BusinessMirror March 21, 2020

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THE COVID-19 ‘WIPEOUT’ HOPE IN FACE OF A GLOBAL HEALTH PANDEMIC

POLICE, Army and Navy personnel guard the entry and exit points of the Manila-Cavite Expressway, which links Manila to Cavite. NONIE REYES

T

By VG Cabuag

no bottom is still in sight.

Ongoing assessment

HE seemingly relentless spread of the coronavirus (Covid-19) fears has ravaged the global economy and that may very well include the Philippine stock market.

Many could still not believe that a health crisis such as this could even eclipse the damage wrought by the financial crises of 1998 and 2008 within just a short span of time.

The pandemic fears easily wiped out some P4 trillion from the stock market—from P16.72trillion market capitalization at the start of the first week of the year to just P12.81 billion—in the second week of March.

Notwithstanding state-owned pension funds efforts to pump money into the market though the purchase of cheap stocks, prices are still falling. No further help from the government may seem to be enough to lift the market.

Many of the stock prices were pulled down to their level about a decade ago, and it may not go up that easily since their businesses were hard hit. The main index is now down to its level in 2012, and

SOME companies, such as the Andrew Tan group’s Alliance Global Group Inc., were vague in admitting the effects of the Covid-19 to its major business led by its property development arm, Megaworld Corp., and liquor arm Emperador Inc., saying the group still has to assess the effects.

Tan’s group, which claimed for itself as the country’s largest landlord, earlier said it wants to become the country’s largest hotel owner in the Philippines by this year with a total portfolio of 12,000 hotel rooms.

Taking a hit A POLICEMAN uses a plastic sheet to protect himself from the virus as he mans the PasigCainta boundary checkpoint on Ortigas Avenue Extension. BERNARD TESTA

THE Gotianuns’ Filinvest Development Corp. (FDC), which is also in the hotel business, was more upfront on the negative effects of

Covid-19 to its real estate and hotel businesses.

“The [impact] of [the] contagion has already affected the travel and tourism sectors, resulting from the imposition of travel ban policies of various countries including the Philippines,” FDC said.

The company has six hotels, but two of these have just opened and have not yet reached their optimal operations. Hotel operations accounted for a mere 4 percent of the group’s revenues and 2 percent of its net income.

Worst-case scenario

FILINVEST Land Inc., which owns the office buildings, said some of its tenants might reduce, or at worst case, pre-terminate space to adopt a work-from-home scheme, or other flexible working arrangements.

It said it is ready to “give more concessions to tenants such as con-

struction rent-free period or flexible rent escalation arrangements.”

The company, however, said it has no control over the possible cancellation of lease negotiations for either new space or expansion due to internal business decisions of the clients.

“But we will continue to communicate with the clients on our building pipeline that may align with clients’ future requirements,” it said.

“With Covid-19, malls, hotels and resorts have been experiencing lower foot traffic and bookings, respectively, as a result of the community quarantine, travel ban and curfew. We also expect some impact on residential sales as property buyers may prioritize personal health and safety given the current environment,” Ayala Land Inc., for its part, said.

Continued on A2

Ravaged by war, Mideast countries face a new scourge

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By Isabel Debre | The Associated Press

protection programs. Hundreds of thousands of people driven from their homes by fighting are crowded in close quarters in tent camps or improper housing.

“We are becoming very worried,” said John Nkengasong, director of Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as the virus reached conflict-ridden Iraq, Libya, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. “The impact will be magnified.”

Most patients who contract the new coronavirus develop only mild symptoms and recover after about two weeks. But the virus is highly contagious and can be spread by those with no visible symptoms. For older adults and people with underlying health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.

AIRO—When Dr. Ismail alMansouri goes to work in Yemen’s capital, he puts on one of the hospital’s few pairs of medical gloves.

Then he enters a cramped clinic teeming with listless patients, many malnourished, some vomiting, others with diarrhea.

Al-Mansouri, a pediatrician, has been struggling for years to battle the rapid spread of otherwise preventable and treatable infections, such as cholera, that have surged in war-ravaged Yemen.

Now as the coronavirus outbreak intensifies in the region, he is faced with a new threat, one he can only hope to ward off with a handful of masks.

“I cannot even speak about our preparedness for the coronavirus,” he said, “because we have none.”

‘Vulnerable’

LONG-RUNNING wars and conflicts across the Middle East have wrecked potential defenses against coronavirus outbreaks, leaving millions vulnerable in Yemen, Libya, Syria, Afghanistan, the Gaza Strip and elsewhere. Health-care systems have been gutted; war has blasted key infrastructure. Several of the countries are carved up among rival claimant governments, factions or armed groups, snarling any attempt at nationwide

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 51.2150

Invisible pandemic A PALESTINIAN health worker sprays disinfectant as a precaution against the coronavirus in a gymnasium in Gaza City, March 15, 2020. In conflict zones across the Middle East, the specter of the coronavirus looms large. Authorities in Yemen, Libya, Syria, Afghanistan and the Gaza Strip warn that health-care systems gutted by years of war and unrest have left millions of people doubly vulnerable to the pandemic. AP

SO far Yemen, Libya, Syria and Gaza have not confirmed any infections. But doctors in many cases Continued on A2

n JAPAN 0.4618 n UK 58.7282 n HK 6.5991 n CHINA 7.2013 n SINGAPORE 35.2720 n AUSTRALIA 29.3616 n EU 54.6106 n SAUDI ARABIA 13.6246

Source: BSP (March 20, 2020)

NewsSaturday BusinessMirror

A2 Saturday, March 21, 2020

www.businessmirror.com.ph

THE COVID-19 ‘WIPEOUT’ Continued from A1

Readjustments from food biz

ON the other hand, the same story goes for the food sector, even as some of them could also present vague projections on the possible impact.

Prior to the Luzon-wide lockdown, Shakey’s Pizza Ventures Inc., led by the Po family, said it does not expect material adverse impact on its business operations as “majority of our stores remain operational, except for a few dinein outlets affected by the closure of certain Metro Manila malls.”

Max’s Group Inc. was more practical by saying it expects a natural tapering off of revenues from operation as it closes a significant number of stores and limits its operations to delivery and take-out services.

“The natural tapering of revenues from operations within the region as a result of the containment measures will be softened by the expected ramp-up in delivery sales through Max’s in-house delivery apparatus as boosted by the delivery facilities of aggregators such as Grab Food and Foodpanda,” it said.

Jollibee Foods Corp., the country’s largest fast-food chain, which is also becoming more and more of an international company, admitted the pandemic has impacted its operations, but the degree varies and shifts on a daily basis.

The adverse impact on the restaurant operations was severe in China, including Hong Kong and Macau, less

severe in Vietnam and moderate in the Philippines and the US. Its China operations, which accounts for 6 percent of the company’s global system-wide sales, grounded to an abrupt halt. All 14 restaurant outlets of Yonghe King Brand in and near Wuhan, believed to be the origin of the epidemic, were shut mainly due to the restriction of movement of people imposed by the government in order to contain the virus.

“At its worst time, in the week of February 10, 2020…. Yonghe King had 107 stores temporarily closed, representing 31 percent of its total store network [in China],” the company said, but added it has since opened the stores one by one.

Jollibee, meanwhile, imports to the Philippines some 20 percent of its agricultural needs from China, but it has since found alternative suppliers since the epidemic has slowed down the movement of products from the world’s second largest economy.

“The restriction of movement within a country [lockdown] can also create shortage of raw materials or products in some areas and excess in other areas, an imbalance of supply within a country, potentially resulting in lost sales and inventory obsolescence.

As a proactive measure, JFC had spread its inventories in different parts of the country in different warehouses and depots,” the company said, referring to its Philippine operations.

Sharing the burden

LITTLE by little, large local cor-

RESIDENTS line up outside a supermarket in Manila, while the government implements the “enhanced community quarantine” as a precautionary measure against the spread of the new coronavirus, March 17, 2020. AP/AARON FAVILA

porations are shelling out their resources, but mainly given to medical frontlines treating Covid-19 patients.

The Gokongwei Brothers Foundation said it has established some P100-million fund, which is over and above the ongoing initiatives of the various companies under the family-controlled businesses.

The SM Group also allocated P100 million to provide personal protective equipment, Covid-19

test kits, alcohol and other medical supplies to major hospitals.

The most detailed help, for now, comes from the Ayala group, which announced a P2.4-billion Covid-19 emergency response package consisting of wages, bonuses, leave conversions and loan deferments primarily for the extended workforce of its partner employers so they may continue to be paid for the duration of the quarantine period.

“Ayala Malls will be providing a rent-free period for malls that are not allowed to operate during the community quarantine from March 16 to April 14. The total package will be worth around P1.4 billion in rent condonation to provide the merchants of these malls financial relief so they can in turn provide the much-needed financial support for their employees during this period,” Ayala Corp. chairman and chief executive officer Jaime Augusto Zobel

de Ayala said in his Facebook post.

The package also includes P600 million in salary continuance for displaced workers from construction sites, shuttered malls and retail spaces of Makati Development Corp. and the Ayala Malls group. Globe Telecoms has earmarked P270 million for its retail store support staff and vendor partners, while all other Ayala companies will reserve another P130 million in personnel-related financial support.

Ravaged by war, Mideast countries face a new scourge believe the virus has arrived and fear that a lack of disease surveillance systems—shortages of tests, basic supplies and properly trained professionals—is allowing an invisible pandemic to spawn.

“We don’t have the testing capabilities, so we can only rely on symptoms and signs. But when I do see symptoms and try to report them, no one does anything.

People go home, they go out, walk around, eat in restaurants,” said Dr. Wejdan Sabri, an orthopedic doctor outside Libya’s capital, Tripoli. “I can say with certainty that those likely carrying the virus have continued their lives as normal, passing it to family members and others on the street.”

Sabri is one of two volunteer doctors tasked with infectious disease control for the 2.3 million people in Tripoli, which has been a battleground for warring militias.

She said she has seen at least seven patients in the last few days with the signature symptoms of coronavirus. She could only advise them to stay home or visit the central lab in Tripoli, where Libya’s few dozen tests can be found. Many of her patients shun testing, fearing quarantine. “They think they’ll go to an isolation unit and die.”

rebel-held north and governmentrun south, has already struggled to stop repeated cholera outbreaks that have infected more than 2 million people and killed nearly 4,000 since 2016.

In Taiz, one of the country’s largest cities, Dr. Abdul Rahman al-Azraqi estimated that 80 percent of the city’s hospitals and clinics had been shattered by the war and ongoing siege.

He described the situation in his hospital bluntly: “There is no training. There is no quarantine.

We do not have tests for patients we suspect.”

The World Health Organization has identified two facilities in the country of 29 million people for quarantine and diagnosis, which local director Atlaff Musani acknowledged would soon become “grossly insufficient.” One, in the rebel-held capital of Sanaa, has the capability to carry out only 200 tests; the other, in the southern city of Aden, can test roughly 300 specimens.

“People are scared because they know the government is not prepared,” said Dr. Mohamed Rabid, deputy director of the Aden health office, lamenting that hospitals across the country are desperate for gloves, goggles, ventilators, medicines and other supplies.

Grossly insufficient

The epicenter

continued from A1

PROTECTIVE gear across Libya is sparse. A trauma doctor at Tripoli central hospital said 15 surgeons on his night shift share one mask.

The main respiratory diseases facility in the east, near the city of Benghazi, has only eight intensive care beds, 10 ventilators and a quarantine room for two.

“We are doing our best but of course it is not enough,” said its director, Dr. Anas Albarghathy. Last weekend, doctors there found they didn’t have the equipment to assemble tests for three patients who had just arrived from Iran, Egypt and Great Britain with fevers and dry cough.

In Yemen, doctors fear that raging war and a humanitarian crisis will only exacerbate the difficulties of determining chains of infection and containing the virus.

The country, divided between a

CONCERNS have compounded as the virus sweeps across poorly patrolled borders. Iran, which has emerged as the regional epicenter of the outbreak, frequently sends military advisers and Shiite religious pilgrims to Syria. All 21 confirmed cases in Afghanistan traveled from neighboring Iran.

Oil workers circulate between Libya and Italy, a major center of contagion. Thousands of migrants cross Libya’s southern frontier, which Elizabeth Hoff, the country’s World Health Organization representative, called “a serious vulnerability that we can’t really do anything about.”

In the Gaza Strip, medical infrastructure has been strangled by mismanagement by the Islamic militant Hamas rulers and a 13year blockade imposed by Israel with Egypt’s help that has compli-

cated the passage of key medical equipment and supplies. While Israel has closed its border crossing, it continues to allow serious medical cases through. Gaza’s testing capacity remains severely limited, with enough to process 150 samples. Israel has delivered an additional 200 tests.

On Wednesday, Israeli officials said they have coordinated the delivery of hundreds of additional test kits, along with medical protection equipment, from the World Health Organization. Israeli officials say they are closely monitoring the situation in Gaza and ready to work with the international community if there is a widespread outbreak.

In Syria, where nine years of devastating war have left infrastructure and health facilities in shambles, President Bashar Assad’s government has conducted 103 coronavirus tests thus far in the country’s sole laboratory, which came back negative. Social distancing proves a monumental task in unsanitary refugee camps jam-packed with hundreds of thousands of displaced Syrians.

In Afghanistan, which shares a large border with Iran, Health Minister Ferozuddin Feroz described a growing capacity to test suspected cases at the country’s only functioning laboratory, with 30,000 more kits arriving soon. “We are not in a normal situation,” Faroz told reporters Monday. “We are faced with a national threat.”

‘May God protect us’

IN Gaza and Benghazi, authorities scrambled to set up new hospitals to handle a possible influx of patients.

In Tripoli, Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj announced the allocation of some $360 million to prevent the spread of the virus. Dr. Sabri, the Libyan orthopedic, says she won’t get a full night’s sleep for a while as she stages awareness campaigns and frantically trains inexperienced nurses in basic sanitation.

Officials in Yemen and Libya offered reassurances this week that things were under control. But not everyone sees it that way.

“People are terrified,” said alMansouri, the Yemeni pediatrician. “May God protect us.”

News

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph • Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

Moody’s affirms LandBank’s ratings, sets outlook as ‘stable’

By Tyrone Jasper C. Piad

M

oody’s Investors Service affirmed its ratings on Land Bank of the Philippines (LandBank), setting the outlook as stable.

In a news statement released on Thursday, Moody’s rated LandBank’s domestic and foreign bank deposit with Baa2 stable/P-2.

It has also affirmed the bank’s baseline credit assessment (BCA) and adjusted BCA of ba1.

“In addition, Moody’s has affirmed the bank’s Counterparty Risk Assessments [CR Assessment] of Baa2[cr]/P-2[cr] and counterparty risk ratings [CRR] of Baa2/P-2,” it added.

In February, debt watcher Fitch Ratings raised its outlook on LandBank to “positive” from “stable” and kept the “BBB” mark on the bank’s long-term issuer default rating.

