Malaya Business Insight June 02_20

Business Insight Malaya

BUSINESS NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR ROTARY CLUB OF MANILA RY 2017-2018

VOL. XXXVIII

1 SECTION

Gov’t raises P26B from Tbills BUSINESS

www.malaya.com.ph

12 PAGES

Bloomberry loses appeal at SG court

Page A2

BUSINESS

Page A2

TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2020

Survivors (not) ready!

By Abigail Valte

OPINION

P 25.00/copy

Dyip bristling to plunge into action SPORTS

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50% OF WORKERS DISPLACED

Business off to chaotic start Manufacturing decline softens

in April when the lockdown had its greatest impact on production.

“Yet conditions have still not recovered, with restrictions in the capital and other cities broadly the same since April, in part leading to another sharp fall in new order volumes,” Owen said.

“Only the lifting of measures in rural areas helped to slow the decline. Employment continued to drop amid excess capacity, further hampering demand conditions,” he added.

The report said employment was reduced for the four th time in five months during May. “Businesses largely related the fall to weaker sales and restrictions to output, with many panelists operating with minimal employee numbers.

The fall in new orders meant that capacity to complete backlogs remained sufficient, although outstanding work dropped only marginally and at the softest pace in over four years,” it said.

“Looking forward, the degree of sentiment regarding output in a year’s time continued to improve from March’s nadir, as companies were encouraged by a partial easing of lockdown measures and COVID-19 cases being kept under control. Firms hoped that the introduction of new products would also drive activity higher,” it added.

By Angel a Celis

The Philippines’ manufacturing sector posted a softer decline in operating conditions in May, amid the easing of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID19)-related lockdown measures in some regions, according to the latest report of IHS Markit.

The report released yesterday said the Philippines’ Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index rose to 40.1 in May, from a record low of 31.6 in April.

Despite the improvement, the paper said the reading still pointed to a sharp deterioration in operating conditions across the manufacturing sector, the third in as many months.

“Production levels were subdued due to lockdown measures remaining broadly in place across the Philippines. However, repor ts of the par tial easing of restrictions in rural areas led to a less severe decline than that seen in April, with some businesses able to restart operations,” it said.

“That said, ongoing social distancing led to capacity being much lower than normal, while weak new order volumes often discouraged firms from raising output,” it added.

David Owen, economist at IHS Markit, pointed out the headline index picked up a n d wa s mu ch h i g h e r t h a n

g PMI®

it to output from

PH Manufacturing index

Philippines Manufacturing PMI

sa, >50 = improvement since previous month

60 55 50 45 40 35 30 '16

'17

'18

'19

'20

Source: IHS Markit.

Employers predict business will not have a semblance of normalcy until after six months as they assess the impact of the new coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on their operations.

Coming from a lockdown of more than two and a half months yesterday, business especially the micro, small and medium-sized ones resumed operations to a chaotic start.

Sergio Ortiz-Luis, president of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines, said workers had a hard time going to work due to the lack of transportation.

Ortiz-Luis said with social distancing the norm, he expects companies to maintain just 50 percent of their workforce over the short-term.

He said some companies which cannot afford to provide shuttle services or housing to their workers are likely to reopen once public transportation has increased its capacity.

Ortiz-Luis, also president of the Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc., said some companies are awaiting approval and release of their government assistance and loans before they restart.

“That will take a while. They Workers ride their bikes to work in Makati City yesterday as lockdown in Metro Manila eases. (Rhoy Cobilla)

E-commerce to drive growth The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said efficient and affordable ecommerce can help sustain the Philippine economy and drive growth, as the country continues to manage the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) risks and prepares for the new normal.

“Online shopping and marketing platforms will play bigger role in the new normal as businesses and consumers increase the use of electronic transactions, including cashless payment system and other financial technology platforms,” Karl Kendrick Chua, NEDA acting secretary, said in a statement yesterday.

The NEDA-led Inter-agency Task Force Technical Working Group for Anticipatory and Forward Planning’s recent consumer survey showed that many had

difficulty in accessing goods and services because of the closure of business establishments, imposition of early curfews and lack of public transportation.

“Businesses need to innovate and make full use of technology to resume operations and cater to consumer needs and preferences while still managing risks of Covid-19 infection,” Chua said.

Among the recommended legislative actions contained in the We Recover as One report is to revisit the Electronic Commerce Act of 2000 to make it more comprehensive in detailing transactions covered by the law, specifying the rights of consumers and strengthening the penalties imposed on service providers.

“Businesses need to make online shopping easy, affordable, and secure for consumers so that they

Comment

Commenting on the latest survey results, Davidfreeze Owen, Oil mixed Price on medicines pushed Economist at IHS Markit, said: after 4 weeks European Chamber of Com- view of the new coronavirus dis- cal devices companies have to ofPhilippines hikesPMI signalledThe "The a softer decline in (ECCP) ease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic be provided with real data and merce of the Philippines

has manufacturing recommended thesector imposition operating conditions across the of a temporary freeze on in May. headlineweeks index picked up and wasprice much After fourThe consecutive medicines covered by the maxiof hikes, oil than price in movements arethe lockdown had its greatest higher April when mum drug retail price (MDRP). mixedimpact after global crude went up on production.

ECCP in a statement said it rec-

due to hopes the trade deal between that the implementation the United States and China "Yet conditions have would still not ommends recovered, with restrictions of Executive Order (EO) No. 104 remain in intact. the capital and other citieslowering broadlyprices the same since of some medicines According the Department of April, intopart leading to another sharp fall in new order should be rescinded.

Energy (DOE), the latest average The group said areas the price freeze volumes. of measures in rural Manila price perOnly literthe of lifting gasoline can be invoked as the country helped thediesel decline. to is in (RON95) is to at slow P43.27, at Employment continued a public health emergency.

P31.98 andamid kerosene at P33.39. drop excess capacity, further hampering demand EO 104 or Improving Access to Shell and Seaoil adjusted the per conditions.

Healthcare through the Regulation liter price of gasoline downward by of Prices in after the Retail of Drugs began to inflate in May marked P0.20;"Price dieselpressures and kerosene moved and Medicines took effect May 18. upward

by P0.25during and P0.80, decreases Marchreand April.

Rawthe material prices It lowers prices of 135 medispectively. rose slightly as reductions in global supply started to Phoenix Petroleum and PTT cines by 45 to 55 percent of their current These include hyoutweigh lead prices. to difficulties in cut the cost of weaker gasoline demand

by P0.20 and pertension, diabetes, anti-asthma, acquiring inputs.

Output prices also increased, but firms per liter but increased the price of anti- coagulant, anti-depressant, dieseltried

by P0.25 per liter. to keep charge inflationand low,anti-viral hopingmedicines. this would encourage an improvement in sales once demand Pharmaceutical companies have .......................................... conditions See have returned asked for a review of the EO in OIL Page A2to normal."

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See BUSINESS Page A2

which had raised the cost of medicines globally.

The ECCP supports the industry’s plea for government to expand its pooled procurement and multi-year contracts to increase volume of healthcare products as a way of increasing availability of medicines at reasonable prices.

The group also urged government to institutionalize price negotiation based on sound review of medicine prices and economic viability of reduced prices of pharmaceutical products.

ECCP said to help healthcare companies cope with the repercussions brought about by the pandemic, “we urge the Philippine government to explore sustainable approaches to improving access to medicines and medical equipment.”

It said pharmaceutical and medi-

forecasts on the product demand that needs to be met in the coming months.

“We recommend the establishment of guidelines on the entry, use, and dispensing of medicines and medical equipment. In connection with this, we prescribe the implementation of a set of procurement guidelines that adapts to the ongoing health crisis, allowing for the expedited channel in purchasing and acquiring diagnostics and medicines used to treat COVID-19,” ECCP said.

The group underscored the increasingly important role that research-based pharmaceutical and medical device companies play to help address the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We call for the implementation ..........................................

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need not go out to buy what they need and want,” Chua said.

Chua added investments in ICT infrastructure will also have to be boosted to meet the surge of online transactions and the consumers’ expectations for reliable digital connectivity.

Financial institutions are also encouraged to implement better cybersecurity measures and regulations for both consumers and merchants/establishments.

In addition, changes in consumer preferences such as the rising demand for safe and nutritious food would require strict enforcement of food safety laws, regulations, standards and sanitation protocols.

To help protect consumers from loss and uncertainty, information and education campaign on insurance policies will also be needed.

“The passage of the Financial

Consumer Protection Bill will provide the regulatory framework to protect the interest of financial consumers and reinforce confidence in financial markets,” Chua said.

Meanwhile, in a separate statement yesterday, Carlos Dominguez, Department of Finance secretary, reiterated that restarting “Build, Build, Build” projects, especially those located in rural areas, will be the best way to revive the economy because of infrastructure spending’s high multiplier effect of raising incomes, stimulating demand and generating new jobs and businesses.

The “Build, Build, Build” program will not only rev up the economy, but will also fix the country’s weak infrastructure and

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See E-COMMERCE Page A2

Stocks cheer easing of lockdown in MM Share prices ended higher yesterday on investors’ optimism over the reopening of businesses after a long period of lockdown.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) was up 91.83 points or by 1.56 percent to 5,930.17.

The broader all shares index was up 52.52 points or by 1.52 percent to 3,510.22.

Gainers edged losers 127 to 63 with 37 stocks unchanged. Trading turnover reached P6.98 billion.

The peso closed at 50.32 to the dollar, up from 50.61 on Friday.

The currency opened at 50.50, hit a high of 50.315 and a low of 50.53. Trading turnover reached $699.75 million.

“Local shares continued their rise close to the 6,000 territory as investors grew optimistic with businesses returning closer to normal during GCQ (general community quarantine),” said Luis

Limlingan, managing director at Regina Capital Development Corp.

Limlingan said the Philippines is also being perceived “as a less risky asset with investors awaiting US President Donald Trump’s response to a Chinese national security law for Hong Kong and its potential impact on an already fragile global economy.”

“Meanwhile, oil jumped more than 5 percent last Friday, capping off its best month in history, as an uptick in demand and record supply cuts pushed prices higher. WTI (West Texas Intermediate) finished May with a gain of 88 percent at $35 per barrel. Brent crude gained 4 cents or 0.11 percent to settle at $35.33 per barrel,” it said.

Most actively traded SM Investments Corp. was up P5 to P920.

GT Capital Holdings Inc. was ..........................................

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Malaya

Business Insight

A2

INCOME ROUNDUP Apex sales at record high as metal prices rise Apex Mining Co. Inc. booked a 28 percent improvement in net income in 2019 to P306 million from P239 million in 2018 due to better metal prices in the world market.

Apex posted a record revenue of P5 billion in 2019, 6 percent higher than the previous year’s P4.7 billion as metal prices averaged at $1,389 per ounce for gold from $1,260 and $16.14 per ounce for silver from $15.49, the highest in recent years.

Despite good prices, Apex Mining booked lower sales of gold to 64,763 ounces in 2019, down 2 percent from 2018’s 66,053 oz.

Sale of silver went up 22 percent to 369,616 grams from 303,385 grams.

“The strengthening of the metal prices towards the latter part of the year, with gold breaking above $1,500 per ounce and silver reaching $17 per ounce, somewhat offset our lower production,” said Luis Sarmiento, Apex president and chief executive officer.

Milling throughput of Maco mine reached 711,788 tons in 2019 with a daily average of 2,063 tons which bested 2018’s record of 609,604 tons or 1,789 tons per day.

Mill recovery was at its highest at 85.5 percent compared to the 84.8 percent record established in 2018.

However, ore grade was lower in 2019, averaging at 3.19 grams of gold per ton and 20.47 grams of silver per ton, compared to 4.25 grams and 24.80 grams, respectively, a year ago.

“We could have produced more gold ounces this year were it not for the lower ore grade which we had to contend with passing through the lower grade zones of the Maco mine in the

first half of the year. The higher milling tonnage and recovery rates helped in minimizing the reduction in gold output while at the same time increasing our silver production,” Sarmiento added.

AllHome Corp. said profit for last year amounted to P1.1 billion, up 105.3 percent from P511.4 million the prior year.

Total revenues grew 68 percent to P12.1 billion, from P7.2 billion in 2018.

“Together with AllHome’s debut in the stock market, 2019 was a milestone for the Company also in terms of operations as we registered strong growth in both topline and bottomline numbers for the year,” said Manuel Villar Jr., AllHome chairman.

“We are very pleased with the Company’s solid performance in achieving our full year target. As we have previously mentioned, the home improvement industry in the Philippines is still underpenetrated and we are taking advantage of such by aggressively opening AllHome to more locations across the country,” he added.

AllHome listed with the Philippine Stock Exchange via an initial public offering in October last year.

Benjamarie Therese Serrano, AllHome president, said the company added 22 new stores to its store network, to close 2019 with 45.

“Our 45 stores are composed of 22 large mall-based, 10 large free-standing and 13 specialty stores,” she said.

