguinsian in Cebu has hired community leaders and tour guides as Covid response frontliners and marine sanctuary guards.

Pamela Valle, project manager of Visita, a nonprofit “smart and sustainable digital visitor management system for nature-based destinations,” emphasized that the problem of enforcing carrying capacity and managing tourist flow has been there even before the pandemic and even more essential now due to the health crisis.

She announced that the Visita web site and app, which aims to help destination managers address these concerns, is now open for potential partnerships for interested destinations.

The panelists also underscored that to continue promoting the Philippines as an ecotourism destination, we need to showcase our biodiversity and continue conserving it. “We are one of the megadiverse countries in the world with some of the highest rates of endemism [of species] yet we are losing much of biodiversity due to unsustainable development practices,” Costas remarked.

For Charters, “Boracay [rehabilitation] was a globally high profile story.

Keeping these projects at the forefront will say that the Philippines is doing tourism in a sustainable way.” He added that maintenance and quality

ity to achieve company goas while supporting a healthy work/life balance, cutting down on commuting time and costs, as well as fostering a comfortable work environment. In today’s context, many companies have adapted this concept, allowing their employees to work from home so the balance between business continuity and health safety can be established. n Social distancing. According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, social distancing means keeping space between yourself and other people outside of your home.

This means staying at lease 6 feet (2 meters) from other people, not gathering in groups, and staying out of crowded places and avoiding mass gathering.

CDC adds that “keeping space between you and others is one of the best tools we have to avoid being exposed to this virus and slowing its spread locally and across the country and the world.”

PR Matters is a roundtable column by members of the local chapter of the United Kingdom-based International Public Relations Association (Ipra), the world’s premier association for senior professionals around the world. Millie F. Dizon, the senior vice president for Marketing and Communications of SM, is the former local chairman.

We are devoting a special column each month to answer the reader’s questions about public relations.

Please send your comments and questions to askipraphil@gmail.com.

of visitor infrastructure is also key to attracting tourists to the country.

Tourism to bounce back soon

Meanwhile, the experts are optimistic about the tourism sector’s ability to recover strongly.

“Tourism has a proven capacity to bounce back and drive recovery of other sectors. Worldwide arrivals returned five months after the September 11 attacks in 2001, five months after the SARS outbreak in 2003, 10 months after the global economic crisis in 2009. I believe tourism is the most resilient sector in the economy,” Costas said.

Charters added that he wouldn’t be surprised to see the Asean group bounce back quickly as it seems to be performing better than Europe and the Americas in the pandemic response.

“You may find travel between Asean and Asean +2 group opening up faster. Among the Philippines’ top 6 markets, four or five of them are considered to be doing very well against pandemic. You might recover faster than the rest of the world. Out of your top 12 destinations, eight destinations are doing very well that may represent around 70 percent of your normal market, provided the trends continue,” he noted.

Sports BusinessMirror

B8 Monday, June 1, 2020

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

Rick Olivares bleachersbrew@gmail.com

OPTIONS SET FOR U.S. OPEN

By Howard Fendrich

C

The Associated Press

HARTER flights to ferry US Open tennis players and limited entourages from Europe, South America and the Middle East to New York. Negative Covid-19 tests before traveling. Centralized housing. Daily temperature checks.

No spectators. Fewer on-court officials. No locker-room access on practice days.

All are among the scenarios being considered for the 2020 US Open—if it is held at all amid the coronavirus pandemic—and described to The Associated Press by a highranking official at the Grand Slam tournament.

“All of this is still fluid,” Stacey Allaster, the US Tennis Association’s (USTA) chief executive for professional tennis, said in a telephone interview Saturday. “We have made no decisions at all.”

With that caveat, Allaster added that if the USTA board does decide to go forward with the Open, she expects it to be held at its usual site and in its usual spot on the calendar. The main draw is scheduled to start August 31.

“We continue to be, I would say, 150

percent focused on staging a safe environment for conducting a US Open at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York on our dates. It’s all I wake up—our team wakes up— thinking about,” Allaster said. “The idea of an alternative venue, an alternative date...we’ve got a responsibility to explore it, but it doesn’t have a lot of momentum.”

An announcement should come from “midJune to end of June,” Allaster said.

All sanctioned competition has been suspended by the Association of Tennis Professionals, Women’s Tennis Association and International Tennis Federation since March and is on hold until late July.