LandBank saw its total assets grow by 8.38 percent to P2.033 trillion last year from P1.876 trillion in 2018 due to higher deposits for the period. In 2019, the bank’s total deposit surged by 7.68 percent to P1.78 trillion from P1.66 trillion the previous year.

This, as net income for the period climbed by P18.51 billion last year from P15.48 billion in 2018.

The bank’s gross loan portfolio rose by 2.82 percent to P891.77 billion while net investments spiked by 12.53 percent to P694.86 billion in 2019.

As of end-2019, LandBank has 409 physical branches nationwide and 2,195 automated teller machines.

LandBank earlier said that it was able to provide loans amounting to P229.38 billion to the agriculture sector in January, assisting 17,681 small farmers and fishermen. This represents 86.5 percent of its total P265-billion loan target this year.

F

inancial technology (fintech) platform PayMaya has partnered with the Philippine Red Cross to facilitate donations to the latter via the digital finance app, joining other donation drives to fight the novel coronavirus (Covid-19).

In an advisory, the Filipino mobile wallet said its app now allows PayMaya account holders to directly donate money to the humanitarian aid organization via a digital QR code.

To donate, PayMaya users just have to scan the Philippine Red Cross QR code posted on

L

By Butch Fernandez

AWMAKERS are targeting to hold a special session either on Saturday, or by Monday next week, as sought by President Duterte to tackle Covid-19-related measures, topped by funding for fighting the virus and for stimulus and mitigation programs for affected sectors, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said Friday.

“Physical Senate; virtual HOR [House of Representatives],” Sotto replied in a text message to the BusinessMirror when asked about how the special session will be done, given the enhanced community quarantine in place in Luzon. “ Ta rget is tomor row [Saturday]. Preparing now,” Sotto said of the arrangements being

social-media accounts, enter the amount they want to give, and click pay. The nongovernment organization will use the funds collection for “critical humanitarian services such as medical assistance and relief operations in this time of need.”

Aside from this, PayMaya has also equipped its PayMaya One devices, point-of-sale devices that function via a modified cellular phone so they may be able to accept card and QR donations whenever they are in the field.

“In these trying times, every contribution counts in making sure that no one is left behind,” the advisory read.

DHSUD chief lauds suspension of monthly payments on government housing units

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ore than 5.2 million members of key shelter agencies (KSAs) under the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) will benefit from the three-month moratorium, or suspension of monthly payment, on their loan amortization.

A total of 5,225,783 member-beneficiaries have outstanding housing, multipurpose and calamity loans to the four KSAs. DHSUD Secretary Eduardo del Rosario said that the threemonth moratorium will help a lot the members and beneficiaries to ease their burden during these difficult times.

“By offering the moratorium, memberbeneficiaries of our K SAs won’t have to worr y about their monthly amortizations any more in the next three months amid the Covid-19 scare,” del Rosario said.

The four KSAs have about P31.5 billion in amortizations

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Congress to hold joint special session on Covid-19 either today, or Monday

made to comply with President Duterte’s request conveyed to him and Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano.

The Senate leader indicated there was no final figure yet given at as of this writing on the funding of a bill that the Executive will ask Congress to pass.

However, when pressed for a ballpark figure needed to contain

Covid-19, Sotto replied: “My personal opinion, P100 billion.”

Congress went on scheduled recess last March 14 and should resume session on May 4.

However, urgent measures related to fighting Covid-19 need to be funded, such as the emergency purchase of personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontliners in the health-care sector and of testing kits, as well as the multibillion-peso stimulus funding for affected sectors, given the business paralysis forced by the lockdown.

President Duterte earlier called on Congress to hold a special session to pass a supplemental budget that will be used to combat the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

Duterte made the call following the recommendation of Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go and other lawmakers.

In a news statement issued on Friday, Go confirmed he was assured by Sotto and Cayetano they could convene the session “either Saturday or Monday.”

“I, together with my other colleagues in the Senate and the

due in the next three months covering the moratorium.

Del Rosario said that this move is in compliance with Presidential Proclamation 922 dated March 8, declaring a State of National Health Emergency throughout the country due to Covid-19, the expansion of an enhanced community quarantine in Luzon and the subsequent declaration of State of National Calamity.

The KSAs—namely the Home Development Mutual Fund, the National Home Mortgage Finance Corp., the Social Housing Finance Corp. and the National Housing Authority—will soon publish their respective guidelines on the suspension of monthly amortizations.

The moratorium period covers from March 16 up to June 15, 2020.

“This is DHSUD’s initiative in support to President Duterte’s all-out efforts to assist our kababayans amid these challenging times,” del Rosario said. Rene Acosta

House of Representatives, recommended to the President of the Republic that a special session of both Houses of Congress be called so that the legislative branch can convene to tackle and pass appropriate measures granting a supplemental budget in order to give the President and other concerned agencies the flexibility of utilizing funds as they deem necessary to combat the spread of the coronavirus disease,” Go said.

Go confirmed President Duterte already responded to this recommendation and has called on Congress to hold the special session immediately.

“I have discussed the matter with Senate President Vicente Sotto III and House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano who both said that they are ready to hold the special session at the soonest possible time, either on Saturday or Monday next week,” he added.

Go also affirmed that “based on our discussion, the priority is to ensure that additional funds can be allocated for immediate healthcare needs and for much-needed financial and food assistance to

Filipinos, particularly the vulnerable sectors, daily wage earners and informal economy workers affected by the strict quarantine measures being imposed.”

The administration senator added that members of both houses of Congress have expressed their commitment to find ways “to respond to the needs of the people, especially at this time when decisive government action is imperative.”

On Monday, Duterte inked Proclamation 929, placing the Philippines under a state of calamity for six months to allow the government to tap more funds, including the Quick Response Fund, to stop the transmission of Covid-19.

T he Depa r t ment of Hea lt h ea rl ier asked Cong ress to ap prove t he P2-bi l l ion supple ment a l f u nd to aug ment t he government’s response against t he novel coronav ir us.

Earlier, Malacañang assured the public that the government has enough funds to address the Covid-19 outbreak in the country.

With PNA

BOC explores options for timely release of shipments from ports

PayMaya partners with Red Cross for donations in fight against virus

By Lorenz S. Marasigan

Saturday, March 21, 2020

By Bernadette D. Nicolas

T Bus donation Sen. Manny Pacquiao walks in front of one of the total five bus units he donated to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) that the agency would utilize to provide free rides to health workers and other frontliners during the enhanced community quarantine. Nonie Reyes

PNP chief vows intensified police anti-crime operations amid lockdown

By Rene Acosta

T

he Philippine National Pol ice-A nti- Cybercr ime Group ( PN P- ACG) h a s vowed to pursue those behind the circulation through the social media of supposed photos of theft and robbery incidents in some parts of Metro Manila due to the enhanced community which restricts residents of Luzon, including Metro Manila, to their homes.

PNP chief General Oscar Albayalde branded the photos as part of a “fake news” campaign as he sought to allay fears about the possibility of a breakdown of peace and order, including in street crimes due to the lockdown.

Gamboa said the ACG is “now tracing the authors behind the circulation of fake news in social media of a purported burglary and robbery in McKinley Hill, Taguig City and Binondo, Manila; and of alleged public unrest in San Andres, Manila, all of which were both found to be hoax reports.”

“The PNP will deploy more mobile patrol units for anti-criminality and police visibility operations in the vicinity of commercial centers, vital establishments and residential communities to prevent criminal elements from taking advantage of the ongoing national emergency situation,” he said in a news statement.

Even before Metro Manila and

Luzon were put under enhanced quarantine, the PNP leadership, through PNP Deputy Chief for Operations Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, had already met to prepare for contingencies and anticriminality efforts.

Among the items that were covered were food shortage, looting, mass demonstrations, deaths and attack on public officials.

Gamboa said that while they have not received validated repor ts of cr imes incidents in Metro Manila, they have alerted all of their field units to take preemptive actions.

“The reality is that over the past five days since community quarantine was enforced in Metro Manila and recently enhanced over the rest of Luzon, crime incidents have significantly decreased,” he said.

“Local police units are instructed to coordinate closely with security managers of commercial centers and vital facilities, and leaders and barangay authorities of residential communities to establish neighborhood watch systems that will alert police and residents of possible security situations,” he added.

The PNP chief appealed to Filipinos to refrain from posting and sharing “unvalidated social-media reports of alleged incidents” since this will only add to “public apprehensions and fear.”

he Bureau of Customs (BOC) is eyeing several measures not just only to cushion the impact of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Luzon to stakeholders but also to further hasten the release of regular shipments under provisional goods declaration.

Customs Assistant Commissioner and spokesman Vincent Philip C. Maronilla on Thursday said the bureau is working on an agreement with other regulator y agencies like Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Department of Agriculture to allow the release of reg u lar shipments under provisional goods declaration while some necessar y permits are still pending.

While the practice of using provisional goods declaration for regular shipments is allowed under the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, he said it is not highly utilized yet, he pointed out.

“Like for example, di ka pwedeng magprovisional goods declaration kung wala kang FDA [permit] because that’s food and safety. Now we’re thinking about, I’m not saying we are going to, we are thinking about extending it to some that has LTOs [licenses to operate] already but wala pang mga CPRs [certificates of product registration] na baka pwede na [to possibly] irelease namin but with an undertaking that huwag nilang ibibigay sa [that they won’t give it yet to the] general public yan hanggang hindi nila nasesecure ang [until they could be able to secure their] FDA permit,” Maronilla said in a phone interview with the BusinessMirror.

“Kumbaga lagay muna nila sa warehouse nila, wag muna nila irerelease sa publiko hanggat hindi sila nakakuha ng necessary permits at babantayan sila ng mga ahensya na ito [We may impose on them to place the shipments in their warehouse until all necessary permits are secured],” he added.

Under Customs Memorandum Order 07-2020, which took effect on March 16, lodgment of provi-

sional goods declaration may be allowed if no regulatory permit, clearance or license has been presented at the time of lodgment, provided that the importer has filed his application for such permit, clearance of license, prior to, or after the arrival of the goods into the Philippines, depending on the policy of the concerned regulatory agency.

In cases where the permit, license or clearance may be secured after the arrival of the shipment, provisional goods declaration may be allowed provided that the period to submit the document shall be in line with the requirement of the regulatory agency.

It is also allowed if the Tax Exemption Endorsement from the Department of Finance, or the Tax Exempt Certificate or Authority to Release Imported Goods from the Bureau of Internal Revenue has not been issued yet, provided an application has already been filed at the time of lodgment.

Moreover, lodgment of provisional goods declaration may also be allowed in any other situation where the declarant lacks certain information, or documents, to make a complete goods declaration, provided it is not due to their declarant’s negligence, or fault, and provided further that the mandatory information and documents are present.

Aside from this, Maronilla said Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero wants to talk to private stakeholders to request relief on demurrage, storage and warehouse charges for the importers, amid the enhanced community quarantine imposed in Luzon to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

The BOC said it has successfully processed 156 shipments and 38 containers of personal protective equipment and medical supplies despite limited work force since the declaration of the state of public health emergency.

T he sa id good s were pro cessed through the various Luzon ports such as the Manila International Container Port, Port of Clark and Port of Ninoy Aquino International A ir port.

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The World BusinessMirror

Saturday, March 21, 2020

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

Asia tries to fight a second wave of virus cases sparked by travelers

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Shoppers wait on the street for the general opening of the store, during a time set aside for elderly and vulnerable members of the community to shop, at an Iceland Foods Ltd. store in London, UK, on March 18. Growing fears about the coronavirus pandemic have led to extraordinary scenes in British grocery stores with people lining up outside shops before opening times and bulk-buying items such as toilet paper and pasta. Bloomberg

Fragile system supplying food to the world is under strain

By Millie Munshi, Megan Durisin & Corinne Gretler

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Bloomberg News

lobal warehouses are stuffed with frozen cuts of pork, wheels of cheese and bags of rice. But as the coronavirus snarls logistical operations, the question becomes: How does all that food actually get to people?

Despite the inventories, grocery stores are looking almost apocalyptic with aisles of empty shelves.

Panic buying has made it nearly impossible for retailers and suppliers to keep up with the unprecedented spike in demand. In just one example of the constraints, there’s a finite number of trucks that can load up at warehouses to bring in the chicken or ice cream or toilet paper that people want to buy.

There are limits on how much time can be spent stocking shelves, or filling rail cars. Then there’s this weird knock-on from the outbreak in China: Fewer goods were shipped out of Asia last month, and now there aren’t enough empty containers in countries like Canada to send peas out to the world.

“There’s a complicated web of interactions we don’t often think about that’s all part of the foodsupply chain: truckers, rail cars, shipping, plant workers,” said Jayson Lusk, head of the department of agricultural economics at Purdue University. There are “big buckets of possible disruption,” and it’s possible the whole thing “is more fragile than we think it is,” he said.

That’s just the start of it.

As the virus spreads and cases mount, there are seemingly countless ways the food system will be tested and strained in the coming weeks and months.

There’s the possibility of worker shortages as employees are forced to stay home because they’re ill, or they’ve come into contact with someone who is. As schools close, plants may slow production because parents need to prioritize child care. Restrictions on migrant labor are increasing all over the world, stifling workers who are key to making sure tomatoes get picked and slaughterhouses run efficiently. Port closures and limits on trade could end up disrupting the flow of supplies and ingredients.

“We do not see a supply shock in the sense of the availability,” said Abdolreza Abbassian, a senior economist at the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization. “But there could be a supply shock in terms of logistics, not being able to move it from point A to point B. This is something new and very difficult to predict. It’s that uncertainty that right now is the biggest danger.”

Farmer, retail and tr ucker groups in countries, including Brazil, the US and France are ringing the alarm over major disruptions that can develop from quarantine and lock-down conditions, along with the possibility of a labor crunch. Government officials in Australia, Germany and K a za k hstan are wor r ied about strains amid panic buying and logistical hurdles.

A drawn-out crisis could lead to “real shortages” starting with fruit and vegetables before impacting staples, German Agriculture Minister Julia Kloeckner said.

For consumers, the fallout will vary depending on where in the world they are. In the US, it could mean your favorite brand of potato chips is out of stock, but basic staples like rice or bread are available. In countries dependent on food imports, the situation could be more dire.

In every part of the world, you’ll probably be paying more for food than you did just a few months, or even weeks, ago.

“It’s inevitable that you’ll see food prices go up,” said Adnan Durrani, chief executive officer of frozen-food company Saffron Road, who’s worked in the food industry for three decades. “This is unlike any crisis I’ve ever seen.

If this continues for another two months or longer, the stress on food supplies is going to become more acute.”

At Saffron Road, which makes frozen entrees like chicken tikka masala and vegetable pad thai, Durrani has been increasing production for two months to beef up inventories in anticipation of a demand boom because of the virus.

But even he didn’t expect to see sales explode as they have in the last several weeks as Americans

rush to stock their homes and empty out grocery stores. Sales at key retailers have more than doubled in some cases, he said.