AllHome closed the year with assets of P19.7 billion, up 140.24 percent from P8.2 billion in end-2018.

Phoenix Petroleum reports P215M loss, revenues slump Phoenix Petroleum Philippines Inc. booked a P215million net loss in the first quarter of the year compared to the P415 million net income in the same period in 2019 due to the effects of the pandemic.

Phoenix Petroleum said volatility in oil markets driven by geopolitical tensions significantly challenged the industry at the start of the year.

This was compounded by the new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic as revenues also decreased by 9 percent to P21.9 billion from 24.1 billion.

“We were not spared but we were able to navigate the downturn better because of our earlier investments in strategic,

higher margin areas such as retail and LPG. Our portfolio today is more diversified with LPG particularly thriving in this pandemic. From a non-essential item in the kitchen, LPG became an essential household product, especially during the enhanced community quarantine,” said Dennis Uy, Phoenix Petroleum chairman.

LPG sales volume for the period surged 39 percent with a double-digit growth in the Visayas and in Mindanao market coupled with a sustained expansion in Luzon where retail volume improved by 9 percent which cushioned the slowdown in the commercial sales segment.

AllHome doubles profit in ’19 AllHome Corp. said profit for last year amounted to P1.1 billion, up 105.3 percent from P511.4 million the prior year.

Total revenues grew 68 percent to P12.1 billion, from P7.2 billion in 2018.

“Together with AllHome’s debut in the stock market, 2019 was a milestone for the Company also in terms of operations as we registered strong growth in both topline and bottomline numbers for the year,” said Manuel Villar Jr., AllHome chairman.

“We are very pleased with the Company’s solid performance in achieving our full year target.

As we have previously mentioned, the home improvement industry in the Philippines is

still underpenetrated and we are taking advantage of such by aggressively opening AllHome to more locations across the country,” he added.

AllHome listed with the Philippine Stock Exchange via an initial public offering in October last year.

Benjamarie Therese Serrano, AllHome president, said the company added 22 new stores to its store network, to close 2019 with 45.

“Our 45 stores are composed of 22 large mall-based, 10 large free-standing and 13 specialty stores,” she said.

AllHome closed the year with assets of P19.7 billion, up 140.24 percent from P8.2 billion in end-2018.

Cebu Landmasters nets P572M Cebu Landmasters Inc. said profit in the first quarter of the year reached P572.23 million, down 4.39 percent from P598.54 million.

Revenues amounted to P2.1 billion, up 13 percent from P1.87 billion last year, driven by “robust sales from various segments and sustained construction of new developments alongside growing contributions from its expanding recurring business.”

The company said its profit margin of 31 percent remains “within the company’s target

ratios and above industry average.”

In the first five months of the year, the company registered P4.8 billion in reservation sales take-up or close to its 2019 first half level of P5.26 billion.

Sales of P2 billion driven by its economic housing brand Casa Mira were recorded in the months of April and May, a period widely forecast to have little economic activity. Overall, CLI’s unsold inventory is down to only 10 percent of total inventory.

Tuesday, June 2, 2020

Govt raises P26B from Tbills

by Angela Celis

The Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) raised P26 billion from its treasury bills auction yesterday amid healthy market demand for the government IOUs. The BTr said in a statement the auction was more than four times oversubscribed with total bids reaching P83.9 billion, prompting the committee to double the noncompetitive bids for the 91-day and 364-day securities.

With its decision, the com-

mittee raised a total of P26 billion, exceeding the P20 billion offering.

“Sentiment continues to be in safe assets but try to stretch yield with one-year tenor,” Rosalia de Leon, national treasurer, told reporters through Viber after the auction.

De Leon said the BTr also opted to open the tap facility window for the one-year paper for another P10 billion.

Asked if the BTr sees an opportunity to do a jumbo issu-

ance or retail treasury bond sale amid healthy demand for local government debt securities, de Leon said: “(We are) watchful of developments and risk return tolerance of investors.”

The 91-day paper fetched a rate of 2.046 percent, 1.2 basis points (bps) lower than the previous average of 2.058 percent.

Demand reached P17.35 billion, more than thrice the P5 billion offer, with the auction committee opting to sell P7 billion.

For the 182-day IOUs, the rate is

Bloomberry loses appeal at SG court

Smart rides on K-drama wave Smart Communications Inc. officially launched yesterday its new campaign Simple, Smart Ako tapping South Korean superstar Hyun Bin, as its digital lifestyle enabler.

With this, the company is set to launch two to three more data promo offerings this year to address the growing demand for data services, according to Jane Basas, Smart senior vice president and head of consumer wireless business.

At a virtual press conference yesterday, Basas said Smart will launch by July a new promo for subscribers who consume videos watching Korean dramas.

Brand ambassador Hyun Bin rose to fame as Captain Ri in the K-drama Crash Landing on You which was initially aired on Netflix late 2019.

The series picked up popularity starting early this year through the lockdown and drummed up interest for K-dramas over the video-ondemand service.

Recently, Smart launched the Gigawork promo offering, which is an aggregation for productivity of people who work from home and study from home, With its new brand ambassador Hyun Bin, a South Korean superstar, Smart launched its latest campaign. “‘Simple. Smart Ako’ sums up our company’s approach all this time to make amazing technology available, and more importantly, simple for every Filipino,” said Alfredo Panlilio, Smart president and chief executive officer and PLDT Inc. chief revenue officer.

by Ruelle Castro

HYUN BIN

NLEX Harbor link C5-R10 set for completion mid-June

by Myla Iglesias

The NLEX Harbor Link C3 to R10 section is targeted for completion by mid-June this year and is hoped to be opened to motorists by the end of the month, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

In a recent inspection, Mark Villar, DPWH secretary, said the deck slab concreting works at the NLEX Harbor Link Circumferential Road 3 (C3)-Radial Road 10 (R10) section are now at 100 percent.

“We are glad to announce that another flagship project, the C3-R10 Section of NLEX Harbor Link, is now back on track and is expected to be completed by June 15,” said Villar.

The C3-R10 section is a 2.6-kilometer elevated expressway from Caloocan Interchange, C3 Road in Caloocan City to R10 in Navotas City.

“When completed, the Harbor

Link project is expected to cut travel time from Quezon City to Manila from 2 hours to only 10 minutes,” Villar said.

NLEX Corp. has resumed works on the C3-R10 Section following new DPWH protocols on construction activities.

Villar said this segment was originally targeted for completion in March this year but works were suspended for two months due to restrictions from the enhanced community quarantine.

NLEX Harbor Link C3-R10 section is a four-lane elevated ramp that will extend NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 to R10 using C3 Road as its route.

The new elevated expressway will reduce travel time between North Luzon expressway and R10 from 60 minutes to 10 minutes, ensuring timely delivery of goods to and from the ports of Manila. It hopes to divert 30,000 vehicles daily away

2.118 percent, 0.4 bps higher than the previous 2.114 percent.

Tenders amounted to P15.55 billion, also more than thrice the P5 billion offer, which was fully awarded.

Lastly, the 364-day securities fetched a rate of 2.42 percent, 8.8 bps down versus the 2.508 percent average recorded in the previous auction for the same tenor.

Tenders reached P51.095 billion, more than five times the P10 billion offering, with the BTr selling P14 billion.

from the traffic choke points of Metro Manila.

Aside from improved movement of cargo in the North and South Harbor, the new expressway is expected to improve the daily traffic congestion in the cities of Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela (Camanava).

The C3-R10 section will feature stone mastic asphalt surfacing, computerized toll collection and 24/7 traffic management systems, emergency parking areas with emergency call boxes, variable message signs, and closed-circuit television cameras. Roadway lighting and weighing stations for commercial vehicles will also be available in the elevated expressway.

Last February 21, DPWH and NLEX Corp. opened the NLEX Harbor Link Malabon exit which has since provided traffic congestion relief for commuters in the Camanava area.

Bloomberry Resorts Corp. said the Singapore High Court has ruled to dismiss its group’s appeal on the Singapore Arbitration Court’s decision to finally award Bloomberry shares to Global Gaming Philippines LLC and GGAM Netherlands BV. This follows after the Arbitration Court ruled in Sept. 20, 2016, that the termination of the management services agreement (MSA) between Bloombery’s units Bloomberry Resorts and Hotels Inc. (BRHI) and Sureste Properties Inc. (SPI) with GGAM was wrongful, and that the 921.18 million Bloomberry shares covered by the agreement automatically goes to the latter for its disposal.

The company initially filed an appeal on the case to which the Arbitration Court issued a final award in September last year. SPI and BRHI elevated the case to the Singapore High Court which ruled against them in January.

Bloomberry appealed the ruling, resulting in the current decision.

“The Singapore High Court ruled that the ‘Constructive Remedy’, which requires SPI and BRHI to either (1) pay for the BRC shares held by GGAM in exchange for the BRC shares, or (2) take steps to facilitate GGAM’s sale of the BRC shares, was not outside the scope of the parties’ arbitration agreement,” Bloomberry said.

“The Singapore High Court also rejected the challenges based on the FCPA Findings (referring to the findings of the US Department of Justice and the US Securities and Exchange Commission regarding conduct by two of GGAM’s four executives during their tenure at Las Vegas Sands that violated the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act) and GGAM’s fraudulent concealment of evidence during the Arbitration. The Singapore High Court likewise denied the argument that GGAM Netherlands, to which the MSA was assigned, was a sham entity established solely to evade US and Philippine taxes, because the Arbitration Tribunal rejected the same argument, and thus, the High Court found that the grant of damages to GGAM Netherlands is not contrary to Singapore public policy,” it added.

• FROM PAGE A1 •

OIL The adjustments reflect the effects of global pricing and do take into account the additional costs from the 10-percent import duties imposed on imported fuel.

As of May 27, year-to-date adjustments led to net decreases of P9.52 per liter for gasoline, P12.44 per liter for diesel and P16.24 per liter for kerosene.

Reuters reported that as of Friday last week, West Texas Intermediate crude futures settled at $35.49 a barrel, up by 5.3 percent while Brent crude closed at $35.33 a barrel.

Both benchmarks experienced an improvement due to falling global production paired with expectations for demand growth as parts of the US, including New

York City and other countries decided to re-open after coronavirusrelated lockdowns.

Likewise, experts noted that US President Donald Trump’s statement that his administration will begin to eliminate special treatment for Hong Kong in response to China’s plans to impose new security legislation in the territory also supported prices as it is expected to favor the trade deal between the two nations.

Oil prices were also supported by a record-low number of American and Canadian oil and gas rigs, which indicates a further drop in supply out of the world’s biggest crude producer. US oil and gas rig count fell by 17 to an all-time low of 301

E-COMMERCE logistics network, which has driven up production and operational costs for investors, Dominguez said.

“The main problem of our economy now, as Karl (Chua) mentioned earlier, is liquidity because people have not worked. They have no cash and are therefore, illiquid. And when you have no cash, you don’t buy things. And when you don’t buy things, people don’t manufacture these things. So it’s a vicious circle,” Dominguez said during a recent virtual press briefing.

“So the way you break it is you create employment so that people can receive cash, so that they will be confident to be able to start purchasing things again. And when they do that, the companies, the manufacturers, will also start up and provide jobs,” he added.

With most areas including Metro Manila under general community quarantine, essential and priority public and private construction projects are now allowed but with strict compliance to health and safety protocols. — A. Celis

BUSINESS have to recapitalize, check on their inventory, and their production line first,” he added.

He predicts half of the workers will not be able to go back to work full time over the next six months.

“Some of the workers will be laid off as their companies permanently close while others will have to be rotated as their companies downsize to preserve jobs,” OrtizLuis said. he predicts only 20 percent of the desired number of workers expected to go back to work yesterday actually made it to their

offices.

He laments the lack of preparation in the transportation provided for workers.

“We should have learned our lessons when we moved from ECQ (enhanced community quarantine) to modified ECQ when some industries were opened and workers had a hard time going to work. With Metro Manila now in a more relaxed general community quarantine, the expectation was more workers will go out but we did not have enough means of transportation,” Ortiz-Luis said.

— Irma Isip

STOCKS down P11 to P376. Security Bank Corp. was up P7.30 to P89. Ayala Corp. was down P2.50 to P745. SM Prime Holdings Inc. was up P1.60 to P31.75. BDO Unibank Inc. was down P1.40 to P99. Jollibee Foods

Corp. was up P6.40 to P115.10.

Universal Robina Corp. was P1.50 to P132.50. Ayala Land Inc. was up P0.55 to P32.55. Metro Pacific Investments Corp. was up P0.23 to P3.12.

PRICE of mechanisms that help drive the growth of the healthcare industr y in the Philippines, a m o n g w h i ch p o l i c i e s t h a t suppor t and incentivize innovation, as well as encourage public-private par tnership,” ECCP said.

ECCP noted the need to create a business environment

that is conducive to research, development, and innovation, resulting in the improved capacity of the Philippine healthcare system.