The French Open was postponed from May to September and Wimbledon was canceled for the first time since 1945.

There is no established Covid-19 protocol for tennis, a global sport with several governing bodies.

“Everybody would agree to the fundamental principles, I’m sure: protecting the health of participants, following the local laws and minimizing the risk of the transmission of the virus,” said Stuart Miller, who is overseeing the ITF’s return-to-tennis policy. “But then you have

MIKE “MAGIC” PLANIA offers relief to lockdown-weary Filipino sports fans.

M

L

US Open plans are in works, including group flights and Covid-19 tests. AP

told the AP it is “less and less likely” spectators would be at the US Open this year.

That, Sherr said, means “forgoing ticketing revenue, forgoing hospitality revenue, forgoing a portion of your sponsorship revenue.” But TV and digital rights fees, plus remaining sponsorship dollars, are “significant enough that it’s still worth it to go forward with a no-fans-on-site US Open,” he said.

Other areas Allaster addressed:

CHARTERS

SCORING

“A PLAYER coming with an entourage of five, six, seven, eight is not something that’s in the plan,” Allater said. One possibility: Tournaments could provide physiotherapists and masseuses so players don’t bring their own.

HAVING best-of-three-set matches in men’s singles “has hardly been discussed,” she said.

“If the players came to us and said, ‘That is something we want to do,’ we would consider it. But we will not make a unilateral decision on that without player input.”

TESTING

BEFORE traveling to New York, players would need proof of a negative Covid-19 test. “Once they come into our, let’s say, ‘US Open world,’” Allaster said, “there will be a combination of daily health questionnaires, daily temperature checks and...some nasal or saliva or antibody testing.”

M title as Plania is given the opportunity to provide relief to Filipino sports fans turned weary and rusty after more than two months of lockdown.

“This is history for the Philippines. We hope that we could give hope and happiness to the Filipinos,” he said. Plania will have Cuban Moro Fernandez in his corner.

Bob Arum told the Associated Press two weeks ago that he has planned to stage a card of five fights first on June 9 at the MGM Grand, the first of a series of fights over the next two months at the Las Vegas hotel.

A second fight card will be held two nights later, with ESPN televising both cards, kicking off twice weekly shows at the hotel in June and July.

No fans will be allowed, and Arum said fighters and everyone else will be tested at least twice during fight week for the new coronavirus.

The boxing cards, as well as the UFC fights which were held on Saturday, are pending the reopening of the MGM and other Las Vegas hotels, something that is widely expected to happen this week, though no dates for a second phase of easing virus restrictions have been announced by Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak.

Ramon Rafael Bonilla

By Cai Ordinario

ANY Filipinos are physically considered inactive and at the brink of fatal health conditions, no thanks to the hustle and bustle of living in the Metro.

Antonio Dans, a professor at the University of the Philippines College of Medicine, said more Filipinos living in urban areas are physically inactive compared to the national average.

Dans, speaking at the recent Senate Committee on Sustainable Development Goals, Innovation and Futures Thinking hearing where he was one of the resource persons, said 53.2 percent of adults aged from 20 to 59 years old and living in Manila are considered physically inactive.

This is higher compared to the national average of 40.6 percent, Dans stressed.

Dans said people has to be physically active to avoid a rapid increase in noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in the country.

NCDs are also termed as lifestyle diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and other cardiovascular diseases.

NCDs are caused not only of physical inactivity but also bad eating habits and vices such as smoking and drinking.

However, Dans said based on their new theory, NCDs are also a reflection of the lack of choices for Filipinos. He said eating unhealthy food is driven by the relatively more expensive

health food items such as salads while smoking is driven by low cigarette prices.

Physical inactivity, meanwhile, is caused

by Filipinos’ lack of access to open spaces.

And given months of enhanced community quarantine, Dans said there could be an increase in NCDs. “We smoke not because we want to but because of advertisements and cheap

Burns defeats Woodley in UFC’s return to Vegas AS VEGAS—Gilbert Burns dominated former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley to win a unanimous decision on Saturday night in the mixed martial arts promotion’s return to Las Vegas.

Brazilian heavyweight Augusto Sakai employed some unpunished gamesmanship to eke out a split-decision victory over Bulgaria’s Blagoy Ivanov in the penultimate bout of the UFC’s first show in its hometown since the coronavirus pandemic began.

