BusinessMirror June 04, 2020

DBCC sees 8-9% growth in ’21

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HE Cabinet-level Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) is now projecting a higher GDP growth rate of 8 to 9 percent for 2021 and a lower GDP growth rate of 6 to 7 percent for 2022.

According to several government officials interviewed by the BusinessMirror, the government’s economic managers are seeing that the economy would grow faster next year on the back of expected additional infrastructure investment for the year to stimulate the economy.

The DBCC’s new GDP growth projection for 2021 is higher than its earlier projection of 7.1 to 8.1 percent.

But its new GDP growth projection for 2022 is lower than its earlier projection of 7 to 8 percent during its special meeting on May 12.

Both Budget Secretary Wendel E. Avisado, who is DBCC chairman, and Finance Undersecretary and Chief Economist Gil Beltran confirmed to the BusinessMirror the revised GDP growth projections that underwent DBCC ad referendum approval.

Acting Budget Assistant Secretary Kim de Leon also confirmed the revisions to the BusinessMirror,

noting that the increased infrastructure spending next year is expected to create additional jobs and pump prime the economy.

De Leon also said the DBCC ad referendum approval took place on May 27.

“DBCC adjusted levels in 2021 in view of the expected additional infrastructure investment in 2021 to pump prime the economy, which is also expected to create additional jobs,” De Leon said in a message.

Meanwhile, the GDP growth projection for 2022 was revised downward due to the base effect.

“The downward adjustment in 2022 was due to the base effects of the upward prospect for 2021,” he added.

Asked how much would be the expected additional infrastructure spending for 2021, Beltran said it is about P120 billion, “assuming that the DBCC ad ref was approved.”

“That’s why bounce back is rapid. BBB [Build, Build, Build] has a high multiplier because the projects had high rates of return,” he said, referring to the government’s massive infrastructure program.

For this year, Beltran said the DBCC is keeping its earlier projection that the economy would contract by 2 to 3.4 percent. This could be the country’s worst GDP growth rate

since the country’s economy contracted by 6.9 percent in 1985 based on 2018 constant prices.

Given the increased spending and drop in revenue collections, the country’s budget deficit is seen to balloon to P1.56 trillion or 8.1 percent of GDP based on the macroeconomic assumptions approved by DBCC on May 12 in its special meeting.

Despite increased deficit spending, the national government’s deficit-to-GDP ratio will remain in the median of comparable countries in Southeast Asia and East Asia, among peers with similar credit ratings, and among other emerging-market economies, DBCC said.

This, as long as the ratio does not exceed 9 percent.

Below this threshold, the DBCC said the debt-toGDP ratio will be around 50 percent, far lower than the most recent peak of 71.6 percent in 2004.

In 2019 the government recorded a budget deficit of P660.2 billion or 3.55 percent of GDP, exceeding the administration’s target of 3.25 percent of GDP for the year.

Last year, the country also enjoyed its lowest-recorded debt-to-GDP ratio of 39.6 percent of GDP.

A budget deficit occurs when expenditures exceed revenues, while debt-to-GDP ratio is used to gauge a country’s ability to pay off its debt.

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SOLONS RACE TO FINISH COVID-19-RELATED BILLS www.businessmirror.com.ph

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Thursday, June 4, 2020 Vol. 15 No. 238

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GRADE-SCHOOL teacher Emie Viscaya of Noah’s Ark Angel Learning School Center in Manila briefs parent Ivy Garcia on the conduct of online learning. The Department of Education said that, in the absence of face-to-face classes, the delivery of education will be available online, as modular, blended, or through radio and television. (Right photo) Parents drop their children’s enrolment and survey forms in boxes placed outside the Parañaque Elementary School Central in keeping with physical-distancing measures. Among the questions asked in the survey is the learner’s household capacity for and access to distance learning, such as the availability of electronic devices and Internet connectivity. ROY DOMINGO

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz & Butch Fernandez

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AWMAKERS in both chambers raced on Wednesday to approve the remaining measures to deal with the Covid-19 crisis, with an eye to ensuring the multibillion-peso public funds go to sectors most hammered by the lockdowns induced by the pandemic.

Senators rushed to approve on second reading the P140-billion Bayanihan to Recover As One Act, which, like the first Bayanihan Act,

is time-bound and is targeted at mitigating the impact of Covid-19.

To curb transmission of the deadly respiratory disease, the govern-

ment had imposed lockdowns since mid-March, shuttering businesses and schools. The paralysis is forecast by some experts to cause the gross domestic product to shrink by as much as 9.6 percent in the second quarter.

The original Bayanihan to Heal As One Act lapses on June 24, and Bayanihan II has a shelf life until September. Senators tried to sift through provisions on Wednesday to ensure that the responses take into consideration this timeline.

The Bayanihan II is broken down, in the Senate version, into these key responses to the health and economic crisis, as amended: Emergency subsidies, P15 billion; Prevention and control of other diseases, P10 billion; Capital infu-

sion to government financial institutions (GFIs), P50 billion; Support programs for impacted sectors, P17 billion; Support to agriculture sector, P17 billion; Assistance to transportation sector, P17 billion; Assistance to tourism, P10 billion; Smart campuses, P3 billion; Tesda training, P1 billion.

The total package was reduced from P157 billion to 140 billion after senators worked overnight on Tuesday to introduce amendments to ensure the second relief package has a sharper focus on targeted beneficiaries, amid criticism that millions of ordinary Filipinos deserving of government aid during the quarantine period did not get these.

Continued on A2

‘Extend grace period for Covid-hit sectors’ T LONTOC: “More people are expected to fall into poverty. Given these developments, the risk of more people defaulting on payments is evident.”

HE Philippine economy may take a turn for the worse should the government not extend further the grace period for payment of rent and utilities to ease the financial burden of consumers, experts have warned.

Economist Genesis Kelly S. Lontoc of Ateneo De Manila University warned that more people would be defaulting on their payment on rent, utilities and housing loans given the huge impact of Covid-19 on the country’s economy.

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 50.3440

“The GDP is projected by the DBCC [Development Budget Coordination Committee] to decline by -2.0 to -3.4 percent in 2020. Unemployment is expected to worsen. OFW [overseas Filipino workers] remittances are projected to fall. More people are expected to fall into poverty.

Given these developments, the risk of more people defaulting on payments is evident,” Lontoc told the BusinessMirror, where he writes about personal finance.

Asked for estimates on the number of people who may default on their payments, Lontoc said an “indicator” could be the number of displaced workers.

Labor Assistant Secretary Dominique Tutay on Sunday told the BusinessMirror affected workers due to the pandemic have reached 2.8 million from more than 103,000 establishments in temporary closure and flexible-work arrangements.

Continued on A4

‘VIRUS TO DEEPEN FOOD INSECURITY, POVERTY IN ASIA’

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By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

HE Covid-19 pandemic could worsen food insecurity and poverty in Asian countries, including the Philippines, as consumers lose access to nutritional food, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) said.

In their latest policy brief, IRRI experts said Covid-induced lockdowns and other health safeguard measures implemented in the region have affected millions of rice value chain (RVC) actors or players.

The policy brief was authored by IRRI Country Representative for Bangladesh Humnath Bhandari, IRRI Agrifood Policy Platform Leader Jean Balié, IRRI Agricultural Economist Valerien Pede and IRRI South Asia Regional Representative Nafees Meah.

These measures, which range from stay-at-home orders, social distancing, mobility restriction to border closures, had “ripple effects” on RVC as economic activities have been either stalled or limited, the policy brief pointed out.

The IRRI experts also cited various factors that disrupted the RVC in recent months—limited or no access to inputs or services, labor and transport shortage, shortage of farm machinery and financial capital, trade and travel restrictions, income shock, and reduced food demand, among others.

The policy brief said disruptions in the RVC were felt in all of its segments, from production, processing, to marketing and consumption areas.

The disruptions resulted in lower palay yield, decreased demand for milled rice, and higher food prices due to unavailability of staple stocks, among others.

“We observed significant impacts on the consumption of food in terms of lower demand, changed purchasing and consumption behavior, and increased food insecurity and malnutrition,” the policy brief read.

“The disruptions in food supply, the income drop, and food price hike will have a huge impact on food and nutrition security, especially for the poor. The existing large number of undernourished population in Asia (513 million according to pre-Covid-19 estimates) is projected to increase significantly due to the pandemic,” it added.

See “Poverty,” A2

n JAPAN 0.4635 n UK 63.1868 n HK 6.4955 n CHINA 7.0862 n SINGAPORE 35.9497 n AUSTRALIA 34.6769 n EU 56.2393 n SAUDI ARABIA 13.4161

Source: BSP (June 3, 2020)

News BusinessMirror

A2 Thursday, June 4, 2020

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DepEd cracks down on illegal sale of online learning materials

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By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

HE Department of Education (DepEd) is now after online sellers posting the department’s learning materials on popular online selling platforms offering various printed materials on different subject areas.

Undersecretary Alain Pascua also warned that DepEd employees, either teaching or non-teaching, face administrative or criminal charges for the illegal sale of learning materials and charging fees for free materials and trainings.

“We have dispatched our field coordinators to seek out illegal activities such as this, and we are in talks with our legal department for any legal action we can take against these erring groups and individuals,” Pascua said on Wednesday.

Reports from DepEd’s Curriculum and Instruction Strand, particularly its Bureau of Curriculum Development (BCD) and Bureau of Learning Delivery (BLD), show online sellers posting DepEd learning materials on popular online selling

platforms offering various printed materials on different subject areas. Earlier reports also claim that DepEd’s Most Essential Learning Competencies or MELCs are being sold through YouTube subscriptions.

“These people are using free learning materials from DepEd, and are shamelessly selling them online,” Pascua added.

Pascua explained that due to the Covid-19 pandemic, DepEd has had to resort to strengthening its various learning delivery modes in lieu of traditional face-to-face learning. One major development was the launch of DepEd Commons (commons.deped.gov.ph), DepEd’s online learning resource portal where teachers and learners can access training demos, ex-

ercises, quizzes and e-books.

“We are working nonstop—to create, check and curate all our content to make it more accessible to everyone, only for these people to use it for their own gain. We are warning these individuals that DepEd will prosecute you,” Pascua added.

DepEd also warned teachers and the public to be wary of educational materials being peddled for sale as “authorized” or “official” DepEd MELCs, Workbooks or Worksheets, and DepEd Commons materials. As of this time, all materials are still being vetted for quality assurance by the Curriculum and Instruction strand, particularly the Bureau of Learning Resources (BLR).

“All DepEd-authorized and quality-assured materials are free, and they will be uploaded once finalized at the DepEd Commons where access and downloading will also be free. If they are being sold at this time, most probably these are still drafts,” Pascua said.

DepEd also warned of groups and individuals charging fees for supposedly free webinars conducted

by DepEd, through its Educational Technology Unit (EdTech Unit).

“All DepEd webinars are free. We do not charge anything for these online trainings. If webinar organizers are charging participation fees, then these are neither sanctioned nor authorized by DepEd,” Pascua warned.

The DepEd also encouraged the public to report complaints via email to action@deped.gov.ph, or via these contact numbers: Mobile: 0919-456-0027 (Smart), 0995-921-8461 (Globe); Hotlines: 8636-1663, 8638-7530, 8636-1942, 8638-7529, 8634-0222, 86387531, 8638-8641, 8635-9817.

Poverty…

Continued from A1

IRRI experts noted that the 182 million very poor in Asia “fear starvation more than the Covid-19 pandemic.” The “true magnitude” of the adverse impacts of Covid-19 on the RVC, they said, will be “known in the medium to long terms.”

Nonetheless, the experts said rice production would likely decline in the short to medium term coupled with higher input prices, lower producer prices and higher consumer prices.

Trade restrictions, changes in consumption and marketing behaviors, rural unemployment and decreased household income are also expected in the short to medium term.

But in the long term, the disruptions in RVC will “substantially impact” nine sustainable development goals (SDGs), including eradication of poverty and hunger and improved health and well-being, according to the policy brief.

“We fear that the pandemic will have significant negative impacts on SDG 1 (poverty), SDG 2 (hunger) and SDG 3 (health and well-being),” the authors said.

“Besides, huge negative impacts are foreseen on SDG 5 (gender), SDG 8 (economic growth), SDG 10 (inequality), SDG 12 (consumption and production), and SDG 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions). Interestingly, we are already observing and anticipating positive impacts on SDG 13 (climate) from reduced air pollution, lower greenhouse gases emissions, and decrease in the use of natural resources,” they added.

The IRRI experts recommended eight measures to mitigate the adverse impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic in the RVC.

The recommendations include ensuring access to inputs and services, minimizing supply-chain disruptions, promoting digital services, strengthening monitor of rice markets to avert artificial food shortages, implementing social safety nets and investing in rice research to improve resiliency of agri-food systems.

SC tackles issues against videoconference in court trials Continued from A8

Leonen explained that transparency in court proceedings would mean a public trial.

“As you can see under Zoom this is not public enough. In other words, I cannot see the audience, so if I were a judge conducting a hearing, I do not see feedback coming from the audience, a witness will not be able to feel the presence of the public and therefore that also goes to the memory and truthtelling of a particular witness,” Leonen said.

“As you may all know, a speedy

and public trial is guaranteed under the Constitution,” he added.

The associate justice, however, expressed optimism that the Court will be able to find “digital and technological solutions” to the issue.

Leonen also noted recent efforts to address such issues, including CJ Peralta’s formation of a subcommittee on the E-Notary headed by Associate Justice Benjamin Caguioa.

“I just learned yesterday that they have made an initial report to the Chief Justice and soon enough I think the draft will be

shared with the members of the Court,” he disclosed.

Leonen added that the Chief Justice has also created a subcommittee which he himself chairs that looks into all issues concerning videoconferencing trial.

“Both the issues that come out from experience as well as all of these substantive, constitutional and statutory issues that are being raised by the justices as well as some of the judges who conduct the trial, the videoconference trial or the parties that have experienced it,” the associate justice said. Joel R. San Juan

Solons race to finish Covid-19-related bills Continued from A1

There were also concerns that many of those to whom banks were supposed to lend money to tide them over during the crisis belonged to the “unbankable” sectors.

House moves on ARISE

THE House of Representatives, meanwhile, will conduct sessions until Friday to approve the remaining anti-Covid-19 measures, including the P1.3-trillion Accelerated Recovery and Investments Stimulus for the Economy (ARISE).

The chamber was originally set to take a sine die adjournment on June 3, Wednesday.

Besides providing subsidies to businesses, education, agriculture, transportation and tourism, the proposed ARISE also extends the power of the Bayanihan to Heal As One Act, particularly the provisions on testing, wage subsidies, loan payment extension, assistance programs to their constituent sectors by the Departments of Trade and Industry, of Agriculture and of Labor and Employment, ease of credit rules, health protocols to mitigate transmission, reallocation and realignment of appropriations.

It grants the President authority to realign within six months items that cannot be utilized due to Covid-19, such as travel and forced savings.

The bill also extends the validity of the 2019 and 2020 General Appropriations Acts to 2021.

Teachers: Don’t forget us

MEANWHILE, private-school teachers pressed their bid to be included among the beneficiaries of relief measures, saying they were also affected

by the Covid-19 pandemic as it shuttered schools.

Education Secretary Leonor M. Briones in April had pointed out the matter to lawmakers, and teacher groups on Wednesday asked Congress to ensure their inclusion in the Bayanihan II.

The Ating Guro Party-list urged legislators to include private-school teachers as recipients of government financial help under SB 1564, or the Bayanihan to Recover As One Act.

“This bill would rectify the errors committed against private-school employees, because while there was no exemption to teachers and academic workers in private schools from getting assistance packages, most of them were not given any cash aid either by DOLE [Department of Labor and Employment] or DSWD [Department of Social Welfare and Development]. Unfortunately, most of our private schools do not have the capacity to subsidize the salaries of their teachers since they are dependent on tuition and other fees from their clients,” said Juanito Dona Jr., the group’s secretary general.

According to Dona, an initial 119,819 private-school teachers were affected by the pandemic, citing data from the Federation of Associations of Private Schools Administrators survey.

Special session

EARLIER, House Ways and Means Chairman Joey Sarte Salceda and House Committee on Constitutional Amendments Chairman Rufus Rodriguez urged President Rodrigo Duterte to call for a special session of Congress to pass the economic stimulus plan and other remaining priority bills.

Salceda explained that a delay in

the passage of an “adequate” economic recovery plan costs the economy up to P100 billion in new economic activity every week.

Rodriguez, meanwhile, has filed House Bill 6611 urging Congress to extend President Duterte’s emergency powers under the Bayanihan to Heal as One Law for three months up to September.

Rodriguez, in his bill filed on May 26, said the House of Representatives and the Senate passed the Bayanihan law on March 24 to give the President emergency powers “to respond to the crisis brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.”

“Such powers are good for three months. Unfortunately, two months after the effectivity of the law, the end to the pandemic is not yet in sight. There are still new Covid-19 positive cases being reported every day and the country is not yet fully operating,” he said.

“It is therefore clear that the pandemic will not be over by June 24, 2020. As such, we need to extend the effectivity of the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act and give the President additional time to address the pandemic,” Rodriguez said.

Besides the proposed ARISE, the chamber is also expected to approve HB 6865, or an Act Mandating the Conduct of Baseline Polymerase Chain Reaction Covid-19 Testing for Vulnerable Members of the Society; and HB 6895, or an Act Amending the Section 3 of the Republic Act 7797, or an Act to Lengthen the School Calendar from 200 Days to not more than 220 Days.

With a report by Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

News BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Senators to DOH: Where’s IRR for Covid frontliners’ death benefits?

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ENATORS slammed the Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday for allegedly bungling Bayanihan Law benefits intended for health workers who either perished, or fell sick, while treating victims of the deadly Covid-19 virus.

Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara, Finance Committee chairman vented his frustration upon learning that the DOH was taking time to issue the implementing rules and regulations (IRR), delaying the benefits intended for frontline health workers battling the contagion.

Angara said he was “very disappointed to hear the response from the DOH,” recalling that “the Senate labored and burned the midnight oil to pass Bayanihan One Law.” “It is quite upsetting to find out that so many months have gone without the DOH crafting the IRR,” the senator rued, noting that “so many health workers have suffered, whether they have died or have been severely afflicted with Covid virus.”

Admitting this was “very upsetting,” Angara vented his frustration over the DOH report on the delayed availment of the said compensation which the senator found to be “criminal” on finding what, he said, “appears to be neglect” on the part of the agency to issue the IRR, delaying the release of benefits intended for anti-Covid-19 frontliners.

“It’s really criminal, this neglect to pass this [IRR]; to delay these types of benefit,” he said. “We keep praising them as our heroes but it’s mere lip service if we don’t give them anything material.”

Sen. Richard J. Gordon, for his part griped that 32 health workers were reported to have died in the line of duty treating but have yet to claim compensation, owing to the delayed issuance of the said IRR. Gordon noted that under Section 4(f) of RA 11469, or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, public and private health workers who die while fighting the Covid-19 pandemic will be provided with compensation amounting to P1 million each, while health workers who contract severe Covid-19 infection while in the line of duty will be compensated with P100,000 each.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson said the government owes the families of the 32 health workers’ families P32 million, stressing that absence of an IRR “should not be an excuse not to comply with the law.” Butch Fernandez

Contagion, geopolitics prompt Duterte to suspend VFA termination–Locsin

By Recto Mercene

@rectomercene Butch Fernandez @butchfBM & Rene Acosta @reneacostaBM

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OREIGN Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. announced the restoration of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the Philippines and US on Tuesday, a move widely hailed by senators who said the tumult of 2020 made it imperative to hold on to longtime allies and boost cooperation in fighting common enemies, including the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a hastily called news conference at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Locsin asked and answered the one and only question fielded by himself, on why President Duterte changed his mind.

He said: “A man who does not change his mind cannot change anything. He ran on the slogan change is coming.”

Locsin went on to say: “But in the vast and swiftly changing circumstances of the world, the time of pandemic and heightened superpower tensions, a world leader must be quick in mind and fast on his feet for the safety of our nation and the peace of the world.”

“Let me assure you that this action alarms no countries in Asia and the rest of the world. On the contrary it greatly reassures everyone,” he added.

“Everyone now is free to speculate about what is clear and true on its face. But the reckless and bad intention may undo, though I doubt they have the credibility, the good that we all, women and men of peace and goodwill, seek,” the foreign affairs chief said. “Let me assure you that this action alarms no countries in Asia and the rest of the world. On the contrary it greatly reassures everyone,” Locsin said.

Welcome development

“THIS sudden policy change is a welcome development. The unhampered implementation of the VFA will serve the interest of our country, particularly with regard to the preservation of our rights over parts of the West Philippine Sea [WPS]. The abrupt abrogation of the VFA last February as initiated by the President—which was done amid the increasing aggressiveness and the bullying of China— is disadvantageous to us. What the country truly needs is a stable foreign policy that promotes our interest,” said Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon on the decision to suspend the abrogation of the VFA, as conveyed in a notice sent on June 1 by the DFA

to the US Embassy in Manila.

For his part, Sen. Richard J. Gordon said that, with the year 2020 being a tumultuous one throughout the world—exacerbated by the medical and health issues, as well as financial and economic concerns confronting all countries because of the pandemic, the decision to suspend temporarily the Philippines’s withdrawal from the VFA is a welcome development.