“Ultimately, the effective implementation of such policies will help build the country’s resilience to the current and emerging public health threats,” it said. — ­ I. Isip

Malaya

Business Insight

Tuesday, June 2, 2020

WORLD BUSINESS

CHINA’S RECOVERY FAILS TO LIFT DEMAND

Asia’s factory pain worsens TOKYO- Asia’s factory pain deepened in May as the slump in global trade caused by the coronavirus pandemic worsened, with export powerhouses Japan and South Korea suffering the sharpest declines in business activity in more than a decade.

A series of manufacturing sur veys released on Monday suggest any rebound in businesses will be some time off, even though China’s factory activity unexpectedly returned to growth in May. C h i n a ’s C a i x i n / M a r k i t M a nu f a c t u r i n g P u r ch a s i n g Manag ers’ Index (PMI) hit 50.7 last month, marking the highest reading since January as easing of lockdowns allowed companies to get back to work and clear outstanding orders.

But with many of Chin a ’s t r a d i n g p a r t n e r s s t i l l restricted, its new export orders remained in contraction, the private business sur vey showed on Monday. China’s official PMI sur vey on Sunday showed the recover y in t h e wo r l d ’s s e c o n d - l a r g e s t economy intact but fragile. Japan’s factory activity shrank at the fastest pace since 2009 in May, a separate private sector sur vey showed while South Korea also saw manufacturing slump at the sharpest pace in more than a decade.

Capital Economics said the region’s manufacturing sector is in deep recession.

“Industry is likely to have seen an initial jump from the easing of lockdown restrictions. And things are likely to continue improving very gradually over the coming months as external demand recovers,” Capital Economics wrote. “But output is still likely to be well below normal levels for many months to come as domestic and global demand remain very depressed.”

Taiwan’s manufacturing activity also fell in May. Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines

Slump. A worker wearing a face mask works on a production line manufacturing bicycle steel rim at a factory, as the country is hit by the novel coronavirus outbreak, in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. (Reuters Photo)

saw PMIs rebound from April, though the indices all remained below the 50-mark threshold that separates contraction from expansion.

Official data on Monday showed South Korea extending its exports plunge for a third straight month.

Asia’s economic woes are likely to be echoed in other parts of the world including Europe, where economies continue to suffer huge damage in factory and service sectors.

With many countries starting to ease lockdown restrictions imposed to stop the spread of the virus, which has infected over

5.5 million people globally, equity markets are rallying on hopes for a swift return to health and prosperity.

But the trough in global economic activity will be deeper and the rebound is likely to take longer than previously predicted as the pandemic spreads in waves.

The International Monetary Fund warned last month the global economy will take much longer than expected to recover fully from the virus shock, suggesting a downgrade to its current projection for a 3 percent contraction this year.

A US-China spat over

S. Korean exports fall ous month.

South Korea’s monthly trade data, the first to be reported among major exporting economies, provides an early guide to the health of global trade.

“Exports will remain sluggish until the start of third quarter as global COVID-19 disruption and weak sentiment are expected to persist for sometime,” said Chang Jae-chul, an economist at KB Securities.

“The US-China tension over Hong Kong could also take a heavy toll on exports ... If the United States impose tariffs on Hong Kong just like on China, there

would be further impact on global demand and that could pose a huge downside risk globally,” he added.

Monday’s data showed overseas sales of semiconductors, the nation’s top export item, rose 7.1 percent from a year earlier, but per-day exports of that jumped 14.5 percent on-year.

Meanwhile, imports plunged 21.1 percent, far worse than a 15.8 percent drop in April and a prediction of 17.9 percent fall. That resulted in a $0.44 billion trade surplus, after April’s $1.39 billion deficit, which was the first trade gap since January 2012. – Reuters

WESTWIND LINE

Oil down SINGAPORE- Oil prices edged down as traders took p r o f i t s, w i t h t h e Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) considering meeting as soon as this week to discuss whether to extend record production cuts beyond end-June.

Brent crude fell 15 cents, or 0.4 percent, to $37.69 a barrel, in the first day of trading in the contract with August as the front month.

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures CLc1 for July delivery were at $35.36 a barrel, down 13 cents, or 0.4 percent.

The price falls come after front-month Brent and WTI prices posted their strongest monthly gains in years in May. – Reuters

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CEBU OFFICE 2nd Flr., Veloso Quano Building., S. C. Fortuna St., Mandaue City Tel. No.: (0323) 462-495 Fax No.: (0323) 462-495

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WHITE MARY

Already hit by virus, stores close due to riots NEW YORK- Target Corp and Walmart said on Sunday they shuttered stores across the United States as retailers already reeling from closures because of the coronavirus pandemic shut outlets amid protests that included looting in many US cities.

Protests turned violent in places including New York and Chicago following the death in Minneapolis of a black man, George Floyd, seen on video gasping for breath as a white police officer knelt on his neck.

In Los Angeles, protests led to the looting of the Alexander McQueen clothing store on Rodeo Drive, and a Gucci store on the vaunted strip was marked with the graffiti slogan: “Eat the rich,” according to local media reports.

In the nearby Grove Shopping Center, which houses 51 upscale stores, Nordstrom, Ray Ban and Apple were broken into. Nordstrom Inc temporarily closed all its stores on Sunday, it told Reuters in

an emailed statement.

“We hope to reopen our doors as soon as possible,” the statement said. “We had impacts at some of them and are in the process of assessing any damage so we can resume serving customers.”

Apple Inc said in an email statement it also had decided to keep a number of its US stores closed on Sunday. The company did not specify how many stores were closed, or if the closures would be extended.

The violence was widespread, and Minnesota-based Target said it was closing or limiting hours at more than 200 stores. It did not specify how long the closures would last.

The company told Reuters it was beginning to board up its Lake Street store in Minneapolis, near where Floyd was killed, for safety and to begin recovery efforts. The company said in a statement that it would plan to reopen the store late this year. – Reuters

Pandemic set to shrink Australian economy

TRADE / TRANSPORT / SHIPPING SEOUL- South Korean exports tumbled in May for the third straight month, though at a slower pace, as extended global lockdown measures to contain the wider spread of the coronavirus weighed on worldwide demand.

Shipments contracted 23.7 percent year-on-year in May, trade ministry data showed, slower than a 25.1 percent drop in April but worse than a 22.1 percent plunge tipped in a Reuters survey.

The average exports per working day, excluding the calendar effect, fell 18.4 percent, compared with a 18.3 percent fall seen in the previ-

A3

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OTHER KOBE YAWATA SUBIC MANILA BALAM- OTHER PORTS BAN PORTS

OGISHIMA MAY 22-24

WONDERFUL GRACE V99

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MAY 29-30

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DADIANGAS JUN 8 DADIANGAS JUN 13

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MAY 25-29

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BUGO JUN 8

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HAKATA JUN 16

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APOLLO ASAHI

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Fukuyama/Kakogawa/Minooki/Karatsu MAY 27 V87 JUN 8

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FUKUYAMA/MINOOKI WESTWIND JUN JOYBLISS V49 6-13

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JUN 24

H o n g K o n g ’s s t a t u s a n d B e i j i n g ’s h a n d l i n g o f t h e pandemic could sour busi ness sentiment and add to already huge strains on the global economy.

The final au Jibun Bank Ja p a n M a n u f a c t u r i n g P u r chasing Managers’ Index (PMI) fell to a seasonally adjusted 38.4 from 41.9 in April, its lowest since March 2009.

South Korea’s IHS Markit purchasing ma nagers’ index (PMI) edged down to 41.3 in May, the lowest since January 2009 and below 41.6 in April.

- Reuters

SYDNEY- Australia’s economy is expected to have shrunk in the first quarter as the global coronavirus pandemic is set to tip the country into its first recession in three decades.

A Reuters poll of 15 economists forecast the A$2 trillion economy to contract by 0.3 percent in the three months to March - the first quarterly decline in nine years.

Annual growth likely slowed to 1.4 percent from 2.2 percent in 2019, the survey showed.

If the economy contracts in both the March and June quarters it would be Australia’s first technical recession since the early 1990s.

The economic fallout deepened in Australia as the number of local coronavirus cases surged from less than 100 in early March to more than 7,000 now, forcing the government to shut borders and restrict large gatherings.

The country’s central bank stepped in by cutting the cash rate to a record low 0.25 percent and launching an unlimited bond buying program. It is widely expected

to sit tight at its monthly policy meeting on Tuesday.

Some economists see a small chance of a positive Q1, partly thanks to a run at supermarkets and solid export demand.

“That means Australia might escape ‘technical’ recession. Again,” said Deutsche Bank economist Phil Odonaghoe forecasting a 0.1 percent growth in March quarter.

“Risks to our outlook are to the downside.”

Even before the coronavirusrelated mobility restrictions kicked in, Australia’s economy was struggling from a devastating bushfire season, a slowdown in tourism and weak domestic demand.

“A significant contraction in 2Q is looming,” Bank of America-MerrillLynch analysts wrote in a note. “Looking ahead, we do not expect a strong rebound in growth into 2021.”

“We expect some of the lost output will not be recovered...

Hence, there is risk for unemployment to rise by the end of the year.” – Reuters

MARKETS

Malaya

Business Insight

A4

Stocks reach 3-month peaks SYDNEY- Asian shares pushed to threemonth highs on Monday as progress on opening up economies helped offset jitters over riots in US cities and unease over Washington’s power struggle with Beijing.

There was also relief that while President Donald Trump began the process of ending special US treatment for Hong Kong to punish China, he left their trade deal intact.

“With specific and verifiable measures against China appearing to be weak, markets may draw hollow consolation that the US is treading carefully,” said analysts at Mizuho in a note.

After a cautious start Asian markets were led higher by China on signs parts of the domestic economy were picking up. Hong Kong managed to rally 3.6 percent, while Chinese blue chips put on 2.2 percent.

An official business survey from China showed its factor y activity g rew at a slower pace in May but momentum in the ser vices and constr uction sectors quickened.

A private sur vey showed a return to growth in May, though exports remained depressed.

That helped lift MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan 2.1 percent to its highest since early March. Japan’s Nikkei added 1.1 percent to also reach a three-month peak.

E-Mini futures for the S&P 500 recovered to be up 0.1 percent, having been down 1 percent in early trade. EUROSTOXX 50 futures firmed 1.4 percent and FTSE futures 1.2 percent.

The resilience was notable given major US cities were cleaning up streets strewn with broken glass and burned out cars as curfews failed to stop confrontations between activists and law enforcement.

The turmoil was a fresh setback for the economy which was only just emerging from a downturn akin to the Great Depression.

Following poor data on spending and trade out on Friday, the Atlanta Federal Reserve estimated economic output could drop a staggering 51 percent annualized in the second quarter.

The May jobs report due out on Friday is forecast to show the unemployment rate surged to 19.8 percent, smashing April’s record 14.7 percent. Payrolls are expected to drop by 7.4 million, on top of the 20.5 million jobs lost the previous month.

Bond investors suspect economies will need massive amounts of central bank support long after they reopen and that is keeping yields super low even as governments borrow much more.

Yields on US 10-year notes were trading steady at 0.66 percent having recovered from a blip up to 0.74 percent last month when the market absorbed a tidal wave of new issuance.

The decline in US yields has been a burden for the dollar, but the world’s reserve currency also tends to benefit from safe-haven status to limit the losses. – Reuters June 1, 2020 STOCKS CLOSE 5930.17

June 2019 - June 1, 2020

19.33 VALUE P6.978B PESO- DOLLAR RATE OPEN 50.5 LOW 50.53

June 2019 - June 1, 2020

HIGH 50.315

0.29

CLOSE 50.32 TOTAL TRADE 99.75M Source: PDS

FOREIGN EXCHANGE RATES Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas June 1, 2020

Country

Euro

Dollar

Peso

I. Convertible Currencies With Bangko Sentral: 1 United States 0.899604 2 Japan 0.008355 3 United Kingdom 1.110381 4 Hongkong 0.116030 5 Switzerland 0.936113 6 Canada 0.653734 7 Singapore 0.636617 8 Australia 0.599226 9 Bahrain 2.387358 10 Kuwait N/A 11 Saudi Arabia 0.239671 12 Brunei 0.634373 13 Indonesia 0.000062 14 Thailand 0.028290 15 UAE 0.244937 16 Euro Monetary Union 1.000000 17 Korea 0.000730 18 China 0.126087

1.000000 0.009287 1.234300 0.128979 1.040583 0.726691 0.707664 0.666100 2.653787 N/A 0.266418 0.705169 0.000069 0.031447 0.272272 1.111600 0.000812 0.140158

50.5850 0.4698 62.4371 6.5244 52.6379 36.7597 35.7972 33.6947 134.2418 N/A 13.4768 35.6710 0.0035 1.5907 13.7729 56.2303 0.0411 7.0899

BSP Buying Rate (T/T): PHP 50.350 GOLD BUYING: $ 1,738.80 BSP Selling Rate (T/T): PHP 50.850 SILVER BUYING: $ 18.10 BSP Reference Rate: PHP 50.600 PDS Closing Rate (29-May-2020): PHP 50.610 SDR Rate: $1.37202 /SDR

Source: REUTERS’ FOREX CLOSING PRICES as of NY Time- 29May-2020 * Various banks in Bahrain as quoted in Reuters’ Screen. ** Asian Time Closing Rate as of 29-May-20 *** Effective 01 Jan 2008 Venezuela’s official exchange rate was changed to 2.15 bolivars per dollar from 2,150 per dollar

Tuesday, June 2, 2020

GAINERS

PH STOCK MARKET INDICES

June 1, 2020

June 1, 2020

Index

Last

Close

Net Chng

Pct.Chng

Moves

5,838.84

+91.33

+1.56%

201

162,393 740,938

Volume

PSEi

5,930.17

All Share

3,510.22

3,457.7

+52.52

+1.52%

201

Financial

1,192.3

1,176.42

+15.88

+1.35%

201

15,098

Property

2,972.78

2,871.07

+101.71

+3.54%

201

68,882

Service

1,353.11

1,362.44

-9.33

-0.68%

201

43,233

Industrial

7,496.03

7,311.09

+184.94

+2.53%

201

43,028

Mining & Oil

4,437.57

4,362.72

+74.85

+1.72%

201

9,100

Holding

6,019.77

5,946.52

+73.25

+1.23%

201

97,770

STOCK

1 Vivant Corporation 2 Apollo Global Capital, Inc. 3 Macroasia Corporation 4 Keppel Philippine Holdings, Inc. “A” 5 Island Information And Technology, Inc. 6 Cebu Holdings, Inc. 7 Megawide Construction Corp.