The event was held without fans at the UFC Apex, a small gym with broadcast facilities on

Gearing up for a return

PARIS, Vienna, Frankfurt, Buenos Aires and Dubai are among the cities where players could catch a flight to John F. Kennedy International Airport on an airline that is a tournament partner. Afterward, players might be taken to where they play next; tournament sites in later September could include Paris, Madrid or Rome.

ENTOURAGES

OFFICIATING

MATCHES could use fewer line judges than usual, with more reliance on line-calling technology.

“It’s a hard one,” Allaster said. “Obviously, we want to ensure that we have the highest level of integrity.”

BALL PERSONS

THE current plan is to have them—only adults, no kids.

Bicycles boost physical activity

PLANIA FIRST FILIPINO TO PLUNGE INTO SPORTS DURING PANDEMIC IKE “MAGIC” PLANIA would earn the distinction as the first Filipino to engage in an official sports event amid the Covid-19 pandemic when he takes on Chicago’s No. 1-ranked Joshua Greer Jr. in a nontitle, closed-door card at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, on June 16.

Plania, 23, and Greer collide in the bout that offers a catchweight of 120 pounds. They will cofeature the Giovanni Santillan against Antonio DeMarco mainer organized by Top Rank.

A native of General Santos City, the righthanded Plania boasts a 23-win record with 12 knockouts against only one defeat.

Plania flaunts an eight-bout winning streak with his last victory coming off a unanimous decision over Giovanni Gutierrez last December in Miami.

“We got the call 10 days ago, but we are confident about the chances of Mike. Greer is a good boxer but I think Mike is better,” said JC Manangquil, Plania’s manager who heads Sanman Promotions.

Greer, ranked No. 1 bantamweight by the World Boxing Organization, stakes his 22-win (12-knockout) record against the Filipino.

Manangquil said the stakes are beyond any

to get down into the specific details.”

One such detail: The USTA wants to add locker rooms—including at indoor courts that housed hundreds of temporary hospital beds at the height of New York’s coronavirus outbreak— and improve air filtration in existing spaces. Also being considered: no locker-room access until just before a match. So if anyone goes to Flushing Meadows just to train, Allaster said, “You come, you practice, and return to the hotel.”

The USTA presented its operational plan to a medical advisory group Friday—now that will be discussed with city, state and federal government officials.

“The fundamental goal here is to mitigate risk,” Allaster said.

Governors around the country, such as New York’s Andrew Cuomo, who are open to allowing professional sports resume say that should be without fans.

“We are spending a lot of time and energy on all the models, including no fans on site,” Allaster said. “The government will help guide us.”

In 2019, about 850,000 people attended the US Open site from the week before the main draw through the finals.

Lew Sherr, the USTA’s chief revenue officer,

Bleachers’ Brew

the promotion’s corporate campus. The UFC used minimal personnel to stage the fight, and the promotion said everyone involved was subject to strict health and safety protocols.

The 33-year-old Burns (19-3) dominated on his feet and on the ground, finishing his first main-event bout with likely the biggest win of his career and his sixth consecutive victory since July 2018, including four straight since moving back up to welterweight.

From a first-round knockdown to a strong finish, the Florida-based Brazilian soundly

defeated one of the most accomplished welterweights in UFC history and made his case for a shot at champion Kamaru Usman, who happens to be his training partner.

“I trained so hard for this fight, and I knew I could do it,” said Burns, who entered the bout ranked sixth in the crowded 170-pound division. “I was calling these guys out for a reason. I’m coming to stay. That was a former champion right there. You saw a dominant performance against a former champion. I’m ready. I feel so good right now.”

The judges all gave all five rounds to Burns, scoring it 5045, 50-44 and 50-44. Burns called out Usman in his post-fight interview.

“I love the champ, my training partner,” Burns said. “But come on, give me a shot. A lot of respect, a lot of love for you, but I think I’m next.... If they want to make a fight in July, come on. I don’t have a scratch.”

tobacco. We eat unhealthy not because we choose that, but because unhealthy food is much cheaper than healthy food. Salads are very expensive these days,” Dans said.

“And why don’t we take active transport to work? The reason is simple. It’s because we don’t have a choice because our streets are built for motorized vehicles. It’s not a choice, it’s how we build society,” he added.