“The year already started out tempestuously—with intensified differences having sprung up in erstwhile relatively smooth international and bilateral relationships, terrorism remaining a serious problem. And now with this pandemic that we are facing, it is not a time for breaking up relations but a time for cooperation, especially long-standing friendships. We have to continue to develop our ties with the United States. We have had a long history, bumpy as it is,” Gordon said.

SC case stands

WHILE hailing the decision to suspend the VFA termination process, Drilon said it will not affect the case that six senators filed with the Supreme Court in March, asking the SC to declare that the Senate’s treaty-ratifying power also grants the authorization to give prior concurrence when the Executive wants to terminate a treaty.

That petition for declaratory relief and mandamus was sent to the SC weeks after the Executive sent the termination process to the US government. Besides Drilon, it was signed by Senate President Vicente Sotto III, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, Gordon and Sen. Panfilo Lacson.

According to Drilon, “This turnaround [the Executive’s decision to suspend termination process] does not affect the case that we filed before the Supreme Court. The petition we filed is for declaratory relief and mandamus where we asked the Supreme Court to uphold the power of the Senate over treaty termination.

The fact that the VFA is reinstated will not render our case moot and academic. The case stands.”

For PHL’s best interest

GORDON, however, said the decision is also indicative of President Duterte’s open-mindedness and willingness in reviewing decisions that impact the country’s national interest, adding that the temporary suspension will enable the Executive and Legislative branches of the government to arrive at a common position on the concurrence and

House approves three bills to address pandemic impact

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HE House of Representatives has approved three measures that seek to partially address the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Voting 202 affirmative, six negative and one abstention, lawmakers approved on third and final reading House Bill 6816, or Financial Institutions Strategic Transfer (FIST) Bill late Tuesday.

The bill aims to help financial institutions in their bad debt resolution and management of their nonperforming assets (NPAs) in order to cushion the adverse impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on their financial operations. It will be transmitted to the Senate for its own deliberations.

The bill said NPAs consist of financial institutions’ nonperforming loans (NPLs) and real and other properties acquired (ROPAS) in settlement of loans and receivables.

The bill encourages financial institutions to sell NPAs to asset management companies, created as Financial Institutions Strategic Transfer Corporations that specialize in the resolution of distressed assets.

CURES

Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • Thursday, June 4, 2020 A3

THE House also approved on second reading House Bill 6709 or the P1.5-trillion Covid-19 Unemployment Reduction Economic Stimulus (CURES) Act of 2020.

Deputy Speaker for Finance Luis Raymund Villafuerte said this new P1.5-trillion stimulus pack-

age focusing on infrastructure spending and create more jobs in the countryside.

According to Villafuerte, HB 6709 is guaranteed to create a multitude of employment opportunities, especially in rural areas to partly make up for the jobs that were lost amid the pandemic.

Villafuerte said the proposal will help ease the pressure on the Duterte administration to create hundreds of thousands of jobs this year, now that the Covid-19 crisis has displaced almost 2.76 million workers.

Villafuerte said the bill will also support of President Duterte’s Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-Asa program.

Anti-discrimination bill

THE lower chamber also approved on third and final reading House Bill 6817 prohibiting the discrimination against persons who are declared confirmed, suspect, probable, and recovered cases of Covid-19, as well as health-care workers and service providers.

The bill seeks to grant full, inviolable protection against prejudice and discrimination to those who have already suffered and recovered from Covid-19, those who carry the brunt providing medical care, logistical and service support.

It also seeks to recognize the dignity and heroism of the work of health workers, responders and service workers. Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz

FOREIGN Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. announces the suspension of the termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement between the Philippines and US during a hastily called news conference at the Department of Foreign Affairs’ Mabini Hall.

withdrawal procedure for treaties and international agreements.

Upon President Duterte’s instruction, the DFA sent a diplomatic note dated June 1 to the US Embassy in Manila, informing them of the suspension of the abrogation of the VFA with the United States “in light of political and other developments in the region.”

Gordon pointed out that with the situation in China and the AsiaPacific region likely to get more volatile, it would be to the country’s best interest to continue to develop its ties with the US, which is building another military base in Mageshima, part of Japan’s Osumi Islands.

“In addition to their existing bases in Japan, they are going to put a base in place where there is an old airstrip and they’re going to be running planes out of there. So they’re near the West Philippine Sea. We have to be prepared for any eventuality because of the fragile situation in that area. That is why I have been calling for strengthening our own military capabilities,” Gordon stressed, who had presided in the 90s over the transformation of Subic, America’s biggest naval base outside its mainland, into a prosperous economic zone when the extension of the US bases treaty was voted down by the Senate in 1991.

According to Gordon, the tension between the US and China is forecast to escalate further given their competing interests across the globe in areas such as trade, technology and ideology. In his latest attack on Beijing, US President Donald J. Trump accused the Chinese government of intellectualproperty theft, covering up its mishandling of the Covid-19 outbreak and abandoning its commitments to the World Trade Organization.

“The tension is further fueled by

China’s growing military prowess, combined with a dogged assertiveness over its territorial claims in the disputed waters, where the US has guaranteed freedom of navigation for decades, patrolling the seas with a view to maintaining the principle that no sovereign state shall suffer interference from another,” noted Gordon.

‘We need help against intrusions’

LACSON also weighed in and said, “The President’s change of heart is a welcome development as far as defense and economic security of the country is concerned. The Philippines needs the VFA, especially now that Chinese intrusions into our territory, particularly in the West Philippines Sea, have become commonplace.”

Lacson added: “The last thing that we should lose is the balance of power that the USA, among other allies like Australia and other Asean neighbors, can provide to suit our national interest and territorial integrity. It is a no-brainer that we can’t stand on our own and protect ourselves from harassment coming from those intrusions.”

Long-standing alliance upheld

DEFENSE Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana, for his part, supported the government’s decision to suspend the abrogation of the VFA, a move that was also welcomed by the US government through its embassy in Manila.

“The United States welcomes the Philippine government’s decision. Our long-standing alliance has benefited both countries, and we look forward to continued close security and defense cooperation with the Philippines,” the embassy said in a brief statement.

W it h t he d e c i s ion , m ad e

through an official communication with the US embassy on Monday, Lorenzana said, the defense department will continue working with the US in finding solutions to common concerns, including the Covid-19 pandemic which has affected both countries.

“The DND [Department of National Defense] and AFP [Armed Forces of the Philippines] will continue to consult with the Office of the Presidential Commission on Visiting Forces on issues that need to be addressed,” Lorenzana said in a news statement released through defense spokesman Arsenio Andolong.

“In times of crises and global uncertainty, it is our belief that nations are only made stronger if we work together and focus our efforts on tackling the various challenges that confront us all,” the defense chief added.

Continuing partnership

LOCSIN’S opening statement made at about 11 a.m. on Wednesday at DFA’s Mabini Hall, goes, “We are pleased to announce in light of recent developments, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte instructed me to inform via diplomatic note the ambassador of the United States that we have decided to suspend the pending termination of the visiting forces agreement which has several months more to run as stipulated therein.”

He said the country looks forward to the continuing strong military partnership with the US, “even as we continue to reach out to our regional allies in building a common defense towards enduring stability and peace and continuing economic progress and prosperity in our part in the world.”

Duterte has ordered the termination of the military pact after the US canceled the visa of his friend and confidant Sen. Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa, who also headed the war on drugs during his stint as national police chief.

The VFA, signed in 1998, accorded legal status to rotate US troops in the country for military exercises and humanitarian assistance operations.

The President’s turnaround on the VFA came in the wake of the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) muscle flexing in the SCS, while the Covid-19 pandemic is raging. Although the President has embraced China in exchange for funding his multibillion-peso “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure buildup program, very few of the infrastructures have been built until now.

Dry palay price reaches ₧19/kg in May

T

HE average farm-gate price of dry palay (unhusked rice) in mid-May breached the P19-per-kilogram (kg) barrier, a price level that has not been seen in over a year, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

Preliminary PSA data released on Wednesday showed that nationwide average quotation of dry palay in the second week of May reached P19.06 per kg, slightly higher than the previous week’s P18.81 per kg.

The latest quotation was 4 percent over than the P18.30-per-kg average price level recorded in the same period of last year, PSA data showed.

This marks the fourth consecutive week that the weekly average dry palay farm-gate prices are higher than their last year’s counterparts, historical PSA data showed.

Historical PSA data analyzed by the BusinessMirror showed that this is also the first time that the average farm-gate price of dry palay breached the P19-perkg level in 14 months since the P19.03-per-kg recorded in the

mid-March 2019.

Preliminary PSA data also showed that the highest average farm-gate price of dry palay was recorded in Central Visayas region at P21.57 per kg, while the lowest average quotation was in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao at P17 per kg.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) has attributed the rise in farmgate prices this year to the normalization of the industry after it transitioned to a liberalized trade regime following the enactment of the rice trade liberalization (RTL) law.

However, industry groups said

farm-gate prices rose this season due to the impact of Covid-19 on rice trade, such as reduced imports coupled by higher domestic staple demand. Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

TheBroa

Business

A4 Thursday, June 4, 2020 | www.businessmirror.com.ph

Nursing Wounds: A closer look at the

By Joel Pablo Salud Editor-in-Chief

Philippine Graphic

L

EONIDES Hill, or Diesh to friends, is a single mother of two children and a registered Filipino nurse by profession.

The past two decades saw her working in various hospitals both here and abroad. Her first six years were spent in the Philippines before leaving for Saudi Arabia for another three-year stint.

She then returned to the Philippines to work here for four years before landing a job as a registered nurse in Germany.

She has spent the last three years at the Saint Willibrord Spital Emmerich-Rees Hospital located at the North Rhine as a geriatric nurse.

While it’s expected of a nurse’s work-life balance to take a turn for the worse every so often, Diesh said that nurses in the Philippines face more challenges and workload than the usual burdens that go with eight-hour shifts.

The only time local nurses get to sit down is when doctors prepare the orders to be carried out during the course of the nurse’s shift. This usually happens in the morning.

In Germany, any additional hours required during emergency situations result in additional compensation, which is more than she could say for local nurses to whom overtime pay is out of the question.

PhilHealth payments

IN both cases, the risks nurses face hardly changes. When outbreaks occur, it is almost always an allhands-on-deck situation.

Pandemics such as the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) multiply the risks and workload a hundredfold. The novel coronavirus has infected more medical front liners than gover nment wants to admit.

In other countries, a second wave of infections has already put a strain on their struggling healthcare system, leaving some hospitals very little choice but to close shop. In Italy, more than a hundred doctors have died due to the novel coronavirus. It’s no different here at home.

Recent ly, t he 74 4 -member Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines Inc. (PHAPi) revealed that more than 300 small private hospitals are on the verge of closing as they were swamped with Covid-19 patients “and the failure of the PhilHealth [Philippine Health Insurance Corp.] to release insurance claims.”

Rustico A. Jimenez, president of the association, said in a report that only a small fraction of the membership base had received some form of payment from Philhealth.

The risks are real, not a figment of anyone’s imagination. This is why nurses and other medical staff are lobbying for government to lift the deployment ban on Filipino nurses so they can go back to work in their respective host countries.

Return reasons

AT the risk of infection or succumbing to the disease, the least these nurses want are salaries sufficient enough to help their families get by should the situation escalate further.

“The reason why I want to go back to working abroad as a nurse is obvious,” Diesh said. “The salary we get in the Philippines is

not enough. I would not have second thoughts of staying, more so now that there’s a pandemic, if it weren’t for my two children. Both are suffering from cardiomyopathy. Their medicines alone cost more than P1,000 each day. If I’m going to work here, I will not be able to afford it.”

“I wasn’t planning on leaving,” Diesh added. “I already set my mind on staying beginning February. But my children got sick. By the time March arrived, I’ve spent nearly all my savings on medication alone. I have no choice but to leave.”

Diesh’s plans to return to Germany soon got shelved in April 2 by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) through Governing Board Resolution (GBR) 9, series of 2020.

The GBR imposed a temporary ban on the deployment of 14 medical categories.

The resolution states that in pursuit of the national interest, “or when public welfare so requires, may, at any time, terminate or impose a ban on the deployment of migrant workers” as stated in Section 5 of Republic Act 8042.

Over 600

With the alleged shortage of mission critical skills in the country, especially medical workers at the time of pandemic, the resolution aims to “engage temporary Human Resource for Health (HRH) such as medical and allied medical staff to complement or supplement the current health workforce or to man the temporary medical facilities to be established in accordance with Section 4 (k) of this Act. “Provided, that HRH to be hired on temporary basis shall receive the appropriate compensation and allowances: Provided further, that all HRH serving in the front line during the state of calamity due to Covid-19, shall receive an actual hazard duty pay from the government,” using Section 4(m) of Republic Act 11469, otherwise called the Bayanihan to Heal As One Act, passed on March 24, 2020, as basis.

Included in the deployment ban are the following professionals: medical doctor/physician; nurse; microbiologist; molecular biologist; medical technologist; clinical analyst; respiratory therapist; pharmacist; laboratory technician; x-ray/radiologic technician; nursing assistant /nursing aid; operator of medical equipment; supervisor of health services and personal care; and, repairman of medical-hospital equipment.

Over 600 overseas Filipino workers (OFW) were affected by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration’s (POEA) ex isting deploy ment ban for healthcare workers.

International Labor Affairs Bureau director Alice Q. Visperas told the BusinessMirror a total of 643 medical workers were “stranded” due to the ban.

Thousands leaving

EIGHT days after the POEA issued its GBR, the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF)-EID, through Resolution 23, series of 2020, issued on April 10 a directive to

Leonides Hill RN

ban the deployment of Filipino healthcare workers.

April 13 arrived and the IATFEID revised Resolution 23, allowing the deployment of “all medical and allied healthcare professionals with perfected and signed overseas contracts as of March 8, 2020, provided they execute a declaration of their knowledge and understanding of the risks.”

The POEA said the move aims to ensure the country will have a reliable pool of medical workers amid the Covid-19 pandemic. It said it will remove the ban once the public health crisis is over.

It noted that without the ban, thousands of Filipino medical workers will go abroad to be employed especially since other countries are also dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Only medical workers who “perfected and signed overseas employ ment cont rac t s a s of March 8, 2020” were exempted from the ban.

In an online press briefing on June 5, Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III said POEA was only able to deploy 1,107 Filipino healthcare workers last month with the implementation of the deployment ban.

April Glory RN

Core issue

GLORY added that “regardless of whether one has an OEC [overseas employment certificate] or not, the person can leave.”

“The POEA resolution, on the other hand, says one can only leave only if they procured an OEC dated on or before March 8. It’s impossible for health workers to get an OEC on or before March 8 because most government offices were already closed at the time,” she said.

“Because of this, more than 700 health workers with contracts abroad, mostly nurses, were hit by the ban.”

It was long been the impression that there is a shortage of healthcare workers in the country,

Employment contract

ACCORDING to a group of nurses unofficially named PrisoNurses, there are several issues to consider, foremost being outstanding contracts signed by these nurses prior to the issuance of the lockdown.

“Can the deployment of Filipino healthcare workers who have outstanding foreign employment contracts be suspended during the existence of national emergency?” they’ve asked.

More ove r, “c a n P OE A re v i s e t he m i n i mu m re q u i re ment for deployment, which is a perfected and signed overseas employment contract as of march 8, 2020 and include issued overseas employment certificates on or before March 8?”

April Glory, a 2006 nursing graduate who served the country as a registered nurse for six years before choosing to work abroad, said that it was her decision to stay for good in 2018. After living in the city for a full year, she realized that her savings are not sufficient to make ends meet.

“I started processing my papers until March when the small number of infections started increasing,” she said. “As a result, government issued a ban on deployment of health workers. The problem is that there are two documents released—one by the POEA, the other by the IATF. The IATF document allows deployment if you have existing contracts.”

IN this September 20, 2010, file photo, new Filipino professional nurses attend an oathtaking ceremony in Manila. AP/Bullit Marquez

If we’re going to put our lives on the line, and we have little choice but to do it, I don’t think there’s anything wrong in wanting to work for better pay, especially in these uncertain times,” April said. “We have to look after ourselves and our families just as much as we have to look after the welfare of the sick and the dying.”

—April Glory, nurse

aderLook

sMirror

Editor: Dennis D. Estopace | Thursday, June 4, 2020

e nurses’ deployment ban

A5

‘Extend grace period for Covid-hit sectors’ Continued from A1

JERRICK Gomez RN

PrisoNurses said. There is some truth to the claim.

A 2014 study penned by Department of Health Policy and Administration, College of Public Health, University of the Philippines, concluded that “the current and existing health human resource need in government hospitals is a fundamental problem that the national government must address.”

“This need is the inability of a significant number of local government units to provide the minimum acceptable number of health human resources and mix of medical specialties in public hospitals,” the paper added.

Tricky questions

OTHER statistics, however, show

MICHAEL Anthony Loarca RN

a different picture.

Based on the POEA list of deployment of nurses from 2000 to 2019, a grand total of 227,889 nurses have so far been deployed to other countries in a period of nine years. Of the 1,346,850 examinees who took the nursing licensure exam, 580,359 had passed within the same time period.

April added that of the 470,000 health workers in the country, government banned the deployment of only 700 individuals. “Many more will be left in the country to help deal with the pandemic here,” April said.

“The alleged shortage is one of the reasons why they imposed the ban,” April explained. “Another is that they want to secure the safety

of the health workers by not allowing us to go to countries where the pandemic is at its peak.

The question they are putting out there is that why are nurses choosing to offer their services abroad when we have a shortage of health workers here?”

According to her, “there is no shortage of health workers in the country as statistics show.”

Citing the Johns Hopkins University site on Covid-19, “it says there that the Philippines stands second in line in a list of countries where health workers are at risk of infection.”

“We’re not safe here anymore than we are safe outside the country,” April said. “So why are they forcing us to stay?”

Onus, challenges

MICHAEL Anthony Loarca and Jerrick Gomez who worked as registered nurses in the Philippines since 2006 and 2009, respectively, said that the real problem stems from the “temporar y employment” scheme the government is offering them.

This will run only for three months.

“There’s no security of tenure,” the group said. “Our contracts abroad, after three months, could end up void. We will all start from scratch if we agree to this.”

Fi l ipi no nu rses tod ay a re fighting an uphill battle on two fronts: to secure their family’s future both as frontliners in the struggle against the pandemic; the other as workers fighting to earn their keep.

Their call to lift the ban is seeing some attention, especially from Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr., who early on cited their constitutional right to choose where they wish to be based.

However, they’re not out of the woods yet; not by a longshot. And it seems the longer they wait, the harder it will be for them to make ends meet.

Top that with the ever-growing concern for their health due to Covid-19, health workers are facing a tremendous amount of challenges.

Filling the need

Based on recent data from the Department of Health, as of May 28, roughly 2,480 local health workers have tested positive for the Covid-19, leaving the death toll at 31 and recoveries at 1,228 as of May 10.

In the case of nurses and nursing assistants, those who tested positive have reached 905 and 155, respectively. Doctors tallied at 695.

On this account, the World Health Organization ( W HO)We s te r n Pa c i f ic R e g ion C o vid-19 Incident Manager Abdi

Mahamud said that the infection rate of health workers in t he cou nt r y, hav ing reac hed 13 percent, is “worrisome.” The region pegged only 2 percent to three percent.

“If we’re going to put our lives on the line, and we have little choice but to do it, I don’t think there’s anything wrong in wanting to work for better pay, especially in these uncertain times,” April said. “We have to look after ourselves and our families just as much as we have to look after the welfare of the sick and the dying.”

She insists, “the profession needs to be treated with dignity and with respect.

“If I’m offered better benefits somewhere else, that’s where I’ll go,” April added.

Worker welfare

To provide alternative employment for the affected OFWs, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said it endorsed them to the Department of Health (DOH), which is currently in need of additional medical workers and volunteers for its Covid-19 response.

T he DOH earl ier announced it has around 15,0 0 0 add it iona l med ic a l workers to boost it s c apac it y i n dea l i ng w it h Cov id- re l ated c a ses.

Aside from alternative employment opportunities, Visperas said the affected OFWs could also avail of the DOLE’s cash grant program it calls Akap (hug).

Under Akap, Covid-affected OFWs are given each a cash aid of P10,000 (about $200.61 in current exchange rates). Currently, the P2.5-billion program has benefited 145,000 OFWs. In contrast, some host countries have also tried to ease migrant workers’ financia l difficulties. Singapore, for example, suspended the lev y it exacts on foreig n workers, according to accounting fir m and Sw iss e nt it y K PM G I nt e r n a t i o n a l Cooperative.

In its “Government and institution measures in response to Covid-19”report on May 27, KPMG said the foreign worker levy (FWL) for themonth of April and May 2020 will be waived by the Singaporean government.

“Additionally, a FWL rebate of S$750 (about P26,754) per month for the months of April and May 2020 (from levies paid in year 2020) will be granted for each work permit” or holder of the S-pass, which allows mid-level skilled staff to work in Singapore, “with payout accelerated to help businesses manage costs,” the KPMG online paper said. With additional

reports by Samuel P. Medenilla

In Lontoc’s view, the “implication [of the government not extending the grace period] would probably be further negative impact on GDP. Income is limited so reprieve on expenses is needed.”

If the government wants to avert further negative impact on the country’s economy, he said the government must extend the grace period for rent and utilities until there is some recovery in the country’s quarterly GDP growth.