8 Security Bank Corporation 9 Cebu Air, Inc. 10 Makati Finance Corporation

GRAND TOTALS :

VOLUME

VALUE

820,039,399

6,978,211,145.08

Oddlot Volume: Oddlot Value:

781,434 725,816.2

Block Lot Volume: Block Lot Value:

63 113740

17,174,410 Php 594,768,360.88

Financial Industrial Holding Firms Property Service Mining & Oil Psei All Shares

Unchanged:

37

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

1,174.65 7,350.33 5,847.75 2,870.28 1,352.37 4,441.38 5,791.32 3,444.23

1,200.27 7,557.55 6,044.15 2,972.78 1,362.24 4,452.76 5,931.65 3,510.22

1,167.17 7,305.94 5,774.17 2,839.27 1,348.13 4,395.28 5,750 3,428.56

STOCK

24.58% 19.51% 14.60% 12.05% 10.81% 10.36% 9.05% 8.94% 8.88% 8.11%

NET FOREIGN

PREV HIGH LOW CLOSE VOLUME VALUE BUYING

(SELLING)

PRICE CHANGE %CHG

1 Ever-Gotesco Resources & Holdings, Inc. 0.105 2 Philippine Racing Club, Inc. 7.50 3 Republic Glass Holdings Corporation 2.59 4 Philippine Business Bank 9.02 5 Ph Resorts Group Holdings, Inc. 2.45 6 Atn Holdings, Inc. “A” 0.55 7 United Paragon Mining Corporation 0.0040 8 Atlas Consolidated Mining & Development Corporation 1.84 9 Puregold Price Club, Inc. 44.10 10 Boulevard Holdings, Inc. 0.024

PHILIPPINE STOCK EXCHANGE

2.96 0.008 0.60 0.57 0.008 0.57 0.43 7.30 3.20 0.15

June 1, 2020

June 1, 2020

127 Declines: 227 Trades:

15.00 0.049 4.71 5.30 0.082 6.07 5.18 89.00 39.25 2.00

LOSERS

PSE TRADE Advances: Traded Issues:

PRICE CHANGE %CHG

-12.50% -10.61% -10.07% -8.80% -6.13% -5.17% -4.76% -4.17% -4.13% -4.00%

June 1, 2020

NET FOREIGN

PREV HIGH LOW CLOSE VOLUME VALUE BUYING

Mrc Allied 0.143 0.147 0.143 0.145 3,450,000

Financials Banks Asia United 47.45 47.3 45.7 47 8,200 385,740 371,900 Bdo Unibank 100.4 99.6 96.1 99 4,356,300 428,729,938.50 7,979,566.50 Bank Ph Islands 66.3 68.45 65.55 67.4 1,572,310 105,782,705.50 27,162,145 Chinabank 18.9 19 18.88 19 281,900 5,333,098 -755,306 East West Bank 6.08 6.45 6.23 6.43 1,998,000 12,729,084 -3,247,397 Metrobank 35.2 37.15 35.5 36.85 3,443,400 125,785,995 24,255,415 Pb Bank 9.89 9.88 9 9.02 3,000 27,480 Pbcom 17 - - - - - Phil Natl Bank 21.5 21.9 21.6 21.7 214,900 4,667,585 -2,491,220 Psbank 43.5 44 43.5 44 800 35,150 Rcbc 16.5 16.7 16.3 16.3 21,500 354,346 15,020 Security Bank 81.7 91.45 83.5 89 5,547,820 486,694,543.50 -11,689,333 Union Bank 53.75 54.55 53.8 53.8 5,200 280,394 -71,693.50

Other Financial Institutions Bright Kindle 0.67 0.67 0.67 0.67 34,000 22,780 Col Financial 15.6 16.2 16.1 16.1 12,100 194,826 Ferronoux Hldg 2.32 2.31 2.3 2.3 61,000 140,380 Iremit 0.95 0.95 0.95 0.95 1,000 950 Medco Hldg 0.305 0.305 0.285 0.305 60,000 17,300 Ntl Reinsurance 0.63 0.63 0.6 0.63 63,000 37,830 Phil Stock Exch 171.6 173.9 170 170 230 39,438 -15,390

Industrial Electricity, Energy, Power & Water Ac Energy 2.18 2.21 2.15 2.17 1,932,000 4,193,950 50,040 Alsons Cons 0.84 - - - - - Aboitiz Power 27.8 28.45 27.2 28 1,656,600 46,315,310 21,524,660 Basic Energy 0.166 0.165 0.158 0.165 520,000 83,010 First Gen 20.4 20.95 20.45 20.6 2,366,800 49,011,415 -10,347,210 First Phil Hldg 54 55.95 54.1 55.85 52,230 2,874,640 -852,483.50 Meralco 283 293 276.8 292 523,770 151,910,624 88,062,090 Manila Water 11.22 11.94 11.5 11.9 1,732,700 20,347,600 -1,636,374 Petron 2.82 2.97 2.9 2.92 2,133,000 6,266,240 1,071,050 Petroenergy 2.4 2.43 2.2 2.43 22,000 48,830 Phx Petroleum 11.5 11.28 11 11.28 117,600 1,316,576 Pilipinas Shell 17.12 17.74 17.2 17.6 637,600 11,199,570 -3,297,980 Spc Power 7.89 7.98 7.89 7.98 68,000 538,898 Vivant 12.04 15 12.54 15 3,400 49,366 -34,500

Food, Beverage & Tobacco Agrinurture 7.09 7.28 7 7.16 146,800 1,053,737 26,730 Axelum 2.54 2.58 2.5 2.56 1,124,000 2,831,570 183,360 Bogo Medellin 73 - - - - - Century Food 14.98 15.28 15 15.28 770,800 11,754,028 4,880,022 Del Monte 4.5 4.55 4.15 4.49 16,000 70,390 260 Dnl Indus 4.55 4.79 4.5 4.77 3,026,000 14,090,510 -310,300 Emperador 7.83 7.87 7.83 7.87 333,100 2,609,804 -1,951,204 Smc Foodandbev 63.9 64.65 63.2 64.5 40,710 2,595,990.50 251,166 Alliance Select 0.57 0.58 0.54 0.55 524,000 286,470 Fruitas Hldg 1.25 1.26 1.22 1.25 4,738,000 5,879,340 39,380 Ginebra 30.15 30.5 29 30.4 49,800 1,488,300 942,750 Jollibee 108.7 118.7 112 115.1 3,567,090 412,144,759 -80,001,752 Liberty Flour 40 - - - - - Macay Hldg - 6.8 6.21 6.8 3,200 20,428 Maxs Group 5.54 5.56 5.54 5.55 1,158,400 6,428,892 4,429,520 Pepsi Cola 1.89 1.9 1.86 1.88 58,000 108,830 Shakeys Pizza 5.8 6.1 5.8 6.07 260,700 1,551,708 495,483 Roxas And Co 1.8 1.85 1.79 1.84 2,044,000 3,708,180 603,700 Rfm Corp 4.5 4.5 4.27 4.5 4,000 17,540 Roxas Hldg 1.4 1.39 1.3 1.35 98,000 130,170 20,490 Swift Foods 0.103 0.103 0.1 0.1 2,500,000 252,760 -252,760 Univ Robina 131 135.7 128 132.5 2,517,110 335,152,949 54,103,869 Vitarich 0.79 0.79 0.77 0.79 11,635,000 8,978,110 31,200 Victorias 2.36 - - - - -

Construction, Infrastructure & Allied Services

Cemex Hldg 1.06 1.08 1.05 1.08 3,968,000 4,228,260 -66,850 Eagle Cement 8.24 8.24 8.2 8.23 78,400 645,161 -434,537 Eei Corp 4.46 4.74 4.45 4.62 2,617,000 12,066,400 -377,010 Holcim 7.68 7.76 7.5 7.6 669,100 5,139,240 -15,360 Megawide 4.75 5.18 4.88 5.18 6,747,000 34,164,240 2,984,390 Phinma 8.77 8.77 8.5 8.77 1,300 11,131 Tkc Metals 0.76 0.77 0.72 0.76 40,000 29,680 Vulcan Indl 0.63 0.62 0.61 0.61 148,000 91,240

Chemicals Chemphil - 130.3 130.3 130.3 10 1,303 Crown Asia - 1.74 1.7 1.74 36,000 61,240 Euromed 2.2 2.32 2.2 2.31 514,000 1,165,180 13,340 Mabuhay Vinyl 3.4 - - - - - Pryce Corp 4.3 4.4 4.3 4.4 5,039,000 21,668,960 -21,668,960

Electrical Components & Equipment Concepcion 24.5 24.4 24 24 300 7,240 -7,240 Greenergy 1.62 1.67 1.59 1.67 4,531,000 7,469,260 -92,570 Integrated Micr 5.43 5.58 5.31 5.45 46,200 249,109 -9,147 Ionics 1.12 1.15 1.09 1.1 340,000 375,460 Panasonic 4.5 - - - - - Sfa Semicon 1.26 1.26 1.21 1.24 1,081,000 1,324,320 Cirtek Hldg 7.2 7.34 7.06 7.2 983,700 7,063,678 319,461

Holding Firms Abacore Capital 0.47 0.485 0.47 0.475 1,430,000 684,700 -57,250 Asiabest Group 8.06 8.17 7.66 8.01 4,800 38,559 Ayala Corp 747.5 749 720 745 643,170 475,899,030 186,661,910 Aboitiz Equity 42.9 45.8 42.85 45 1,736,000 77,506,700 23,820,400 Alliance Global 6 6.04 5.95 6.03 6,254,300 37,530,716 -16,571,047 Ayala Land Log 1.58 1.64 1.59 1.63 2,138,000 3,447,060 Anscor 6 6.2 6.2 6.2 1,300 8,060 -2,480 Atn Hldg A 0.58 0.58 0.54 0.55 3,860,000 2,147,330 Atn Hldg B 0.6 0.58 0.58 0.58 23,000 13,340 Cosco Capital 4.83 5.1 4.87 5.07 3,209,000 16,101,640 605,100 Dmci Hldg 3.94 4.06 3.93 3.95 7,283,000 28,921,350 -784,000 Filinvest Dev - 8.5 8.49 8.49 23,600 200,365 28,866 Forum Pacific - 0.165 0.165 0.165 30,000 4,950 Gt Capital 387 387 368 376 1,385,610 520,047,528 -259,861,636 House Of Inv 3.25 3.25 3.25 3.25 81,000 263,250 -227,500 Jg Summit 48.8 51.75 48.5 50 1,532,500 76,820,485 8,494,230 Keppel Hldg A - 5.3 5.2 5.3 100,000 525,000 Lodestar 0.53 0.55 0.52 0.52 59,000 32,270 Lopez Hldg 2.4 2.44 2.38 2.43 1,609,000 3,878,900 -96,760 Lt Group 7.88 8.04 7.91 7.95 1,919,100 15,306,479 -6,231,360 Metro Pac Inv 2.89 3.12 2.84 3.12 78,931,000 236,422,570 64,544,590 Pacifica Hldg 2.7 2.65 2.64 2.65 9,000 23,800 Prime Media 0.81 0.81 0.74 0.81 7,000 5,250 Republic Glass - 2.59 2.59 2.59 2,000 5,180 Solid Group - 0.96 0.96 0.96 33,000 31,680 Synergy Grid - 156 155 156 210 32,650 Sm Investments 915 927.5 860 920 681,840 621,477,985 71,044,180 San Miguel Corp 96 98.2 96 97 191,900 18,651,337 -382,820.50 Soc Resources 0.65 - - - - - Seafront Res 1.79 - - - - - Top Frontier 134.2 137.5 135 137.5 410 56,325 49,500 Wellex Indus 0.176 0.18 0.18 0.18 10,000 1,800 Zeus Hldg 0.145 0.148 0.144 0.145 250,000 36,280