Meanwhile, the US Department of Agriculture has safety inspectors at all manufacturing facilities. Employee temperatures are being checked to make sure workers with symptoms aren’t coming in, he said.

“We haven’t seen blow-back from that yet, but it could be impacted at some point,” Durrani said. “If you have a worker who wasn’t displaying symptoms come in and then it’s later confirmed they have the virus, then you have to quarantine all the workers they came into contact with. You could end up having to remove all the workers on a line.”

Christine McCracken, an analyst at Rabobank, estimates that some US meat companies are already seeing a 20 percent to 30 percent slowdown in processing lines as employees stay home to recover from illness or take care of family members.

There’s also the whole intricate way that food moves across the world, which is likely to be thrown off balance by port closures, government regulations and fears of contamination. Many countries have positioned agricultural production toward exporting a few key products, rather than for food sufficiency. That makes people within those nations more vulnerable if imports slow. Shipments of things like almonds into Italy have already been postponed.

The f lip side is that in some instances a handful of countries, or even fewer, make up the bulk of exportable supplies of certain commodities. Disruptions to those shipments would have global ramifications.

99 percent of those who died from virus had other illness, Italy says

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ore than 99 percent of Italy’s coronavirus fatalities were people who suffered from previous medical conditions, according to a study by the country’s national health authority.

After deaths from the virus reached more than 2,500, with a 150-percent increase in the past week, health authorities have been combing through data to provide clues to help combat the spread of the disease.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte’s government is evaluating

whether to extend a nationwide lockdown beyond the beginning of April, daily La Stampa reported Wednesday. Italy has more than 31,500 confirmed cases of the illness.

The new study could provide insight into why Italy’s death rate, at about 8 percent of total infected people, is higher than in other countries.

The Rome-based institute has examined medical records of about 18 percent of the country’s coronavirus fatalities, finding that just three victims, or 0.8 percent of the

total, had no previous pathology.

Almost half of the victims suffered from at least three prior illnesses and about a fourth had either one or two previous conditions.

More than 75 percent had high blood pressure, about 35 percent had diabetes and a third suffered from heart disease.

The average age of those who’ve died from the virus in Italy is 79.5.

As of March 17, 17 people under 50 had died from the disease. All of Italy’s victims under 40 have been males with serious existing medical conditions.

W hile data released Tuesday point to a slowdown in the increase of cases, with a 12.6-percent rise, a separate study shows Italy could be underestimating the real number of cases by testing on ly patients presenting symptoms.

Accord ing to the GIMBE Fo u n d at i o n , a b o ut 10 0 , 0 0 0 Ita l ians have contracted t he virus, daily Il Sole 24 Ore reported. That would bring back the countr y’s death rate closer to the global average of about 2 percent. Bloomberg News

sian countries battling a new wave of coronavirus infections brought in by travelers from abroad are turning to high-tech wristband monitors, jail time and steep fines in an escalation of containment measures.

As the pandemic widens overseas and engulfs Europe in particular, places like Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan that had successfully contained their first wave from China are now facing a second surge from the West. In the past week, they all saw new cases hit record highs primarily due to travelers carrying the virus arriving at their borders.

That’s forced governments to double down on surveillance technology to prevent the new infections from spreading, as well as implement strict travel bans and stay-home orders that undercut their reputations as open travel hubs. The virus has infected over 211,000 globally and killed over 8,700, and its epicenter has shifted to Europe, which has now surpassed China in number of infections.

Adding to Asia’s woes, some of its bigger, poorer countries like India, Indonesia and Malaysia are seeing reported cases spike as authorities finally begin testing in earnest for the virus, pointing to the likelihood that infected people have been circulating in their populations for far longer than known.

India barred all international flights from landing in the country for a week starting March 22 and ordered businesses to have employees work-from-home.

Singapore, located near other Southeast Asian countries where testing has lagged behind, saw its largest one-day increase of cases on Wednesday, with 47 additional infections mostly from travelers entering the country. It reported another 32 on Thursday for a total of 345.

The government has implored locals to defer unnecessary trips, banned visitors from four European countries, and issued orders to travelers from Southeast Asia and other countries to stay home for two weeks. One of its biggest hospitals is converting part of its multistory parking lot into a fever screening area in response to the increasing infections, the Straits Times reported.

Hong Kong also had its biggest daily increase on Wednesday, with 25 new cases mostly of travelers and students returning from abroad, primarily Europe. Its total as of Thursday was 199. It’s now ordered all people entering the territory, except from Macau and Taiwan, to submit to a mandatory 14-day quarantine.

Taiwan, with a total of 107 cases, has barred all new foreign arrivals with few exceptions. Vietnam—where a reprieve of three weeks with no cases was interrupted by an outbreak tied to a

flight from London to Hanoi—is putting ever yone arriving from countries hit with the virus into government-run quarantine bases. Others may be asked to stay in isolation at home.

Wearable tech and smartphone apps are being deployed to enforce the new rules.

In Hong Kong, travelers will be issued one of 20,000 wristbands the government has procured to monitor the movement of those in quarantine. The no-frills band connects to an app which sends out alerts for the person to take pictures of themselves still wearing the wristband, and issues warnings if it senses the person has left their residence.

The device detects and analyzes radio signals, including bluetooth, WiFi, and geographical location signals (GPS). Police and health officials track down those not in compliance.

Those under quarantine in Singapore are monitored by video calls at least three times a day and officials conduct spot checks at their residences. Those who break quarantine rules may be required to wear an electronic tag to monitor their movements, or be detained in a hospital.

In Taiwan, the government has integrated the databases of the national health insurance, immigration and customs agencies to generate data that traces the travel history and clinical symptoms of residents. It’s also set up an online shopping platform so that citizens can order take-out and buy groceries. There are also apps that check the stock of face masks at nearby pharmacies.

Fines and Imprisonment

Steep fines and the threat of imprisonment add to the incentives for incoming travelers to abide by the rules. Taiwan has fined several residents for not adhering to selfquarantines or leaving a quarantine hotel to the tune of NT$1 million ($33,000).

Singapore charged a couple from China last month under the Infectious Diseases Act for providing false information and obstructing coronavirus contact tracing.

Anyone convicted for a first offense under the act can be fined as much as S$10,000 ($7,000) and jailed for as long as six months.

Those who don’t abide by Hong Kong’s quarantine requirements also face the same jail time, and are liable to be fined a maximum of HK$25,000 ($3,220).

Vivian Ma, 23, a student at Chinese University of Hong Kong, was under quarantine at home in Hong Kong after she entered the territory mid-February. She was tracked through a social app on her phone and received four unannounced requests to conduct live video calls or share her location by phone with officials. Bloomberg News

40M Californians ordered to stay home to halt virus

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ACRAMENTO, California—California’s 40 million residents should stay home indefinitely and venture outside only for essential jobs, errands and some exercise, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday, warning that the coronavirus threatens to overwhelm the state’s medical system.

The move, the most sweeping by any state so far, was an exclamation point at the end of a week of increasingly aggressive moves meant to keep the virus in check by forcing people to stay away from each other as often as possible.

“I can assure you home isolation is not my preferred choice, I know it’s not yours, but it’s a necessary one,” Newsom said at an evening news conference streamed on social media.

He assured residents that they “can still take your kids outside, practicing common sense and social distancing. You can still walk your dog.” Restaurant meals can still be delivered to homes.

The announcement came after the release of a letter to President Donald Trump where Newsom warned the virus was spreading quickly and eventually could infect more than half the state’s population. A spokesman later clarified that the figure did not take into account the aggressive mitigation efforts that have been made.

The governor said he doesn’t expect police will be needed to enforce his stay-

at-home order, saying “social pressure” already has led to social distancing throughout the state.

“I don’t believe the people of California need to be told through law enforcement that it’s appropriate just to home isolate,” he said.

The Democrat who is barely a year into his first term also called up 500 National Guard troops to help distribute food. The move comes after panic buying led to massive lines at some grocery stores.

Newsom also outlined a series of steps aimed at providing more space for hospital patients. He said the state has taken over a 357-bed bankrupt hospital in the San Francisco Bay Area, soon will announce the purchase of a similarly sized hospital in Southern California and may use dormitories at the state’s public colleges and universities. He also asked Trump to dock the Navy’s 1,000-patient Mercy hospital ship in the Port of Los Angeles.

The coronavirus is spread through sneezes and coughs. There are at least 1,030 confirmed cases in California and 18 people have died, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

Newsom’s statewide order came after counties and communities covering about half the state’s population already had issued similar edicts. He said the restriction is “open-ended” because it could raise false hopes if he included an end date. AP

Features BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Saturday, March 21, 2020

A5

#iorestoacasa: Life of a Pinoy student amid Covid-19 lockdown in Europe Story & photos by Stephanie R. Tumampos

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Special to the BusinessMirror

alzburg, Austria—As the European Union locked down its borders along with all other EU member-nations for 30 days, Filipinos, particularly students like me studying in the region have also been adjusting and carefully observing the new set of rules the governments here have imposed.

My personal experience

I could still clearly remember the day our regular classes inside the four corners of our classroom (or physical classes) were canceled. It was a fine Monday last week, March 10, 2020, and we all received an e-mail from the University Rector. The e-mail said that the Austrian government had to impose a declaration that all physical classes, meetings and other gatherings in schools and universities would be canceled.

Instead, we were encouraged to shift to online classes in lieu of the physical classes. I hurriedly looked up to the news online. The coronavirus (Covid-19) has already invaded the EU region with Italy experiencing the worst case as far virus infections and deaths are concerned.

A week later, the Austrian government declared new policies that were implemented immediately.

The number of confirmed cases in the country have exponentially increased. To date, the count of confirmed cases in the country has exponentially increased, nearing 2,000, six deaths. Nine patients have also recovered, as of this writing.

Tough restrictions and huge fines

The declaration came with tough restrictions. The freedom to move was reduced to the minimum. One restriction was that people are only allowed to go out alone, or with people they live with for a walk, walk with a dog, do individual sports, go to work or give help to those who can’t work for themselves.

Public and private gatherings were also not allowed. Even going to public places such as the playgrounds and parks is also banned.

Huge fines ranging from 2180 3600 euros were imposed. Supermarkets, pharmacies and tobacco shops, where news and bus tickets can be purchased remained open, while the restaurants, cafes, shops and malls were asked to close. The police were deployed and the government expressed that the militia should also help in the crisis management.

Monitoring the local news, the Austrian government had expressed that this step was meant to secure the health of the people living in Austria and they would do anything to keep everyone inside their homes to control the transmission of the virus. They also said they acted early so that the number of cases would not rise, given the few number of cases last week, and to also not overload their health-care system.

Despite t hese tough measures, I have observed that ever yone was suppor tive. Even

those from the political opposition expressed their support.

Residents and citizen took the protocol calmly. I went to the supermarket right away on that day to stock up my pantry supplies with food and saw people buy just the essentials. In contrast to the behavior of citizens of other countries, they were not buying to hoard. People were not giving in to the fear. They did not spread false information, or fake news, and new rules were clear and laid out to the public through their official channels.

Today, the once tourist-filled Salzburg City became less crowded. I could see some people running or going for a walk alone or with their dog, or going to the supermarket but as such, I prefer to rather stay at home not because I am exhibiting any virus-infection symptoms but, to do my party in this drive to contain Covid-19 and stop the pandemic.

Online distance learning

For me, our teachers have been organizing online classes for all of us. Although the new setting provides some challenges, especially the technical difficulties which can never be eliminated, they have been keen in providing us lectures online, educational resources, and have been considerate with our needs as students. As they say, “classes must go on” and although it is also challenging to be just at home and keep one’s focus in our classes. Still, I am very happy that this kind of platform exists for us.

I understand that not everyone in the world has this luxury and resource to do so.

Yet, as much as how my experience is going well, I also wondered how my friends from other European states are doing at the moment.

Experience in France amid rising Covid-19 cases

Brandon, not his real name, is studying public health in a French health institute dedicated to the study of biology, microorganisms, diseases, and vaccines located in Paris, France. When I asked him online how he is doing, he said he has never gone out since Sunday.

France, which started a nationwide lockdown on Monday, has also imposed tough measures to control the situation against the Covid-19 outbreak in their country. Brandon told me that he has quarantined himself to keep safe.

As a student in his final year of a masteral degree, Brandon said that he hasn’t really seen the impacts of the lockdown himself as he has never gone out yet. For his studies, it continues to be in an online platform.

A biker enjoys his day under the sun. This photo was taken three days before the announcement of the Austrian government imposing tougher restrictions in the freedom of movement. On March 15, it was declared that starting the next day, all citizens and residents in Austria will have to stay at home as much as possible with only a few exceptions to go out, or face huge fines ranging from €2000 to €3000.

Two days before physical classes were canceled and nine days before the state of emergency in Austria (March 7), me and my friends went skiing. It was actually my first time to ski. Austria has been known to have the best ski resorts in the world and home to world ski champions.

On the day we went to ski, the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases were only 79 but, today, roughly 2 weeks after, it’s now near 2,000 as of this writing. At present, all ski resorts are closed in compliance with the policies to contain and stop the spread of Covid-19 in the country.

Stricter measures and policies have been imposed by the Austrian government. Everyone is encouraged to stay at home and go out only if necessary.

“I was informed by my supervisor on Monday morning that I was no longer allowed to enter the office. E-mails were also sent to all staff and interns on guidelines on who can continue to work, how to access data, etc. It was clear and organized. Among other things, this helps make me feel safe,” he said.

Brandon also noted that in France, specifically in Paris, supermarkets and pharmacies can be reached on foot. Compared to the Philippines, there is still a higher level of confidence when it comes to getting supplies despite the lockdown. Despite how the governments of France and the Philippines implemented such lockdowns, he is still worried for the homeless in both countries.

For someone who lives in a country with more than 9,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and 264 dead as of this writing, Brandon wants to emphasize the advice mentioned by the Department of Health in the Philippines, just like how it is done in France. He also added that the rules and actions being taken by the French government are laid out clearly in the Ministry of Interior web site.

“Stay in your home, go out only for necessities such as food and medicines,” he said. “There will however, be a need to find some way to make sure that people who can’t work because of Covid-19 will still be able to get their basic needs.”

Aside from the restrictions, all

citizens and residents in France are required to fill up a form which they bring anywhere with them, or else, face the prospects of paying a fine.

At the center of the European pandemic: Lorenzo’s experience

Another interesting experience that would certainly give more weight to this article is from a Filipino student studying in Milan, the epicenter of the pandemic in Europe.

Before coming to Milan, Lorenzo Sabug Jr. was part of the Diwata-2 team. He worked on the radio payload of the country’s microsatellite. Today, he is continuing his studies in Politecnico di Milano as a Ph.D. student.

“As far as I am concerned, everything seems all right here in spite of the lockdown due to Covid-19. It’s been almost three to four weeks already since we were told by the university to stay [and work from] home,” Lorenzo said.