“Quarter 1 decline is 0.2 percent. Expect quarter 2 GDP to be worse. So I feel grace period should be until that point when we start quarterly GDP to recover. So if Q3 GDP improves then maybe grace period can last until that time,” he said.

Luis F. Dumlao, dean of Ateneo de Manila University’s John Gokongwei School of Management, agreed with Lontoc on the need for government to push back further the grace period for payments given the potential economic consequence.

For Dumlao, the grace period should be extended until the head of the household is able or allowed to travel.

“If in 2008 banks were able to argue for ‘too big to fail,’ now is the time to argue for what restaurateur David Chang calls as ‘too small to fail,’” he said. “They’re ‘too small to fail.’ If we allow them to fail, the entire economy can tailspin for the worse.”

Dumlao said it is “hard to imagine” how worse the GDP turnout would be as the secondquarter GDP growth is seen to contract by 9 percent with the imposition of the community quarantine in Luzon and several parts of the country.

Aside from extending the grace period for payment of rent, utilities and even housing loans, the government should refrain from imposing higher taxes, Dumlao said. “Government must carefully study its taxation schemes. When the economy is suffering, imposing higher taxes and introducing new taxes may not be the correct move,” he added.

Meanwhile, the government can also ensure that the stimulus package that will be crafted would be used wisely and is transparent, according to him.

Landlords, he said, may also need to consider extending loan payments.

For those paying rent and utilities, Lontoc said they should aim to achieve a sustainable net cash flow.

“The first way is to generate sustainable positive cash inflows through working well, getting trained, saving, having an emergency fund, getting insurance and investing. The second way is to optimize cash outflows by prioritizing needs over wants, having a budget and negotiating for favorable loan terms,” he said.

Under Republic Act 11469, or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, the President was authorized to provide for a minimum of 30-day grace period on residential rents falling due within the period of enhanced community quarantine, without incurring interests, penalties, fees and other charges.

Likewise, the President is also given the power to direct banks, quasi-banks, financing companies, lending companies and other financial institutions, public and private, including Pag-Ibig Fund, the Government Service Insurance System and the Social Security System, to implement a minimum of 30-day grace period for the payment of all loans, including but not limited to salary, personal, housing and motor vehicle loans, as well as credit-card payments, falling due within the period of the enhanced community quarantine without incurring interests, penalties, fees, or other charges. Persons with multiple loans shall also be given a minimum 30-day grace period for every loan.

Pag-Ibig moratorium

Apart from the mandatory 30-day grace period under the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, the Home Development Mutual Fund or Pag-Ibig Fund also offered a three-month loan moratorium to its member-borrowers to defray their expenses during the enhanced community quarantine being implemented by government.

However, Pag-Ibig Fund Chief Executive Officer Acmad Rizaldy P. Moti said “it’s still early to talk about extending” the moratorium.

Still, he said, their borrowers can also seek loan restructuring, opting to lengthen their loan term so that the monthly amortization will go down.

“We’d like to assure our borrowers that the Fund will extend all help that we can give them during these uncertain times. We know if they’ve been religiously paying their loans so if and when they suddenly default now, we know that it’s most likely due to this pandemic. Such members definitely deserve all help that they can get,” Moti told the BusinessMirror.

While it is still too early to determine the full impact of the pandemic on their nonperforming loan ratio due to the mandatory grace period, Moti said even with a 75-percent drop on their performing loans ratio, Pag-Ibig would still record a “decent” net income based on their latest stress tests.

“Our Performing Loans Ratio (PLR) as of March 31 was 91 percent, [a] new record high. And PLR5 (loans up to 5 months delinquent) was at 95 percent. We also monitor PLR5 because of the unique behavior of our socialized housing portfolio—they tend to slide up to 5 months in arrears, then recover,” he said.

In 2019, Pag-Ibig Fund achieved its highest-ever net income at P34.37 billion, up from P33.17 billion in 2018.

“In a way, we’re lucky that this pandemic happened this year. The Fund is way stronger now than ever. If this happened 10 years ago, where our PLR was around 75 percent, it would have been a different story. Or if it happened 5 years ago where PLR was only 81 percent, the impact on the Fund would have been much worse,” he added.

Still, he admitted that they expect a 20-percent drop in housing loan takeouts this year due to the impact of the lockdown.

With the expected plunge in housing loans to P76.32 billion, this would be below their 2020 revised target of P95.4 billion.

Housing loan releases in April plummeted by 77 percent to P0.88 billion from P3.77 billion in March. Housing loans for January and February amounted to P5.49 billion and P6.51 billion, respectively.

For the first quarter, Pag-Ibig Fund exceeded its P15.75-billion target as it posted P15.77 billion during the period.

In 2019 housing loan releases also reached a record P86.7 billion, a 15-percent surge from P75.3 billion in 2018.

“Because of the pandemic, we lost 2.5 months of takeouts. It’s 2.5 months that we will never recover. That’s around 21 percent of lost time (2.5/12). At 20 percent drop in our HL takeout target, we’re looking at P76.32 billion for 2020, which is lower than last year’s P86.7billion takeout,” he said.

Thus, he said they allocated P10 billion for House Construction Financing Line Program to serve as bridge financing facility for their accredited developers.

“This way, our partner-developers can continue to produce socialized and low-cost housing units for our members. The huge demand for housing won’t go away due to this pandemic anyway,” he said.

Calamity loans

On the other hand, he said they expect to hit their P56.2-billion target for short-term loans— combined calamity loans and multipurpose loans—as they see a significant increase in calamity loan availments starting next month.

In April, short-term loan availments amounted to only P0.43 billion, an 87-percent drop from March’s P3.33 billion due to the lockdown. For the first quarter, Pag-Ibig fell short of its P12.88-billion target for short-term loan availments, as it recorded only P11.61 billion in actual availments for the said loan during the period.

“As for short-term loans, we expect a huge spike in calamity loan availment starting June 1.

Meaning, we’d probably achieve our target despite the 2.5 months of ECQ/MECQ. It’s timely that our online STL (Calamity and Multipurpose Loans) Filing System will be ready by [this] week.

This way, members don’t have to submit their loan applications physically,” he said.

“With the expected spike in calamity loan applications, it’s likely that we’d hit the said target,” he added. Bernadette D. Nicolas

A6 Thursday, June 4, 2020 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

Opinion BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

editorial

Stopping epidemics at PHL’s doorstep

A

S of June 3, there were 6,452,761 confirmed Covid-19 cases in the world, 382,484 fatalities, and 3,067,697 patients that recovered. Despite these numbers, virology experts said much is still unknown about the new coronavirus that brought global economies to their knees. Belgian virologist Guido Vanham said Covid-19 resembles very much the SARS virus, which emerged in 2003. That also was an epidemic but it was limited to a few thousand people in several places in the world with the death rate of about 10 percent. He said Covid-19 also relates, but less closely, to another virus that emerged a few years later—the MERS virus, which was even more deadly because it killed one in three people who got infected.

But both of these epidemics disappeared following much less drastic measures than the ones being currently implemented globally to contain the pandemic. The Covid-19 is clearly more infectious and is mainly transmitted via aerosols (from people who cough or sneeze, etc.), but you can also get it by contact with objects that infected people, who are not necessarily sick, have touched. Asked if he can explain why Covid-19 is so infectious, Vanham said: “No. There is some understanding of why SARS, MERS and Covid-19 are related and why they produce heavy symptoms, but why this particular virus is much more infectious than other related viruses is something we still do not know. That is a matter of research.”

As the world has no choice but to live between fear and hope that a vaccine for Covid-19 will be developed sooner than expected, Philippine leaders must realize the need to have our own experts on viral outbreaks. We have to cultivate and nurture our own future virologists to deal with public health issues. To make that happen, Science Secretary Fortunato de la Peña is batting for the establishment of a virology institute in the country. “The [proposed] Virology Science and Technology Institute of the Philippines [VIP] would be a premier research institute in virology and diseases in humans, animals, and plants,” he said in his social-media post.

De la Peña said studies would focus on viral ecology, clinical virology, vector transmission, pathogenesis, and pathophysiology, among others. The establishment of the VIP would also be for the development of vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics. He added: “It will conduct innovative scientific research on viral agents requiring high or maximum containment [biosafety level-2 to biosafety level-4] following the World Health Organization’s guidelines on the establishment of a virology laboratory in developing countries.”

As the proposed Virology Science and Technology Institute of the Philippines would cater to researches on viral diseases and pathogens, de la Peña said he envisions partnerships with other scientists and virology centers in other countries.

We ask Congress to study this proposal, and act with dispatch if there’s a need to establish the proposed Virology Science and Technology Institute of the Philippines.

Sun Tzu gives us a priceless quote on readiness: “The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy’s not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable.”

The proposed VIP may not make the country’s position against future virus threats unassailable. But if we have our own experts, the next time a viral outbreak threatens the Philippines, we will be ready with our own virologists and experts that can give solid advice to the government on how to control viral disease threats. The goal is to have local experts who know what needs to be done in order to stop epidemics or pandemics before they occur in the country.

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spox

S

ince Monday, June 1, 2020, the Commission on Elections has been undergoing a phased resumption of its services to the public. For now, the focus is on getting the personnel and the physical offices of the Comelec ready to receive the public. In all offices, for example, only skeleton work forces, accounting for a mere fraction of the normal work force, report for duty. While this is in part meant to ensure the safety of at-risk employees, the use of skeleton work forces is primarily intended to reduce the number of people in the office at any one time; fewer people, fewer opportunities for transmission of the virus. Interestingly, there are Comelec offices that normally only have two people working in them—the Election Officer and the Election Assistant. In those cases, the need to reopen the Office and resume service to the public becomes paramount.

Reopening offices, whether at the Main Office in Intramuros or in the Comelec field offices in every city and municipality in the country, largely involves hanging up plastic barriers at service counters, setting out hand sanitizers and laying out the office space—in many cases rearranging furniture—to ensure social distancing is maintained at all times.

A number of Election Officers have even instituted a “bring-your-ownpen” policy. However, even with all these measures in place, face-toface transactions are discouraged.

All business with the Comelec, the guidance goes, must be conducted

via letter, e-mail, or fax.

With the quarantine looking set to continue indefinitely, there are mounting calls for many of the conventional in-person transactions— voter registration, transfer of registration, and so on—to be made available online. In response, there are many initiatives being undertaken by the Comelec now, not the least of which is the iRehistro Project, which aims to bring at least part of the registration process online, as soon as possible. But in order to bring full-featured services online, there remain many challenges—technological and legal—that must first be

The US riots

Jennifer A. Ng Vittorio V. Vitug

Senior Editors

Creative Director Chief Photographer

Re-boot and Re-tool

John Mangun

OUTSIDE THE BOX

T

he current situation in the United States deserves some comment primarily because of the greater context behind the riots. It is always easy to dismiss the actions of an individual or group as an indication of a broader stereotype of a people or society.

Further, it all comes down to “We are the good guys and you/they are the evil ones.” For example, it is both ironic and laughable to hear the government and people of China talk about racism and discrimination in the US. Forbes magazine, April 13, 2020: “Guangzhou officials announced that all residents of African descent—about 4,500 people—must quarantine for 14 days “regardless of their previous circumstances or how long they have been in Guangzhou, adding that African residents’ homes will be monitored with tracking devices that will alert officials if they “open the door.”

Of course, “China has denied these allegations of racism, saying that Africans in Guangzhou are not being targeted.” Except occasionally for Filipinos and, of course, always the Muslim Uyghur ethnic group.

Data on US police shootings and killings along racial lines can be used on any side of the argument by selective interpretation. In the instant case, one of the four officers on duty during the death of George Floyd is Tou Thao, a Hmong American. Activists describe him as “a symbol of Asian American complicity in anti-blackness.”

Recently, “Asian Americans see racism and discrimination amid

hurdled. And so we do what we can, in the meantime.

In that spirit, my department— the Education and Information Department, or EID—launched a discussion group called AskCOMELEC on social media. You can see it yourself at this web address: https://facebook.com/groups/ askcomelec.

Even before the coronavirus forced humanity into a hasty retreat, the EID had already been communicating with the public via its social-media channels on Twitter, Facebook, and—sporadically—Instagram. As far back as 2010, in fact, the Department had already been a staunch believer in the ability of social media to ensure that the public always had a direct line of communication to the Comelec. Even though the conversations we’ve had ranged from bantering with the public in light-hearted tomfoolery, to being on the receiving end of vitriolic hatefueled rage rants, the norm has always been a congenial and mutually respectful exchange of information.

But there was a problem.

While we were able to address individual concerns, it quickly became apparent that some questions were being more frequently asked than others. There was clearly a need for an online repository of questions and answers where people could look up their concerns and find the answers they sought, ideally with minimal assistance necessary. This was particularly true for questions that kept popping up, like Voter ID

questions. In fact, on the first day of GCQ in NCR, the very first time the phone rang, it was a person asking how they could get a voter ID. This, despite numerous announcements—on mass media and social media—that the Comelec no longer issued Voter IDs. To better deal with these sort of perennial questions, we tried building an online FAQ website, but public participation—which is a critical element in meaningfully growing any sort of knowledge base—was low.

The FAQ was essentially one big data dump that did not have flexibility to deal with real world questions. And, of course, FAQs on a largely static web site have little to no interactivity, making them less effective for being less engaging. So now, we’re trying again, this time with the social-media platform everyone and their dog seems to be on, using a feature which I personally became much more fluent with due to quarantine: Groups.

And the initial response seems to confirm the soundness of the move, as well as keeping things hopping for my work-from-home staff.

Re-booting the operations and services of a massive government institution after more than two months of forced inactivity isn’t easy. Quickly re-tooling those operations and services to cope with circumstances no one foresaw isn’t a walk in the park either. But this is the hand we’ve been dealt, and the Comelec is here for the public that needs, more than ever, a fully functioning democracy.

coronavirus.” So the Chinese “blame” the blacks. The “Americans” blame the Asians, and everyone blames the “whites.” Racism is complicated. To make matters more confusing, we have learned that race is actually a “social construct,” meaning not all blacks, Asians, or whatever “race” share the same DNA. A person can pretty much legally and socially choose whatever “race” he/she desires. “Germans, Greeks, Irish, Italians, and Spaniards have all—either legally or as matter of public opinion—been excluded from the “white” category at some point.

In the US, law-enforcement officers are shielded by the court-established— not by law—“qualified immunity” doctrine. This states that government officials cannot be personally sued for discretionary actions performed within their official capacity, unless their actions violated “clearly-established” federal law or constitutional rights. Also, if they thought that what they were doing was legal, they are protected. In effect, qualified immunity automatically assumes the officer acted properly, which is much different than the legal concept of “innocent until proven guilty.”

The result is that unless a court finds their action illegal, law-enforce-

ment officers can’t be held accountable for discretionary actions done in the performance of their duty. In the Floyd case, the police officer Derek Chauvin had 18 complaints for excessive force filed against him. In 2006, Chauvin was one of several officers involved in the fatal shooting of a man who stabbed others. The family of the deceased did not have any recourse because of Chauvin’s “qualified immunity.” While Chauvin may have acted properly—or not—the local prosecutor decided not to file charges, a grand jury declined to indict, and the case was ended.

US President Dwight Eisenhower said, “You cannot change people’s hearts merely by laws”; to which Dr. Martin Luther King replied: “It may be true that morality cannot be legislated, but behavior can be regulated.” We teach our children that actions have consequences but they soon learn that bad actions do not necessarily result in bad consequences. A ticket for illegal parking violation might be solved by a generous bribe.

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

Opinion BusinessMirror

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Thursday, June 4, 2020 A7

What’s in store for The Father and the Son and us This inestimable love of God commerce after lockdown and of His only Son was foreMsgr. Sabino A. Vengco Jr.

Alálaong Bagá

Val A. Villanueva

Businesswise First of two parts

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he government has finally eased the restrictions it imposed during what could be the world’s longest lockdown meant to impede the Covid-19 spread which has placed the world in a virtual standstill.

And in the usual ballyhoo for the government’s stopgap and shortsighted Covid-19 pandemic plans, the easing of restrictions, or the so-called general community quarantine (GCQ), was met with confusion and burnt nerves, especially for commuting employees who were told they could go back to work, but were not provided with adequate mass transportation modes to do so.

All through the lockdown period, the police-led campaign harshly constrained people and commerce movement under the ambit of emergency powers granted to President Duterte.

Those special powers were supposed to enable the government to adequately and swiftly respond to any emergency that would mushroom from the deadly virus.

Expectedly, after more than three months of inactivity, the economy has taken a heavy toll, even as the number of virus-infected individuals steadily increased. I have refrained from monitoring the data being churned out by the Department of Health (DOH) after the government itself admitted that it has been feeding the public with erroneous information. I don’t relish assigning flesh and bones to cold statistics numerically represented in Excel spreadsheets.

I also beg to differ with some people in government and the private sector who postulate that the solution to this crisis is one of healthversus-commerce. We simply cannot condense the pandemic into a zero-sum-game. Both public health and national economy must be conserved—just like what Vietnam intended and succeeded to do—or face the dire consequence of losing both, which is unfortunately the situation the country is now in.

At the onset of the pandemic, our leaders failed to act decisively and judiciously in closing our borders.

Up to now, proper, efficient, and effective contact tracing and mass testing have not been done. These two resolute actions were the reasons Vietnam is coming out of this pandemic virtually unscathed.

In the Philippines, what transpired has been the almost daily arrest and detention of thousands of lockdown and curfew violators for simple disobedience and breach of the Bayanihan to Heal as One (BAHO) Act. Online critics of the president have also been apprehended without a warrant for purported violation of the Revised Penal Code and other disciplinary laws, while the police has been soft on the violators of the BAHO Act committed by state actors.

So what does the new normal hold for all of us? Let us consider some worrisome developments that we know so far.

Recession is seen hovering as the national economy is seen contracting by 2 percent to 3.4 percent this year—an economic dive unseen since the Marcos regime. The Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) said on May 13 that the pandemic’s impact on the economy could reach P2 trillion or around 9.4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). The Philippines expects to go into recession, as the economy contracts due to the coronavirus outbreak and lockdowns associated with it.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III estimated GDP growth at zero percent to 1 percent. This estimate is grimmer than the Asian

Development Bank’s outlook for the Philippines which expected a 2 percent full-year GDP growth. The World Bank’s forecast was even hopeful at 3 percent.

Government borrowings to finance Covid-19 response have driven the country’s debt through the roof, pushing the total to a new high of P8.6 trillion in April alone. At least two-thirds of our total debt, some P5.9 trillion as of April, were from domestic sources. It was up by nearly 1 percent month-on-month and 12.6 percent year-on-year, according to the data released by the Bureau of the Treasury on June 2.

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines may be forced to lay off more employees, depending on how its recovery goes once commercial flights are allowed to resume. PAL President and COO Gilbert Santa Maria in an ANC interview said revenue losses of the company are nearing $1 billion due to flight cancellations from the pandemic.

Petron Corp. incurred a net loss of P4.9 billion in the first quarter of 2020, a downturn from the P1.3 billion in net income recorded in the same period last year, as the spread of the virus had dampened demand.

Petron suffered significant inventory losses during the period, as oil prices in the world market plunged and demand in both local and international markets contracted.

Everybody now talks about Covid-19 bringing about a new normal where nothing will be as it was before. But the term “new normal” has been used in business and economics before to describe the aftermath of the financial crisis of 2007-2008 and the 2008–2012 global recession.

A case study e-mailed to me by a group of students from the De La Salle University offers an interesting solution. The e-mail was signed by its authors Andrada Santino Cuello, Katrin Angela G. Lagman, Alexandra Noelle B. Leung, Ysa Lusica, Bea Santiago, Raphael See, Lisette and their professor, Jun Barrameda.

The case study emphasizes that under the new normal, public- and private-sector policies and systems must be redesigned to benefit all stakeholders. Employee welfare and continuous growth of private businesses, even those which may remain closed, must be ensured. Schools and universities will have to partner with eLearning vendors for their students.

Many online platforms that provide virtual learning solutions will most likely thrive in the new normal. One of these platforms, their study points out, is Lyon PH, an online and on-demand platform that caters to young professionals. Lyon PH hopes to promote a knowledge-driven society through technology by offering their customers with an engaging and universally accessible knowledge base.

The abrupt escalation of the pandemic has brought about chaos and shifted the way the world usually functions. It has put a complete halt to daily life as we know it. The world we now live in requires our government officials and privatesector management to construct policies and programs that will not only sustain the economy, but more importantly uphold the security and safety of all Filipinos.

(To be continued) For comments and suggestions, e-mail me at mvala.v@gmail.com

O

ur liturgical calendar’s period of the Ordinary Time following the Easter Season is launched within the context of the mystery of the Triune God. Our salvation rests on the love of the Father expressed in and through the Son. The gospel narration (John 3:16-18) invites us to listen in at the personal reflections of the evangelist after the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus.

The greatest love story Martin Luther called this verse: “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son” as gospel in miniature. This was the greatest love story ever. In so few words the incredible dimensions of God’s love are revealed, the very heart of the good news of the salvation of the world. The Transcendent became intimate with us creatures because the Transcendent loves us. God’s omnipotence is at the service of His divine love. In this inconceivable divine outpouring, God desired the redemption of the world.

It is love immeasurable and unmerited, the hallmark of God’s dealing with us humankind. Love can be the only reason for any of God’s choice, as when God elected Israel: “If God set His heart on you, and chose you, it was not because you

outnumbered other peoples; you were the least of all peoples! It was for the love of you!” (Deuteronomy 7:7-8). The Johannine community behind the Fourth Gospel refers to this love of God some 37 times and would conclude that God is love (1 John 4:16).