Property Arthaland Corp 0.5 0.51 0.49 0.51 343,000 171,480 3,500 Anchor Land 8.9 - - - - - Ayala Land 32 32.55 31.6 32.55 10,321,300 332,665,055 39,831,240 Araneta Prop 1 1.01 1.01 1.01 14,000 14,140 Belle Corp 1.35 1.37 1.33 1.37 73,000 98,900 8,120 A Brown 0.54 0.55 0.54 0.54 603,000 326,170 Crown Equities - 0.125 0.12 0.12 2,320,000 281,950 Cebu Hldg - 6.08 5.5 6.07 126,600 741,403 392,328 Ceb Landmasters 3.69 3.73 3.69 3.71 187,000 691,850 -640,070 Century Prop 0.375 0.38 0.37 0.37 4,130,000 1,537,950 Cyber Bay 0.26 0.26 0.26 0.26 600,000 156,000 -52,000 Doubledragon 16.02 16.68 16.04 16.58 259,000 4,286,934 2,896,884 Dm Wenceslao 6.38 6.4 6.3 6.4 21,200 135,132 Empire East 0.275 - - - - - Ever Gotesco 0.12 0.12 0.105 0.105 5,210,000 560,790 -60,960 Filinvest Land 0.9 0.93 0.9 0.93 19,026,000 17,265,350 -6,387,660 Global Estate 0.78 0.8 0.8 0.8 34,000 27,200 8990 Hldg 9.82 10.3 10.28 10.3 3,700 38,090 32,950 Phil Infradev 0.82 0.84 0.8 0.83 1,658,000 1,347,670 3,350 Keppel Prop 3.66 3.65 3.21 3.58 4,000 14,090 City And Land 0.71 - - - - - Megaworld 2.85 2.95 2.78 2.95 23,717,000 68,716,940 21 ,713,440.0004

-0.015 -0.89 -0.29 -0.87 -0.16 -0.03 -0.0002 -0.08 -1.90 -0.001

(SELLING)

499,820 56,160.00 Primex Corp 1.48 1.48 1.47 1.47 101,000 148,480 Robinsons Land 14.78 15.04 14.62 15 4,065,800 60,870,556 -17,577,024 Phil Realty 0.222 0.223 0.221 0.221 140,000 31,070 Rockwell - 1.48 1.48 1.48 14,000 20,720 Shang Prop 2.56 2.69 2.69 2.69 3,000 8,070 Sta Lucia Land 1.9 1.99 1.9 1.99 150,000 291,110 Sm Prime Hldg 30.15 31.75 29.5 31.75 14,451,000 445,632,690 103,683,655 Vistamalls 3.6 3.73 3.54 3.69 119,000 433,740 Suntrust Home 1.15 1.25 1.15 1.15 1,555,000 1,858,280 Ptfc Redev Corp - 46.5 44 45 1,200 54,400 4,400 Vista Land 3.25 3.42 3.32 3.39 3,128,000 10,605,650 -8,419,600

Services Media Abs Cbn 14.68 15.2 14.7 15.08 739,100 10,996,932 Gma Network 4.79 4.88 4.78 4.8 261,000 1,257,710 Manila Bulletin 0.365 0.36 0.36 0.36 10,000 3,600

Telecommunications Globe Telecom 2,294 2,270 2,228 2,244 38,165 85,633,660 -8,778,550 Pldt 1,275 1,270 1,231 1,250 109,670 136,787,520 2,203,875

Information Technology Apollo Global 0.041 0.049 0.042 0.049 54,900,000 2,494,400 -4,900 Dfnn Inc 2.85 - - - - - Dito Cme Hldg 2.25 2.34 2.27 2.32 41,034,000 94,871,630 2 ,694,089.9997 Island Info 0.074 0.087 0.076 0.082 5,430,000 441,200 58,570 Jackstones 1.86 - - - - - Now Corp 1.7 1.74 1.68 1.7 2,290,000 3,897,360 -84,700 Transpacific Br 0.174 0.175 0.171 0.173 530,000 91,330 Philweb 2.21 2.23 2.15 2.22 1,010,000 2,225,190 78,940

Transportation Services 2Go Group 9.25 10.16 9.5 9.9 170,500 1,683,427 Asian Terminals 16 16 16 16 23,000 368,000 -352,000 Chelsea 3.11 3.14 3.08 3.13 439,000 1,369,170 9,390 Cebu Air 36.05 39.4 37.5 39.25 829,200 32,314,095 -18,207,625 Intl Container 87.7 89.15 86 88.45 988,920 87,460,293 -3,937,938 Lbc Express 13 13.8 13 13 1,300 17,554 5,200 Lorenzo Shippng - 0.85 0.8 0.8 9,000 7,450 Macroasia 4.11 4.74 4.11 4.71 17,988,000 80,955,070 19,345,110 Metroalliance A 2.45 2.54 2.36 2.43 2,161,000 5,251,770 Pal Hldg 6.71 7.15 6.92 7.11 246,100 1,741,196 -135,534 Harbor Star 0.78 0.83 0.78 0.8 232,000 187,590 13,260

Hotel & Leisure Boulevard Hldg 0.025 0.025 0.024 0.024 16,500,000 402,000 Waterfront 0.385 0.395 0.37 0.37 200,000 74,350

Education Centro Escolar 5.6 - - - - - Ipeople - 7.98 7.98 7.98 200 1,596 Sti Hldg 0.28 0.295 0.28 0.295 1,740,000 496,350 -94,300

Casinos & Gaming Berjaya - 2.07 2.02 2.07 97,000 197,200 Bloomberry 6.2 6.54 6.05 6.5 7,498,600 47,497,601 20,364,955 Pacific Online 1.89 1.89 1.8 1.89 6,000 10,890 Leisure And Res 1.41 1.46 1.44 1.46 152,000 221,150 Manila Jockey - 2.35 2.35 2.35 3,000 7,050 Ph Resorts Grp 2.61 2.49 2.21 2.45 141,000 333,930 Premium Leisure 0.29 0.305 0.295 0.3 3,180,000 952,600 390,000 Phil Racing - 7.5 7.5 7.5 400 3,000

Retail Allhome 5.36 5.4 5.21 5.31 7,098,800 38,010,166 -13,434,201 Metro Retail 1.52 1.55 1.52 1.53 1,720,000 2,633,220 258,550 Puregold 46 47 44 44.1 4,306,600 193,231,385 -63,301,760 Robinsons Rtl 67.7 67.85 66 66.1 239,330 15,928,233 -5,826,947.50 Phil Seven Corp 127 127.1 127 127.1 160 20,335 2,542 Ssi Group 1.13 1.16 1.12 1.15 3,247,000 3,712,100(2, 234,239.9995) Wilcon Depot 15.2 15.7 15.34 15.5 538,200 8,334,754 3,723,538

Other Services Apc Group 0.285 0.3 0.285 0.29 270,000 78,750 Easycall 6.74 6.7 6.5 6.51 37,400 244,049 Golden Bria 290 290 290 290 70 20,300 Prmiere Horizon 0.192 0.2 0.195 0.2 1,690,000 337,040 Sbs Phil Corp 5.4 5.4 5.4 5.4 1,300 7,020

Mining & Oil Mining Atok 10.18 10.2 10.2 10.2 40,200 410,040 Apex Mining 0.89 0.95 0.9 0.94 2,302,000 2,162,060 Abra Mining 0.001 0.001 0.001 0.001 235,000,000 241,400 5,000 Atlas Mining - 1.89 1.84 1.84 19,000 35,110 Benguet A 1.24 1.23 1.23 1.23 50,000 61,500 Coal Asia Hldg 0.18 0.186 0.186 0.186 40,000 7,440 Century Peak 2.71 2.71 2.7 2.71 150,000 406,000 -189,700 Ferronickel 0.73 0.75 0.74 0.75 993,000 738,300 27,000 Geograce 0.201 0.205 0.2 0.201 120,000 24,130 Lepanto A 0.075 0.076 0.074 0.074 1,460,000 109,200 Manila Mining B - 0.007 0.007 0.007 3,000,000 21,000 Marcventures 0.55 0.56 0.5 0.53 310,000 166,170 Nihao 1 1.05 0.99 1 69,000 69,850 Nickel Asia 1.52 1.57 1.51 1.57 4,240,000 6,503,080 -678,150 Orntl Peninsula - 0.48 0.47 0.48 20,000 9,500 Px Mining 2.27 2.35 2.28 2.32 168,000 389,490 -93,170.00 Semirara Mining 11.02 11.46 11.1 11.1 680,000 7,600,424 -5,669,522 United Paragon - 0.004 0.004 0.004 51,000,000 204,000

Oil Ace Enexor 6.49 6.5 6.21 6.48 26,900 170,826 Orntl Petrol A 0.009 0.008 0.008 0.008 5,000,000 42,000 Orntl Petrol B 0.010 0.010 0.009 0.010 6,000,000 54,000 Philodrill 0.008 0.008 0.008 0.008 6,000,000 48,000 Pxp Energy 4.59 4.7 4.49 4.56 1,473,000 6,660,610 67,900

Preferred Ac Pref B1 500 502 502 502 30 15,060 Ac Pref B2r 502 502 499 499 5,050 2,520,250 Cpg Pref A 100.5 - - - - - Dd Pref 100 101.5 101 101.5 38,250 3,880,868 Fgen Pref G 103 107.4 107 107.4 6,000 643,200 Glo Pref P 509 520 520 520 30 15,600 Gtcap Pref B 997 1,000 999 1,000 4,420 4,419,480 Mwide Pref 99.4 100 100 100 810 81,000 Pnx Pref 3B - 100.5 100.5 100.5 600 60,300 Pnx Pref 4 999 999 997 997 210 209,590 Pcor Pref 3A 1,015 1,020 1,020 1,020 5,000 5,100,000 Pcor Pref 3B - 1,045 1,023 1,045 700 728,800 Smc Pref 2C 77.5 77.8 77.8 77.8 2,090 162,602 Smc Pref 2D 74.75 75.2 74.75 75.2 14,630 1,100,018.50 Smc Pref 2F - 76.5 76.5 76.5 10,000 765,000 Smc Pref 2G - 76.3 76 76.3 11,600 882,826 Smc Pref 2H 75.25 75.25 75.25 75.25 20,170 1,517,792.50 Smc Pref 2I 76.95 76.95 76.95 76.95 5,000 384,750

Depositary Receipts Abs Hldg Pdr 13.6 14 13.6 13.8 378,200 5,209,540 -1,728,980 Gma Hldg Pdr 4.85 4.95 4.84 4.87 72,000 351,540 346,650

Warrants Lr Warrant 0.7 0.7 0.68 0.7 23,000 16,080

Small, Medium & Emerging Italpinas 1.81 1.91 1.76 1.91 2,092,000 3,866,500 105,660 Kepwealth 5.8 5.97 5.74 5.79 42,400 244,631 11,600 Makati Finance - 2 2 2 9,000 18,000 Xurpas 0.56 0.57 0.54 0.56 2,879,000 1,592,660

Exchange Traded Funds First Metro Etf 87.5 89.5 87.5 89.2 22,630 2,000,125 24,620

L iving

Tuesday, June 2, 2020

A5

As lockdowns ease, a Bronx nail salon plans a careful reopening

By Jonnelle Marte

Luxury fashion brand group reopens doors Capri Holdings Limited, the holding company of luxury brands Jimmy Choo and Michael Kors, provided details on the company’s phased reopening plan for its global store operations.

John Idol, the Company’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said, “As we reopen our stores around the world, we are prioritizing the health and safety of our employees, customers and communities. We are taking a prudent and measured approach to reopening our stores to ensure all necessary precautions are in place while maintaining the exceptional in-store experience our customers expect from our luxury houses.”

The company has begun to resume store operations globally in accordance with local government’s reopening plans while following the health and safety protocols of local authorities and public health organizations. Currently, slightly more than

half of the company’s global retail fleet of stores are open.

In America, the company anticipates having the majority open by early July 2020. In Europe, Middle East and Africa, almost 60 percent of the retail stores in the region are open. In Asia, all of the stores in Greater China are open. In Japan, South Korea and other parts of Southeast Asia, nearly 70 percent of the stores are open.

The company has also seen growth in e-commerce, with Michael Kors sales almost double prior year levels in April and May.

When Yahaira Caraballo opened her nail salon in the Bronx, New York nearly seven years ago, it was a bare-bones shop with two nail technicians.