“As long as school goes, the online classes were a little awkward since most professors were not used to distance teaching. It maybe is their first time to do this but we all are able to cope with the lessons,” he added citing that in terms of research, his project requires him to do more programming hence, it is the best time to concentrate on it.

However, he feels concerned for the other students who need to conduct experiments for their

research. He said that being forced not go to school, or work, is the last thing they would want.

As Italy started the lockdown, Lorenzo has observed that rules have been very stringent, especially with the high fines and jail time “so people in general just go out to buy groceries.”

He added that big gatherings like classes and meetings are not allowed. Schools and universities were suspended, or have moved to online distance learning now. All people outside their homes must be able to put up a good reason to travel, which should mainly be for health reasons, work, or emergencies. All events like concerts, exhibits, football matches were canceled until further notice.

“In general, people now have been cooperative [with the] situation…getting more and graver every day, particularly for the vulnerable segment of the population getting sick due to the virus,” Lorenzo explained. He added he feels safe as long as he cooperates with the directives of the health ministry and the government in general.

“In as much as I can afford to, I stay at home. Everyone who can stay home, shall stay home and look after themselves and always

wash their hands,” he added.

Today, Italy has more than 80,000 confirmed cases and a recorded death of almost 3,000.

Lorenzo explained that Milan did not have the lockdown at first.

“From the end of February to beginning of March, it was still somewhat business as usual for most people. Even the first week of March, I could still go out from time to time outside to eat and go around. There were remarkably fewer people in the usual tourist spots in Milan compared to the times before, but I can say that there are still people in the trains and public places,” Lorenzo explained.

He continued, “Back then, and even now when I go out to the grocery, I could only see a small proportion of people wearing masks.

But now that we are on a lockdown, the groceries can only accommodate a few people inside at a time, so lines can go long outside the store. The 1-meter distance rule makes it even longer.”

Lorenzo added that restaurants in Milan are closed nowadays except for a very few that can still serve through delivery. Even his favorite Filipino fastfood, Jollibee, the only branch in Europe, was also closed, to which he said, “It’s quite a shame.”

“In a crisis like this, I observed a complete change of spirit from a lively vibrant Milan to an eerily quiet Milan,” Lorenzo said. He described to this reporter that Italians are lively and sociable people and might have underestimated the effects of the virus to themselves. Even some of his colleagues were not worried at all about catching the symptoms, Lorenzo observed.

“However, it is not about our own selves who are in danger. As my professors have pointed out, we should protect the vulnerable people, such as the elderly and those with existing conditions, by not going outside. We may not have the symptoms and stay healthy, but we could carry the virus just by going around. Hence, the best thing to do is to stay at home as much as you can,” Lorenzo emphasized adding the Twitter hashtag that has been used in the social-media platform, “#iorestoacasa,” which translates to “I stay in the house.”

“These little sacrifices can save a lot of lives,” Lorenzo said.

Despite the announcement of cancellation of physical classes and the recommendation of our academic program coordinator to prepare for a worse-case scenario and stock up food and essentials, there was no observed hoarding of toilet paper nor food when I went to the grocery on March 13. People only bought either 1 or 2 packs of toilet paper. The Austrian government imposed tougher restrictions in the freedom of movement in the country on March 15.

A6 Saturday, March 21, 2020

ExportUnlimited BusinessMirror

As virus grounds most flights, FedEx sees cargo opportunities

A FEDEX truck drives in Philadelphia. FedEx posted surprisingly strong revenue in its latest fiscal quarter, but the delivery giant suspended its financial forecasts for the rest of 2020 because of the uncertain impact of the new coronavirus. AP

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ANY passenger airlines that carry freight in their bellies are being grounded by the coronavirus outbreak, and that could create an opportunity for cargo carriers like FedEx. FedEx Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Fred Smith said Tuesday that the delivery giant is capable of handling the increased demand for its international

express-delivery services that’s arising because of the reduction in airliners.

Executives also sounded upbeat about China’s recovery from the outbreak that started there, and about demand from US consumers, millions of whom are now locked down in their homes, either by choice, or government decree.

“For the last couple weeks we have seen increased demand from Asia,”

FedEx President Raj Subramaniam said on a call with Wall Street analysts after the company reported quarterly financial results. “We have seen strong demand for FedEx Ground here in the US and especially home delivery, and even the commercial volumes have been quite stable.”

The company, however, doesn’t know what will happen next with the stillgrowing Covid-19 pandemic, Subramaniam acknowledged.

The comments came after the Memphis, Tennessee-based company posted surprisingly strong revenue but a sharp drop in profit during the quarter that ended February 29.

FedEx also suspended its financial forecasts for the fiscal year, which ends in less than three months, because of the uncertain impact of the virus outbreak.

It joined a long and growing list of companies withdrawing earnings guidance, from airlines and cruise lines to retailers such as Costco and Nordstrom and consumer stalwarts, including Apple and Coca-Cola.

FedEx said it earned $315 million in the latest quarter, a drop of 57 percent from the same period a year earlier. The quarter spanned the peak Christmas delivery season in the US and the early stages of the pandemic, especially in Asia.

Adjusted to exclude certain costs

related to the 2016 acquisition of a Dutch competitor, FedEx said it earned $1.41 per share, matching the average forecast of 22 analysts surveyed by FactSet. Revenue rose to $17.5 billion from $17 billion, topping the $16.9 billion that the analysts were expecting.

The company’s most recent quarter was affected by a weaker global economy, higher costs by expanding its FedEx Ground deliveries in the US to seven days a week, a shift by customers to cheaper services, and last year’s cutoff of business with Amazon.

FedEx said it is managing capacity, retiring older planes and making changes in its residential deliveries— cost-control steps that it had previously announced.

“We continue to deliver for our customers and are ready to support increased demand for our International Express export services due to the significant reductions in intercontinental air capacity,” Smith said in a statement.

Shares of FedEx closed up 4.9 percent, to $94.96. After the release of results, the shares briefly rose in after-hours trading, but were little changed later on.

The shares have dropped 37 percent this year, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 index has fallen 22 percent. AP

Ilocos Norte housewives make ADB: Pandemic to impact PHL, face masks in fight vs Covid-19 other developing Asian economies

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AOAG CITY—Several housewives in San Guillermo village in the town of San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte, are working double-time to ensure all frontliners here have access to washable face masks to protect themselves from the corona virus (Covid-19) infection.

Since the Covid-19 outbreak, the availability of disposable imported face masks from commercial drugstores has been scarce, prompting Virginia Jose and fellow dressmakers in the village to make a “do-it-yourself” protection gear.

“At first, we only thought of producing for ourselves and family but we were inspired to produce more for the safety of our community,” Jose said in an interview on Wednesday.

Jose and the other dressmakers earn their living by making singlets and tshirts for fun run and other sporting events.

They use clean left-over fabric as materials for their washable face masks.

The dressmakers started their face mask project on Monday and since then

have made at least 500 pieces. The group gives the washable face masks to the city policemen and members of the media for free.

However, those interested to buy can get their item at P35 each.

Police Senior M/Sgt. Noel R. Abad of the 1st Ilocos Norte Provincial Mobile Force Company facilitates the transfer and delivery of the finished products to his fellow men in uniform manning the province’s borders.

In between his duty as a police officer, Abad works with Jose’s team in organizing fun run events in the province.

On Wednesday morning, Abad handed over 200 pieces of masks to members of the Philippine National Police in the city.

Jose’s team has invited other dressmakers in neighboring Bingao village to keep up with the demand while the country is in a health emergency due to Covid-19.

But since holding of big events have been called off and social distancing is being enforced, Abad said he has to find a way for the housewives to earn and be able to feed their family. PNA

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HE ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) outbreak can materially affect the Philippines and other developing Asian economies, including sharp declines in domestic demand, tourism, trade and production linkages, supply disruptions, and health effects, according to latest analysis by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

“The magnitude of the economic impact will depend on how the outbreak evolves, which remains highly uncertain,” it said.

Based on the analysis by the Manilabased financial institution, the global impact of Covid-19 ranges from $77 billion to $347 billion, with the People’s Republic of China (PRC), where the outbreak has been concentrated so far, accounting for two-thirds of the total.

It said Philippine tourism revenues could decline $801.4 million under a best-case scenario, $1.16 billion under a moderate scenario, and $2.25 billion under a worst-case scenario.

The authors assumed travel bans and precautionary travel behavior will last for two months in the best-case sce-

nario, three months in the moderate scenario, and six months in the worsecase scenario.

The estimated decline in tourism revenues by percentage of the gross domestic product (GDP) would be about 0.242 percent, 0.352 percent, and 0.681 percent, respectively.

The analysis said ADB developing member-countries (DMC) that will be significantly affected are those with strong trade and production linkages with the PRC. It identified the Philippines as among those with global value chain exposure and exports to the PRC. “...The PRC is also a major destination for these economies’ final, as well as intermediate goods and services,” it added. With this, the ADB said it is supporting its members in responding to the Covid-19 outbreak through finance, knowledge and partnerships.

“ADB stands ready to provide additional support to DMCs via countercyclical support programs, emergency assistance loans, and other instruments, if needed,” it added.

Euromonitor Digest lists 10 global consumer trends in ’20

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ONVENIENCE and personal control are the main themes which are evident in this year’s top consumer trends, according to the world’s leading independent provider of strategic market research.

The Euromonitor Digest, a monthly online publication of the Department of Trade and Industry’s Export Marketing Bureau (DTI-EMB), listed 10 global consumer trends that are expected to gain traction in 2020, including that they never need to leave home.

The report said consumers are drawn to the comforts of home during times of economic, political or personal uncertainty.

“While this tendency is nothing new, for the first time, consumers don’t want to leave their homes, but also don’t have to.

Thanks to high-speed Internet access and innovative goods and services, global consumers are able to exercise, shop, work and play, all from the comfort of their Multifunctional Homes. The impact on government, distribution, and industries is profound and far-reaching,” it added.

In 2020, consumers are starting to embrace robots or other artificial intelligence (AI), which can perform certain tasks traditionally done by humans.

“Though complete trust of, and universal access to, this technology will take more time, we are embracing the concept of AI-driven robots for our own welfare, convenience and comfort,” it said.

They also want flexible and personalized transportation to move around increasingly congested cities as they please.

“Frictionless Mobility is now the expectation as consumers use navigation apps to plan their journey and want real-time updates on the best way to get [from point] A to [point] B, whether it is by train, taxi, electric bike, scooter, helicopter or a combination of them all,” it added.

Consumers also demand more content in less time, as they constantly seek personalized, authentic and appealing channels. “With improved technology, accessibility and usage, consumers can find immense amounts of information with fewer barriers,” it said. “Catch Me in Seconds consumers want brands to make their information, product or service as accessible as possible in a short time frame to compete with other demands.”

The report said private personalization consumers expect brands to tailor products and services to them yet, they must surrender their personal information to optimize their experience.

“Companies are investing in algorithms and data collection methods to achieve more precise marketing. In return, consumers spend less time researching product options. Yet, consumers are growing concerned about who has access to their data and how it is used,” it said.

Moreover, brands are catering to individuals with physical or mental disabilities, unlocking the potential for an Inclusive for All business model.

“Companies are reframing their products and services to be more accessible to everyone, representing individuals beyond the mainstream and helping to reduce prejudice around diversity and differences,” it said. “Businesses are making steps toward authenticity and inclusion, putting accessibility at the core of new product developments.”

The report further said tuning into the proudly local, going global trend is a compelling business strategy to win and retain consumer loyalty in 2020.

“It captures global consumer desire to adopt and appeal to a sense of individuality and growing national identity from local inspiration. There is also a growing expectation of multinationals to respond appropriately and creatively to local culture, social norms and consumer habits,” it said.

Moreover, increased environmental awareness is driving the reuse revolutionaries trend, especially for younger generations who are prioritizing experiences over ownership.

“This is creating sustainable business opportunities. New business models that avoid waste generation are appealing to more ethical consumers who are embracing sustainability through longer-lasting products,” it added.

The report also underscored the growing concern for personal well-being and the environment which is putting air quality in the limelight.

www.businessmirror.com.ph

OurTime BusinessMirror

Mario Gatus: Leaving no stone unturned

LEE HECHT and Harrison Chairman Mario Gatus (left) poses with economist Calixto Chikiamco after the latter’s talk on the country’s economic performance at a recent forum.

By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes

@brownindio

B

UILDING a career in Manila was not in the original plan of Pampanga native Mario Gatus. Upon the wishes of his mother, Gatus enrolled in an accountancy course at the University of the East.

“Back then, my outlook simply was provincial. Initially, I had no drive,” recalled the 78-year-old Gatus in a recent interview with the BusinessMirror.

Nevertheless, his outlook changed when he was recruited by the Student Catholic Action (SCA) at the University of the East.

He became an active participant in campus events and even joined campus politics running under the Vigilant Students Party to win a place in the student council. “During my student days, I also had the privilege of meeting a brilliant student named Raul S. Roco,” he said.

Upon graduation, Gatus applied at SGV. However, he did not have the chance to start

his career there. While waiting for the result of his application, he decided to work at UE, teaching accounting subjects. Later, he received a call from the prestigious accounting firm, asking him to report for work.

In May 1963, he joined SGV and worked with the auditing training program. After two years in auditing, he saw an opening in the management services group and offered to be a volunteer for two months. “In this group, I was able to meet interesting personalities such as Cesar Virata, Roberto Ongpin and Filemon Berba Jr.,” he said. “I was impressed by Mr. Berba’s brilliance and intelligence,” he said. After one month, Berba asked Gatus to move to management services. His initial task was to audit the agriculture sector under Virata.

“It was a perfect time to work for SGV because it was building partnerships. Bobby Ongpin was aggressive in recruiting talents and pursuing business development,” Gatus said.

After his 32-year stint in SGV, Gatus opted for an early retirement at age 53. “I decided to apply for early retirement because I felt I had saved enough financially and gained enough experience to pursue what mattered most to me—responding to critical social needs by sharing what I knew best,” said Gatus, the current chairman of Lee Hecht and Harrison (LHH).

LHH is the world’s leading talent development and transition company. It was established in the United States in 1967.

It now has more than 90 offices in the US and 400 others in 63 countries. In the Philippines, LHH started as Drake Beam Morin in 2001. It moved on to using the name LHH Philippines after LHH and DBM merged in 2011.

Locally, LHH has served more than 15,000 people in transition, and over 500 companies. After retirement, Gatus entered the consulting market. After six months, he gave this up to become the president of the Rotary Club of Makati. Later, he received a call from his former employer, Washington Sycip, asking him to help former Sen. Serge Osmeña in organizing Entrepinoy, a foundation aimed to help small and medium enterprises. Gatus also joined the Institute of Corporate Directors. According to its web site, ICD is “an institute of, for and by corporate directors established in the Philippines. It is made up mainly of individuals and reputational agents committed to the professional practice of corporate directorship in line with global principles of modern corporate governance.”