The only Son given up

TO realize His loving design for us, God “gave His only Son.” His Son is the measure of the Father’s love, THE revelation of the divine love. Not just offered as a gift as at the incarnation, but delivered as a sacrifice on the cross. Thus the New Testament often speaks of the fact that Jesus, “given up” for our salvation, is the supreme manifestation of divine love for us (John 13:1; 15:13; Romans 5:8-9; 8:32). As often as we celebrate the remembrance of the Son made

shadowed, as seen by the Christian tradition very early on, in the narrative of Abraham and his only son whom he loved, Isaac (Genesis 22:1-18). Abraham was willing to give up his only son to death, and his obedient faith was to the benefit of all the nations of the Earth, just as the Father’s giving up of His only Son is for the whole world.

flesh, the words of the institution of the Eucharist ring out: “This is my body which will be given up for you” (Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:24).

Truly, “no one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13).

This inestimable love of God and of His only Son was foreshadowed, as seen by the Christian tradition very early on, in the narrative of Abraham and his only son whom he loved, Isaac (Genesis 22:1-18). Abraham was willing to give up his only son to death, and his obedient faith was to the benefit of all the nations of the Earth, just as the Father’s giving up of His only Son is for the whole world. In this prefiguration of the drama of our salvation, it is essential to see that what God wanted was not the suffering of Isaac or of Abraham but their love, a proof of

love by both of them in obedience.

When John unveils on the cross the divine love of Jesus, he focuses on the open side of Jesus to invite us to go beyond the visible sufferings and reach to the “heart” of our redemption, God’s love incarnate (John 19:33-37).

Alálaong bagá, God “gave His only Son” and the Son gave up his life for us, so “that the world might be saved through him.” The loving obedience of Jesus to the Father reversed the meaning of death as the consequence of sin; in his divine love, death becomes the Passover to eternal life. God did not send His Son to condemn the world, but so that “everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life”—everyone who is willing to take up his own cross and follow Jesus on the path of love.

The love of God incarnate in Jesus Christ presents to us an invitation and a challenge, and our response to it can result eternally in life or in death. Love can thus provoke self-judgment as we go for it or against it; God does not condemn us, rather we do that to ourselves when we refuse divine love. Welcoming or rejecting love means entering or withdrawing from life.

And to imitate Jesus in His way of love demands faith, trust in the love of God in and through Jesus.

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

Reflections on CREATE, ISI and EOI in Covid times Dr. Rene E. Ofreneo

LABOREM EXERCENS

T

he government has been rushing a new package of tax reforms called Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises, originally dubbed as TRABAHO and subsequently re-christened as Citira. As advertised by the Department of Finance, CREATE should attract new investments, FDIs in particular, because the corporate income tax (CIT) is lowered at a rate comparable with those of the Asean neighbors.

Ironically, the tax package has received strong resistance from a government agency directly under the Office of the President, the Philippine Economic Zone Authority. The latter is opposed to the removal of the generous tax incentives given to PEZAregistered enterprises. These firms enjoy income tax holidays (ITHs) upon their establishment in the Philippines. After a few years, these firms are subjected to a low 5 percent tax on gross income earned (GIE), with no other taxes imposed on them. Thus, between this 5 percent GIE rate and the proposed 25 percent CIT rate, so much is going to be lost by the PEZA locators and so much is to be gained by the Philippine tax collectors.

The CREATE proponents are raising valid questions on the GIE and other generous fiscal incentives given to locators in the industrial parks run or accredited by PEZA as well as those developed by other government investment-promotion agencies or IPAs. Why are incentives given without any time limits and without any performance yardsticks? Why are there no visible indications of deepening industrial development and mushrooming jobs after decades of IHT/GIE incentives being enjoyed by a number of PEZA enterprises?

And yet, students of Philippine industrial development note that some of the industries set up by the locators, mostly auto parts and electronics/semiconductor assembly industries, have failed to grow at a higher level of product sophistication and market expansion. It appears that these locator firms occupy the lower middle of the global value chains (GVCs) of the auto, electronic and IT multinationals. In short, most of the Philippine locators are engaged in assembly work, not in product innovation and development. These

locators are stuck in the assembly business, unable to scale the higher rungs of the industrial ladder. To put it simply, they are dependent on what the MNCs are willing to outsource to them for limited assembly work.

In contrast, our neighboring countries in Asia—South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and China—have been scaling the

dustrial families). Accordingly, the post-war ISI industrialists flourished around the high tariff walls and other protectionist ISI measures. No time limits. No performance yardsticks.

The ISI industrialists were even called by some free-trade economists as “rent seekers.”

As a backgrounder, the high tariff walls were erected in the 1960s by President Diosdado Macapagal to placate the ISI industrialists after he scuttled the import and foreign exchange controls on the advice of the IMF. Before the tariff walls, the ISI industries boomed under the regime of import and foreign exchange controls managed then by Central Bank Governor Miguel Cuaderno, a fierce exponent of Philippine industrial development.

Eventually, the ISI program was replaced by the export-oriented industrial (EOI) program instituted by Neda during the martial-law decade of the 1970s. The ascendant freetrade economists justified the shift by pointing out that the ISI program

The above historical snapchats are simply meant to remind the policy-makers, both from the Executive and Legislative branches of the government, that one should avoid formulating “quickie” solutions to industrial development without strategizing the country’s development options in these uncertain times.

For example, why focus the country’s investment campaign in getting FDIs at a time when the global market is shrinking, the GVC chains of many MNCs are broken and many countries are also looking inward? And if we shower FDIs with incentives such as opening the economy wholesale to them, what are the prospects that they will be able to create the jobs within the year or so when it is clear that the challenge is job creation now, not in 2022 or beyond? industrial ladder through a conscious program of technology acquisition, product diversification and, yes, development of their own GVCs. This is exemplified by South Korea’s Samsung, which was once upon a time an assembler-contractor for Sanyo and which was able to transition toward original brand manufacturing all the way to product development and innovation with a lot of help from an interventionist State, which does not shy in providing credit, technology acquisition, R&D support and so on.

But back to CREATE. It is ironic that the criticisms raised by the CREATE proponents are similar to the criticisms leveled in the 1970s by a group of laissez faire economists against the pioneer Filipino industrialists of the 1950s1960s (e.g., Puyat, Guevara, Araneta, Concepcion, Toribio and other in-

was facing a dead end in terms of market development (allegedly, small domestic market), sustainability (dependence on imported industrial raw materials and machines, leading to chronic trade and balance of payments deficits) and job creation (due to limited industrial expansion). The EOI shift was further cemented in the 1980s, with the “structural adjustment program” (SAP) lending provided by the IMF-World Bank group.

But what is the scorecard?

It was the ISI industrialists of the 1950s-1960s who succeeded in placing the Philippines on the industrial map of Asia—as No. 2 to Japan in Asia, per World Bank report for the 1960s. On the other hand, the EOI program, put in place in the 1970s and continued for nearly five decades, has failed to deliver to the country the promises of higher industrial

development, massive job creation and welfare development for all that were spelled out in the various Neda medium-term plans from the 1970s to the present.

Worse, many of the ISI industries collapsed during the EOI decades of the 1970s-present. This is not difficult to explain. The ISI industries did not only lose the incentives (tariff and other protection programs) that they used to enjoy during the 1950s1960s. They also became the target of intensified tax campaigns. This is so because most of the EOI industries have been given the generous fiscal incentives. For government, therefore, taxes could only be raised from two fronts: the local firms (through corporate and other taxes) and the general population through VAT/e-VAT. Now what is the point of this article in these Covid times?

The above historical snapchats are simply meant to remind the policy-makers, both from the Executive and Legislative branches of the government, that one should avoid formulating “quickie” solutions to industrial development without strategizing the country’s development options in these uncertain times. For example, why focus the country’s investment campaign in getting FDIs at a time when the global market is shrinking, the GVC chains of many MNCs are broken and many countries are also looking inward? And if we shower FDIs with incentives such as opening the economy wholesale to them, what are the prospects that they will be able to create the jobs within the year or so when it is clear that the challenge is job creation now, not in 2022 or beyond?

As to going domestic, this is refreshing. It is obvious that the industrial visionaries at the DTI and other government agencies (hopefully, including Neda), are not tied to the old dogmatic export-or-perish or go-outward-or-remain-inward narrow framework of the free-trade economists. They also see that the Philippine population of 110 million is a huge market, which can be a platform for the launching/relaunching/development of old and new Philippine industries.

It is clear that Covid-19 provides the country a grand opportunity to re-think what went wrong with both the ISI and EOI programs and what the country should pursue today to meet the challenge of surviving a pandemic which still has no cure.

More in the next issue.

A8 Thursday, June 4, 2020

SC tackles issues against videoconference in court trials

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HERE are constitutional issues in the adoption of videoconferencing for court proceedings that are still being threshed out by the Supreme Court, Associate Justice Marvic Leonen admitted on Wednesday.

Speaking in a webinar arranged by the Court Appointments Watch (CAW) on the topic “Challenges to Rendering Justice During and After the Pandemic,” Leonen said he and his fellow magistrates led

by Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta are currently deliberating to address these constitutional issues.

“So the Court is in the thick of that kind of discussion, as I said we are in the process of adjustment and unlike other departments, we are seeking to be more deliberative... and trying to get much feedback as possible from the courts,” Leonen said.

Among the constitutional issues being raised on the use of videoconferencing, according to Leonen, were lack of transparency of the procedure, the right to confront witnesses and the process of authentication, Continued on A2

House panel firm on digital tax, eyes P29.1-B funds vs Covid-19

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By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz

@joveemarie

HE House of Representatives will stand firm on the proposal imposing tax on digital economy, a leader of the chamber said on Wednesday, as the US announced that it will investigate countries imposing a digital services tax.

House Committee on Ways and Means Chairman Joey Sarte Salceda, principal author of the digital economy tax, pointed out that the Philippines will not introduce a new digital services tax, or increase any tax rates but will mandate untaxed digital services to pay their fair share.

“Our proposal will not be affected by this latest move from the United States. As you may be aware, we did not introduce any new digital services tax, or increase any tax

rates, but are instead working to have them included in our existing tax base, so that all value created in the Philippines can be treated with parity, for tax purposes. That is the wisdom of the bill—it does not discriminate between goods in the traditional markets and goods and services sold digitally,” he said.

“In the Philippines, we are not asking for a new tax on these firms.

We are just asking the untaxed to pay their fair share. Our old tax laws were not able to anticipate a

new virtual world, so our regulations have not included them yet.

But there is no question that they should be included in the tax base.

If they make money out of Filipinos, they should pay the same taxes that everyone who makes money from Filipinos should pay. It’s not a complicated concept,” he said.

P29-B revenue

LAST month, Salceda filed House Bill 6765 or the Digital Economy Taxation Act of 2020 to raise P29.1 billion new revenues for the country’s battle against Covid-19.

“Nonetheless, I think the US is grasping at straws with its latest move. Of course, it will look like these new taxes in Europe and other economies are aimed at specific companies—because those companies have a near-monopoly over their respective services. Monopoly has great pricing benefits to the monopolist, but the cost is also regulation, so they should not cry foul about it,” he added.

Salceda said House Bill 6765 is estimated to yield as much as P29.1 billion annually in incremental rev-

enues from 12-percent value-added tax (VAT), 35-percent corporate income tax and 5-percent digital service tax that will be imposed on the digital economy.

Of this P29.1 billion, P1.20 billion will come from improvement of the tax compliance with network orchestrators as witholding agents; P4 billion from digital advertising; P2.9 billion from other digital services such as games and other digital media and P2.2 billion from subscription-based services VAT. Subscription-based services include music streaming such as Spotify, video streaming such as Netflix, and electronic publishing such as e-books.

Also, P3.5 billion will come from network orchestrators as withholding agents for VAT, P9.7 billion from e-commerce platforms as withholding agents for VAT and P5.7 billion from the corporate income from digital services.

Salceda said Netflix and Lazada have already expressed support for passage of the bill while Amazon has already asked the committee for a briefing on the measure.

BFAR rolls out sardine management plan

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HE Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) is now ready to roll out the country’s first-ever national sardine management plan (NSMP) after the blueprint was recently signed by Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar. The NSMP seeks to put in place a system for “sustainable use and management” of sardines, one of the country’s most important fisheries resources, according to BFAR. The blueprint was a product of a multisector collaboration and initiatives that aims to holistically respond and offer measures to the challenges of the sardines industry, BFAR added.

“Sardines, which are among the most commercially important fish species and one of the most staple protein sources for Filipinos, have since been plagued by many challenges for many years,” it said in a statement.

“Decreasing catch rates, increasing juvenile catch, decreasing productivity, postharvest losses, illegal fishing, and poverty among sardine fisherfolk are just a few of the challenges that hound the industry,” it added. Through the National Sardine Management Plan, such can be addressed, it said.

BFAR said the national plan has three goals: improve sciencebased indicators for sustainability of fish stocks; reduction of postharvest losses to improve income and benefits of sardine fisherfolk communities; and strengthened science-based management for sustainable sardine fisheries by setting Harvest Control Rules and developing sound data platform.

“We are optimistic that our vision of a sustainably and equitably shared sardine fishery that contributes greatly to food security and increased income for our sardine fishers will soon be realized through this plan,” Department of AgricultureBFAR National Director Eduardo Gongona said.

In April, international non-

gover nment orga n i z at ion Oceana urged the government to adopt the overdue national management plan that would conserve and protect the fish species as Filipinos scramble to stock up on canned sardines during the lockdown.

“Fisher ies Ma n agement Plans are an excellent way to organize the existing biological, economic, and social information about sardines. It is also an ideal platform to make sure that all present and future governance and management mechanisms are coordinated, and part of a cohesive framework, especially as we now have the Fisheries Management Area system,” Oceana Vice President Gloria Estenzo Ramos said.

“It also provides opportunities to set realistic goals for a fishery. Those who participate in a fishery can decide, for example, that their medium-term objective is to recover the population of the target species, maintain employment structure in a community, or achieve the maximum economic yield,” Ramos added.

Citing a 2017 Social Weather Stations survey, Oceana said 70 percent of Filipinos eat fish or any seafood for five days in a month; three out of 10 (30 percent) Filipino adults nationwide ate sardinas/silinyasi/tunsoy each month.

“The sardine industry is also an important economic driver providing jobs and livelihood, for small scale entrepreneurs in the dried and smoked sector, and for factory workers in the canning and bottling sectors.

Ecologically, sardines are important part of the marine food chain being a major forage species of many predatory fish species, mammals, and cetaceans,” Oceana said.

“Given the significance of sardines to the Filipinos, it is imperative that these resources should be sufficiently managed for its harvests to be forever,” it added. Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

‘For social distancing, guarantee drivers’ pay’

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RANSPORTATION and labor leaders called on the government to give a daily P800 “guaranteed income” for public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers to ensure their compliance with social distancing measures during the novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19) crisis.

During an online media briefing on Wednesday organized by the Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (Sentro), National Confederation of Transport Workers’ Union (NCTU) Secretary Jamie Aguilar said the proposal is necessary after they got reports that some PUV drivers violated social distancing measures to get more passengers, especially during rush hours.

The member of the Move as One Coalition said this is expected since the social distancing measures have practically halved the income of PUV drivers.

Under the Department of Transportation (DOTr) guidelines, PUVs in areas, where they are allowed, should only fill up 50 percent of their overall passenger capacity to stop the spread of Covid-19 within their units.

If given the guaranteed income, Aguilar said the drivers can themselves bar passengers from violating the social distancing measures.

Contracted service

THE guaranteed income is part of the proposed P110-billion stimulus package for the transportation sectors being pushed by the Move as One Coalition.

Of this amount, P30 billion is proposed to fund government’s service contract with at least 10,000 PUVs to ferry commuters in Metro Manila and other parts of the country for six months.

The proposal has each PUV unit allocated at least P6,075 per day from their proposed contractual arrangement with the government.

The amount cover P1,500 estimated fuel costs; P225 maintenance costs; P750 sanitation costs; P1,600 salary (for two alternating drivers); P1,000 amortization of vehicles; and the P1,000 overhead and profit of the operators.

Joshua Mata said the computation is based on the hypothetical operation of a PUV plying a 20-km round trip route for 15 times daily.

He said they hope the private sector will also hire the remaining 45,000 PUVs, which have their operations affected by the community quarantine, to provide transportation services to their workers.

Lower income

TRANSPORTATION leaders noted that the P800 guaranteed income is actually lower than the drivers’ average take-home pay ranging from P1,000 to P1,500 for a 13- to 14-hour duty.

However, NCTU President Ernesto Cruz said they are willing to take the income cut especially since the country is now suffering from the Covid-19 crisis.

“Based from the sentiment of our members, they are willing to go back to work rather just wait for aid from the government,” Cruz said.

While some 90,000 PUV drivers were covered by the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) cash aid program, the benefit is only good for two months.

The transportation leaders also noted local government units (LGU) have not committed to provide them additional aid beyond what the received from March to May. Samuel P. Medenilla

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Thursday, June 4, 2020

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Ayala unit expands overseas footprint with stake in Infigen

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By Lenie Lectura

@llectura

C Energy Inc., through its affiliate UAC Energy Holdings Pty Ltd. (UAC Energy), is expanding its portfolio overseas with the acquisition of a 12.82-percent stake in Infigen Energy Ltd. (Infigen) for AUD90.4 million.

Infigen is a renewable energy developer, generator, and retailer listed on the Australian Securities Exchange that owns and operates 670megawatts (MW) of wind farms all over Australia, as well as gas, bat-

tery and contracted assets.

“The investment in Infigen is a crucial move forward for AC Energy’s regional expansion as it remains committed to its goal of exceeding 5 gigawatts [GW] of attributable capac-

ity, with 50 percent of energy generated from renewables, by 2025,” said AC Energy.

UAC Energy, which is owned by AC Energy and UPC\AC Renewables Australia (UPC\AC), also launched a tender offer for Infigen. This is still subject to regulatory approvals, including the Australian Foreign Investment Review Board.

UPC\AC, an Australian joint venture of AC Energy with the UPC Renewables Group, has been active in renewable energy development in Australia since 2017, focusing on large-scale solar, wind and pumped hydro storage.

“The acquisition of interest in Infigen by UAC strengthens both AC Energy’s and UPC\AC’s commitment to provide low-cost power in Australia by expanding its operating port-

folio and enabling the sale of energy through retail channels,” it added.

AC Energ y, the power arm of conglomerate Ayala Corp., is expanding rapidly around the region through strategic partnerships and greenfield initiatives. The company aspires to exceed 5 GW of renewables capacity and generate at least 50 percent energy output from renewables by 2025.

In 2019, AC Energy’s power portfolio registered an attributable capacity of over 1.8 GW in operation and under construction, spanning projects in the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam.

The company increased its attributable energy output in 2019 by 25 percent to 3,500 GWh, of which 50 percent came from renewable energy sources.

ABS-CBN exec defends citizenship

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie

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awmakers on Wednesday grilled ABS-CBN Corp. Chairman Emeritus Eugenio “Gabby” Lopez III over his citizenship, which has been regarded one of the major issues hounding the grant of a new franchise to the broadcast network.

Lopez, through his counsel Mario Bautista, admitted that the ABSCBN executive is a dual citizen because he was born to Filipino parents in the United States. He is also a holder of both Philippine and US passports.

With this, lawmakers questioned whether a dual citizen like Lopez could own a mass media company in light of the strict Constitutional provision on 100-percent control and ownership of mass media by Filipinos.

Article XVI, Section 11 of the 1987 Constitution provides that “the ownership and management of mass media shall be limited to citizens of the Philippines, or to corporations, cooperatives or associations, wholly-owned and managed by such citizens.”

Ako Bicol Rep. Alfredo Garbin said “undeniably, Gabby Lopez is a natural-born [Filipino] citizen, but he is also an American citizen by virtue of jus soli applied in the American law.

The question is whether a dual citizen can own a mass media company.”

Jus soli is a principle of nationality law by which citizenship of a person is determined by the place where he was born.

For his part, Anakalusugan Rep. Michael Defensor said those who handle and acquire mass media in the Philippines must be required to have “full Filipino citizenship.”

He said Lopez’s dual citizenship casts doubt on his true faith and allegiance to the Philippines, “making him disqualified from owning or having control of a mass media company.”

Defensor also insisted that Lopez could have sworn allegiance to the US when he acquired an American passport in 1996.

For House Deputy Speaker Rodante Marcoleta, Lopez is more of an American citizen than a Filipino citizen.

During the hearing Marcoleta presented to the panel an “alien fingerprint card” which the lawmaker

said Lopez submitted to the US. “We will have a problem processing that particular issue because [the Constitution] indicates that only Filipinos [are allowed to own a mass media company]. How can we include his American citizenship in our discussions related to that constitutional provision?" Marcoleta said in Filipino, citing Article XVI, Section 11 of the 1987 Constitution should also be a citizen of another country.

“Our Constitution is clear that only Filipinos can own and manage mass media, companies and even cooperatives.”

Assertions

For his part, Lopez asserted that he is a natural-born Filipino citizen as he addressed questions about his citizenship.

“I am a natural-born Filipino citizen because both my parents are Filipino citizens,” said Lopez.

Lopez said he never renounced his Filipino citizenship and only sought recognition of his Filipino citizenship from the Department of Justice to secure a Philippine passport.