Earlier this year, she had six nail technicians, a full-time receptionist and a cleaning person, a renovated salon, and a following that included as many as 45 clients on a busy day.

Now Caraballo, 38, doesn’t know how long it will be before her clients can once again sit side by side at her black shimmery nail bar for manicures, or on her salon’s long studded bench to have pedicures.

“We were pretty successful prior to this,” said Caraballo. She’s running the numbers to calculate if she can operate at half her usual capacity - the level she estimates will allow for enough space between customers to meet social distancing guidelines. “It will have to work one way or the other, even if I have to cut some expenses or inventory.”

She is still waiting for clearance from city and state officials to reopen her salon, which has been shuttered since late March when New York closed down all nonessential businesses to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

After that happens, there’s the question of how many people will show up. Traffic had slowed to below half the usual pace even before the lockdown, as people became more nervous about becoming infected with COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus.

Caraballo is one of millions of small U.S. business owners trying to adapt to survive the aftermath of the

A nail salon opens after a shutdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Pooler, Georgia, U.S. Reuters

pandemic. Reuters will follow several over the next 12 months as they face crowd restrictions, reduced demand and public health concerns.

Caraballo hopes to re-open in mid-June with plastic shields at the nail bar to create a barrier between technicians and clients. Customers will be welcome by appointment only and Caraballo plans to have the salon professionally cleaned at least twice a month.

She is not counting on getting much help.

Her landlord offered to create a rent payment plan once the salon reopens, because she is two months behind. But she hasn’t been able to tap a loan from the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), after applying twice.

Part of the $2.9 trillion economic relief package passed by

Congress, PPP loans are meant to help small businesses keep employees on their staff.

Some minority business owners like Caraballo, who moved to New York from the Dominican Republic more than 20 years ago, have struggled to access the aid.

About four in ten beauty salons who applied for PPP loans did not receive them, the Professional Beauty Association, a trade group, found here The federal government tried to reach more minority groups in a second round of PPP loans, by reserving $30 billion out of the $310 billion pool for banks with less than $10 billion in assets. The government also set aside $10 billion in funds for Community Development Financial Institutions, which are more likely to have relationships with minority-owned

businesses and those in rural areas.

The first time Caraballo applied, through her accountant, she was told the funds were depleted. She has not heard back from her lender after a second application a month ago.

A loan of $15,000 to $25,000 would help her pay for rent, a deep cleaning, payroll and other debts.

“I don’t even know if this is going to be over soon,” she said. “I feel helpless in a way.”

Caraballo estimates her new monthly revenue may average $14,000, half what she could make before the crisis. After paying a 60% sales commission to her nail techs, nearly $3,000 a month for rent and about $2,500 for utilities and other costs, it will be tough to break even.

“Hopefully it will get better,” she said. “We can only be optimistic.”

– Reuters

ENTERTAINMENT

Are James and Nadine together again?

J

UST because they posted their pictures together, some JaDine fans are now jumping to the conclusion that James Reid and Nadine Lustre have reconciled.

The photos show them sharing the same spot in James’ house where Nadine used to live with him for almost three years.

The rumors that James and Nadine broke up started late last year but they denied it. Nadine even had a squabble with some reporters about it, only to recant it later and admit that, yes, she and James have indeed parted ways, but they remain good friends.

The recent photos elicited so many positive comments from their expectant fans, all carrying the same message: they’re hoping James and Nadine have really kissed and made up. Some fans even said that it proves that fate really meant for them to be together and it now looks like they have already realized that they really cannot live without each other.

Well, what can we say? The fans can really be so presumptuous, but James and Nadine have yet to show any favorable reaction to their messages. But hope springs eternal, so here’s hoping that James and Nadine are doing this to save their showbiz careers. As we all know, both of their careers took a steep nosedive not only after they broke up but also after James left Viva who built him up and Nadine even tried to follow suit despite her last two films, “Ulan” and “Indak,” being both certified flops.

Since then, they haven’t had any projects on the big screen or on TV, and also no more endorsements. At this point when the industry is also down and even more established stars are wondering where their careers could be going because of the corona lockdown, only a miracle can save their careers. *** Megan Young says that due to the lockdown, they were able to sort out the thousands of photos taken during her and Mikael Daez’

two weddings, one in Tagaytay and one in Subic. She posted the ones she has chosen for public consumption online and netizens were so amused by the captions she and Mikael wrote with the photos.

In one photo showing Megan cutting their wedding cake, here’s what Mikael wrote: “I’m wondering, why was Boneezy (his pet name for Megan) so scared of cutting that delicious strawberry shortcake??

Maybe she realized that she was cutting away her freedom.”

You can take a look at their other wedding photos in their vlog.

Megan shares that the quarantine has made her more appreciative of even the little things around them while they stay in their condo.

“When I need a boost of happy thoughts, I just think of all the ‘wins’ that I’ve had throughout the week random things that made me happy during the week,” she said.

For the first time, Megan also admitted that she got jealous of Andrea Torres when Mikael was doing one show after another with her. It will be recalled that Mikael and Andrea became successful as a love team for a while and they did several soaps. At that time, Mikael was already going steady with Megan, but they kept it secret. In their podcast as a couple called “Behind Relationship Goals,” Megan confessed that when Mikael was first paired with Andrea in the afternoon series “Sana ay Ikaw na Nga,” she got jealous somehow when he said he took Andrea home after taping.

“I was like, ‘Uh, what?’ Natigilan talaga ako. You made her hatid sa bahay niya? It’s cool because love team nga kayo, but what I’m worried about is what kind of thoughts are you putting in her head. I think Andrea was single at that time at baka isipin niya na may gusto ka nga sa kanya. I don’t want you to put these kinds of expectations in your love team.”

Mikael explained that he just wanted to have a good working relationship with Andrea for their love team to succeed. Megan got

Lesha’s ‘Ciao, Bella’ receives solid support across Asia

his point and now, Andrea is one of their closest friends as a couple. As we all know, Andrea is now on with Derek Ramsay with whom she’s doing a new show, “Sanggang Dikit.” Megan, in turn, is doing a new drama with Dennis Trillo, “Legal Wives,” while Mikael is in “Love of My Life” and also appears with Dennis in “My Husband’s Lover” that is now being shown on primetime. *** Everyone is going online. Most stars now have their own social media account, vlog or youtube

Mario E. Bautista ‘James and Nadine have yet to show any favorable reaction to their messages. But hope springs eternal, so here’s hoping that James and Nadine are doing this to save their showbiz careers.’ channels where they can communicate directly with the fans. Even top singers now just have their concerts online where they don’t earn anything as it’s for free.

Honestly, we think being constantly present on the internet will just have a negative effect on their careers as they most certainly lose their mystique as celebrities. They used to be on a pedestal, hard to reach, but now they’ve become as common as any ordinary netizen who wants to get noticed online.

They’ve also opened themselves up freely to everyone, especially to haters and bashers who just delight to annoy celebrities to give some excitement to their own boring lives. Because they made themselves accessible to every Tom, Dick and Harry, they give

JAMES REID and NADINE LUSTRE

the chance even to strangers to treat them badly, binabastos sila, o minumura sila just to annoy them.

Another downside of this is people might no longer be interested to see them in movies where they have to pay, since they can now be seen online for free.

Now, even the top networks also have their own shows online. We can understand ABS-CBN if they currently use Facebook or YouTube as an outlet since their franchise has yet to be renewed. But GMA, their free TV channel GMA-7 is still very much active, but they now have so many shows online for GMA Artist Center with virtual entertainment through a series of online shows.

GMA Artist Center (GMAAC) talents continue to interact with their fans via online shows like “#ArtistHideout,” ”Just In,” ”E-Date Mo Si Idol,” and ”Quiz Beh!” “#ArtistHideout” offers “PareKuys”, “Wednesday Coolitan,” and “Yummy Thursdays,” all hosted by comedian Tetay.

In GMAAC’s newest online talk

show “Just In: An Online Kumustahan with your Favorite TV Personalities,” catch your favorite TV personalities every Wednesday, 8 p.m. Paolo Contis and Vaness Del Moral alternate as hosts. Last May 20, Paolo was joined by his friend Baron Geisler. Meanwhile, Vaness was joined by GMA News Pillar Arnold Clavio recently.

And then there is “E-Date Mo si Idol,” GMAAC’s exciting online dating game show. Viewers may date your favorite Kapuso right from the comforts of your homes and share kilig and funny moments with your idol.

Lastly, watch out for your favorite Kapuso stars as they gather online for a quick playtime, hoping to give you smile and spread good vibes during these trying times via “Quiz Beh!” beginning May 29.

This will be hosted by actor, singer and comedian Betong Sumaya.

These shows and more are on the Facebook page and YouTube channel of GMA Artist Center.

“Ciao, Bella,” by electro-pop artist Lesha, has received solid editorial support across Asia via music streaming service Apple Music, Spotify, India’s JioSaavn, and Taiwan’s KKBox. “This is crazy! Can’t believe something I wrote and produced in my bedroom would make it this far,” Lesha enthused in an Instagram post.

Released just last May 15, Lesha’s self-penned track “Ciao, Bella” was instantly featured on eight of Spotify’s New Music Friday playlists: New Music Friday Philippines, New Music Friday Singapore, New Music Friday Indonesia, New Music Friday Malaysia, New Music Friday Taiwan, New Music Friday Hong Kong, New Music Friday Vietnam, and New Music Friday Thailand. A few days after release, Lesha was made the cover of Spotify’s editorial playlist “OPM Rising” as her song got featured on it.

Meanwhile, Apple Music highlighted the song on its homepage and OPM section. It also included it on “Absolute OPM” and “New Music Daily” playlists. Even iTunes featured it on its homepage as well.

JioSaavn, an online music service based in India featured this captivating track on “Under the Radar Pop” playlist, while Taiwanbased music platform KKBOX also gave it a homepage banner.

“Ciao, Bella,” an Italian phrase which means “Goodbye, Beautiful,” is inspired by the love story of Tokyo and Rio in the hit Netflix series’ “Money Heist.”

“I uploaded this to TikTok after finishing the first verse and it surprisingly blew up!” the young producer said in her YouTube video “How I Made The Music Video of ‘Ciao, Bella’ at Home.”

“This is a quarantine project of mine, the most challenging one I’ve had so far,” she disclosed, sharing details of how she successfully worked with limited resources she had at home to produce, direct, and edit the music video.

Malaya

Business Insight

A6

EDITORIAL

OPINION

Tuesday, June 2, 2020

A member of the

Philippine Press Institute The National Association of Philippine Newspapers

Bleak future for hospital sector

A

T a time when we should be strengthening our healthcare system comes this news that more than 300 small private hospitals are in danger of closing down. This piece of information is true, coming as it is from the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines Inc. (PHAPi).

Rustico Jimenez, president of the 744-member PHAPi, revealed the sad news that some members, especially those in the provinces, have already partially stopped operations, with only the emergency rooms still open.

Jimenez told an interviewer from a national TV network that “among our members, about 50 percent are about to close.”

‘Because of the dreadful fear of the pandemic, there are only a few patients going to non-COVID-19 facilities because they are scared of getting the virus. ’ The association confirmed that these small hospitals have been victims of a double whammy: the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19 pandemic and the failure of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) to release insurance claims and reimbursements.

Because of the dreadful fear of the pandemic, there are only a few patients going to non-COVID-19 facilities because they are scared of getting the virus. Patients who would have been scheduled for surgery during the last two months would rather wait for three to four months, when the hysteria and the virus-related social chaos would have subsided. With the regular patients of physicians shying away from clinics that are housed inside private hospitals, these clinics were temporarily closed and the hospitals’ rent income suffered.

The financial problems of these hospitals were compounded with the slow rate of payments or reimbursements from PhilHealth. Jimenez said only 46 percent of their members have so far received the payment that PhilHealth said it had advanced. He added that among the member-hospitals that have yet to receive payments from PhilHealth are those in Lanao, Iloilo, Bulacan, and Batangas, including those affected by the eruption of Taal Volcano in January.

Some of these problems had been with the health sector long before the coronavirus attacked the country, yet it took the pandemic to remind our officials of the emergency nature of these problems.

Perhaps this time, the government will be able to do something to really strengthen our health care system, of which the private hospitals are an important cog.

ISSN 0115-8104

Published Monday to Friday with Malaya by the People’s Independent Media, Inc. with Editorial and Business office at 652 Sto. Tomas St., Intramuros, Manila, Tel. No. Editorial 53101922 and 29 • Fax No. 53101930 • Business 85233615, Advertising 8527-1841 • 85277242, Fax No. 8527-7240, Circulation 8404-0205 Amado P. Macasaet Publisher ALLEN A. Macasaet President / CEO ENRIQUE P. ROMUALDEZ Executive Editor

MA. TERESA A. MOLINA Managing Editor

IRMA ISIP Associate Editor

JIMMY A. CANTOR Deputy Managing Editor

MENCHIE L. GARCIA VP for Operations

LARRY F. LOPEZ Art Director

MITCH M. ENCARNADO Advertising Director

W

ELCOME to Survivor Pilipinas, COVID-19 edition.