Dans said, changing the environment is key to a true life change. When the government increased tobacco taxes, there was a considerable reduction in the number of smokers.

The number of smokers declined to 20.7 percent in 2018 from the 31 percent in 2008. The number of those who never smokerd increased significantly to 64.7 percent in 2018 from 54.3 percent in 2008.

This change can happen for physical inactivity by encouraging more Filipinos to take active transport such as bicycles.

Dans said health and health-care problems that can be addressed by bikes include hypertension, diabetes, obesity, physical activity and even a reduction in accidents.

More Filipinos on bikes, he added, also means lesser air pollution which could lead to a decrease in pulmonary diseases which is one of the top diseases that cause mortality among Filipinos.

THE English Premier League announced that its two-day testing of players, coaches and staff from all participating clubs before the weekend turned out negative Covid-19 results.

This is the fourth round of testing.

During the first round of tests conducted last May 17 and 18, six tested positive from three clubs.

The second round from May 19 to 22 yielded two positive results while the third round of testing on May 25 and 26 saw four affirmative.

Apparently, now, it is better. And as the Premier League unanimously voted to finish the remainder of the season this coming June 17—under supervision from health and government officials—all matches played behind closed doors. Teams have played 28 or 29 matches out of the 38-match cup schedule.

League-leading Liverpool with a 27-1-1 slate and high of 82 points; 25 points ahead of second best team and defending champion, Manchester City, needs two more wins to wrap up its first league title in 30 years.

The lockdown due to the global pandemic is making them wait just a little bit longer.

It is better to win it than to be handed it although I do not see anyone catching them.

With the stoppage due to the pandemic, how they take the field with the same focus, drive, and intensity—not to mention chemistry—is anyone’s guess. One thing is for sure...everyone is well rested.

Technically, the league should be over by now as the surviving teams—if any—look forward to the UEFA Champions League or Europa Cups.

Across the Atlantic Ocean, the National Basketball Association (NBA), as reported by The Athletic, is looking to resume come the end of July. Some 64 to 65 matches have been played out of the 82-game regular season. While training has resumed, there is now word on how many of the remaining games will be played or even what the playoff format will be.

According to NBA beat reporters like Ramona Shelburne, there is a possibility that the league will continue but with every team playing and quartered at the Disney Sports Complex in Orlando.

As these two of the most popular sports leagues in the world are raring to get going, the first-ever professional sports league in the world to begin competition amid the pandemic is Taiwan’s Chinese Professional Baseball League that called, “batter up” last April 11. The move was a stroke of genius as it showed the entire world it could be done.

They were the only live sports at that time and they gained a new set of worldwide fans.

South Korea’s K-League kick-off one week ahead of the German Bundesliga returned to action in the first week of May. While there are professional sports leagues in Belarus and Nicaragua that never stopped, the Bundesliga is the first major sports league to return albeit to a totally different setting.

Aside from there being no spectators, for some teams that have thrived on home field advantage, that doesn’t seem the case anymore. Teams arrived in several buses to observe social distancing.

It was the same on the substitutes’ bench as players were feet apart and airport stairs used to bring them down to the pitch.

An average of 213 people were in the venue for the game and this included the teams, media, security, and medics. Another 109 were outside as VAR operators and security.

Players warmed up on the pitch with face masks while footballs were disinfected before kick-off, half-time, and postgame. While many goals were not celebrated, some did. Hertha Berlin players in particular.

It is reported that they will not be penalized as it is only a guideline and not a rule. And even more interestingly, five substitutes were allowed outside the usual three. I have always thought that five substitutes were the optimum one for official football matches.

Here is hoping that when things get better, the fivesubstitute rule will remain in effect.

I guess, the scenes from the Bundesliga are what we will see when the Premier League returns to play in two weeks’ time.

Fans will just have to watch the matches online and read about postgame matches from newspapers or online sites.

How teams are crowned champions will be anyone’s guess at this point. How do you feed off the emotion and roar of a nonexistent crowd?

I guess, this is a price to pay for the new normal.

TIGHT MATCH

There is obviously a close contact between Mirko Ivanovski (left) of Diosgyor and Robert Pillar of Mezokovesd during the Hungarian soccer first league match at the DVTK Stadium in Miskolc, Hungary, on Saturday. Sports events are free to be attended by people again under the condition they observe strict rules still in force due to the Covid-19 pandemic. AP