Meanwhile, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman said that Lopez’s American citi-

Yanson matriarch asks ‘Yanson 4’ to yield; they slam CIDG arrest try

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HE matriarch of the feuding Yanson family on Wednesday asked her children to surrender to authorities after local police failed to serve the warrant of arrest issued by the municipal trial court of Bacolod City against the so-called Yanson Four, or the siblings who want to take over management of the country's biggest bus company.

Police failed to serve the warrant of arrest on the Yanson 4,—Emily V. Yanson, Roy V. Yanson, Ricardo V. Yanson Jr., Maria Lourdes Celina V. Yanson Lopez—who are reportedly now outside the country.

Earlier, however, lawyers for the Yanson 4 scored the PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in Bacolod City for unlawfully enforcing an “unissued” warrant of arrest last Sunday.

Atty. Sigfrid Fortun, counsel for Roy, Emily, Ricardo Yanson and Ma. Lourdes Celina Lopez, also known as Y4, said Municipal Trial Court Judge Abraham Bayona only authorized the issuance and release of a warrant against his clients on Monday, June 1. Hence, the CIDG operatives’ attempt to arrest his

clients last Sunday was “patently illegal”, he said.

“By attempting to serve an ‘unofficial’ warrant on Sunday, CIDG operatives were working outside the law with the obvious intent of harassing and embarassing my clients and denying them the chance to seek legal redress or even post bail since courts are closed,” Fortun stressed.

He said there are serious questions as to how and from whom the CIDG obtained a copy of the warrant they served on Sunday when it was only issued the following day, June 1. “This merits a serious investigation. It’s alarming that certain parties are trying to misuse the court system through trumpedup charges and misrepresentation in the release and implementation of unofficial arrest orders,” he said.

Y4, who claims ownership of majority shares in Vallacar Transit, Inc., are facing grave coercion charges for the alleged attempt last year to wrest management control of the bus company from their youngest sibling Leo Rey. The group’s claim is based on the company’s General Information

Sheet filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Fortun said the arrest warrant CIDG-Bacolod tried to enforce against his clients “was put on hold last March” due to a timely motion to stop its implementation, which remains unresolved. On Friday, May 29, 2020, at the hearing of the Y4’s Motion to Suspend Proceedings and Hold In Abeyance Issuance of Warrant, he said Judge Bayona never mentioned having issued a warrant of arrest againt the Y4, he said.

Lawyers for the Y4 have been closely monitoring and were in constant communication with Judge Bayona’s office, but only obtained a copy of the Order releasing the Warrant of Arrest on Monday, June 1, 2020, when it was officially released.

‘Set aside pride’

Olivia Yanson, in a statement on Wednesday, has asked her children “to set aside their pride, be humbled and admit to their mistakes.”

Continued on B2

zenship is a non-issue, “he is undeniably a natural-born Filipino citizen.

No amount of interpellations would change this overriding and unalterable fact.”

PSEi above 6,000 as lockdown eases

By VG Cabuag @villygc

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he Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) again recorded gains on Wednesday, as investors were calmed by the easing of the lockdown measures implemented by the government in Metro Manila.

The 30-company PSEi went up by another 3 percent on Wednesday, or 220.48 points, to close at 6,245.65 points. The benchmark index climbed for the sixth consecutive session on Wednesday.

“Philippine stocks rose as traders focused on the reopening of all regional economies from the coronavirus pandemic even amid the civil unrest around the United States,” said Luis Limlingan, managing director at Regina Capital Development Corp.

“As the economy tries to get back on track, investors are hoping for the best as they put more cash on the table. Foreign inflows in the last few days have also been encouraging after months and months of outflows. We may see some profit-taking before the end of the week,” said Christopher Mangun, head of research at AAA Securities Inc. The PSEi gained 748.82 points since Tuesday last week. The main

index rose on improving investors' sentiment due to Metro Manila's shift to a more relaxed general community quarantine and the resumption of work in many areas starting Monday.

Itfirstbargedintothe6,000-point level on Tuesday, nearly three months after prices fell at the start of the lockdown in Metro Manila in mid-March.

Total value of trade was worth P8.24 billion, as advancers led losers 143 to 59 and 44 shares were unchanged.

Foreign investors were still net sellers at P329.34 million.

All other sub-indices closed higher led by the broader All Shares index that gained 106.59 points to close at 3,658.31 points, the Financials index rose 60.62 to 1,266.10, the Industrial index added 125.44 to 7,715.78, the Holding Firms index climbed 181.10 to 6,342.25 and the Property index surged 174.58 to 3,197.31.

GT Capital Holdings Inc. was the day's top traded and it gained P14 to close at P385, property developer Ayala Land Inc. increased P2.70 to P36, SM Investments Corp. fell P1 to P945, Security Bank Corp. was up P5.40 to P102, Jollibee Foods Corp. rose P6.40 to P130 and BDO Unibank Inc. expanded by P4.40 to P102.40.

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Companies BusinessMirror

Thursday, June 4, 2020

www.businessmirror.com.ph

LandBank okays ₧250-M loan for private school

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By Tyrone Jasper C. Piad

@TyronePiad

and Bank of the Philippines (LandBank) said it has approved an education loan support worth P250 million under its “study now, pay later” program.

During a Laging Handa briefing on Wednesday, LandBank President and CEO Cecilia C. Borromeo said the loan program could help the financially distressed students to continue their schooling amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Meron na kaming in-approve na P250 million sa isang malaking school para makapagpautang sila... sa kanilang mga estudyante at zero percent interest. [We approved P250 million to a big school so it can offer loan support to students

with no interest],” she said.

The tenor of the loan payment is up to the discussion of the particular

school with its students, Borromeo said. LandBank, however, did not identify the school.

The approved amount is part of the P3-billion credit support to private academic institutions the staterun bank launched in early May. The lending facility can be availed by private high schools, private technical and vocational education training institutions, as well as higher education institutions, such as colleges and universities.

The loan has a fixed interest rate of 3 percent per annum and is payable based on the maturity of the sub-promissory notes within three years.

The lending program allows refinancing or rediscounting of promissory notes issued by the parents or benefactors of students

for school loans.

The loan will be released via lump sum or stag gered basis per semester. It will be directly credited to the deposit account maintained by the school with the bank.

The borrowing support is available until June 30 next year.

“Alam naming may kababayan tayo na mahihirapan para tustusan ang tuition fee ng kanilang mga anak. So, ang ginawa po ng LandBank, nakipag-ugnayan kami sa mga private schools. [We know that many of our countrymen are struggling to finance the education of their children. So, what the LandBank did was to coordinate with private schools],” she said.

Peco asks ERC to reinstate provisional CPCN

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he Panay Electric Co. (Peco) has appealed to the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) for the reinstatement of its provisional certificate of public convenience and necessity (CPCN) and asked for the revocation of the provisional authority (PA) granted to MORE Electric and Power Corporation (MORE).

Peco officials led by its lawyer, Estrella Elamparo and Peco Head of Public Engagement and Government Affairs Marcelo Cacho, said during a virtual press briefing Wednesday that a supplemental motion for reconsideration was filed with the ERC last May 22.

Peco claimed it was denied due process in the revocation of its provisional CPCN and the subsequent issuance of PA to MORE because it has not been furnished with the March 3-4, 2020 “ocular inspection report” of the ERC team.

“There are two mysterious documents here. The inspection report, which no one has ever seen, and the advance copy of the letter of the ERC that only MORE was able to secure,” said Elamparo.

The inspection report contained ERC’s findings during a two-day inspection. This report was then used as the basis of the ERC’s letter that revoked the CPCN of Peco and the issuance of MORE’s PA. Elamparo said Peco was not given a copy. “Shockingly, during that March 11 hearing, we could not be furnished a copy of the inspection report,” said Elamparo. “This is a blatant denial of Peco’s right to due process.

We were not offered the opportunity to comment.”

Peco, in its latest appeal, stated several grounds why the PA granted to MORE should be junked.

Peco said MORE’s provisional authority should be scrapped on a multitude of valid and verifiable reasons, primary is its lack of technical competence to operate a power distribution system and network; its violations of ERC-issued rules that included the Philippine Distribution Code (PDC) and the Magna Carta for Residential Electricity Consumers; and its submission of “unperfected contract” on its claimed power supply agreements (PSA) with a power supplier.

On MORE’s lack of technical competence in operating a power distribution business, Peco cited the series of incidents of long and grueling power outages in Iloilo City since its March takeover until May. “Iloilo is slowly turning to be the brownout capital of the Philippines due entirely to the management of the current distributor—More Power Iloilo, starting to be

Yanson matriarch asks ‘Yanson 4’ to yield; they slam CIDG arrest try Continued from B1

The Yanson matriarch added: “Look back at the good things we had as a family. Think of the sacrifices I and your father did to build this company in order that all of you can live abundantly. Amid the pandemic afflicting our country, this is the right time to reach out and talk about our differences. Do not use other people, social media or newspapers for press releases. Come to me personally because no one can resolve this except us. Let us talk as a family. I am willing to listen. I am and will always be your mother.”

Police Lt. Col. Anthony C. Gantang, officer in charge of CIDG-Negros Occidental, said in a report to the court that the accused were not in their homes, as some of them reportedly went abroad, when the police served the warrant of arrest on May 31 and June 1.

“Thus the warrant of arrest was not implemented and [was] not served,” Gantang said in the report.

“In view of the foregoing, it is respectfully recommended that further verification be made with the Bureau of Immigration to confirm if the above-named accused are abroad. Subject warrant of arrest remains in this office until its full implementation.” With a report by VG Cabuag

known as NO MORE power Iloilo,” said Cacho.

The long brownouts also came at a time when the summer heat and the lockdown have been keeping Ilonggos uneasy, the company said.

Peco noted that due to the lockdown, many businesses remain closed and the power stations are still not on full load.

The company also expressed concern over how the power situation may worsen once the demand for electricity rises to normal levels.

mutual funds

Peco also chided MORE on its claim that the maintenance shutdown it had undertaken, which triggered the long power interruptions of 12 to 13 hours at the peak of summer months, was supposedly due to Peco’s failure to provide maintenance at Jaro substation.

The company said it is a “false accusation” because company records would attest that the substation had undergone preventive maintenance multiple times through the years. Lenie Lectura

June 3, 2020

NAV One Year Three Year Five Year Y-T-D

per share Return* Return Stock Funds ALFM Growth Fund, Inc. -a 197.92 -25.21% -10.46% -6.04% -21.43% ATRAM Alpha Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a 0.985 -39.39% -15.32% -7.2% -28.73% ATRAM Philippine Equity Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a 2.6585 -35.67% -15.14% -8.69% -27.72% Climbs Share Capital Equity Investment Fund Corp. -a 0.6747 -28.81% n.a. n.a. -24.79% First Metro Consumer Fund on MSCI Phils. IMI, Inc. -a 0.665 -24.63% n.a. n.a.

-21.7% First Metro Save and Learn Equity Fund,Inc. -a 4.2802 -22.45% -7.97% -5.43% -19.67% First Metro Save and Learn Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a,4 0.6702 -24.19% -11.09% n.a.

-21.49% MBG Equity Investment Fund, Inc. -a 74.6 -39.33% n.a. n.a.

-27.8% PAMI Equity Index Fund, Inc. -a 39.7312 -24.46% -8.93% n.a. -22.52% Philam Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a 424.86 -22.31% -8.24% -5.18% -20.26% Philequity Alpha One Fund, Inc. -a,d,5 0.8701 n.a. n.a. n.a. -15.53% Philequity Dividend Yield Fund, Inc. -a 1.0097 -24.21% -8.41% -4.56% -21.54% Philequity Fund, Inc. -a 29.6423 -24.25% -7.97% -4.34% -21.78% Philequity MSCI Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a 0.7816 -25.93% n.a. n.a. -23.23% Philequity PSE Index Fund Inc. -a 4.0491 -24.07% -8.41% -4.13% -22.48% Philippine Stock Index Fund Corp. -a 676.95 -23.97% -8.39% -4.34% -22.37% Soldivo Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a 0.6168 -34% -12.23% -8.36% -27.55% Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Equity Fund, Inc. -a 3.1538 -27.63% -9.46% -5.42% -25.07% Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Stock Index Fund, Inc. -a 0.7772 -24.06% -8.52% -4.27% -22.34% United Fund, Inc. -a 2.8763 -23.67% -6.7% -3.47% -21.27% Exchange Traded Fund First Metro Phil. Equity Exchange Traded Fund, Inc. -a,c 90.8237 -23.82% -7.92% -3.51% -22.34% ATRAM AsiaPlus Equity Fund, Inc. -b $0.919 -3.34% -2.02% -3.19% -10.64% Sun Life Prosperity World Voyager Fund, Inc. -a $1.3244 6.64% 4.64% n.a.

-3.94% Balanced Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities ATRAM Dynamic Allocation Fund, Inc. -a 1.5287 -11.94% -5.08% -4.18% -2.18% ATRAM Philippine Balanced Fund, Inc. -a 2.0315 -12.45% -5.1% -2.46% -6.86% First Metro Save and Learn Balanced Fund Inc. -a 2.4065 -9.44% -2.8% -3.24% -8.55% First Metro Save and Learn F.O.C.C.U.S. Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a,1 0.1859 n.a. n.a. n.a.

-18.64% NCM Mutual Fund of the Phils., Inc. -a 1.8294 -5.45% -1.47% -0.67% -6.81% PAMI Horizon Fund, Inc. -a 3.4372 -7.4% -2.91% -1.99% -9.29% Philam Fund, Inc. -a 15.3513 -8.4% -3.09% -2.14% -9.49% Solidaritas Fund, Inc. -a 1.903 -11.54% -4.03% -1.9% -10.48% Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Balanced Fund, Inc. -a 3.2626 -15.9% -4.88% -3.1% -15.56% Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2028, Inc. -a,d 0.9312 -7.98% n.a. n.a.

-8.32% Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2038, Inc. -a,d 0.834 -17.58% n.a. n.a.

-16.3% Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2048, Inc. -a,d 0.8117 -19.6% n.a. n.a. -18.27% Sun Life Prosperity Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a 0.8058 -18.96% -5.89% -4.29% -17.34% Primarily invested in foreign currency securities Cocolife Dollar Fund Builder, Inc. -a $0.03833 4.7% 2.49% 1.58% 0.26% PAMI Asia Balanced Fund, Inc. -b $0.9514 0.44% -0.37% -1.3% -8.33% Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Advantage Fund, Inc. -a $3.748 3.29% 3.2% 2.53% -4.16% Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Wellspring Fund, Inc. -a,3 $1.0891 1.16% 1.43% n.a.

-3.52% Bond Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities ALFM Peso Bond Fund, Inc. -a 364.02 4.28% 3.02% 2.47% 1.74% ATRAM Corporate Bond Fund, Inc. -a 1.936 2.56% 0.85% -0.1% 1.79% Cocolife Fixed Income Fund, Inc. -a 3.1819 4.75% 5.15% 5.1% 2.11% Ekklesia Mutual Fund Inc. -a 2.2774 4.98% 2.77% 2.18% 2.36% First Metro Save and Learn Fixed Income Fund,Inc. -a 2.4312 6.49% 3.18% 1.87% 3.06% Philam Bond Fund, Inc. -a 4.5467 11.06% 3.8% 2.22% 3.97% Philam Managed Income Fund, Inc. -a, 6 1.286 6.7% 3.84% 2.08% 2.33% Philequity Peso Bond Fund, Inc. -a 3.9192 7.74% 4.12% 2.14% 3.46% Soldivo Bond Fund, Inc. -a 1.0231 10.32% 3.36% 1.54% 6.1% Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Bond Fund, Inc. -a 3.1496 7.99% 4.69% 2.71% 2.4% Sun Life Prosperity GS Fund, Inc. -a 1.7345 7.18% 4.12% 2.26% 1.96% Primarily invested in foreign currency securities ALFM Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $471.5 3.34% 2.38% 2.53% 0.7% ALFM Euro Bond Fund, Inc. -a Є214.72 -0.66% 0.53% 0.74% -2.28% ATRAM Total Return Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -b $1.2137 3.49% 2.68% 2.27% 0.54% First Metro Save and Learn Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $0.0259 1.97% 1.32% 1.12% 0.39% PAMI Global Bond Fund, Inc -b $1.0637 -1.01% -0.35% 0.01% -2.88% Philam Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $2.4225 5.62% 3.01% 2.63% 0.78% Philequity Dollar Income Fund Inc. -a $0.060129 2.45% 1.75% 1.62% -0.31% Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Abundance Fund, Inc. -a $3.1677 4.64% 2.07% 2.08% -0.24% Money Market Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities ALFM Money Market Fund, Inc. -a 127.73 3.81% 3.13% 2.38% 1.55% First Metro Save and Learn Money Market Fund, Inc. -a 1.0396 2.68% n.a. n.a.

1.3% Sun Life Prosperity Money Market Fund, Inc. -a 1.2808 3.28% 3.02% 2.56% 1.28% Primarily invested in foreign currency securities Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Starter Fund, Inc. -a $1.0429 1.63% n.a. n.a.

0.55% Feeder Fund Primarily invested in foreign currency securities ALFM Global Multi-Asset Income Fund Inc. -b,d,2 $0.93 n.a. n.a. n.a.

-6.06%

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."

Editor: Eleanor Leyco-Chua

Health&Fitness BusinessMirror

Thursday, June 4, 2020 B3

Health for Juan and Juana

‘Wais Papawis’ launched Update on latest research, development to help beat Covid-19

initiatives on vaccines for Covid-19

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By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

e often hear that once a vaccine against the deadly coronavirus disease is found, only then we can return to “normal”.

Dr. Thomas Cueni During the “Health for Juan and Juana” webinar, Dr. Thomas Cueni, International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) director general, said that efforts are under way to speed up research and development for the Covid-19 vaccine.

This is being done by biopharmaceutical industry.

The IFPMA represents researchbased pharmaceutical companies and associations across the globe.

Due to Covid-19, Cueni said it’s not “business as usual” for companies and that there is a need for “collaboration” such as “shared expertise, shared data” and the need to “reprioritize” to find a solution to this pandemic— the vaccine.

“The world is looking at us, “ Cueni said during the webinar stressing that everybody awaits the vaccine.

He shared, however, that the important goal is to have a vaccine that is effective, efficient and safe.

“We need to be sure that vaccines will not just be effective, efficient but also safe,” he said.

IFPMA, in a news release, said a new vaccine to protect people from Covid-19 holds the greatest promise of ending the pandemic, but there are no guarantees that one will be found.

It said that the biopharmaceutical industry is working at unparalleled speed and sparing no resources to develop safe and effective Covid-19 vaccines in record time.

As of May 27, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported there are currently 10 candidate vaccines in clinical evaluation and 115 candidate vaccines in preclinical evaluation.

Likewise, several biopharmaceutical companies are researching vaccine candidates and are collaborating in the sharing of existing technologies that can be leveraged to allow a rapid upscale of production once a vaccine candidate is identified.

Companies are also sharing technologies that act as an adjuvant, which can boost the effectiveness of a potential vaccine.

“Not only does the science have to be on our side if we are to quickly find a coronavirus vaccine, but we also have to find ways of being able to produce hundreds of millions, possibly billions of doses of the new vaccine.

Then people need to be vaccinated in sufficient numbers to protect whole communities. And, all the while, we should continue to produce existing vaccines,” Cueni said.

Cueni admitted that the task in hand is larger than any attempted before and beyond the power of any single entity.

“The only way to deliver on our promise of safe, equitable, affordable coronavirus vaccines is for science and collaboration on a global scale to prevail. Be in no doubt, our member-companies are fully engaged in the race to find a vaccine. We are fully committed to playing our full role within existing partnerships, such as ACT Accelerator and Gavi, on the basis that we wholeheartedly embrace the goal of providing new coronavirus vaccines for all,” he explained.

During the webinar, Cueni expressed that it should be the health-care workers (HCWs) who will get the vaccine first.

It may be noted that HCWs are prone to contract the virus.

“We will have significant volume [of vaccine] available, first set of people to get it all over the world are the healthcare workers because they deserve our solidarity, “ he said.

PHL joins WHO Solidarity trial On April 2020, the Department of Health (DOH) announced on the participation of the Philippines to WHO Solidarity trial has been approved by the Single Joint Research Ethics Board (SJREB) in support of the Covid-19 global response.

This was also mentioned by one of the speakers of the webinar, Dr. Jaime C. Montoya, who is executive director of the Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Council for Health Research and Development.

Montoya said that joining the trial is one of the international collaborations for Covid-19 treatment research.

The Philippine representatives to the WHO Solidarity clinical trial is led by Dr. Marissa Alejandria of the University of the Philippines College of Medicine and President of the Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, in close collaboration with the DOH and the WHO. Meanwhile, Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire will serve as the official liaison for the DOH. “We are optimistic that this mega trial, with over 90 participating countries, will promote the rapid generation of strong evidence for treating Covid-19, and ultimately stem this pandemic,” Vergeire said.

WHO, earlier, launched an international randomized and adaptive clinical trial “Solidarity” to test the safety and effectiveness of four possible therapies in treating Covid-19, compared to standard of care: the investigational antiviral Remdesivir, antimalarial drug Chloroquine or Hydroxychloroquine, antiretroviral drugs used to treat HIV Lopinavir with Ritonavir, and Lopinavir with Ritonavir plus Interferon-beta-1a, last March 13, 2020.