If you’ve had occasion to browse through any social media platform this past week, chances are you’ve seen a meme that simply says “Survivor Pilipinas” in reference to the recently implemented general community quarantine in Metro Manila and other regions around the country.

“Survivor Pilipinas” is a play on the reality TV series called Survivor, where contestants are left to their own devices in different remote locations around the world. It became wildly popular in 2000, when its maiden series kicked off in Pulau Tiga, Malaysia. The idea is that contestants must outwit, outplay, and outlast each other in order to become the sole survivor, and therefore the winner of the series.

Each week, contestants battle it out in challenges against the other tribe, with the losing group going to the Tribal Council where they would vote out one of their own off the island.

And so it will go, week after week, until there is only the sole survivor left.

Sound familiar?

Seeing, listening, and watching government in these past weeks feels more and more like folks have been left on their own, with little to no help from government. The Social Amelioration Program, meant to provide relief to families who could not earn a livelihood during

Survivors (not) ready!

‘And so it goes—we will be left to care for ourselves until such time that a safe vaccine is developed to kill COVID-19. Until then, we will all be contestants on Survivor Pilipinas, with only our wits and own devices at our disposal in order to stay safe in these times.’

It’s complicated Abigail Valte

lockdown, was wracked with many problems, from the confusing lists of beneficiaries, slow distribution, reports of kickbacks by local officials. The DOLE’s relief program for employees was also short-lived due to lack of budget, and loan programs from SSS and other similar agencies, hard to access.

And now, judging by the first day of the general community quarantine, people who had to go back to work were largely left to fend for themselves in terms of public transportation, as buses and jeeps are still not allowed to operate. It was disheartening to see scores of people waiting by the roadside, hoping to catch a ride to work. Some took matters into their own hands, and tried to bike to work, without the previ-

ously promised bike lane along EDSA. For many, walking was the only option—and it makes me angry to hear that some essential workers have to walk from Makati to Parañaque (and back) every day just to get to work.

These are the same people that government was singing praises about a month ago—how important they are, how they are modern-day heroes in light of the pandemic. But that’s it. Just words.

The simplest kind of assistance that government can provide— reliable public transportation—is denied to our essential workers because they are apparently still figuring things out. What were they doing these last two-and-a-half months? Zoom e-numan? Making Dalgona coffee? Baking ube

cheese pandesal? Whatever it was, it’s apparent that a thorough plan of what reopening the cities would require wasn’t part of the agenda.

As CNN anchor Chris Cuomo said: “We elect people to lead. To do the job for you.”

Snark aside, more disturbing is the attempt to gaslight the populace when it comes to the data about how many COVID-19 cases and deaths we really have.

Three days leading up to the implementation of the GCQ, cases were still going up. And what were we told? “Oh, those are old cases.

Fresh cases are down.” What? Are we talking about vegetables here?

Meat? Until now, we are still quibbling about mass testing. It’s not necessary, they say. We can’t do it, one admitted. “Oh we are doing targeted testing!” one boasted.

Yeah, right. Tell that to the OFWs who have been stuck in quarantine facilities for over a month, waiting for a paper certification, until media shone a light on their situation.

And so it goes—we will be left to care for ourselves until such time that a safe vaccine is developed to kill COVID-19. Until then, we will all be contestants on Survivor Pilipinas, with only our wits and own devices at our disposal in order to stay safe in these times.

May we all remain safe and healthy even as we plunge headlong into the danger posed by COVID-19.

Remember: Outwit. Outplay.

Outlast. We all need to survive so we can vote in 2022.

Open season on the free press: Journalists targeted in attacks as US protests rage ON Friday evening, viewers watched as CNN correspondent Omar Jimenez and his crew were arrested on live television while covering a protest following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

By Saturday, as protesters and the police clashed across the nation, reporter Kaitlin Rust from Louisville, Kentucky local station WAVE News screamed on air “I’m getting shot! I’m getting shot!” as cameras caught her and her crew being targeted at gunpoint and shot at by local police with pepper balls.

O ve r a t h r e e - d ay p e r i o d , organizations that track press violence documented about two dozen acts of violence, including an incident on Saturday night in Minneapolis during which Reuters journalist Julio-Cesar Chavez and Reuters security adviser Rodney Seward were struck and injured by rubber bullets.

From Los Angeles to Minneapolis to New York, what seemed like isolated attacks on the press at political rallies and protests over the last few years intensified as trust in media is near a decade low, some media experts said.

“It is an extremely scary place to be and not a place where

journalists have felt since 1968 in this country,” said Bruce Brown, executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, referring to journalists being harassed at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

“The numerous, targeted attacks that journalists reporting on protests across the country have faced from law enforcement over the last two nights are both reprehensible and clear violations of the First Amendment,” he said.

Freedom of speech and the press are enshrined, among other freedoms, in the First Amendment of the US Constitution.

The attacks, which come amid the anti-media rhetoric of US President Donald Trump, have been leveled at media organizations across the political spectrum.

Leland Vittert, a Fox News correspondent with experience in war zones, and his crew were attacked by demonstrators near the White House on Friday after being identified as an employee of Fox News. “It’s the most scared I’ve been since being caught in a mob that turned on us in Tahrir Square (in Cairo, Egypt),” Vittert said in an interview with Reuters on Sunday.

Vittert recalled how the public

perception of the media similarly deteriorated during his time covering the Middle East. “We saw that transition happen where those who we reported on went from being glad we were there to tell our stories to viewing us as potential targets,” he said. “And now we’re seeing that same shift in America which is terrifying.”

Since taking office in 2017, Trump has frequently lashed out at the media.

“There’s a campaign of vilification of the media by President Trump,” said Courtney Radsch, advocacy director at the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Radsch said this is also occurring as protesters “want to control their narrative as well. Everyone wants to go directly to public with their version of events.”

On Sunday, the president wrote on Twitter: “The Lamestream Media is doing everything within their power to foment hatred and anarchy. As long as everybody understands what they are doing, that they are FAKE NEWS and tr uly bad people with a sick agenda, we can easily work through them to GREATNESS!” Some Trump supporters in the past have played down the backlash against the media and the president’s role in it, saying the

media had eroded its own credibility with partisan reporting.

“He (Trump) is not the only trigger,” Brown said. But, “If he were to stop attacking journalists, that would help a lot.”

Watching journalists get arrested and attacked on television sends a message to viewers that there are no repercussions for the violence, media experts say.

The governor of Minnesota apologized for the arrest of CNN’s journalists and the Louisville police department apologized if Rust was singled out for being a reporter. No actions have been taken so far against the officers involved.

Fox and CNN both condemned the actions taken against their journalists and other members of the media.

A Reuters spokeswoman said the news organization strongly objects to police firing rubber bullets at its crew in Minneapolis and is addressing the situation with authorities.

“It was clear that both our reporter and security adviser were members of the press and not a threat to public order. Journalists must be allowed to report the news without fear of harassment or harm,” the spokeswoman said in a statement. – Reuters

Malaya

Business Insight

Tuesday, June 2, 2020

OPINION

Scientists hunt pandemic hotspots in race to test vaccines LONDON/CHICAGO. – The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic may be waning. For vaccine developers, that could be a problem.

Scientists in Europe and the United States say the relative success of draconian lockdown and social distancing policies in some areas and countries means virus transmission rates may be at such low levels that there is not enough disease circulating to truly test potential vaccines.

They may need to look further afield, to pandemic hotspots in Africa and Latin America, to get convincing results.

“Ironically, if we’re really successful using public health measures to stamp out the hot spots of viral infection, it will be harder to test the vaccine,” said Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health in the United States.

A vaccine is seen as essential to ending a pandemic that has killed nearly 370,000 people and infected more than 6 million so far, with world leaders looking at inoculation as the only real way to restart their stalled economies.

But running large-scale clinical trials of potential vaccines against a completely new disease at speed is complex, scientists say.

Showing efficacy in those trials during a fluctuating pandemic adds extra difficulty – and doing so when outbreaks are waning makes it harder still.

“For this to work, people need to have a risk of infection in the community. If the virus has been temporarily cleared out, then the exercise is futile,” said Ayfer Ali, an expert in drug repurposing

at Britain’s Warwick Business School.

“The solution is to move to areas where the infection is being spread widely in the community – that would be countries like Brazil and Mexico at the moment.”

Vaccine trials work by randomly dividing people into a treatment group and a control group, with the treatment group getting the experimental trial vaccine and the control group getting a placebo.

All participants go back into the community where the disease is circulating, and subsequent rates of infection are compared.

The hope is that infections within the control group will be higher, showing the trial vaccine is protecting the other group.

With COVID-19 epidemics in Britain, mainland Europe and the United States coming down from their peak and transmission rates of the coronavirus dropping, a key task for scientists is to chase fluctuating outbreaks and seek volunteers in sections of populations or in countries where the disease is still rife.

A similar problem emerged when scientists were seeking to test potential new vaccines against Ebola during the vast 2014 outbreak in West Africa. Then, drugmakers were forced to drastically scale back plans for large trials because their vaccines were only test-ready late in the epidemic when case numbers were dwindling.

LOOKING ABROAD Among the first COVID-19 vaccines to move into phase two, or mid-stage, trials is one from

the US biotech company Moderna and another being developed by scientists at Oxford University supported by AstraZeneca. The United States in July is planning to launch vast efficacy trials of 20,000 to 30,000 volunteers per vaccine.

Collins said US health officials will tap government and industry clinical trial networks in the United States first and use mapping to detect where the virus is most active. They will also consider looking abroad if domestic disease rates fall too far, he said.

The US government has experience in Africa of testing vaccines against HIV, malaria and tuberculosis.

“Africa is now beginning to experience lots of cases of COVID-19. We might very well want to run part of the trial there, where we know we can collect the data effectively,” said Collins.

Adrian Hill, director of the Jenner Institute at Britain’s Oxford University which has teamed up with AstraZeneca, started mid-stage trials last month which he said would aim to recruit around 10,000 people in Britain.

He told Reuters that with COVID-19 disease transmission rates dropping in the UK there is a possibility that the trial would have to be halted if they didn’t have enough infections to yield a result.

“That would be disappointing, and at the moment it’s unlikely, but it’s certainly a possibility,” Hill said.

CHALLENGE TRIALS Underscoring the level of concern in the industry, Astra-

Zeneca’s chief executive Pascal Soriot said his researchers were even contemplating running so-called “challenge” trials – where participants would b e g i ve n t h e e x p e r i m e n t a l vaccine and then deliberately infected with COVID-19 to see if it worked. Such trials are rare, high risk and hard to get ethical approval for.

As a more practical and swifter option, Soriot and others are looking to Brazil and other countries in South America, as well as parts of Africa where COVID-19 outbreaks are still growing and peaking, as ripe drug and vaccine testing grounds.

Difficulty recruiting candidates for mid-stage vaccine trials in countries where the COVID-19 pandemic is on the wane may be foreshadowed by the experience of doctors seeking infected cases for the World Health Organization’s multi-country Solidarity trial of potential treatments for the disease – including the generic drug hydroxychloroquine and Gilead’s remdesivir.

In the Swiss portion of that trial, for instance, it took three weeks to get all of the ethical and regulatory approvals from authorities, and another week to get all the drugs, said Oriol Manuel, an infectious disease expert and national coordinator of the Solidarity study in Switzerland.

“We were able to enroll some patients in (one trial centre in) Lausanne,” Manuel said. “But when all centers were ready, the cases were fortunately disappearing.” – Reuters

Workers living in Mexico helping California’s pandemic health response EL CENTRO, Calif. – Hundreds of Mexicans and Americans who live south of the border enter southern California’s hospitals every day.

But these are not the patients — they are medical workers and support staff keeping a saturated healthcare system running amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Over a thousand nurses, medical technicians, and support workers who live in the Mexican border towns of Tijuana, Tecate and Mexicali work in the United States, Mexican census data shows. They staff emergency rooms, COVID-19 testing sites, dialysis centers and pharmacies.

Well over a thousand more clean contaminated hospital rooms and biotech labs; wash doctors’ scrubs and patients’ bed sheets; and provide inhome care to the elderly and others vulnerable to the virus.

“From the receptionist to nurses, doctors, surgeons, and pharmacists, there’s cross-border workers in every single stage,” said Paola Avila, vice president of international business affairs at

the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce.

In recent weeks, US officials and California hospitals raised alarms about US citizens living in Mexico crossing the border for treatment as COVID-19 cases surged in Tijuana and Mexicali.

At El Centro Regional Medical Center, the largest hospital in California’s Imperial Valley, which employs dozens of crossborder workers, a wave of such patients helped saturate the intensive care unit and forced the hospital to begin airlifting people to hospitals over 100 miles (160 km) away.