“We promote good governance in ICD. We have found sense in our lives sharing goodness based on the Catholic faith,” he said. For LHH, Gatus said it also important to promote visioning for young professionals.

“They need to think long term and they should be mentored at a young age,” he explained. To relax, Gatus watches opera, collects books and, every now and then, travel to different places.

US tells older people to stay home, all ages to avoid crowds

By Jonathan Lemire, Andrew Taylor & Jill Colvin The Associated Press

W

ASHINGTON—Racing to stall an expected surge of coronavirus cases, the White House on Monday released a series of sweeping guidelines that for the next 15 days will temporarily rewrite the norms of American society.

President Donald J. Trump, employing a newly somber tone about the crisis enveloping the globe, urged all older Americans to stay home and everyone to avoid crowds and eating out at restaurants. The president for the first time acknowledged that the pandemic may send the economy into a recession and suggested that the nation may be dealing with the virus until “July or August.”

The guidelines were released to an uneasy country. The stock market had its worst day since 1987, America’s largest school system shut its doors and questions remained about the administration’s ability to test for the virus and provide hospital space for those who fall ill.

Among the new recommendations: Over the next half month, Americans should not gather in groups of more than 10 people, schooling should be at home and discretionary travel and social visits should be avoided. If anyone in a household tests positive for the virus, everyone who lives there should stay home. The administration did not say how old people should be to follow the advice to stay home.

“We will rally together as one nation and we will defeat the virus,” Trump said. “We can turn the corner and turn it quickly.”

The president, when asked when the pandemic would subside, said that “if we do a really good job” the crisis could pass by the height of summer. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the administration’s infectious disease expert, did not challenge that claim.

Trump’s prediction was far less optimistic than his earlier ones, when he insisted it could be over in weeks. He also acknowledged that the virus may send the nation’s economy into a recession, a potentially brutal blow for an incumbent seeking reelection.

That admission was startling for Trump, who for two weeks had struck a discordantly optimistic tone about the pandemic that endangered his presidency.

On Monday that upbeat demeanor was gone as he acknowledged the virus was

“not under control” in the United States or globally.

He said he did not yet plan to call for domestic travel restrictions while his administration made pointed appeals to millennials to stop socializing and risk spreading the virus. He was reluctant to advise states to cancel the primary elections ahead. And without providing details, he said “we’re going to back the airlines 100 percent,” a note of reassurance for an industry crippled by travel bans and fears of spreading the virus.

The expansive guidelines were issued on a day of fast-moving developments in a capital resplendent in cherry blossoms but awash in anxiety.

Congress convened to try to finish an aid package and consider another one behind it. The Supreme Court postponed oral arguments for the first time in over a century. And the US surgeon general said that the United States is about where Italy was two weeks ago in the coronavirus struggle, a sign that infections are expected to rise.

“When you look at the projections, there’s every chance that we could be Italy,” Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams told Fox News. Yet, he said the US has opportunities to mitigate the pandemic.

Two weeks ago, Italy had 1,700 cases of coronavirus and had reported 34 deaths.

Now, Italy is reporting an estimated 25,000 cases and more than 1,800 deaths. About 3,800 cases have been reported in the United States and so far, more than 65 people have died from coronavirus. Although the numbers may not be directly comparable, the trajectory is, as Adams sees it.

The administration also alleged that a foreign disinformation campaign was under way aimed at spreading fear among Americans already spooked by the pandemic.

On Sunday, federal officials began confronting what they said was a deliberate effort by a foreign entity to make Americans think the government was going to impose a nationwide quarantine. Agencies took coordinated action on Sunday evening to assure Americans that the government was not planning to do that.

And on Monday, national security officials said there had been a cyber attack involving the computer networks of Health and Human Services, but the networks were operating normally. They didn’t detail the

nature or scope of the problem or identify the foreign entity.

On Fox News, Adams claimed the US has “turned the tide” on testing, a critical part of tracking and containing pandemics, but whether that is true remains to be seen. The US effort has been hobbled by a series of missteps, including flaws with the testing kits first distributed by the federal government and bureaucratic hurdles that held up testing by private laboratories.

On Capitol Hill, a nearly empty House met to adopt a resolution to make what were described as technical changes to polish off a coronavirus response measure designed to speed testing for the virus and provide sick leave to workers kept home because of it. It went into recess before adopting the measure, however.

The measure is likely to pass the Senate this week, though the timing is uncertain.

The 100 senators, with a few exceptions, were expected to gather on Monday evening, despite the federal public-health guidelines prohibiting large gatherings.

Talks are already under way on another bill to try to blunt the damage the virus is doing to the economy. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said it will focus on direct financial help to individuals, help for businesses such as the airline industry, and further steps to support the health system.

Nearby, the Supreme Court said it is postponing arguments for late March and early April because of the coronavirus, including a round over subpoenas for Trump’s financial records. The last time oral arguments were postponed was in 1918, due to the Spanish flu epidemic. In 2001, they were relocated, but not postponed, after an anthrax scare.

Within the White House, the pandemic altered daily life.

Everyone who entered the complex was screened for a fever and reporters were spaced out in the briefing room to reduce the chance of spreading the virus. And the outgoing acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, isolated himself in South Carolina as his niece, who had flu-like symptoms and lives with him in Washington, awaited test results to see whether she has the virus. Mulvaney has tested negative, but was isolating himself “out of an abundance of caution due to his proximity to the president,” White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said. AP

Editor: Angel R. Calso • Saturday, March 21, 2020

A7

Self-quarantine can be a good thing

By Nick Tayag

MY SIXTY-ZEN’S WORTH

S

OCIAL distancing and self-quarantine.

These are the new terms that have gained traction recently in the wake of the public health crisis caused by the spread of the Covid-19.

Social distancing means avoiding crowds.

This means not mingling with the crowd, going to concerts or movies, hanging out in big groups, and avoiding congested public vehicles. It also means physical distancing and minimizing certain types of contact, such as shaking hands, hugging, or kissing people.

The other advice is to go on self-quarantine. As a doctor in Western Europe who saw the Covid-19 outbreak unfold in Italy counselled: “Sit it out. Stay put. Work from home. Don’t go out. It’s absolutely not worth it.” This advisory would rankle a lot of busy bees and people-on-the-go who will feel restless staying at home. Senior citizens will have to forego their free movies in some localities in the meantime. And they should very well heed the good advice to just stay put at home because infection can be fatal to individuals who fall into the most at-risk group of adults over 65 who have preexisting conditions.

Many, if not most, don’t want to stay at home. I know someone who maintains relationships because he’d rather do anything on a Friday night besides staying at home, even at the cost of spending time with people whose company he doesn’t really enjoy.

There are also a considerable number of people who hate being alone by themselves.

A quarter of the women and two-thirds of the men in a University of Virginia study chose to subject themselves to an electric shock rather than do nothing and spend time alone with their thoughts. Being alone with your thoughts, and giving yourself the space and unstructured time to let your mind wander without social distractions, can also sometimes feel intimidating, said Angela Grice, a speech language pathologist who has conducted research on executive functions and neuroscience at Howard University and the Neurocognition of Language Lab at Columbia University. People suddenly are lost as to what they should do.

I read a tweet that says something like blessed are the introverts for they shall be the ultimate survivors and will, therefore, inherit the earth, or words to that effect.

That quip was referring to the fact that introverts are used to leading a life on selfquarantine, in isolation. Self-quarantine is nothing new to people who live a hermitlike kind of independent living. They keep to themselves. They avoid crowds like the proverbial plague, a cliché that has become timely. This is why self-quarantine for the introverted is not much of a sacrifice.

The question is: how to make the most of your time inside. Take it from someone who is an introvert like me: there is something good in being alone at times. Just like the practice of intermittent fasting, intermittent solitude has its benefits.

Unfortunately, as one prominent psychologist admits, “solitude has had a pretty bad rap because it is sometimes used as a form of punishment.” Remember when our parents used to command us to go to our room and lock ourselves for misbehaving? Solitary confinement or isolation is the ultimate punishment meted out to prisoners who break rules.

Indeed, time alone with yourself has always been perceived as a negative experience you’re being forced into.

In our culture, we also often confuse being alone for loneliness. But these are two separate things; people who choose to be alone are not necessarily lonely. Some choose to put the world on hold because, as psychologists point out, there are moments when we need to be alone to recharge and reflect to put things in perspective and help us better handle negative emotions and experiences, like stress and burnout. As someone puts it: “It’s not that solitude is always good, but it can be good.”

It turns out that spending time alone has nothing to do with being an introvert.

Whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert, psychologists say that we all have a natural desire for solitude. “Aloneness” or spending

time alone is something our bodies crave. One expert says: “We might not know that time alone is what we need to make ourselves feel better.”

Maybe being told to abstain from going outside and mixing it up with people at this time is just what the doctor ordered. Maybe it’s time to heed the Buddhist admonition: don’t just do something. Sit. Perhaps, like most people, you are always rushing from one place to the next. There is always somewhere that you have to be, and you are constantly thinking about the remaining things on your to-do lists. Now, as you go on a self-imposed quarantine in the midst of this public health crisis, you have time to relax and to live mindfully without rushing on to your next task.

There is evidence that the practice of intermittent solitude can improve creativity and confidence and can even benefit our social relationships. Moreover, it can have a calming effect that prepares us to better engage with others and better deal with adverse situations. The key to reaping those positive rewards comes from choosing to spend time alone.

So, when you see a woman dining alone in a restaurant, don’t make a hasty judgment that she must be lonely. Who knows, she finds liberation in solitude, realizing at last that letting others determine her happiness or unhappiness is folly. Maybe she truly wants to be her own woman.

Having said that, solitude does not mean being self-centered, which is another word for self-entitlement, a term that refers to someone who feels the world should revolve around his whims, caprices, and needs, blissfully unaware or simply indifferent or apathetic to others.

Solitude to me means shifting the focus from the outside world to your inner life. It means time to attend to the here and now, and all the good and beautiful things you have neglected, by-passed or overlooked while too busy doing something else. It means developing a passionate interest in what you do, whether it’s painting, reading a book, making up new recipes, carpentry, mentoring, enjoying a cup of brewed coffee, or any other activity that you find soul-enriching and fulfilling.

Try doing some yoga. This will help you to physically relax your muscles, and it will give you some time to release your thoughts and tension, which is all a part of feeling comfortable in life.

Solitude can also be about finding joy in small, everyday moments. Use your senses to have a more acute appreciation for the sounds, sensations, aromas, and sights of everything in the here and now. Put on your favorite pictures in frames around your house. Or any small thing that can instantly lift your mood and make you feel good.

Try making crafts, watch a movie, learn a new skill or any one of the diverse options available besides obsessively checking social media. Journaling can be a great way of working through and evaluating your inner thoughts. Above all, enjoy the space in time being with yourself and say: “This is the time where I can give something to myself.”

Once you get the hang of it and realize its benefits, you might want to consider making intermittent self-quarantine a way of life.

In the same way that intermittent fasting helps eliminate toxic elements from your physical self, chosen moments of solitude can help remove the toxicity from your inner self. With more time to look at the mirror of your inner self, you can now shed off your masks, your pretenses and all the layers that hide you from being your authentic self.

Before you know it, you will have developed a deeper sense of who you are and what your true interests are.

Knowing yourself will make it easier for you to reach out to others who share your passions. You will become less self-centered and more empathetic and considerate of others.

Who knows, out of this period of social distancing and self-quarantine, you might come out as a more socially discerning person.

Self-quarantine…it could be the start of something good.

A8

Saturday, March 21, 2020

Sports BusinessMirror

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

ITALIAN OFFICIALS MAKE EMOTIONAL APPEAL TO I.O.C.

R

OME—With the coronavirus death toll now higher in Italy than anywhere else, two senior sports executives from the country issued emotional appeals Thursday to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to revise its stance over the Tokyo Games.

“I’m not against the Olympics. But saying that the Olympics will still go on is a big mistake in communication,” Giovanni Petrucci, who served as president of the Italian Olympic Committee for 14 years, said in an interview with The Associated Press.

“This pandemic is affecting the entire world,” Petrucci added, his voice breaking up with despair. “I know about the billion-dollar contracts, the insurance deals. I know it all. But human life is worth more than all of those things.”

Petrucci’s call came after regional Olympic officials rallied around the IOC’s stance on opening the Tokyo Games as scheduled on July 24.

“I don’t think I’m the only one who thinks this way.

Others just don’t want to say it,” said Petrucci, who is now president of the Italian basketball federation. “I don’t want to attack the IOC. There are too many people there that I know. But I don’t know what else to say. I’m not trying to create controversy. I’m a realist. Look at the medical bulletins.”

Athletes have also started questioning the IOC’s unwavering stance that the Olympics are still on.

Athleten Deutschland, the main advocacy group for German athletes, said Thursday that the IOC is “stubbornly moving ahead with the planning of the games,” even though competitors are struggling to stay fit with restrictions on their lifestyle due to the virus.

Italy, with a population of 60 million, has recorded at least 3,405 deaths, or roughly 150 more than in China—a country with a population over 20 times larger.

“There’s no country that hasn’t been affected. It’s a matter of respect toward those that are suffering,” Petrucci added, refusing to speculate whether the games should be canceled or postponed. “I’m not the one that should be saying. They should be saying this.”

Paolo Barelli, the president of the Italian and European swimming federations, suggested the IOC needs to decide on the games’ status by mid-April.

“By April 15, there will be some athletes who haven’t trained for two months,” Barelli told the AP. “Athletes are like clocks. They have to train and function impeccably. Many of them still have to qualify, so they need to train not only to qualify but also for the Olympics.

“So any date after mid-April becomes very complicated.”

All sports in Italy were suspended 10 days ago when the entire nation was placed under lockdown.

Events like the Olympic qualifying meet for the Italian swim team were postponed indefinitely.

The world champion Italian men’s water polo team has not trained for two weeks due to closed pools and more than half of Italy’s swimming squad has been forced to suspend training, according to Barelli.

“How long can they remain out of the water?” said Barelli, who is also vice president of the International Swimming Federation.

Top Italian swimmers like Federica Pellegrini and Gregorio Paltrinieri continue to train in Verona and Rome, respectively. But even they might have to get out of the water soon.

“Those that are lucky enough to have their pool open and near their homes can train. But if the pool is 100 or 200 kilometers away, how can they? The venues are operated by sports clubs and cities that can’t afford to keep them open for two or three people,” Barelli said.

Even if they could train, many athletes have simply lost focus while worrying more about relatives in the areas of northern Italy hardest hit by the virus.

“They’re not training in ideal conditions,” Barelli said. “If this situation continues like this into April, talking about the Olympics is ridiculous.”

THE plane carrying the Olympic flame arrives at the Japan Air Self-Defense Force Matsushima Base in Higashimatsushima in Miyagi Prefecture on Friday. AP

OLYMPIC FLAME ARRIVES IN TOKYO AMID DOUBTS M

ATSUSHIMA AIR BASE, Japan—The Olympic flame arrived in Japan on Friday from Greece in a scaled-down ceremony at an air base in northern Japan. The flame, carried in a special canister, touched down amid growing doubts if the Tokyo Games can open as scheduled on July 24 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Organizers and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) say it will, but postponement or cancellation is viewed increasingly as a possible option.