However, WHO halted the use of Hydroxychloroquine on May for it may increase the risk of death and heart problems.

More than 100 countries have joined the Solidarity trial with more than 1,200 patients randomized from the first five countries, to evaluate the safety and efficacy of four drugs and drug combinations.

It will be conducted in at least 20 Level 3 hospitals nationwide.

SJREB is a level 3 Philippine Health Research Ethics Board (PHREB) accred-

ited research ethics committee which conducts a joint review of study protocols for at least three sites in the Philippines. Level 3 accreditation means that the SJREB can review all types of research, including clinical drug trials.

The board is composed of seven permanent members and site representatives.

“There is currently no magic drug or known treatment for Covid-19 and there is an urgency to find effective treatment” explained Vergeire.

The drugs included in this trial is largely untested against SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes Covid-19, and more robust data is needed.

WHO Acting Representatives Dr. Socorro Escalante and Dr Tauhid Islam said that they are glad to partner with the Philippines and other countries around the world to help find an effective treatment for Covid-19.

They said that more countries that will be participating in the Solidarity trial, the quicker they be able to see results To date, a total of of 117 patients are now enrolled from 15 study sites as the country participates in the said trial.

Vergeire said that 14 of the Solidarity trial sites are from the National Capital Region and one from Davao.

“Out of the 15 sites, four are public hospitals [three in NCR, one in Davao],” said Vergeire, who will serve as the official liaison for the DOH to the WHO Solidarity clinical trial.

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Mayor Elgin Malaluan helps the municipal staff in the distribution of supplies to his constitients.

Meanwhile, Malaluan also announced its support to the Balik Probinsya Program of the government. To guarantee the success of the BPP, Malaluan said that his municipality is now laying all the plans to ensure that the program will be effective and will give the returning locals a good livelihood.

He added that Bongabong is rich in natural resources that can be used to produce handicrafts and other food products, which can be marketed within and outside

the province. One of the programs they are looking at right now is the production of eco-friendly goods derived from coconuts, bamboos, and other plants.

“Coconut is one of our major products here in Bongabong and with the assistance of the DOST, we are looking at the business of coco water since a lot of people nowadays are health conscious. Providing the BPP applicants with decent jobs is our priority. And with our plans, it will surely happen,”

In addition to getting regular exercise, Velasco underscored the importance of maintaining a healthy diet in boosting the immune system, reminding the public to get a healthy balance of vegetables, proteins, and carbohydrates.

“We invite you to engage in physical activity.

Even in our home, our room, we can do these very basic simple exercises,” said Velasco He also encouraged the public to “maintain a healthy lifestyle, do exercise, eat healthy food, and have a good rest.”

According to Velasco, the PSC is also working closely with the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to prepare a framework on sports activities during the pandemic following DOH minimum health and safety guidelines.

Vergeire noted that 10 to 15 minutes of exercise and seven to eight hours of sleep daily can go a long way in the fight against the pandemic, because it will improve the body’s resistance to illness and decrease one’s vulnerability.

“Palakasin po natin ang ating resistensya,” said Vergeire.

“If we take the right actions and observe proper precautions, we are giving ourselves a better fighting chance against Covid-19,” Vergeire concluded. Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

Skin care during pandemic

Winning against Covid-19 Meanwhile, Cueni expressed optimism that the battle against Covid-19 will be won in the future.

“I was born optimist, therefore, I believe that we will get the vaccine and we will win [against Covid-19].”

This year, the Health for Juan and Juana, fourth since 2016, the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines and its partners zero in on innovation, the heart and mission of its members, global research-based biopharmaceutical companies, some of whom also operate in the Philippines.

The Health for Juan and Juana is a yearly event that brings together key health stakeholders in government, academe, development organizations, medical societies, civil society and patient organizations.

The Innovation Imperative featured speakers who gave participants the update on the latest research and development initiatives on vaccines, treatments, and testing on Covid-19 and other public health emergencies but also share their insights on how collaborative efforts can contribute to building a more resilient nation

Senior citizens assured of assistance amid pandemic woes

espite the implementation of the general community measures, one of the sectors of the society that seem to be very affected is the elderly since most of them cannot still go out to work or even have a morning walk in their community.

And since relief operations also concluded as soon as the GCQ was executed, senior citizens expressed worries and fears since many of them are still working for a living or some of them just rely on the help of family members.

To immediately address the concerns of the senior citizens of Bongabong, Oriental Mindoro, Mayor Elgin Malaluan over the weekend said his municipality assured that their elderly will have enough food, vitamins to strengthen their immune system, some organic milk and some monetary assistance to help them cope with the challenges of Covid-19. During the last wave or relief operations, Malaluan provided 50 kilos of rice, vitamin C and organic milk for their senior citizens.

“They are the most fragile members of our communities and we want to honor them with all the help we could give them,” Malaluan stressed.

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ilipinos can further strengthen their immune systems through regular exercise and healthy diet while the government continues to improve the nation’s pandemic response mechanisms and the overall healthcare system, In a recent Beat Covid-19 virtual press conference, Health Undersecretary Dr. Maria Rosario Vergeire and Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) National Training Director Marc Velasco discussed ‘Wais Papawis,’ a collaborative project between the Department of Health (DOH) and the PSC to promote a healthy lifestyle despite the limitations of the community quarantine.

“Alam po natin lahat na part of increased resistance sa mga sakit or to improve our immune system is to engage ourselves into physical exercise,” said Velasco.

As part of the DOH’s five-point strategy on Covid-19, Wais Papawis is an educational campaign that demonstrates simple but effective home exercises to increase the public’s physical resilience to illness.

The campaign features famous Filipino athletes like national volleyball player Mika Reyes showing easy-to-follow exercise videos on the Facebook pages of the DOH, the PSC, and Healthy Pilipinas.

Malaluan said.

The mayor, however, stressed, “We welcome those who will avail of the BPP but we have set some guidelines to avoid the spread of the virus, we want to protect both the residents and the balik probinsya beneficiaries,” Malaluan added.

Meanwhile, Malaluan reported that to date, the municipality of Bongabong has already dispensed more or less P90 million for the relief operations, which benefited at least 21,000 households.

Each family for the four food supplies distribution received at least 75 kilos of rice, vitamins, milk, canned good, dried fish, etc.

Aside from the funds coming from the local government, Malaluan said they also received cash donations from private individuals, which totaled to P2.6 million, wherein more than P600,000 came from Malaluan’s personal donation. At least 350 cavans of rice were also donated to the municipality of Bongabong. Just last week, he once again donated almost a million pesos to help the 35 barangays in their efforts to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Eleanor Leyco-Chua

By Eleanor Leyco-Chua

rom being locked down for almost three months and the frustrating news every time we turn on the TV or scan through our Facebook accounts, these are just some of the stressors and anxiety buttons that we have been dealing with since the pandemic. And all these took toll on our skin and our lack of access to our favorite skin-care clinics for our regular beauty regimens made the situation worse.

Before our skin condition gets more terrible, let’s start addressing it since general community quarantine is already in effect and we need to be presentable as we go back to our jobs and practice the new normal. Though there are plenty of information in the Internet about home skincare remedies, it is also important to know what we are “feeding” our skin to guarantee that it is getting the nutrients it needs to keep it healthy and glowing.

Diwatang Maria founder Ma. Concepcion Macalintal shared with Health&Fitness in an interview some skin-care tips.

Here are some of the foods that are healthy for the skin. n Cocoa—Rich in antioxidants and can help hydrate the skin. It also improves circulation. n Oats—Aside from the rich fiber it provides, which helps our digestive system, oats can soothe irritation and itching. According to Lisa Drayer, MA, RD, author of The Beauty Diet, oats prompt the body to produce insulin and increase the production of hormones known as androgens. “Elevated androgens cause sebaceous glands in the skin to secrete more oil that gets trapped inside pores, causing pimples.” n Carrots—Rich in vitamin A and known for its good effects on skin. A study done in the United Kingdom in 2011 showed that people who eat more carrots have more glowing skin. n Eggs—A single egg is packed with proteins and it has selenium that is a powerful antioxidant. n Papaya—We all love papaya because it is well known for its enzymes that can whiten the skin but this fruit is also rich in vitamin A and rich in fiber.

1Know your skin.

6Use nontoxic skin-care products.

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Before jumping into any beauty routine, it is necessary to know your skin type. Each skin type has different needs and not everything we put on or use for our skin is good for us.

2Cleanaccordingtoyourskintype.

People with normal skin usually are not worried about the products they use on their faces and for those who have sensitive skin cannot just use anything, but according to Macalintal, gentle soaps or facial foams are best for all skin types. “For oily or sensitive skin, it is good to use lukewarm water when cleansing the face and just pat dry with a clean towel, never rub the towel on your face.”

She added to avoid soaps that contain alcohol, paraben, or toxic ingredients. “Look for ingredients like, shea butter, oats, or aloe, these are known for calming effects on our skin.”

3Moisturize.

As we age, our skin loses its elasticity and moisturizing can help the skin to staysuppleandhydrated.“Lookformoisturizersthat are best for your skin types. Moisturizing the skin is better done while you are still young to young,”

4Sunscreen is a must

. The harmful UV rays from the sun can cause the skin to age rapidly and wearing sunscreen all the time will delay the signs of aging.

5Feed your skin.

Medical studies have shown that the food we eat affects our complexion and by choosing the right diet and food that contains necessary nutrients for healthy skin will surely reflect on you complexion.

The No. 1 enemy of our skin is the chemicals we unknowingly apply on our faces, arms, legs and body. “This is what makes Diwatang Maria, a good choice. Diwatang Maria soap variants clearly show the ingredients they contain. We sometimes overlooked the labels of the products we are using because we heard from our friends or family members that a certain beauty product was effective. I think one of the best ways to address our skin problems is to be aware of the things we use.” Macalintal stressed.

Diwatang Maria is a proud Filipino brand, which uses premium natural ingredients to ensure efficacy and safety. It has three variants—Diwatang Maria Sinukuan with colloidal oatmeal, kernels, coconut oil, aloe vera, glutathione and kojic acid; Diwatang Maria Makiling with papaya enzymes, coconut oil, kojic acid and aloe vera; Diwatang Maria Cacao with colloidal oatmeal, kernels, shea butter and aloe vera.

Diwatang Maria also supports other Filipino independent brands that are helping fight the social and economic crises caused by the pandemic through initiatives and efforts. “We are part of Lift Lokal. Through this new online platform, you get access to the latest discounts and deals from countless Filipino independent brands, support jobs through your purchases, and promote causes that keep us safe from Covid-19. This is a call to save our economy and to leave no one behind as we battle this crisis,” Macalintal added.

Diwatang Maria is available at Lazada and Shopee. For more information check https:// www.facebook.com/diwatangmariaph/.

B4

Thursday, June 4, 2020

Parentlife BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Today’s Horoscope

By Eugenia Last

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CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Bar Refaeli, 35; Russell Brand, 45; Angelina Jolie, 45; Noah Wyle, 49.

Happy Birthday: Explore the possibilities, and plan to learn something. Update in order to keep up with the changing times. How you prepare for the future will make a difference to your peace of mind. Knowing what you want and striving to reach your goal will lead to greater satisfaction than you anticipate. Discipline will lead to perfection. Your lucky numbers are 7, 12, 24, 32, 34, 41, 45.

FROM left: Meagan and Marcus doing their basketball drills twice a week; me filming Meagan for her final video project for Mandarin class; Meagan finding online references for her art project; and Meagan discovering and teaching Marcus how to use the Procreate application for his art project.

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ARIES (March 21-April 19): Get personal documents in order. Take care of investments and finances, and refuse to let your emotions get the better of you. A practical approach to whatever you have to accomplish will bring the best results. HHH

Preparing for learning at home M

OST schools have announced they will open this coming August under distance learning. How prepared are we and our kids for this? Are our kids really learning under this format? How do we replace physical Pre-K classes for our infants and toddlers and learn at home?

My kids had a taste of distance learning in the last quarter. I tried to observe and learn how this method could be positively maximized at this time.

Aside from my own knowledge as an educator, I also asked longtime experts like Anna Villaluna, teacher and owner of the Greenmeadows Learning Center Group of Preschools; and Raissa Acero, a teacher at La Salle Greenhills. I also watched a nice talk by Early Child Educator Teacher Tanya Velasco on “Learn Through Play at Home” for infants and toddlers.

Below are some tips I picked up on how to effectively learn at home: n MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING. It is important to understand the basics of distance learning as a parent and as a student. Distance learning are online classes that have various formats and platforms, which can be a mix of videos and live interactions. The classes normally use a videoconferencing platform like Zoom, Google Meet or Skype. One or two teachers are online to conduct the class. Class duration lasts 30 to 60 minutes depending on the age and level.

Both parents and kids must have a talk and, know their role and responsibilities in distance learning.

Parents serve as learning coaches by assisting their “home-students” in setting the physical setup and routine, as well as adequately monitoring their work.

Our kids must understand that the responsibility to learn is theirs. I tell my kids that when you go back to physical class, you must be fully ready for that grade level. There is must be no difference in the quality of output expectation between online and physical classes. n AIM FOR EFFICACY. I am often asked these days what online program would be effective for kids, especially those who are not able to attend Pre-K classes. For me, the effectivity of a class, whether

online or not, depends first on my goals for my child being met. So when I look for classes, I would look for a school that provides an initial assessment and guides me in what skills my child should focus on at his or her age.

Second, I look for a “teach-and-do” progressive online learning system. This means the class is a mix of listening to the teacher, performing activities as well as supplemental learning packets of printed materials or learning toys as if they were in school.

This way, there are concrete outputs to the class.

Because my expectation is that even if it is an online class for toddlers, it should amply prepare my child to be big-school ready.

Last, I look at the teaching experience of the organization providing the online class. I need at least a 10 to 15-year track record to feel secure.

For infants and toddlers, I recommend Casa Tykes.

This is a twice a week online program for children 24 to 48 months which provide a holistic approach to distance learning. The e-lessons are intentionally planned to give learning opportunities across major developmental components such as Phonics, Early Numeracy, Values/Social Emotional and Motor Skills.

They are supplemented with weekly worksheets and Ogalala Play Tools for suggested home learning activities—to partner their digital learning with tactile experience, and encourage parent-child bonding. I am confident with them because both my kids took Pre-K under the physical school that created Casa Tykes. n PREPARE WITH EARLY ROUTINE TRAINING. The first step to effective learning at home for me is maintaining a routine. Even if it is an online class, dress up as you normally would on any other school day. I purposely released this article this vacation time because routine building does not happen overnight. I suggest that we all use this school break season to establish a productive routine for our kids. I have previously shared setting up time blocks for our kids as detailed below: n Learning Time n Creative Time n Active Time n Chore Time n Reading Time I have adopted time blocks for my kids since they were babies, and I believe it has created a rhythm for my kids that strikes a balance between school work, play time and quiet time. For this summer, my learning time includes Mandarin classes and online writing classes. n SET THE STAGE. Set up an area in the home where there is a proper study desk, good lighting and few distractions. Practical tip also includes setting their

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TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Nurture a meaningful relationship, and avoid an argument. A positive change you make regarding domestic matters will give you something to look forward to and enjoy with loved ones. An unexpected job opening will give you a chance to get ahead. HHH

class space outside of their bedroom or play area, so the child understands that he or she is starting study time, not sleep or play time. Depending on your child’s age and the teacher’s cue, you can be near your child to hear enough of what is going on. If you are working, you can take quick breaks to check on your child. For grade schoolers, try to check their Google Classroom submissions weekly. n PRACTICE INDEPENDENCE. Distance learning might seem less effective than physical learning but as Teacher Tanya pointed out, independence is one of the skills for a 21st century learner. I think we should use this time to teach our kids more accountability by learning self-management. Encourage our kids to do their homework even better since they have more time to research. Ask our kids to think about their hits and misses last quarter. If they are aware that they are having difficulty in submissions, ask them to request for a buddy system from class.

For more inquiries on this topic, e-mail me at mommynolimits@gmail.com.

AXA extends help to deaf community amid COVID-19

AXA Philippines (www.axa.com.ph) recently partnered with the Manila Doctors Hospital Corporate Social Responsibility Office to help members of the hearing-impaired community understand and disseminate information on the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

They teamed up for a special project, called Healthcare Equality and Accessibility for the Rights of the Deaf (HEARD), which aims to train the hospital’s health-care frontliners to be able to independently communicate with deaf patients.

HEARD provided translator assistance to Manila Doctors Hospital’s deaf program through the Filipino Sign Language (FSL) Access Team for Covid-19.It is composed of volunteer doctors, health-care professionals, sign language interpreters, and technology professionals in delivering quality health care for the deaf.

“Proper dissemination of information is vital to the management and containment of the ongoing pandemic,” says Rahul Hora, AXA Philippines president and CEO. “While we are getting information from all media platforms, the deaf community do not have easy access. Through our advocacy and with the help of the FSL Access Team, the hearing-impaired will now have better understanding the ongoing health crisis.”

Aside from providing translator assistance, AXA Philippines has also donated 100 food packs to deaf patients and given 19 units of respirators to the hospital which will be donated to public medical centers soon.

AXA Philippines also made a monetary donation to the Philippine Red Cross to procure surgical masks and food packs to all volunteers, which were distributed to 37 hospitals around Metro Manila and Rizal Province.

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GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Physical encounters will not turn out as hoped. Protect against being used or giving someone the chance to make you look bad. Guard your reputation, and focus on looking your best. Getting a makeover, pampering yourself or starting a fitness routine will help build your confidence.

HHH

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CANCER (June 21-July 22): Set high standards. Use your imagination and be innovative. You will come up with ways to use your skills to benefit yourself and others. A partnership looks promising, but don’t move too quickly. HHHHH

e

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Stop, look, listen and assess your situation. Time is on your side, and focusing on your skills and what you have to offer will help you realize your value. If you are too accommodating, someone will take advantage of your generosity. HH

f

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Use intelligence to deal with people who are nosy or meddling. Knowledge and preparation will be key when it comes time to excel. Broaden your scope, pay attention to what’s going on around you and use insight to outmaneuver the competition. HHHH

g

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): A steady pace will get you where you want to go and help you ward off anyone who wants to interfere in your affairs. Focus on personal growth and making it clear what you will not put up with. HHHH

h

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Don’t let uncertainty set in or cause you to miss out on something you want to do. Head in the direction that will bring you the highest return. A change of heart will help you direct your energy where it belongs. HHH

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SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Emotions will flare up if you let someone take advantage of you or cause trouble between you and someone you love. Take a step back to reevaluate your situation and where you see yourself heading. Do what’s best for you. HHH

j

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Consider what you want, and make the necessary adjustments.

Start by putting your house in order. Make domestic changes that bring you happiness and peace of mind. HHH

k

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Don’t let uncertainty cost you. Focus on personal gains, growth and living life your way. A change of scenery will spark your imagination. Turn your space into a serene environment that will clear your head and ease stress. HHHH

l

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Don’t lose sight of your objective. If you want to help a cause, be sure you don’t let someone trick you into something you cannot afford financially, emotionally or where your time is concerned. HHHHH Birthday Baby: You are fetching, energetic and demonstrative.

You are possessive and creative.

‘colorful part’ by larry nargi The Universal Crossword/Edited by David Steinberg

ACROSS 1 Heist targets 6 They’re higher than bassoons 11 IRS pro 14 Beethoven’s “Fur ___” 15 ___ firma 16 Cheer competitor 17 Military hero’s award 19 Toupee, informally 20 “Let’s see...”

21 Jason Bourne, for one 22 Big book 23 Wallet thickeners 25 Growing talent?

28 Ploy 29 Pencil end 30 Houston MLB player 32 City southeast of Tampa 35 Landing guess at LAX 36 Great Plains tribe 39 Brewery tank 42 Gig at a school dance, e.g.

43 Territory about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand 47 Portugal’s peninsula

9 Building that’s often red and white 4 50 Gorilla patriarch 55 Many Iranians’ Islamic sect 56 Woes 57 Reach a consensus 59 2015 Verizon acquisition 60 QBs’ targets 61 Coward 64 Artist Yoko 65 Sag 66 Pisces follower 67 Stimpy’s pal 68 Is flaky?

69 What makes dough rise DOWN 1 Upscale cosmetics chain 2 Certain graduate 3 Least yielding 4 Ability to know what this answer is?: Abbr.

5 Emmy winner Ward 6 Look the ___ way 7 Designer Geoffrey 8 Address a crowd 9 Flub

0 Didn’t get to play 1 11 Barhop, perhaps 12 Drop precipitously 13 Unknown subject?

18 Hen’s output 22 Lil Wayne’s ___ Carter III 24 Certain Balkan 26 Nautilus captain 27 The Andrews Sisters and Destiny’s Child 31 Any Beatles song, nowadays 32 TV roast hosts 33 1950s prez 34 Astern 37 Cracked, like a door 38 Bills for drinks 39 Word before “parking” or “center” 40 City in Texas or Kansas 41 Rats out 44 Gospel legend Jackson 45 Baltimore birds 46 Figure working with figures 48 Winnebagos, e.g.

51 The Jungle Book bear 52 Radiant

53 Farmers may flatten them to make circles 54 London’s ___ Gardens 58 Online bidding war site 61 Three-ft. units 62 Suffix for “northwest” 63 Poet’s “before”

Solution to yesterday’s puzzle:

Show BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Thursday, June 4, 2020

B5

FROM left: Rihanna, Chris Martin of Coldplay and Alicia Keys

Continuing to win hearts all over the country

STANDING by its promise of being “Buong Puso Para sa Pilipino” as it marks its 70th year, the country’s largest broadcast firm GMA Network continues to win the hearts of Filipino audiences through its muchlauded public service.

With a total of 52 stations and reaching over 80 million TV viewers all over the country, the network’s vast coverage makes it the largest TV network in the Philippines in terms of number of stations and reach.

GMA further strengthened its nationwide urban TV viewership lead and is consistently the No. 1 network since the start of the year. It also endeavors to serve more Filipinos with valuable news and information and viewing entertainment, especially during these trying times when broadcast media is greatly needed.

As the network steps up to the challenge of delivering “Serbisyong Totoo,” GMA and GMA News TV continuously keep Filipinos updated with the latest news delivered by multi-awarded programs 24 Oras, 24 Oras Weekend, Unang Hirit, Dobol B sa News TV, plus news bulletins.

These newscasts, which continue to broadcast live following the special programming lineup in light of quarantine period, not only inform but also inspire and, most importantly, give hope amid the crisis that the world is currently facing.

Also enabling viewers to access local news from the regions are GMA Regional TV’s anchor news program throughout the regions.

Affirming GMA’s reputation for being the most trusted network in the country, viewers from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao shared how the network has uplifted their lives.

“GMA really has the best news programs catering to local, national and international issues, which are steadfast in reporting to Filipinos. They are also never biased, instead reliably offer transparency and information. GMA also has shows to entertain viewers of different genres. I personally love their diverse choices on dramas and teleseryes, always unique and out-of-the-box with regards to filming and artistry. Never a wrong choice for a series rerun during the pandemic, they sure would distract me from stress and anxieties,” said Ruth Fernandez, a safety officer from Dagupan City.

Aside from TV, everyone can stay updated via GMA’s 24 radio stations all over the country. Viewers abroad can likewise catch GMA via its international channels GMA Pinoy TV, GMA Life TV, and GMA News TV International, as well as GMA On Demand.

And, lastly, netizens can get the latest news and GMA content via www.GMANetwork.com, GMA News Online, and GMA’s official social-media accounts.

Social media, music world go dark for Black Out Tuesday

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By Mesfin Fekadu The Associated Press

EW YORK—Though Black Out Tuesday was originally organized by the music community, the social media world also went dark in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, joining voices around the world outraged by the killings of black people in the US. Instagram and Twitter accounts, from top record label to everyday people, were full of black squares posted in response to the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor.

Most of the captions were blank, though some posted #TheShowMustBePaused, black heart emojis or encouraged people to vote Tuesday with seven states and the District of Columbia are hosting the largest slate of presidential primary elections in almost three months.

Rihanna, Alicia Keys, Radiohead, Coldplay, Kelly Rowland, Beastie Boys and were among the celebrities to join Black Out Tuesday on social media.

“I won’t be posting on social media and I ask you all to do the same,” Britney Spears tweeted. “We should use the time away from our devices to focus on what we can do to make the world a better place...for ALL of us !!!!!”

Spotify blacked out the artwork for several of its popular playlists, including RapCaviar and Today’s

Top Hits, simply writing “Black lives matter.” as its description. The streaming service also put its Black Lives Matter playlist on its front page, featuring songs like James Brown’s “Say It Loud—I’m Black and I’m Proud,” N.W.A.’s “(Expletive) the Police,” Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” and Childish Gambino’s “This Is America.”

The opening pages of Apple Music and iTunes focused on supporting Black Lives Matter, and SiriusXM said it will be silencing its music channels for three minutes at 3 p.m. EDT in tribute to “all of the countless victims of racism.”

The company said it “will continue to amplify Black voices by being a space where Black artists showcase their music and talents, and by carrying the message that racism will not be tolerated.”

Some on social media questioned if posting black squares would divert attention away from posts about the Black Lives Matter movement.

“This is the 4th completely different flyer i’ve seen for it,” Grammy-nominated singer Kehlani tweeted about Black Out Tuesday. “This is the only one without the saying go completely silent for a day in solidarity. the messages are mixed across the board and i really hope it doesn’t have a negative effect.”

When musician Dillon Francis posted that the hashtag for Black Lives Matter was blank on Instagram because users were posting black squares, rapper Lil Nas X responded with: “this is not helping

us. bro who the [expletive] thought of this?? ppl need to see what’s going on.”

Emma Watson posted three white squares followed by three black squares with captions reading #blackouttuesday and #amplifyblackvoices on her Instagram account to show her support Tuesday. But she was heavily criticized, and began to trend on Twitter, for adding white borders around her black squares to match the aesthetic of her Instagram page.

Others called the actress out for speaking out too late about Black Lives Matter and for not including links to guide users on where they can learn more information about the cause or donate to it.

Several music releases and events were postponed as a result of Black Out Tuesday. Interscope Geffen A&M Records said it would not release music this week and pushed back releases from MGK, 6lack, Jessie Ware, Smokepurp and others. Chloe x Halle said its sophomore album will come out June 12 instead of Friday, while the group Glass Animals postponed the Tuesday release of its new single “Heat Waves.” Instead of being released Wednesday, singer Ashnikko will drop her song “Cry” and its video on June 17. A benefit for the Apollo Theater will take place Thursday instead of Tuesday, and South by Southwest postponed an event planned with Rachael Ray. “At SXSW we stand with the black community and will continue to amplify the voices and ideas that will lead us to a more equitable society,” the company said. n

Audiovisual and live events industries appeal for stimulus package

By Joel Saracho THE film and television industries are “now fully stretched to breaking point.”

Thus asserted film director Carlos Siguion-Reyna during the Senate Finance subcommittee hearing last May 29, on the stimulus package for the micro, small and medium scale industries amid the pandemic.

Siguion-Reyna represented the Directors’ Guild of the Philippines (DGPI). He pointed out the new realities in film and television production if and when the work has resumed. Over and above the healthy and safety nets which will be an additional cost to the production, Siguion-Reyna said the new protocols also include decreased working hours, additional shooting schedules, cutbacks on work force, and pay cuts. To complete the picture in the film industry, director Mike Tuviera of APT Production, in another forum said, “Should cinemas reopen in the time of social distancing [which can last until the the end of 2021], audiences will be seated two seats apart. That translates to 30 percent capacity per screening. It will definitely be a loss, and producers, especially the independent and small ones, will simply stop making films.”

Liza Diño, chairman and CEO of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), also pointed out: “A recent survey of the Department of Finance through the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) even placed arts, entertainment, and recreation No. 1 in the Top 10 hardest-hit business sectors caused by the pandemic.”

The National Live Events Coalition of the Philippines (NLECPH), represented by writer/director Dennis Marasigan, said the live events industry has about 30,000 micro, small and medium scale enterprises which provide employment to over 400,000 employees and workers.

With the pandemic and the consequent shows and events cancellation, jobs loss is at 370,000 jobs (92 percent of total) and about P133 billion in potential revenue (12 percent of GDP). It’s small wonder

industry leaders, key players and freelance workers are in a state of near panic despite (or probably because of) various quarantine nomenclatures that don’t mean much in flattening the curve.

INTERVENTIONS PROPOSED REPRESENTATIVES of the entertainment sector are one in calling on the government to include the various industries in the entertainment field—films, television and live events—as among those eligible for stimulus package from the government. The proposals range from bail out to cover the cost of disinfection and sanitation protocols, to tax relief for producers and freelance workers and the retraining of staff members.

Patti Lapus of the Inter-Guild Alliance (IGA) requested that government temporarily shoulder the cost of the health and safety protocols, around 30 percent of total budget, to soften the impact especially for small and independent producers. The DOH can also accredit medics and protocol officers for film and TV shoots. This was echoed in the FDCP’s proposal to provide disinfection and sanitation package for live-events workers—a financial assistance to support “costs related to Covid-19 mitigation like securing PPEs, sanitary tools and materials, as well as rapid test kits for the workers.”

The NLECPH, meanwhile, is pushing for “allowance for the carry-over of business loses in 2019 over the next five years.” The coalition also proposed a loan mechanism to businesses within the live events industry, including freelancers and self-employed individuals. The coalition also wishes for the “inclusion of cultural institutions in programs intended to fast-track the renovation, build up or construction of infrastructure considered as part of the tourism value chain.”

Film producers, the FDCP pointed out, wants an exemption from paying amusement taxes to defray the anticipated increase in production costs as well as the loss of income. Amusement tax is collected from live performances, cinematic exhibitions, sports

and similar events aimed at entertainment. It is a percentage tax determined by the local government, but at “no more than 30 percent of the gross receipts from admission fees.”

There were also proposals for wage subsidies for freelancers and self-employed individuals. The NLECPH pegged the assistance at 100 percent of minimum wage for up to the next six months.

There is also the question of retraining personnel to better equip them in multitasking. This following the IATF and DOH safety protocols, which were also included in the shooting guidelines by the IGA, that only a maximum of 70 people will be allowed on a shooting set. That means staff and crew are expected to attend to tasks they are not prepared for.

To fill the gap, the IGA seeks allocation for skills set improvement of the workers to effectively do multitasking. The FDCP said this can be a specific allocation from the proposed P10-billion assistance for the Film and Audiovisual Industry.

The IGA also wants film appreciation and education to be included in the high school curriculum to better educate the young. SiguionReyna, for his part, pointed to a a gap in developing national identity and consciousness since schools no longer teach Filipino and Panitikang Pilipino. The Commission on Higher Education ordered in 2013 to remove Filipino and Panitikang Pilipino in the general education curriculum. The Supreme Court ruled in 2018 that the order was valid.

Because of this, “the role of institutions outside the academe, such as the arts and pop culture that includes TV and cinema, became all the more important and critical.”

“Owning our national identity and being confident with it is actually a practical and muscular cultural weapon against falling victim to any cultural and economic colonizers, protecting us against a cultural and eventual economic take-over by an expansionist foreign power,” Siguion-Reyna said. “ We appeal to you to protect and sustain our stories and the capacity of our storytellers.”

B6 Thursday, June 4, 2020

Staying at Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria in new normal

SM Foundation and Goldilocks teamed up in distributing delicious packed meals and nutty popcorn for the frontliners at Hope Community Caring Facility-Quarantine Facility as a way of showing appreciation for their unwavering efforts in battling the COVID-19 pandemic.

Front desk clear sanitizer

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MBODYING Intercontinental Hotels Group’s (IHG) Clean Promise, Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria has taken several measures in enhancing its cleaning procedures keeping its guests’ health and safety as a top priority.

The guidelines set by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Department of Tourism (DOT) are being followed and implemented within the hotel. All associates had undergone several trainings to be fully informed about COVID-19, social distancing, hygiene practices and use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Before returning to work, they are also asked to visit the clinic for proper screening and accomplish a self-declaration health checklist. Wearing face masks are being observed while some use personal protective equipment.

Prior to arrival, guests are requested to accomplish a health declaration form and pre-settlement of payment for their

SSS extends anew its contribution payment deadline to June 15

Housekeeping Guestroom Misting

stay are encouraged for seamless checkin. Upon entering, guests will undergo temperature screening and will be asked to pass through a sanitizing mat. A clear barrier has been installed at the reception to reduce physical contact and they can also be reached for queries and assistance through electronic communication during their stay. Likewise, high cleaning measures are being done in sanitation and disinfection of guestrooms, including beddings and linens. Reduced physical contact is strictly observed during laundry-pick-up.

All hotel entrances and other areas are placed with hand sanitizers. While, floor markers have been placed within the hotel including the lobby and elevators to enforce and guide guests to observe social distancing. A patrolling safety officer is present to ensure hygiene and safety standards including frequent cleaning and sanitizing of high touch areas and regular misting. Escalators have also been

equipped with UV Handrail sanitizer.

While the hotel’s restaurants are unable to accommodate dining reservations, Comfort Food on The Go is being offered in the meantime. In relation to this, the culinary team follows strict food handling standards proven by its certification from the Department of Tourism (DOT) for take-out and delivery services. Some of the standards followed include proper washing of all ingredients, wearing of masks, mouth guards, gloves and caps, frequent hand washing every 30 minutes and regular cleaning of workstations every 20 minutes.

As of writing, Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria still continues to develop and enhance its safety and cleaning protocols to ensure highest cleaning standards. For inquiries, guests may call (02) 8633-7222 or email cpgm.reservations@ihg.com.

Like them on Facebook: www.facebook. com/crowneplaza and follow them on Instagram: @crowneplazamanilagalleria

Kidney experts: CKD patients should not be left behind amidst pandemic

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IDNEY specialists from the Philippine College of Physicians (PCP) underscore that patients with chronic kidney diseases (CKD), especially those undergoing dialysis treatment, should not be neglected in the time of COVID-19.

Considered as part of the vulnerable sector, patients who have CKD need support in maintaining their health amidst the community quarantine.

Dr. Russell Villanueva, a Fellow of the PCP and the Philippine Society of Nephrology (PSN) and training officer at Department of Nephrology of the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) says that the pandemic has brought plight to dialysis patients and their family members.

“This became a problem for many countries because there were dialysis centers which stopped operations due to limited staff and fear in getting infected

by COVID-19,” he explains. “The patients are the one who suffer.”

Aside from this, patients and their family members are having a hard time going to and from their dialysis centers due to lack of public transportation.

While some local government units (LGUs) offer aid for transportation,

some are left with limited options such as walking for hours or biking under the scorching heat, which makes patients weary even before they start their sessions.

Dr. Villanueva stresses the importance of continuous dialysis treatment amidst the health crisis and take necessary precautions as recommended by their healthcare team.

He encourages dialysis centers to maintain their operations as their way of showing support for patients. If not, they need to refer their patients to other centers so they will not have to miss their sessions.

It is also vital for healthcare providers to give guidelines to patients and their caregivers in times when they have no option but to skip sessions.

“We should also give them guidelines. There are patients who undergo treatment thrice a week but due to limited staff, some only have to go twice a week. We need to give them guidelines to limit water intake and food consumption to manage their blood pressure.”

Now more than ever, people with kidney disease and other severe chronic medical conditions such as diabetes and

hypertension are at higher risk for more severe illness such as COVID-19.

It is imperative to protect their immune system in this crisis, while providing preventive measures against COVID-19.

According to the Philippine Renal Registry, there is an increase in cases of people undergoing dialysis from 2014 to 2016. In 2006, there are over 7, 000 patients undergoing dialysis.

The number then ballooned to more than 36, ooo patients in 2016.

“There is an increase in the number of dialysis patients in just a span of ten years and we are expecting that this would increase by an average of 10-15 percent per year,” Dr Villanueva says.

National Kidney Month Meanwhile, Dr. Gingerlita Samonte, a Fellow of the PCP and a Board of Trustee of the PSN, encourages patients and their family members to participate in this year’s National Kidney Month celebration on June 28.

“Even amidst pandemic, we should always promote good health for everyone, especially the prevention of kidney disease,” Dr. Samonte says, adding that dealing with kidney diseases is not a one-man battle but a family affair.

With the theme “Malusog na Bato sa Panahon ng Pandemya,” the celebration will be held online and shall gather participants from different PSN chapters. Online activities include mass, lay lectures and Q&A portion, raffle draws, and photo and video contests.

The National Kidney Month celebration will be viewed thru PSN’s Facebook page on June 28.

To view the PCP and PSN Health Forum Video, please see this link: https://bit.ly/2TGR6Kt. For more information, visit the PCP official page thru: https://www.pcp.org.ph/

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HE Social Security System (SSS) on Tuesday announced that it is extending the deadline of contribution payments until June 15, 2020.

The new extension covers contribution payments of all household employers, selfemployed, voluntary and non-working spouse members for the first quarter of 2020, and contribution payments of all regular employers for February, March, and April 2020.

Employers with approved installment proposals under the Contribution Penalty Condonation Program also have until June 15, 2020, to deposit their post-dated checks due in February, March, April, and May 2020.

SSS President and CEO Aurora C. Ignacio said the extension aims to give members and employers more time to pay contributions since restrictions caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has only been eased recently.

Ignacio urged members and employers to not wait for the last minute in paying their contributions and encouraged them to use online and mobile payment facilities aside from over-the-counter transactions through SSS branches, and its bank and non-bank partners.

"Individual members can pay their contributions through Moneygment at the My.SSS web portal on our website, PayMaya through the SSS Mobile App, Bayad Center

Mobile App, or through the online banking facility of Security Bank for those who have a deposit account with them," Ignacio said.

"Regular employers can also pay through bank web facilities such as the Bank of the Philippine Islands - Bizlink, Security Bank Corporation Digibanker, Union Bank of the Philippines, or through the eGov BancNet online. Household employers, on the other hand, can pay through the Security Bank Corporation Digibanker," she added.

However, no contributions paid retroactively by a self-employed, voluntary, or non-working spouse member will be used in determining his/her eligibility for any benefit arising from a contingency wherein the date of payment is within or after the semester of contingency.

Payment deadlines of employers for applicable months after April 2020 and payment deadlines of self-employed, voluntary, and non-working spouse members for the applicable months after April 2020 or quarters after the quarter ending 31 March 2020 will follow the regular payment schedule.

As public health and safety remain the top priorities of the SSS, it reminds transacting members and employers to follow guidelines issued by the government to reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19.

For more information members may visit and follow the SSS' Facebook page at the "Philippine Social Security System."

UP Medical Foundation, TOWNS Foundation, and Security Bank partner for Personal Protective Equipment funding

The medical team of Eastern Visayas Medical Center receives Personal Protective Equipment from Security Bank through the Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service (TOWNS) Foundation and the UP Medical Foundation

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S a continued response to the threats of COVID-19, Security Bank has donated Personal Protective Equipment to ten (10) public hospitals nationwide to help TOWNs in protecting frontliners.

“The UP Medical Foundation and TOWNS Foundation believe that to be human is to actively reach out and help. Our partnership with Security Bank would surely help in attaining our common goal, the goal of having our healthcare workers equipped for battle against COVID-19," said President of UP Medical Foundation, Dr. Paulo Pagkatipunan M.D. Personal Protective Equipment are used to protect our medical frontliners from the bodily fluids of COVID-19 patients and to avoid crossinfection. Due to increased global demand, PPEs have become scarce and hard to procure.

“Our medical professionals and healthcare workers carry the heaviest burden in this fight against the pandemic. Needless to say,

we cannot engage them to war with this unseen enemy without adequate ammunition and protection,” says Olivia Ferry, TOWNS Foundation president.

Since the start of the enhanced community quarantine, Security Bank has helped Filipinos get better through its medical aid programs.

Security Bank helps St. Luke’s Medical Center boost the immunity of indigent patients through Convalescent Plasma Treatment. The Bank supports the Philippine National Red Cross in transporting, testing, and treating COVID-19 patients through its ambulance and molecular laboratory (in Cebu) donations. SBC also assists Manila HealthTek with the production and distribution of test kits through its Treasury Group’s Deals for Donation program.

For more information on the Bank’s CSR initiatives and how you can help, you may visit www.securitybank.com, or go to Facebook.com/ Securitybank

Envoys&Expats BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

PHL joins Group of Friends for solidarity, inclusion

P

ARIS—The Philippines became a member of the Group of Friends for Solidarity and Inclusion with Global Citizenship Education (GCED), which was virtually launched on May 26 at the initiative of the Republic of Korea (South Korea).

The group aims to promote solidarity and inclusion to address the challenges of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) and beyond through GCED. In a joint statement, the group reaffirmed that closer global cooperation is crucial in eradicating the pandemic.

The GCED is composed of 11 countries: Armenia, Austria, Bangladesh, Colombia, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, the Philippines, Senegal, Serbia and South Korea. The latter’s foreign minister, Kang Kyung-wha,

delivered a video message in the virtual meeting.

Ambassador to France and Permanent Delegate to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro affirmed the Philippines’s support and encouraged the development of concrete action-oriented measures for those most in need “to turn this crisis into a catalyst for enhanced solidarity and inclusion, both at the national and international levels

PERMANENT Delegate to the Unesco and Ambassador Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro (left), as well as Deputy Permanent Delegate Jesus Enrique Garcia II, at the virtual launch of the Group of Friends. PARIS PE/DFA

through the vision and application of GCED.” Lazaro also took the opportunity to commend South Korea for the effective manner in which its government has countered the spread of Covid-19.

For Unesco’s part, DirectorGeneral Audrey Azoulay pledged to support the “Group…” and its initiatives. The group said it will actively engage in the upcoming sessions of the Unesco executive board. DFA

DFA continues to bring back distressed OFs

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HE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has continued welcoming distressed overseas Filipinos (OFs) from all over the world through the agency’s “Assistance-ToNationals” fund.

All repatriates were subjected to appropriate medical protocols upon their arrival as required by the Department of Health’s Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ). They also underwent isolation in accordance with the omnibus guidelines established by the Inter-Agency Task Force, including thermal scanning and real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction testing, or RT-PCR, before they were transported to designated hotels for facility quarantine.

The one-stop shop at the airport is a joint initiative of multiple government agencies

US-backed online platform links farmers with consumers

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HE United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is supporting the Philippine government’s efforts to help local farmers transport their produce to key markets and address urgent food security issues.

USAID has worked closely with the Department of Agriculture, Department of Trade and Industry and the private sector, represented by logistics technology start-up Insight Supply Chain Solutions, to establish DELIVER-e, a digital platform connecting Luzon farmers to buyers through an innovative, end-to-end electronic market system that addresses supply-chain gaps during community quarantine.