The flame reached Japan aboard a white aircraft painted with the inscription “Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Relay” along its side. It was greeted on the tarmac by a small contingent of organizing committee officials.

Two of Japan’s most famous Olympians—three-time

wresting gold medalist Saori Yoshida and three-time judo gold medalist Tadahiro Nomura—received the flame for the lighting ceremony.

The two climbed portable stairs and entered the aircraft before emerging holding the canister with a flame burning inside. They handed it over at the base of the stairs to organizing committee President Yoshiro Mori.

After Mori’s brief acceptance speech in a gusting wind, the two did the honors of lighting a large cauldron on the tarmac of the air base.

This is the northeastern part of Japan, located about 250 kilometers from Tokyo, that was devastated by the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and meltdown of three nuclear reactors that has left many still living in temporary quarters.

The flame will stay in northern Japan for almost a week

Game goes on Down Under, will others follow?

By Paul Newberry

T

The Associated Press

HERE’S an intriguing experiment going on Down Under.

The Australian Football League (AFL)—best known in the United States as an early staple of ESPN programming—eerily launched its season Thursday before an empty, 100,000-seat stadium.

It could be a potential template for other big-league sports around the globe to return to the fields and arenas quicker than we might’ve thought possible during the coronavirus outbreak.

Unlike most major sporting entities, Aussie rules football

MEDICAL personnel are deep at work in the intensive care unit of a hospital in Brescia, Italy. AP

has decided to take the field for a reduced schedule of games—17 games instead of the normal 22—that are essentially serving as television programming, since no fans are to be allowed into the stadiums until the pandemic is under control.

From the AFL’s perspective, the risk is worth it.

“We embark on this journey with clear instruction from the government that all industry and all parts of society need to keep moving forward,” AFL Chief Executive Gillon McLachlan said of the decision, which was reached just hours before a season unlike any other got the green light.

“We simply cannot stand still.”

A week into what has become essentially a worldwide shutdown for sports—other than a handful such as

I

entirety of the academic year soon followed.

The situation, when it comes to the pro sports at least, is different for the NBA and NHL. The playoffs were looming, roughly a month or so away. They’re on hold now, just like virtually everything else in the world, and the only opponent for the best basketball and hockey teams on the planet is an invisible foe called Covid-19—the coronavirus, a pandemic that has stopped the world on its axis.

“I’ve washed my hands so much,” Golden State Warriors General Manager Bob Myers said. “I’m not a big lotion guy, but my hands are getting dry, my knuckles are kind of bleeding. I think we’re all walking into this unknown.... It’s

professional bull riding, horse racing and mini-tour golf— the AFL’s insistence on taking the field could mark a hesitant but significant step toward the games resuming.

National Basketball Association (NBA) Commissioner Adam Silver, whose league is usually at the forefront of positive social change, signaled that the hoop game is considering steps toward an AFL-like return.

“People are stuck at home. They need a diversion. They need to be entertained,” Silver said in an interview with ESPN. Silver can’t say when games might tip off again.

But in hopes of avoiding the worst-case scenario, the NBA is considering an idea where some players would be quarantined or isolated for purposes of being able to

which might give some athletes advantages over others.

Worldwide the death toll surpassed 10,000 and infections topped 240,000, including 86,000 people who have recovered.

Japan has reported about 900 confirmed cases. The Japanese news agency Kyoto released a survey on Monday showing 69.9 percent of those questioned did not believe the Olympics will open as scheduled because of the virus.

The four-month torch relay could be fraught with problems, particularly for sponsors which have invested millions for the publicity.

The torch relay in Greece, following the symbolic lighting on March 12, was stopped during the second day and did not resume because of large crowds. Japanese organizers have asked crowds to be “restrained” and could stop or delay the relay if they are not. AP

compete against one another in empty arenas.

Of course, the cynics will say Silver and the AFL are more concerned with their own bottom lines than providing entertainment and economic stimulus to a world that has hit a collective pause button.

Indeed, the AFL conceded that it needed to at least start collecting its lucrative TV revenue to ensure the financial viability of some clubs. There has already been speculation that, like many businesses around the world, some teams won’t be able to carry on when the pandemic is over.

The AFL isn’t the only Australian circuit attempting to carry on. The National Rugby League and A-League soccer also decided to play games behind closed doors.

McLachlan said bluntly that the decision to open the season was made in part to to help “preserve our industry,” That may sound heartless and out of touch, but it is surely a reality for not just the AFL, but many leagues and teams around the world. AP

PLAYERS from Richmond and Carlton play their Australian Rules Football League game at an empty Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on Thursday. AP

Reality is nobody can say anything with any real level of certainty T has been just one week.

That’s all. Just one full week since Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for Covid-19, just one full week since the National Basketball Association (NBA) became the first of the North American pro sports leagues to suspend operations, one week since sports essentially stopped.

The National Hockey League (NHL) quickly followed the NBA’s lead and suspended play. Major League Soccer and Major League Baseball shuttered, as well. Golf lasted a day before deciding it couldn’t still play, and auto racing screeched to a halt before the weekend. The NCAA basketball tournaments were called off and college sports for the

until the torch relay begins officially on March 26 from Fukushima prefecture. It will be put on public display in the three prefectures most affected by the disaster—Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima.

Getting the flame to Japan represents a small victory for the IOC and local organizers, who maintain the Olympics will open on schedule followed by the Paralympics on August 25.

Even if they don’t, the burning flame could be used as a symbol—particularly if the games are eventually delayed—and a rallying point for the Japanese public.

In a conference call on Wednesday, IOC President Thomas Bach got support for holding course, but is also getting push back from athletes who can’t train, are confused about the qualification process, and worry about their health. Critics are also complaining about the unfairness of qualifying,

not something we’ve ever experienced. It’s not something we ever expected to experience.”

Yet here everyone is, entering a new reality.

POSITIVE TESTS

THERE are seven NBA players—four of them identified— known to have the virus. A member of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators has it as well. The NBA, according to a person with knowledge of the plan, knew it would have to shut down as soon as someone tested positive and hoped originally that it would only be for two weeks.

Forget two weeks now. At this point, two months seems

overly optimistic of a timetable.

“We just don’t know,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said last week. He offered a similar sentiment Wednesday night in an interview with ESPN. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and his staff were keeping track of the situation on a moment-by-moment basis while different contingency plans were being worked out. Bettman told the Board of Governors that once a player tested positive, all bets were off. The NBA had sent similar indicators.

THE GOBERT DOMINO CONNECTING the dots is impossible, simply because it’s unlikely to ascertain when or how Rudy Gobert or any other infected player got the virus.

The Jazz played at the New York Knicks on March 4. The

Washington Capitals played at the New York Rangers— using the same locker room that the Jazz did—the next night. The Detroit Pistons visited the Knicks on March 8, using that same locker room again; the Pistons’ Christian Wood tested positive about a week later. And the Tampa Bay Lightning went on the road to face the Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings, both times following the Jazz.

“The Lightning followed the Utah Jazz into arenas in Boston and Detroit this past weekend, moving into a locker room in Boston that had been occupied by the Jazz,” the Lightning said. “We know that in both arenas, deep cleaning and sanitization took place in our locker rooms prior to our arrival. We also understand that with no actual contact with an infected person, our risk levels are low.” A week ago, most probably thought the risks seemed low. AP

BusinessMirror

Editor: Gerard S. Ramos • lifestylebusinessmirror@gmail.com

Saturday, March 21, 2020 A9

This crisis is not just ‘Net�lix and chill’ PRIMETIME

DINNA CHAN VASQUEZ

MOBILE WALLET PLATFORM OFFERS WAYS TO SUPPORT FRONTLINE HEALTH WORKERS AND HOSPITALS

TOUTED as the leading mobile wallet in the Philippines, GCash encourages Filipinos to support the #FightCOVID19 campaign, a digital donation drive that aims to assist the frontline health workers and hospitals combat the dreaded novel coronavirus (Covid-19).

The donation drive, done via the GCash app, will provide GCash users with an avenue to support the ongoing collective initiative to mitigate the spread of the global pandemic in the country. By donating money via GCash, Filipinos no longer have to physically go to the offices of social groups or hospitals to support the fight against the deadly virus.

Proceeds of #FightCOVID19 will be equally divided among the seven non-government organization partners of GCash, namely: the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation, the Philippine Red Cross, World Vision, UP Medical Foundation, PGH Foundation, Inc., ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation, and Ayala Foundation.

These organizations have been helping efforts to curb the transmission of the virus since day one. Aside from providing high-risk individuals with aid, they are also supporting health workers that are at the forefront of the fight against Covid-19 by providing them with necessary personal protective equipment such as face masks to prevent risks of contracting the virus.

“Our platform is more than just a mobile wallet. It is a conduit of good that we can use in times of great need. We are encouraging GCash users to support the donation drive to help our frontline health workers #FightCOVID19,” GCash President Anthony Thomas said.

To send support, GCash users simply have to click on the “Pay Bills” icon in their GCash apps, choose the “Others” tab, and click “FightCOVID19.” GCash users should enter their name and the amount that they are donating to confirm their donation. #FightCOVID19 is part of GCash for Good, a corporate social responsibility program that taps into the inherent generosity of people to support good causes that benefit society.

Aside from donating, GCash also encourages Filipinos to leverage financial technology to reduce their risk of contracting Covid-19 from potentially contaminated paper money. GCash users may use their mobile wallets to purchase goods and services both online and offline, pay bills, and settle government dues, among others.

@dinnachanvasquez luckydinna@gmail.com

M

OST of us in Metro Manila are at home. Some are OK with it as they have stocks of food, medication, and cash and job security. For them, there’s GrabAssistant, GrabExpress, GrabFood and Lalamove to run errand and, buy food and other stuff.

Most people in Metro Manila are not okay. Many people who live in this crowded metropolis don’t have either job tenure or security. Not everyone gets to sit on a comfy couch and watch Netflix—that’s a luxury and a privilege. I mention Netflix because of a distasteful meme that said something like, “Your grandparents were called to war. All you need to do is sit on the couch and watch Netflix.”

If these people don’t go to work, they don’t get paid. I am not so privileged that I don’t know the harsh realities of life. The person who does my family’s laundry (who is paid above minimum wage for this job) is in that situation. The security guards of the buildings I go to are in that same plight. So are the workers who clean malls and buildings. So are delivery drivers. Those Grab and Lalomove riders only get paid when we order something. While we are privileged to stay in the comforts of our homes amid the coronavirus scare, they are not. They need to go out and work. Their stories should not inspire us. These stories should make us angry. Even being angry is not enough. As I write this, I saw a video of a delivery driver wearing a sanitary napkin on his face because he couldn’t buy a mask.

But I am glad all of humanity is not a lost cause.

Many celebrities have been doing their part to help.

The Office of the Vice President has provided point-to-point shuttle service for medical professionals and frontliners. So have city mayors like Vico Sotto of Pasig City (who realized that many of his constituents could not function without tricycles), Marcelino Teodoro of Marikina City, and Abby Binay of Makati City.

The SM Group announced that it was allocating P100 million to support the needs of the Philippine

General Hospital (PGH), Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) and other government hospitals. The group also reached out to the UP Medical Foundation in connection with this.

Through its subsidiary Ayala Healthcare Holdings (AC Health), Ayala Corp. distributed over 10,000 N95 masks to public hospitals, including PGH, RITM, San Lazaro Hospital, East Avenue Medical Center, Lung Center of the Philippines, Philippine Heart Center, National Kidney and Transplant Institute, Philippine Children’s Medical Center, Quezon City General Hospital, Quirino Medical Center, Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center and Ospital ng Maynila.

Many companies allowed their employees to work from home, including BUSINESSMIRROR. Ayala Corp. and the Manuel V. Pangilinan-led Metro Pacific Investments Corp. heeded Presidente Duterte’s for corporations to provide emergency packages for their employees.

In a Facebook post, Ayala Corp. Chairman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala said the company was setting up an “emergency response package” for its nearly 65,000 employees. The package consisted of “wages, bonuses, leave conversions and loan deferments.”

Ayala Corp. is spending P600 million so their employees will continue to get paid in full. This includes those they employ in shopping centers owned by Ayala Malls and Makati Development Corp., as malls were ordered shut for the duration of the enhanced community quarantine. Globe Telecom employees would also get assistance worth P270 million. Ayala Malls tenants are also exempted from paying rent for a month.

Meanwhile, Pangilinan tweeted that apart from continued pay and benefits, MPIC’s employees in PLDT Inc., Smart Communications and Manila Electric Co. will get their 13th month pay in full. The monthlong quarantine will not be charged to vacation and sick leaves of employees already working from their homes.

“Vitamins have been ordered for employees— especially for field personnel. Initially, around 500,000 vitamin tablets to be delivered starting tomorrow,” said Pangilinan.

Of course, there are donations and fundraisers by corporations, public figures and celebrities.

Actress Bela Padilla raised funds for street vendors affected by the lockdown. Dubbed “Pagkain Para sa Pinoy,” the fundraiser aimed to collect money for “our favorite taho, dirty ice cream and banana cue vendors” in Metro Manila’s 16 municipalities. When Padilla woke up on Wednesday morning, March 18, someone had donated P2 million through the GoGetFunding page she has put up. This has brought the amount

raised to P3.3 million as of Wednesday.

The Aboitiz Group, through its corporate social responsibility arm, Aboitiz Foundation Inc., said it was providing personal protection equipment (PPE), sanitizers and masks to medical personnel.

SM Investments Corp. also it said it was donating P100 million to assist health-care frontliners fighting the spread of the disease at the Philippine General Hospital and Research Institute for Tropical Sciences in Alabang, Muntinlupa.

It’s been nearly a week that people have been quarantined. We aren’t sure what will happen and it’s scary. I’m not a fatalist and I’m really not the type to hoard food, alcohol, toilet paper and masks. I would be OK with food that can last me and my family for a week at the most. And that’s okay with me. ■

virus first exploded, more than 80,000 people have been diagnosed and more than 58,000 have so far recovered. The screening web site is managed through Verily’s Project Baseline, an initiative to collect more information on people’s health to map and bolster community health.

Verily launched the screening web site quickly over the weekend after President Donald J. Trump gave an exaggerated and misleading account of it during a press conference Friday last week, before Verily had announced the project.

Verily announced the screening process in a blog post this weekend, saying it intends to start with the highest risk people in the Bay Area, and hopefully expand the service if testing becomes more

widely available.

“In these first few days of this pilot, we expect appointment availability to be limited as we stand up operations and that testing capacity will increase in the days to come,” a company spokesman said.

Another piece of the screening may give some people pause. Verily asks that users connect or create a Google account before it will screen them.