“We are proud to work with the Philippine government and the private sector [in opening] new distribution channels for agricultural produce, which will restore farmers’ incomes and support food security,” US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Y. Kim said.

Through the DELIVER-e platform, which improves linkages between producers and consumers, farmers can generate more income by selling fresher fruits and vegetables to buyers, while less food goes to waste. Since its launch in early April, DELIVER-e has enabled sales of more than 156,000 kilograms of fresh fruits and vegetables through its first two e-marketplaces, Gulay ng Bayan (https://mayani.ph/) and City Farms Philippines (https://curaytivecityfarms. insightscs.com/). It also facilitated the movement of fresh produce to institutional and individual buyers in Metro Manila.

DELIVER-e is part of the P900-million USAID initiative to advance the Philippines’s competitiveness and help boost its trade and investments, especially for micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises.

THE Department of Foreign Affairs has enabled some 28,000 overseas Filipinos to come back home.

to expedite the repatriation of Filipinos while ensuring the safety and health of the public. Aside from the BOQ, the DFA’s major partners include the Philippine Coast Guard, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, the Department of Tourism and the Philippine National Police.

The DFA Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs has been active in the repatriation efforts since the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) outbreak worldwide. According to Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Sarah Lou Y. Arriola, “We are working round-the-clock, [as] distressed Filipinos depend on our services.”

To date, the DFA has repatriated more than 28,000 Filipinos because of the global health crisis. DFA

Pandemic-stricken OFWs in Seoul receive relief

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EOUL—Following a mandate to assist overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), through the Philippine Embassy in Seoul, recently distributed relief packs to compatriots who were severely affected by the pandemic, in an effort to alleviate their economic hardships.

More than 250 Filipinos received relief packages containing food items, face masks and hand sanitizers from the embassy. These were handed out through the assistance of community leaders, the Daegu Filipino Catholic Community and the Filipino Community Center in Busan.

For the project, the embassy prioritized Filipinos living in hard-hit areas who have lost their employment due to the effects of the health crisis and are unable to access aid from other sources. Community leaders provided invaluable assistance in helping identify recipients and verifying their economic conditions.

Further, the Philippine Embassy, through the Philippine Overseas Labor Office-Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (POLO-OWWA) in South Korea, distributed hygiene kits and

Thursday, June 4, 2020

B7

‘Covid warfare to be won thru innovation, collaboration’

By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes @brownindio

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gainst the backdrop of the coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, countries should work together to fight its dreaded outbreak, according to Ambassador Alain Gaschen of the Swiss Confederation.

In his remarks during the recent “Health for Juan and Juana Forum” webinar that put the spotlight on innovation and collaboration as the way forward in the country’s strategy to contain the spread of Covid-19, Gaschen said the best approach by the health sector today would be to develop and foster collaborative efforts.

As he discussed the topic “Swiss Government’s Support to Innovation,” the diplomat revealed that Bern has released $400 million as its contribution to the global fund in fighting the virus. “Switzerland is a major contributor to the fight against the deadly Covid-19. Being a host to major pharmaceutical companies, Switzerland can share its expertise and talent to the world.”

Citing his country’s example, Gaschen underscored the importance of innovation to find solutions in combating what is now mankind’s biggest challenge since World War II. “We have no choice but to give importance to innovation and education. In 2018 and 2019, we have allotted 3.4 percent and 3 percent of our gross domestic product [GDP] to research and development, respectively,” Switzerland’s ambassador to the Philippines shared.

Further, Gaschen pointed out that Switzerland’s private sector serves as the foundation of the country’s economy, with companies such as Nestlé, Roche and ABB the backbone.

They are the hidden champions; the Swiss government is not the lead actor, he explained.

Likewise, Gaschen said there is also close cooperation between the state and universities in responding to the real needs of the Swiss economy and the global market. “International cooperation is also equally important to [us],” he said.

Speaking of pursuing innovation

AMBASSADOR Alain Gaschen of Switzerland

projects, the Swiss diplomat declared that: “The Swiss Embassy in the Philippines is open.”

Fostering innovation

IN his talk, “Creating an Environment Conducive to Innovation,” Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP) President Dr. Beaver Tamesis warned that the scourge of Covid-19 is not the last pandemic that the Philippines and the rest of the world will face.

“We must step up [in creating] the enabling environment to foster innovation, because it takes a lot of effort, [as well as] costly, complex and risky processes,” Tamesis pointed out.

To achieve an efficient response in the regulatory process, the PHAP president emphasized there must be a strong value for innovation, including a fair and transparent pricing and reimbursement system: “We must establish a business environment conducive to innovation and policy environment that will reward innovation.”

Accelerating innovation

FOR his presentation, “The Place for Innovation in the New Health Normal,” the Asian Development Bank’s Senior Health Specialist Dr. Eduardo Banzon believes the pandemic has eliminated a lot of bottlenecks toward innovation. He said that basically, it has challenged all thinking, “and the whole business [environment has] accepted it.”

Also, Banzon said companies have been forced to hasten their innovation projects. At this time, he thinks the Philippines has now realized the importance of self-sufficiency. “I hope we will change the way we pay our doctors and health workers,” he opined.

India aids repatriations to, from Manila

OFFICIALS of the Philippine Embassy in Seoul prepare relief packs for distribution to Filipinos in hard-hit areas of South Korea. SEOUL PE/DFA

care packages to OFWs and OWWA members economically affected by the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 throughout the East Asian country.

These efforts are the continuation of the work of the DFA and the Philippine Embassy, together with POLO-OWWA, in helping vul-

nerable Filipinos in South Korea. In March and April, the embassy shipped face masks and hand sanitizers to Busan, Daegu and South Gyeongsan provinces to Filipinos who were not eligible to receive free face masks from local sources, and to those unable to purchase the said items due to government measures. DFA

Embassy in Rome commemorates Natl Flag Days

AMBASSADOR of the Philippines to India Ramon S. Bagatsing Jr. (fourth from left) assisted Filipinos at the New Delhi Airport who will be repatriated to Manila via an Air India special flight. EMBASSY OF INDIA IN THE PHILIPPINES

OME—Ambassador to Italy Domingo P. Nolasco led a flagraising ceremony at the Philippine Embassy in Rome on May 28 to commemorate National Flag Days, which Filipinos are celebrating until June 12.

Thereafter, Nolasco encouraged the embassy personnel to take inspiration from the courage of the heroes of the Philippine revolution, as they perform frontline consular services amid the current pandemic.

Likewise, the ambassador highlighted the importance of the Philippine flag as a symbol of the Filipino nation and a reminder for Philippine foreign service personnel to do their utmost best in public service even despite the global health crisis.

National Flag Days honor the first unfurling of the Philippine flag in Cavite during the Battle of Alapan on May 28, 1898. On June 12 of the same year, the Philippines declared its independence from Spanish colonization. DFA

TOTAL of 144 stranded Filipinos were repatriated from India recently, as they landed in Manila via Air India under the Vande Bharat mission, one of the largest evacuation programs aiming to bring back home stranded Indian nationals across the globe amid the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

Filipino citizens were repatriated on May 24 and 30 from Mumbai and Delhi.

On May 24, an Air India flight landed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport with 96 stranded Fili-

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THE Philippine Embassy in Rome conducts a flag-raising ceremony in honor of the National Flag Days. ROME PE/DFA

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pino citizens. On May 30, 48 were brought back to Manila from Delhi.

According to India’s Embassy in the Philippines, the efforts were the result of close coordination between the Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Civil Aviation of India, as well as the Embassy of the Philippines in New Delhi and the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Under the same program, nearly 1,800 stranded Indians have so far been evacuated from the Philippines through flights to different cities of the subcontinent from Manila and Cebu.

Sports BusinessMirror

B8 Thursday, June 4, 2020

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

SKY BROWN: I’m going for gold in 2021 and nothing will stop me.

LUCKY TO BE ALIVE!

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O

FFICIALS from seven national sports association (NSA) agreed to pool their minds in drawing up training protocols for athletes who have been unable to train as a group during the more than two months of quarantine.

The leaders—Dr. Philip Ella Juico (athletics), Sonny Barrios (basketball), Mariano Araneta (football), Ada Milby and Jake Letts (rugby), Ariel Paredes (volleyball), Richard Lim (karatedo) and Cynthia Carrion (gymnastics)—stressed the need for their athletes to go back to training and even competition amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

But they agreed to keep the transition in a slow and calculated pace until a vaccine is available.

“Better safe than sorry,” said Barrios, executive director of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, during the virtual meeting on Friday.

“Prolonged lack of training and practice sessions, and actual competitions would take their toll on the competitive edge of athletes to the detriment of national interest,” said Juico, head of the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association who initiated the meeting.

medical team is shocked to see her positivity,” the elder Brown added.

Born in Japan to a Japanese mother and a British father, Brown became the youngest to take part in the Vans US Open in 2016 when she was just eight years old.

Brown is also an avid surfer. Last year, she won bronze at the World Skateboarding Championship in São Paulo in Brazil.

Skateboarding is scheduled to make its Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020, which has been pushed back to next year because of Covid-19.

In a video on Instagram, Brown said: “I’m going to push boundaries for girls with skating and surfing. I’m going for gold in 2021 and nothing will stop me.”

The International Olympic Committee (IOC)

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SPORTS WORLD UNITES BEHIND GEORGE FLOYD Their actions mimicked the one made by Kaepernick during the national anthem in 2016 in silent protest of police brutality and racism while then playing for the San Francisco 49ers.

Kaepernick’s gesture kicked off a period of pregame activism in the National Football League (NFL) and other sports but it didn’t gain a strong hold worldwide.

Not like the killing of Floyd, a black man and former community college basketball player who died after a white police officer pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for several minutes even after he stopped moving and stopped pleading for air.

“It hit a nerve in this very particular time, which I think made people all around the world reflect on the environment we live, not only in the US but in all kinds of places where there is a perpetuation of discrimination and inequality,” Jonas BaerHoffmann, secretary general of global soccer players union FIFPro, told The Associated Press.

“We’re seeing a generation of players right now moving into the steps of athletes in the past who were socially quite engaged and willing to put themselves behind causes they care about. I think it’s incredibly empowering to see these players step forward and share in that fight for a better society.”

Things have escalated so much that Fifa,

Executive Board, meanwhile, approved rule changes made to the qualification process for the Tokyo 2020 skateboarding competition.

The original qualification schedule was thrown into disarray after the coronavirus pandemic forced the rescheduling of Olympics Games to July 23 to August 8 in 2021 and stopped numerous qualifiers taking place.

World Skate spent March and April reviewing the qualification rules and decided to extend season two, the current Olympic qualification period, until June 29 2021.

The best four results during this time will count towards qualification.

There will be no change to event tiering, points system and points already acquired or the quota system in place.

the governing body of world soccer, took the rare step of urging competition organizers to consider not sanctioning players who support justice for Floyd during matches. The laws of the game prohibit “any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images.”

“The application of the laws of the game...should use common sense and have in consideration the context surrounding the events,” Fifa said, acknowledging “the depth of sentiment” regarding Floyd’s death.

English soccer leaders have already said players will be able to show solidarity without the prospect of facing sanctions when games resume this month after a three-month break because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Emboldened soccer players appear to be more confident in speaking out about racism than ever before, including Jadon Sancho, who revealed a handwritten “Justice for George Floyd” message on his undershirt after scoring a goal for Borussia Dortmund on Sunday, openly and knowingly flouting the rules.

Marcus Rashford, a black striker for Manchester United, called for justice for Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor—two other black people killed in shooting incidents

National championship scores are set to be added to the World Skate rankings quarterly, while scores from continental championships will be added to the rankings once all events have been held.

These rules will now be implemented having received approval from the IOC Executive Board.

National bodies, athletes and team managers attended online meetings with World Skate to receive updated information on the Olympic qualification process and ask questions.

Events in China, Peru and the United States were among the Olympic skateboarding qualifiers postponed or cancelled because of the pandemic, which still means international competition is almost impossible to stage.

Insidethegames

ASHINGTON—Wes Unseld was an undersized National Basketball Association (NBA) center known more for his bruising picks, tenacious rebounding and perfectly placed outlet passes than any points he produced.

He thrived in his role as a workmanlike leader.

“I never played pretty,” Unseld said when elected to the Hall of Fame in 1988. “I wasn’t flashy. My contributions were in the things most people don’t notice. They weren’t in high scoring or dunking or behind-the-back passes.”

Unseld, who began his pro career as a rookie MVP, led Washington to its only NBA championship and was chosen one of the 50 greatest players in league history, died Tuesday after “lengthy health battles, most recently with pneumonia,” his family said in a statement released by the Wizards. He was 74.

He spent his entire 13-season playing career with the BulletsWizards franchise, then was its coach and general manager. The team was based in Baltimore when he was drafted; he and his wife, Connie, opened Unselds’ School in that city in 1978.

“Wes Unseld was one of the most consequential players of his era,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. “His competitive drive and selfless approach made him a beloved teammate.... Wes also set the model of class, integrity and professionalism for the entire NBA family during stints as a player, coach and team executive with Washington and through his dedication to expanding educational opportunities for children.”

Unseld instantly made the team then known as the Baltimore Bullets into a winner after he was taken with the No. 2 overall pick—behind future teammate Elvin Hayes—in the 1968 draft.

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NIVERSITY of Santo Tomas (UST) belied reports from the school’s student publication and assured its athletes would remain scholars this year.

UST’s Institute of Physical Education and Athletics (IPEA) said in a statement on Wednesday that the Tigers and Tigresses across all sports would not be affected by the school’s cost-cutting measures wrought by the Covid-19 pandemic.

IPEA Director Rev. Fr. Jannel Novino Abogado, O.P., made the confirmation that quashed reports

by The Varsitarian on Tuesday that some 30 student athletes would lose their scholarships because of the lockdown.

“In line with the statement made by UST’s Rector Magnificus Rev. Fr. Richard G. Ang, O.P., in his letter to all stakeholders of the university dated May 26, 2020, which guarantees that

there will be a ‘continuation of the university scholarships granted during the second term of the Academic Year 2019-2020 until December 2020,’ all scholarships conferred by IPEA to its athletes during the second term of the academic year 2019-2020 shall be carried on until December 2020,” the statement said.

“Therefore there shall be no athlete who will be released from scholarship this coming first term of Academic Year 2020-2021,” the statement added.

The Varsitarian article also stated that some of UST’s athletes would be relegated the training pool and would be entitled to 50 percent discounts on tuition.

UST is the most successful team in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines with 43 seniors and 20 juniors overall championships. Ramon Rafael Bonilla

in America this year—on Twitter in the wake of Floyd’s death.

Soccer players may also take what has happened to Floyd more personally because of how often black players have been abused inside stadiums around Europe in recent years. The sanctions for

racism—if they are handed out at all—can often be derisory.

As their own form of protest, some black players have taken to walking off the field after being racially abused by fans because many have little faith in authorities and governing bodies to effect change.

That’s the position many protesters in the United States are finding themselves in. AP

Ex-Bullets star, Hall of Famer Wes Unseld dies at 74

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“The total absence of competition would in turn undermine the momentum created by our success in the 2019 SEA Games,” Juico added.

The leaders’ intention is to formulate protocols for athletes, officials and fans of the various NSAs when they finally return to training.

Juico forwarded a summary of the meeting to Philippine Sports Commission Chairman William Ramirez, Philippine Olympic Committee President Rep. Abraham Tolentino and Games and Amusements Board Chairman Baham Mitra.

The athletics chief said they intend to secure the approval of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases before implementing the protocols in their respective NSAs. Juico also stressed the need to address the livelihood—especially allowances from the PSC which were cut in half—of athletes.

“The livelihood benefits of athletes and teams’ support staff in sports like basketball, volleyball, and football, which have substantial fan and sponsorship bases, in many instances were drastically reduced,” Juico said.

Ramon Rafael Bonilla

UST brass belie ‘Varsi’ report

RITAIN’S 11-year-old skateboarder Sky Brown said she is “lucky to be alive” after a catastrophic fall while training in California.

Brown, who is hoping to become England’s country’s youngest Summer Olympian at Tokyo 2020, suffered skull fractures and broke her left wrist and hand.

According to the BBC, she was unresponsive on arrival after being airlifted to hospital, but her family now said she should make a full recovery.

“Sky landed head-first off a ramp on her hand,” her father Stewart said. “When she first came to hospital, everyone was fearful for her life. Sky had the gnarliest fall she’s ever had and is lucky to be alive.”

“Sky remains positive and strong, the whole

LAYERS who scored in the German and Hungarian soccer leagues removed their jerseys to display undershirts with the words: “Justice for George Floyd.”

Others from English soccer clubs Liverpool, Chelsea and Newcastle dropped to one knee during practice in a clear gesture of support.

In New Zealand, a Nigerian-born UFC fighter addressed a crowd of 4,000, imploring those listening to “speak up” and take peaceful action to register their discontent.

Dismayed by the death of Floyd and inspired by the actions of Colin Kaepernick, athletes from around the world have come together during one of the most politically charged periods in modern history.

“I can’t tolerate. I won’t tolerate. WE WON’T TOLERATE,” Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba, one of the world’s most famous soccer players and a World Cup champion with France, wrote on his Instagram page to his 41 million followers alongside a picture of him looking to the sky with a clenched right fist.

It was powerful image to accompany the picture of 29 Liverpool players kneeling around the center circle at Anfield Stadium at the end of a practice session on Monday. Or the entire Chelsea squad kneeling down and forming the letter “H”—for humans—during training on Tuesday.

7 NSA leaders collate safety, health plans for athletes

A decade later, he was the MVP of the 1978 NBA Finals as the Bullets beat the Seattle SuperSonics in a seven-game series best known for Washington coach Dick Motta’s proclamation: “The opera ain’t over until the fat lady sings.”

Listed at 6-foot-7 and 245 pounds, Unseld used power and savvy to outplay bigger opponents. He also brought his pro team something it never had experienced—and hasn’t, really, since he stopped playing: true sustained success.

As a rookie, he averaged 13.8 points and 18.2 rebounds, while the team went 57-25, a 21-win improvement over the previous season and the franchise’s first winning record. Unseld (1969) and Wilt Chamberlain (1960) are the only two players to win NBA Rookie of the Year and MVP honors in the same season.

The Bullets made the playoffs 12 consecutive times, reaching four NBA Finals. Unseld was an All-Star in his first four seasons and again in 1975.

“I know that night in and night out, the guy I play against will have more physical ability,” Unseld once said, “but I feel like if I go out against a guy and play him 40 or 48 minutes a game or whatever, toe to toe, head to head, he is going to get tired or beat up or bored for two or three minutes. That will be enough to make sure he doesn’t win the game for his team.”

He was remembered Tuesday as “the gentlest of giants” by former Bullets player Rex Chapman, who was coached by Unseld in the 1990s, and as “a Legend and a Leader” by Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love, whose father, Stan, was a teammate of Unseld’s on the Bullets in the 1970s. Love’s middle name is Wesley in Unseld’s honor. AP

Sliding key to success in French Open A BIG secret to success on the surface is the skill of the slide, which involves getting into position to hit a ball and quickly changing directions for the next shot.

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EFORE Roger Federer briefly returned to clay-court tennis in 2019—a decade removed from his French Open title—his confidence was low, he explained, “because I don’t even remember how to slide anymore.”

Before Maria Sharapova figured out the necessary footwork to claim two trophies in Paris, she joked the rust-colored surface made her look like “a cow on ice.”

And anyone who’s ever seen Rafael Nadal play on clay knows his ability to glide along the ground to reach shots others can’t is as big a reason for his record 12 championships at Roland Garros as his bullwhip of a forehand or his unflagging spirit.

One of the common sights at the French Open, postponed from now until September because of the coronavirus pandemic, are the marks left in the clay by sliding players. A big secret to success on the surface is the skill of the slide, which involves getting into position to hit a ball and quickly changing directions for the next shot.

“Clay-court tennis requires a blend of aggression with patience and tactics and physicality. If you’re a natural mover, as Nadal is on this surface, that’s not something that has to come into your focus. If you’re not...it’s so different from what you’re used to playing on predominantly, a hard court, where your footing is secure,” said Jim Courier, a four-time major champion. “Clay requires a bit of a different mindset.

You have to be ready to hit that extra shot. You have to be ready to slide, dig in, play some defense.”

In the nearly 30 years since Courier’s titles at

Roland Garros in 1991-92, only one other French Open was won by an American man, Andre Agassi in 1999.

More often it is someone from Europe— usually Nadal, of course—or South America, such as Gustavo Kuerten.

“I was lucky to be raised in Florida, where the bulk of the tournaments you play as a youngster are on the green clay,” Courier said. “So I learned how to slide at a very early age. For me it was very natural. I had no issues with it, no mental hang-up at all.”

Same for someone like Novak Djokovic, who has turned sliding on all surfaces into an art form.

Not so for those who came to clay later in life.

Monica Puig, the 2016 Olympic champion from Puerto Rico, laughed when asked whether sliding came easily.

“No. Not at all,” she said. “I remember falling all over the place.”

“My first few coaches, we worked on it— even how not to get hurt when you’re sliding,” Puig said, knocking on a table.

James Blake, a retired American player who reached No. 4 in the rankings, said he never felt comfortable with the kind of movement required for clay.

During a practice session in Rome in 2004, Blake tried sliding to reach a ball but his foot got caught and he slammed head-first into the net post, breaking his neck.

“I don’t think,” Blake said, “that would have happened on another surface.” AP