The company says this is to help schedule appointments and send test results, and that the information won’t be connected to other Google services without permission.

But it may still cause hesitation amid broader concerns about online privacy and the vast amount of data Google and other tech giants collect from users.

How to clean the bundle of germs that is your phone Google sibling Verily launches Covid-19 screening web site

BY TALI ARBEL | The Associated Press NEW YORK—You’re washing your hands countless times a day to try to ward off the coronavirus. You should also wash that extension of your hand and breeding ground for germs—your phone.

Tests done by scientists show that the virus can live for two to three days on plastic and stainless steel. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends cleaning all “high-touch” surfaces daily, including phones, keyboards and tablet computers.

But cleaning your phone improperly can damage it. You want to avoid getting moisture inside it or scratching the surface. Don’t spray cleaners directly on the phone, don’t dunk it in cleaning solutions, don’t spray it with compressed-air devices used to clean keyboards and avoid rubbing it with abrasive materials.

Instead, start by turning off the phone and unplugging all cables. Your phone shouldn’t be charging as you clean.

You can use Clorox wipes or wipes with 70 percent alcohol, which you can get at the drugstore, to wipe down your phone. Apple, which has cautioned against using household cleaners on its phones, says to do that “gently.” AT&T has further recommended wringing out disinfectant wipes before using them on a phone.

You can also use soft cloths to clean the phone, like a microfiber cleaning cloth or the cloths used to clean camera lenses or your glasses. Google says you can dip the cloth in soap and water, as long as you’re careful not to get moisture in the phone. AT&T says paper towels work, too. You can spray them with disinfectant.

Again, don’t spray the phone itself.

Samsung, the world’s biggest phone manufacturer, says it’s offering a free phone-sanitizing service involving UV light inside US Samsung stores and service centers. It will expand to other countries in the next few weeks.

The phone-cleaning step is one of many measures public-health authorities are recommending to try to slow the spread of the virus, which has infected 137,000 people worldwide. More than 5,000 have died. Most patients have only mild or moderate symptoms, but the elderly and people with existing health conditions are particularly vulnerable.

BY RACHEL LERMAN The Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO—Google sister company Verily has launched a web site to screen people who think they might have Covid-19 and point them to testing sites.

But you probably can’t use it to get tested quite yet.

Verily, a health tech company owned by Google parent Alphabet, launched the screening tool Sunday night for those that live in or near Santa Clara County and San Mateo County south of San Francisco.

As of Monday morning, the screening form said it was “unable to schedule more appointments at this time.” Verily said the actual testing is conducted by health care providers from different organizations and Verily is in charge of “clinical oversight.”

Some people won’t even get that far. Answering “yes” to having severe symptoms, for instance, leads the site to explain that “in-person Covid-19 testing through this program is not the right fit.” It then suggests medical attention.

The sites are “not prepared to provide medical attention,” a Verily spokeswoman said.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.

The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover. In mainland China, where the

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IdeaSpace launches Opportunity Fund

BY RIZAL RAOUL S. REYES IDEASPACE, a nonprofit organization supporting early-stage technology entrepreneurship in the Philippines, has formally launched an Opportunity Fund to invest in start-ups within and outside of the IdeaSpace portfolio.

Rene Meily, IdeaSpace president, said the Opportunity Fund is positioned as a vehicle for IdeaSpace to support founders and start-ups as they work to build stable, scalable and sustainable businesses. “We started the Opportunity Fund with the support of our chairman, Manuel V. Pangilinan, to widen our net and to find dynamic, investmentworthy start-ups within and beyond the IdeaSpace ecosystem, and to earn additional revenues to support IdeaSpace in the future,” Meily said in a press statement.

Furthermore, the Opportunity Fund aims to cater to early-stage start-ups, particularly to founders who may be looking for funding to help make key business and strategic decisions.

“IdeaSpace is looking for teams that have proven their ability to execute, their commitment to building and growing their start-up, their ability to secure and keep business, and their ability to manage their resources,” Meily explained.

“We are hoping that with the Opportunity Fund, we can bring the attention of more corporations, financial institutions, and investors to more Philippine start-ups that can take on larger, more long-term investments, be it through business partnerships or through additional funding.”

During the early stages of its Opportunity Fund, IdeaSpace first invested in Coins.ph for P1 million, eventually netting a five-fold return after the start-up was acquired by Indonesian tech platform provider Go-Jek. Since that initial investment, IdeaSpace has deployed its resources to its portfolio startups, which include 1Export, Experience Philippines, Cocotel, Airship,and TimeFree Innovations; and to start-ups outside of the IdeaSpace network such as Acudeen, and Qwikwire, “Our initial investment in Coins.ph showed us that there is another way for us to potentially support start-ups in their entrepreneurial journey,” noted IdeaSpace Executive Director Diane Eustaquio.

“Not all founders go into our acceleration program, and there’s still a lot of talent and leadership potential in the ecosystem. The Opportunity Fund is a way for us to support those founders, and through our investment, show them that they’re on the right track.”

She said the accelerator is now looking for startups to invest in through its Opportunity Fund, as part of its efforts to grow its own resources while supporting founders as they pursue technopreneurship.

Meily stressed that IdeaSpace evaluates start-ups in areas, such as business model, traction, financials, and team competencies. With the Opportunity Fund, he said IdeaSpace hopes to help start-ups secure the resources they need to grow their business.

TELECOMMUTING COULD HELP CURB THE CORONAVIRUS EPIDEMIC

RECENT surveys from both the National Household Transportation Survey and the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate that around 29 percent of the United States work force has the option to work at home, and around 15 percent usually does so.

Working from home pays a double dividend during a pandemic. First, it can help to limit the spread of the highly contagious coronavirus. This supports organizations’ efforts to limit travel and major public events, and more assertive efforts by governments in badly affected regions to restrict population movement altogether. Restricting travel and canceling events have substantial costs at a time when businesses are already dealing with absences due to illnesses. Allowing people to work from home can help cut some of these losses.

There are many jobs that can be conducted only at a place of work. For example, a dentist can perform a root canal only at an office, a bus driver must drive a bus, and a longshoreman must travel to a port.

However, recent advances in digital technologies, software and networks have made working from home much easier. Now many can conduct all or a portion of their work at home, and the data show that some workers from all occupations and industries work from home at some point during the week. What this means is that even the most physical of industries have some jobs or portions of jobs that can be conducted remotely, even if part-time.

Researchers estimate that at least 50 percent of the work force has a job that is compatible with working at home for a portion of the week, such as those in sales, legal, media and military occupations. This work force could contribute to the economy and limit their exposure to the coronavirus.

The limited uptake of working at home has more to do with managerial resistance than the type of work itself. When organizations come together and government provides the necessary resources, flexible workplace strategies have been successful in helping ease traffic during major events, such as the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and maintaining government services during catastrophic weather events, such as Snowmageddon in 2010. THE CONVERSATION

THE US Internet won’t get overloaded by spikes in traffic from the millions of Americans now working from home to discourage the spread of the new coronavirus, experts say.

But connections could stumble for many if too many family members try to videoconference at the same time. AP

US Internet well-equipped to handle work from home surge

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BY FRANK BAJAK The Associated Press

OSTON—The US Internet won’t get overloaded by spikes in traffic from the millions of Americans now working from home to discourage the spread of the new coronavirus, experts say. But connections could stumble for many if too many family members try to videoconference at the same time.

Some may have to settle for audio, which is much less demanding of bandwidth.

Separately, Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia on Saturday applauded announcements by several major US Internet providers for taking temporary measures—including the suspension of data caps, free public Wi-Fi and free broadband for households with children who lack it—designed to better accommodate remote access for students, workers and public health officials.

He and 17 other colleagues, Democrats and independents, had called for such measures in a letter on Thursday to CEOs of AT&T, Charter, Comcast, Cox, Verizon, CenturyLink, Sprint and T-Mobile.

The core of the US network is more than capable of handling the virus-related surge in demand because it has evolved to be able to easily handle bandwidth-

greedy Netflix, YouTube and other streaming services.

“The core of the network is massively overprovisioned,” said Paul Vixie, CEO of Farsight Security and an Internet pioneer who helped design its domain naming system. But if parents are videoconferencing for work at the same time college and high school students are trying to beam into school, they could experience congestion. Figure a packet-dropping threshold of five or more users. That’s because the so-called last mile is for most Americans provisioned for cable—download capacity is robust but upload limited. Fiber optic connections don’t have the same issues and will do fine.

Italy’s Internet saw a 30-percent spike in peakhour traffic early this past week after the government sent everyone home into isolation, said Matthew Prince, CEO of Cloudflare, which shapes and secures Internet traffic for web sites, more than 10 percent of which sit behind its network.

Prince said in an interview on Friday that Cloudflare saw no evidence, however, that the Italian Internet has gotten any slower. World Cup soccer matches have posed a greater burden.

Peak Internet usage times in nations where work has shifted from the office to home due to Covid-19 have also shifted—from about dinner time to about 11 am. Prince says it happened in Italy and South Korea

and expects the same in the US. Traffic has spiked 10 percent to 20 percent during peak hours since the first week of February in greater Seattle, the US metropolitan region hardest-hit by Covid-19, according to Cloudflare.

The sudden, unanticipated surge in millions of remote workers has forced companies to scramble to boost their capacity for secure connections through virtual private networks, said Patrick Sullivan, chief technical officer for security at Akamai, a major IT provider for business and government.

The surge is creating some temporary bottlenecks.

But because so much of computing has moved to cloud services, the shift doesn’t pose much of an on-site burden for companies, said Sullivan, with bottlenecks typically cleared in minutes or hours.

But some conference calling and chat services have been overwhelmed.

A call-in press conference arranged by Oregon Gov. Kate Brown’s office on Friday crashed twice because of the high volume of callers to the AT&T teleconferencing center.

Brown’s office said in a news release that the cause was the large number of people using the tele-meeting call center and that “similar issues and demand are being reported across the country.”

The conference call worked the third time. ■

RAKUTEN VIBER DOUBLES MAXIMUM NUMBER OF GROUP CALL PARTICIPANTS IN WAKE OF CORONAVIRUS THE Philippines is now in a state of public health emergency due to the Covid-19 epidemic. Now, there are 52 confirmed cases, as of March 12, and countless people being quarantined after exposure. Deputy Speaker Luis Raymund Villafuerte Jr. encouraged companies to consider adapting a work-from-home scheme to control the spread of the virus, and several have followed suit.

In fact, working from home has never been a more realistic option. People can work remotely with their computers and smartphones, staying as productive as ever while keeping themselves safe. With apps like Viber, for instance, you can work from home with maximum efficiency and punctuality.

Here are just some of the ways the popular messaging app can help you get things done amid the Covid-19 outbreak.

■ HAVE MEETINGS THROUGH GROUP CALL. Since Covid-19 can spread easily in large groups, it’s best to restrict your company brainstorming sessions to voice calls. Group calls are a great way to bypass the risk of meetings. Viber recently doubled the number

of people who could participate in group calls to help everyone stay connected despite Covid-19.

Now, Viber group calls can support up to 10 people at once—enough room for even the most important meetings.

“We’re committed to finding more ways for people to connect in groups during this challenging time without having to be physically in the same place.

With more people working remotely, in response to the spread of the coronavirus, we want to do our part in order to ensure that people have a safe and secure environment to stay connected with loved ones, and to be able to continue to do their jobs from wherever they are,” said Ofir Eyal, chief operating officer of Rakuten Viber.

■ SEND BIG FILES. Viber supports easy file-sharing, so you can send your coworkers and business partners important reports and presentations quickly. Files up to 200MB can be directly shared within the app. For even bigger files, you can share links to cloud services on your Viber chat.

■ WORK SEAMLESSLY ON THE DESKTOP. The desktop

version of Viber also supports chats and calls, letting you meet coworkers and clients from the security of your home. It also has a cool screen sharing feature, which lets you share what you’re doing on your computer screen to your contacts. This is really useful when you want to watch a video together, or when you want to give them a quick tutorial of a work app you like.

■ CALL ANYONE, ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD. Nowadays, everyone is wary of international travel.

If you need to get in touch with contacts who can’t make the trip to you, use Viber Out, which lets you call any cell phone or landline in the world for just $8.99 a month.

With Viber’s convenient features, it’s still business as usual, even if everyone’s working from home. On top of keeping your data secure and private, Viber helps you keep your health in check, too.

To stay updated on the Covid-19 situation, you can follow top news organizations like CNN Philippines on Viber Communities to get credible stories and announcements as they happen.

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Mobile wallet use could help prevent Covid-19 spread

BY RODERICK L. ABAD Contributor AT the onset of the deadly novel coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), the public is advised to sanitize their hands regularly whenever they hold money or use contactless payments.

This is because, according to the World Health Organization, bills can carry the viruses and bacteria for several days, including Covid-19.

It added that banknotes may harbor the virus for several days, thus having the potential to get a person infected. Studies have also revealed that human coronaviruses stay on the surface of paper money for as long as nine days at room temperature.

Hence, the WHO suggested the public to turn to contactless payment options to lessen the health risks related to cash handling and the circulation of paper bills. A more popular form of contactless payment in the Philippines is the so-called financial technology (fintech), which has been available here for more 10 years now. Since its introduction, fintech has enabled end-users to transact with physical and online stores via their mobile phones, providing a frictionless mode of payment.

G-Xchange Inc., the leading mobile wallet provider in the country via GCash, believes that it can contribute to contain the spread of Covid-19 by encouraging Filipinos to use digital financial tools to reduce contact with potentially contaminated money.

“Through frictionless payments such as that of mobile digital finance, we are removing potential health risks related to cash handling. We at GCash believe that this is the most opportune time for Filipinos to consider cashless payment options for their transactions,” said Anthony Thomas, president and chief executive officer of Globe Fintech Innovations Inc. Apart from its use as a digital payments facility for online transactions, GCash wallets may are also used to pay for physical transactions in 70,000 merchants nationwide.

Consumers can buy their groceries from its partner Puregold; or their on-the-go needs from convenience store chain 7-Eleven.

Both retail chains use the Scan-to-Pay via Barcode payment system, wherein customers need only to generate a unique barcode via their GCash apps and have the cashier scan the code via the scanner guns.

Also, GCash users may also use their digital wallets to buy medicines and vitamins from Mercury Drug, food and other supplies from Lazada, and their meals at various restaurants and food kiosks nationwide. “We are one with the government and private groups in pursuing measures to prevent the global pandemic from spreading further. We hope that through our platform, we are helping Filipinos reduce the risk of having contact with the virus,” Thomas said.

FACEBOOK, MICROSOFT, GOOGLE TEAM UP AGAINST VIRUS MISINFORMATION

BY MARK GURMAN Bloomberg News FACEBOOK Inc, Alphabet Inc.’s Google, Microsoft Corp., Twitter Inc. and Reddit said they are teaming up to provide accurate information about the coronavirus and the Covid-19 illness it causes.

“We’re helping millions of people stay connected while also jointly combating fraud and misinformation about the virus, elevating authoritative content on our platforms, and sharing critical updates in coordination with government health-care agencies around the world,” according to a joint statement from the companies issued on Monday.

Microsoft’s LinkedIn and Google’s YouTube also are part of the group.

The technology giants and social networks said other companies are welcome to join their efforts.

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy on Monday also said it “has convened, and will continue to, a number of meetings with different groups of American tech companies and industry associations as part of our whole-ofAmerica response to Covid-19.”

Some of the companies, including Facebook and YouTube, earlier pledged to fight misinformation before Monday’s announcement.

Home office retailers say PC monitors and webcams are selling out

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BY IAN KING Bloomberg News

HE coronavirus pandemic is spurring purchases of computer monitors, keyboards and webcams as millions of workers are forced to turn dining tables, spare rooms and other domestic space into home offices.

Many of the world’s largest companies have told employees to work from home, and several areas are imposing stricter limitations on movement. That’s causing people to rush out and buy items they’re used to having at the office.

Michael Thompson, an account executive at start-up Human Interest, was in an Office Depot in Silicon Valley on Sunday morning trying to buy a monitor. His company is letting employees expense up to $100 for this home-office equipment.

He asked a salesman about 27-inch models, but they were sold out.

“I’ll just go to Best Buy,” Thompson said.

“Best Buy is sold out and they’re sending people here,” the salesman replied. Thompson ending up getting a 24-inch monitor made by Acer Inc. for $99—one of six monitors available for sale in the store at the time.

Demand from Thompson and other workers is a rare bright spot for the technology industry as it faces a slump in economic activity and supply-chain disruptions from the pandemic.

About 14 percent of people planning to work from home are buying new tech equipment, according to an online survey with more than 3,000 respondents by CivicScience on Monday.

Samsung Electronics Co., LG Electronics Inc., AU Optronics Corp. and BOE Technology Group supply the displays that go into monitors sold by companies such as HP Inc., Dell Technologies Inc. and Acer. Microsoft Corp. and Logitech International SA dominate the market for high-end keyboards and mice favored by tech workers.

“Logitech is one of the best-positioned companies in the face of a global pandemic, as its products enhanced a person’s ability to be both entertained and productive at home,” Wedbush Securities analysts wrote in a recent note to investors. “As more people choose to or are encouraged to work from home, we expect demand to surge for Logitech’s Creativity & Productivity products, along with Video Collaboration.”

Logitech shares edged higher in Swiss trading on Monday, while most European stocks slumped on concern about the pandemic. On Tuesday, Logitech jumped 3.4 percent.

HP said on Tuesday that demand for its products “is holding” and its factories are “steadily coming online.” The company is monitoring customer needs as circumstances change, it said in a statement.

The Office Depot on Geary Boulevard in San Francisco was mostly sold out of monitors on

Saturday. “It’s just like toilet paper and hand sanitizer,” said a salesman.

Some of the top product searches on Amazon. com Inc. last week were for hand sanitizer and other products to prevent the spread of the virus, but webcams and monitors are shooting up the rankings now, according to analysis by Marketplace Pulse.

“Computer monitor” rose 410 spots and “webcam” shot up 1,297 places on the list of most widely used search terms, according to the market researcher.

Docking stations from Dell and Microsoft, which connect laptops to monitors and other tech gear, have also risen the ranks of best sellers in Amazon’s electronics categories.

The personal computers at the center of all this new gadgetry are mostly being brought home from workers’ offices. That will likely limit any PC sales bump. Many people already have laptops at home, too.

“Most large organizations provide knowledge workers with company laptops regardless of location,” said Mikako Kitagawa, an analyst at research firm Gartner.

Before the virus outbreak caught hold in Europe and the US, IDC analyst Jitesh Ubrani was estimating that PC shipments would drop 8.4 percent in the first quarter.

“I don’t think it’s enough to turn the PC market around,” he said.

WITH ASSISTANCE FROM TOM GILES, ANNE CRONIN AND RYAN VLASTELICA

KonsultaMD offers zero-rated Globe/TM mobile access to telehealth hotline WITH many people getting concerned about their health due to the continuous spread of Covid-19, Globe and TM customers who subscribed to KonsultaMD may now get in touch with a doctor via the 79880 telehealth hotline without incurring mobile call charges.

Maridol D. Ylanan, CEO of Global Telehealth Inc. which runs KonsultaMD, said the company has decided to remove the P1 per minute charge for calls to the 79880 mobile hotline to make it easier for the public to avail of medical advice anytime they want to.

“We want access to trained and licensed medical practitioners to be as easy, affordable and convenient as possible for every Filipino especially these days when many people are afraid to leave their homes or visit the hospital because of Covid-19. Since there is no physical interaction with our doctors, our

customers avoid exposure from other illnesses when they seek advice for their health-related symptoms or queries,” she said.

KonsultaMD is equipped with modules and internal protocols in handling different health issues including Covid-19 and provides a telephone triage or a means of determining the urgency of the situation, whether it is an emergency or non-emergency.

Its team of doctors can also provide general health information, guidance and specific measures, interim care and self-care recommendations, reading of laboratory and diagnostic results, health coaching and nutrition counseling, and permissible medication.

KonsultaMD offers unlimited immediate access to doctors 24/7 through flexible and affordable plans such as an individual subscription fee of P15 a week or P60 a month for Globe Prepaid and TM customers,

deductible from their prepaid load.

For Globe Postpaid customers, they have the option to subscribe to a P99 per week plan which may be extended to one additional family member or P150 per month with four extensions, chargeable to their monthly bill. Non-Globe and TM customers may also avail of KonsultaMD services through a one-year subscription of P150 per month for group, or P60 a month for individual, payable via credit card or mobile money, and subject to regular cellphone charges if call is via mobile.

Subscriptions may be done by visiting www. konsulta.md, or calling 79880 toll-free via mobile (for Globe/TM customers) or (02) 7798-8000.

KonsultaMD is under 917Ventures, the largest corporate incubator in the Philippines and a wholly owned subsidiary of Globe Telecom.

Editor: Gerard S. Ramos • lifestylebusinessmirror@gmail.com

BusinessMirror

Saturday, March 21, 2020 A12

Twitter escalates moderation of misleading content around virus

BY VLAD SAVOV Bloomberg News TWITTER Inc. said on Wednesday that it’s expanding its content moderation rules to capture more forms of misinformation around the novel coronavirus, following a similar escalation of measures from Facebook Inc. earlier in the day.

The company will require users to remove tweets that deny expert guidance, encourage fake or ineffective treatments and preventions, or falsely purport to be from experts or authorities. The goal is to capture anything “that increases the chance that someone contracts or transmits the virus,” it tweeted.

Twitter will also take action against claims alleging that particular groups or nationalities are more susceptible to Covid-19, calling out anyone suggesting that Chinese people are more likely to have the disease.

For its part, Facebook is putting a Covid-19 information page at the top of users’ feeds and disseminating verified material from trusted sources such as the World Health Organization. The two social-media giants are focal points for discussion of the issue, which spans the spectrum from helpful and informative to harmful and malicious.

Twitter has historically been reluctant to remove or censor tweets, and it continues to use similar language, calling its measures an effort to “protect the conversation.” But the company is now broadening its definition of harm to include more categories of potentially misleading content and act upon them.

It’s also increasing its use of automated moderation, echoing a move adopted by Facebook and Google’s YouTube. WITH ASSISTANCE FROM KURT WAGNER.

Lockdown 3:16: We are not on a holiday TECHNIVORE ED UY

whereiseduy@gmail.com

‘J SAP RECOGNIZED BY BLOOMBERG GENDER-EQUALITY INDEX FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE YEAR

SAP SE (www.sap.com) has been selected for inclusion in the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index in 2020, the second consecutive year that the company has received this recognition. The Bloomberg GEI recognizes companies committed to transparency in gender reporting and advancing women’s equality.

Gender equality is a core company value at SAP and a priority for becoming the most inclusive software company on the planet and maintaining its competitiveness. SAP set out to increase women in management in 2011 by establishing a target of having 25 percent women in leadership by 2017, and 30 percent by 2022. SAP hit its goal of 25 percent women in leadership six months ahead of schedule in June 2017, and as of December 2019 it reached 26.4 percent. The inclusion in the 2020 Bloomberg Index follows SAP’s recertification for Economic Dividends for Gender Equality (EDGE), a global standard, in October 2018.

Bloomberg’s Gender-Equality Index uses a standardized reporting framework that provides public companies with the opportunity to disclose how they promote gender equality in four separate areas: company statistics, policies, community engagement, and products and services. Companies that score above a globally established threshold are included in the GEI. The index helps meet the demand from a growing number of investors to incorporate environmental, social and governance data into their daily investment decisions.

Currently, only 10 percent of eligible companies disclose their workplace gender policies and practices.

Over the last few years, the number of women hired and promoted at SAP, together with the percentage of women in leadership positions across the company, has been on an upward trend.

UST stay home.”

The message was clear, but the repercussions couldn’t be more complicated.

As I wrote last week, I feared that Metro Manila would go into lockdown because of the coronavirus, and I was right. Last Monday, President Duterte further expanded the community quarantine in Metro Manila to include the entire Luzon—home to more than half of the country’s 107 million population.

The President went off script (again,) mumbling at times as he tried to desperately explain in the simplest of terms the gravity of the situation and to appeal for understanding.

With the enhanced quarantine in place, work in many sectors has been suspended, as well as all mass transportation until April 14. Malls and offices are closed and the only ones exempted are businesses, services and activities related to the production or provision of food, medicine and health, banking and finance, public utilities and mass media.

As of Wednesday night, there were already 202 confirmed cases, 17 deaths, 338 PUIs (Person Under Investigation), and 2,825 PUMs (Person Under Monitoring), according to the nCoV tracker web site.

The enhanced community quarantine comes with more stringent measures in place, such us strict home quarantine for all households; regulation of the provision of food and essential health services; and the heightened presence of uniformed personnel to enforce quarantine procedures.

If implemented fully, the Philippine quarantine would be among the strictest in place in Asia.

Unfortunately, even with the enhanced quarantine in place, I’ve been seeing a lot of people on the streets, some just jogging and walking around, mingling with neighbors and some even playing basketball, which I think negates the purpose of a lockdown.

My fellow Filipinos, if you still don’t get the message, we are not on a holiday.

We are trying to avoid getting more people infected and, as you’ve probably heard or read from the news, no one is safe or immune from Covid-19.

SOCIAL-MEDIA DISTANCING, SIFTING

MY friend Ferds Bondoy, who is the director of ComCo Asia, posted this message on his Facebook wall:

“Aside from social distancing, do social media distancing. Let’s protect ourselves from the virus, on ground and online. Beware of trolls and tards. Let’s arm ourselves with truth and facts.

Check legit sources, not our fellows’ biases. Do follow, but don’t be hollow and shallow. Practice obedience with intelligence. Lastly, wash hands, literally not figuratively. Champion humanity with accountability.”

I couldn’t agree more.

We’ve never been as both connected and isolated as we are now, and that means we should be extra careful with what we believe and share on our social-media sites.

So before you click on that share button, make sure the information, tip, or “news” you are about to share is indeed from legit sources, and remember that just because it has been shared thousands or millions of times doesn’t mean that its true.

For example, I read a post that said “social distancing is only for the elderly and those with highrisk conditions.” The truth is all of us need to keep a safe distance away from each other.

The reason why there’s a quarantine in place and why there’s a need for physical distancing is to slow down transmission and protect individuals, especially the most vulnerable.

But since all of us can become infected and transmit the virus, we each have to do our part to try and slow down that transmission by staying away from crowded places, reducing the number of physical contacts we have, and avoiding people who are coughing or sneezing.

The last pasalubong you’d want to bring home to your family is a spray of the coronavirus.

The last time I went outside, everyone was wearing a face mask, but know that the coronavirus is not only spread from coughing and sneezing. There are actually three modes of transmission—large droplets from coughing/sneezing, contact with contaminated surfaces, and breathing in an airborne virus. So besides washing your hands and dousing yourself in alcohol, remember to disinfect the surfaces you often touch, as well.

I’m also quite sure that your private messages or group chats are filled with lots of coronavirus tips— from that obviously redubbed newscast about the banana as a cure, to drinking small amounts of bleach.

OMG! Spreading such wrong information brings a false sense of security, and can prove to be even more dangerous than Covid-19, so please be careful.

Did you receive that e-mail supposedly from the Stanford Hospital board advising you to taking a few sips of water every 15 minutes at least to kill the virus?

Stanford Medicine has denied the e-mail, according to web site The Verge. The web site also debunked several other tips that have been spreading faster than the virus.

“Even if the virus gets into your mouth, drinking water or other liquids will wash them down through

your throat and into the stomach. Once there, your stomach acid will kill all the virus”—again, a totally bogus claim.

How about checking if you have the virus by holding your breath for 10 seconds? “If you complete it successfully without coughing, without discomfort, stiffness or tightness, etc., it proves there is no fibrosis in the lungs, basically [indicating there’s] no infection.”

Unfortunately, this is again false, although it can check if you are anxious or have respiratory compromise.

Apparently the coronavirus also “hates the sun” and isn’t “heat-resistant,” another message reads. It can be “killed by a temperature of just 26 degrees or 27 degrees,” (roughly 78 degrees Fahrenheit). This is again is not entirely true, so don’t expect the hot summer sun to finish off the virus.

And, perhaps, the scariest and most misleading one: social distancing for a period of a month or so may be enough to stop the epidemic permanently. We are all hoping and praying that this quarantine ends on April 14, as scheduled, but stopping the spread of the virus and permanently ending it are two different things. Even if the numbers go down and there are no new cases, there is still a long way to go from totally eliminating this deadly virus, unless we finally discover a vaccine or cure. Proper hygiene, avoiding close contact, and continued disinfection of our surroundings should be the norm.

The next time you get a Covid-19 message that seems too good to be true, validate it first before resharing it. Trust only the credible sites such as the web site of the World Health Organization and our official government web sites. Smart has already expanded the list of free sites you can access amid Covid-19 concerns.

Initially, the telco provided free access to the web sites of the Department of Health (www.doh.gov.ph), particularly its Covid-19 Tracker (ncovtracker.doh.gov. ph), and the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph). The two web sites provide official information and updates on the number and locations of PUIs, as well as advisories on what to do and how to stay protected.

Subscribers of Smart, Sun and TNT can now also visit the official web sites of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (www.ndrrmc. gov.ph) and Philippine Information Agency (pia.gov.ph) for free on their mobile phones. Smart, Sun, and TNT users can also still make calls without being charged to the 911 Emergency Hotline and 8888 Citizens’ Complaint Center.

PLDT, on the other hand, is giving a free speed boost to its Fibr customers in Metro Manila, as well as Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal. Now the minimum speed will be 25 Mbps allowing you to work from home more efficiently and stay connected to those who matter.

Next week: The Do’s and Don’ts of Disinfecting your Devices and “Influential” insensitivity. ■