The healthcare workers are a reminder that in the interconnected region the state also benefits from cross-border travel, at a time when US President Donald Trump has warned that infections in Mexico are a risk for the United States and senior US Department of Homeland Security officials have expressed concerns about dual nationals living in Mexico.

“This is a workforce that is needed in the hospital,” said Dr.

Andres Smith, medical director of emergency services at Sharp Chula Vista in San Diego.

Angel Esquivel, El Centro’s base hospital trauma manager, who coordinates the flow of patients with ambulance and helicopter services, said living in Mexico enabled him to prepare better for the recent rise in patients crossing the border.

It gave him first-hand knowledge of how that outbreak was unfolding, he said, “so we can have a picture of how that emergency can impact our emergency room.”

Emerald Textiles, the largest health care laundry service in San Diego, said more than half its employees live in Tijuana.

“Without my people being able to cross the border it would be very, very difficult for us,” said president Jaye Park.

That concern was echoed by representatives of two hospital systems in the San Diego area — Scripps Health and Sharp HealthCare — who sent a letter to Trump administration officials in April warning of a brewing

public health crisis at the border, yet acknowledging the health care system’s dependence on crossborder workers.

“It is critical that our healthcare personnel be able to move freely,” the letter stated.

Hundreds are US-born workers who reside in Mexico for personal or financial reasons, Mexican data shows. Melody Thomas, a registered nurse and director of clinical services for Scripps Mercy Hospital, said she lives in Mexico because of her husband’s immigration status.

The majority of this workforce were born in Mexico and have dual citizenship or US work documents.

“The president says we Mexicans who live in Tijuana are carriers (of the virus),” said Ada Loera, a janitor in a San Diego biotech company researching a COVID-19 vaccine.

“But when the pandemic started, (our bosses) sent us email after email saying we were essential personnel and that we were required to come,” she said.

– Reuters

Russia, after approving Japanese COVID-19 drug, to roll out ‘game changer’ next week MOSCOW -- Russia will start administering its first approved antiviral drug to treat coronavirus patients next week, its state financial backer told Reuters, a move it described as “a game changer” that should speed a return to normal economic life.

Russian hospitals can begin giving the drug to patients from June 11, with enough to treat around 60,000 people per month, the head of Russia’s RDIF sovereign wealth fund told Reuters in an interview.

There is currently no approved vaccine for the highly contagious and sometimes fatal illness and no consensus within the global scientific community about the efficacy of medication such as the Russian modified antiviral drug.

Registered under the name Avifavir, it is the first potential coronavirus treatment to be approved by Russia’s health ministry, however. It appeared on a government list of approved drugs on Saturday after clinical trials.

RDIF head Kirill Dmitriev said

clinical trials involved 330 people and showed that the drug successfully treated the virus in most cases within four days.

Trials were due to be concluded in around a week, he said, and more would be conducted.

The health ministry had given its approval for the drug’s use under a special accelerated process and manufacturing had begun in March, he added.

“We believe this is a game changer. It will reduce strain on the healthcare system, we’ll have fewer people getting into a critical condition, and for 90% of people it eliminates the virus within 10 days,” he said.

“We believe that the drug is key to resuming full economic activity in Russia. People need to follow social distancing rules, and of course we need to have a vaccine, but it’s a combination of those three levers.”

‘FEW SIDE-EFFECTS’ With 405,843 cases, Russia has the third highest number o f i n f e c t i o n s i n t h e wo r l d

after Brazil and the United States, though with 4,693 official deaths, a much lower fatality rate, something that has been the focus of debate.

Dmitriev said the new drug, which comes in tablet for m, would allow people to spend less time in hospital and reduce the time they are contagious, saying the drug had few side-effects but was not suitable for pregnant women.

It was particularly effective, he said, for patients suffering from mild or mid-level symptoms.

R D I F, w h i c h h a s a 5 0 % share in the drug’s manufacturer ChemRar, funded the t r i a l s a n d o t h e r wo r k w i t h its par tners, to the tune of around 300 million r ubles ($4.3 million), said Dmitriev, who explained that the costs to Russia were much lower because of previous development work conducted in Japan.

Avifavir, known generically as favipiravir, was first developed in the late 1990s by a Japanese company later bought by Fujifilm as it moved into healthcare. The

drug works by short-circuiting the reproduction mechanism of certain RNA viruses such as influenza.

Russian specialists modified the generic drug to enhance its efficacy for treating COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, said Dmitriev, who said Moscow would be ready to share the details of those modifications with others within two weeks.

“The drug showed very good results in randomized clinical tests. After four days, 65 percent of patients did not have the virus,” he said.

Japan has been trialing the same drug, known there as Avigan. It has won plaudits from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and $128 million in g overnment funding, but has yet to be approved for use.

Once Russia’s own medical needs were covered, Dmitriev said it would look to export Avifavir. Countries in the Middle East and Latin America had expressed an interest in acquiring it, he said. – Reuters

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Armed with disinfectant and admonishments, robot fights virus spread SEOUL -- A self-driving robot equipped with cameras and an LED screen greets visitors at the lobby in the headquarters of South Korea’s largest mobile operator, checking their temperature, dispensing hand sanitizer and disinfecting the floor.

“Please take part in social distancing,” the white robot firmly but politely reminds three SK Telecom employees who stand chatting nearby.

Corporate Korea has long been used robotics for tasks including manufacturing and cleaning, but the technology is getting a boost as more companies strive to reduce human contact amid coronavirus concerns.

Having largely managed to contain an epidemic that infected more than 11,000 and killed 269, South Korea is transitioning from intensive social distancing towards what the government calls “distancing in daily life.”

The robot, developed jointly by SK Telecom and Omron Electronics Korea, an industrial automation solution provider, transmits data to its server in real time, powered by the telecom company’s fifth-generation (5G) technology.

It sets off an alarm if anyone’s temperature is over 37.5 Celsius (99.5 Fahrenheit), while using artificial intelligence (AI) to detect gatherings and advise people to disperse. Those not wearing a mask will be reminded to put one on.

“The robot helps minimize people-to-people contact and reduce time that’s taken for temperature checks at the entrance, and the AI technology raises accuracy,” said Ra Kyhong-hwan, head of data business cooperation at SK Telecom and one of the developers.

Armed with ultraviolet lamps and two disinfectant sprayers, the robot can disinfect 99% of 33 square meters (355 square feet) of surface area in 10 minutes, the company said.

The developers added a function to hide faces mirrored in the screen to protect people’s privacy, Ra said.

“It felt a bit strange when I first saw the robot but I realize it can raise awareness about distancing and also improves accuracy in temperature checks,” said Lim Yeon-june, an employee of SK Telecom.

Smaller businesses and retailers are also eyeing robots.

At a café in the central city of Daejeon, a robot takes orders, makes 60 different types of drinks and brings them to customers at their seats.

At CJ CGV, South Korea’s largest multiplex cinema chain, moviegoers can buy tickets, popcorns and parking vouchers through robots, which can also guide them to their seats or the bathroom.

Last month, Woowa Brothers, the country’s top food delivery app owner, began a pilot operation for a self-driving delivery robot that can move freely between floors of an office or apartment building.

A customer can place an order through a QR code, and the robot, called Delitower, would pick up food from the restaurant or a delivery rider and bring it straight to the customer’s location.

“We’ve been testing delivery robots since last year and are seeking to adopt them at the offices, hotels and residential complexes as more people find robots to be useful amid the coronavirus outbreak and social distancing,” an official at Woowa Brothers told Reuters. -- Reuters

China warns US of retaliation BEIJING -- China said on Monday said US attempts to harm Chinese interests will be met with firm countermeasures, criticizing a US decision to begin ending special treatment for Hong Kong as well as actions against Chinese students and companies.

China’s parliament last week voted to move forward with imposing national security legislation on Hong Kong, which US President Donald Trump said on Friday was a tragedy for the people of the city, and which violated China’s promise to protect its autonomy.

Trump ordered his administration to begin the process of eliminating special US treatment for Hong Kong to punish China, ranging from extradition treatment to export controls.

But he stopped short of calling an immediate end to privileges that have helped the former British colony remain a global financial center.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said China firmly opposed the US steps.

“The announced measures severely interfere with China’s internal affairs, damage US-China relations, and will harm both sides.

China is firmly opposed to this,” Zhao told reporters during a regular briefing.

“Any words or actions by the US that harm China’s interests will meet with China’s firm counterattack,” he said.

But Hong Kong shares surged more than 3% on Monday as investors took comfort that Trump did not immediately end the special US privileges.

At the close of trade, the Hang Seng index was up 3.36%, its biggest one-day percentage gain since March 25.

“Chinese policymakers would likely want to see precisely what the US implements before responding with further policy adjustments or retaliation of their own,” Goldman Sachs wrote in a note on Sunday.

In making his Friday announcement, Trump used some of his toughest rhetoric yet against China, saying it had broken its word over Hong Kong’s autonomy by moving to impose the new national security legislation and the territory no longer warranted US economic privileges.

Trump said China’s “malfeasance” was responsible for massive suffering and economic damage worldwide.

He said the United States would also impose sanctions on individuals seen as responsible for “smothering - absolutely smothering - Hong Kong’s freedom” but he did not name any of the potential sanctions targets.

Trump gave no time frame for the action, suggesting he may be trying to buy time before deciding whether to implement the most drastic measures, which have drawn strong resistance from US companies operating in Hong Kong.

Earlier, Hong Kong’s Beijing-backed government told the United States to keep out of the national security debate, and warned that withdrawal of the financial hub’s special status could backfire on the US economy. -- Reuters

‘READING THE COLUMNISTS’ Agree? Disagree? Vehemently disagree with Malaya columnists are saying? Sound off in “Reading the columnists” which runs in the Op-Ed section.

A8

Malaya

Business Insight

S PORTS Editor: JIMMY A. CANTOR

jcantor2001ph@yahoo.com

Tuesday, June 2, 2020

Dyip bristling to plunge into action

BY NOLI CORTEZ

IF THERE’S one team bristling to plunge into action in what remains of the PBA season, it’s Columbian.

The Dyip were all set to go against Alska in their season opener last March 15 but were prevented from doing so when all PBA activities were put on hold on March 11 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Columbian coach Johnedel Cardel knows his team is chomping at the bit to get going following the

enforced hiatus.

“Whenever na nag-uusap kami sa group chat, halata mo gigil ng mga players,” Cardel related to Malaya-Business Insight.

“Lagi nilang itinatanong, kung kailan kami maglalaro. Perto ang sabi ko nga, (we) have to practice discretion at caution kasi nga nandiyan pa rin ang virus,” added Cardel.

“Until the government makes the announcement na p’wede na ulit ang PBA, then the PBA gives us the go-signal we have to be patient and continue to

Jordan: We have had enough BASKETBALL great Michael Jordan voiced outrage on Sunday over the death of George Floyd, a black man shown on video gasping for breath as a white policeman knelt on his neck in Minneapolis, an incident that has triggered violent nationwide protests.

Jordan said his heart went out to the family of Floyd and others who have died through acts of racism.

“I am deeply saddened, truly pained and plain angry,” Jordan, a Basketball Hall of Famer and owner of the National Basketball Association’s Charlotte Hornets, said in a statement. “I see and feel everyone’s pain, outrage and frustration.

“I stand with those who are calling out the ingrained racism and violence toward people of color in our country. We have had enough.”

The comments from Jordan came as many US cities were bracing for another night of unrest after cleaning up streets strewn with broken glass and burned-out cars as curfews failed to quell confrontations between protesters and police.

Jordan, a six-time NBA champion who was at the heart of the Chicago Bulls’ dynasty in the 1990s, called on people to show compassion and empathy and never turn their backs on senseless brutality. – Reuters

stay safe.”

The only thing that concerns Cardel right now is rust having set in on his charges, although there have been sporadic online practices conducted by some of his assistants and players.

“Para to stay sharp pa rin, kahit papaano,” explained Cardel. “Kasi matagal-tagal ding nahinto sa actual na laro. Also, iba siyempre iyung magkakasama kayo, practicing as a team.”

Metro Manila easing into general community quarantine starting yesterday gives hope that a more

OUTRAGE

INDIGNANT: Jordan calls on people never to ignore senseless brutality.

Hamilton weighs in LONDON. — Six-time Formula One motor racing champion Lewis Hamilton has criticized his sport for its silence on the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died after a white US police officer knelt on his neck.

The death in Minneapolis triggered a wave of outrage and

relaxed scheme would be ordered by the government in the weeks to come. That would give teams the opportunity to start going to the gym for practice.

Cardel already has an immediate plan of practicing “by shifts,” the details of which would be ironed out with his staff in a meeting tomorrow.

“Kapag allowed na, mga two assistant coaches, limang players, sa gym,” was how Cardel started outlining things. “Meanwhile, iyung iba weights, conditioning.

After that, palit naman iyung ibang

violent protests in the United States.

Hamilton, Formula One’s first black world champion, spends much of his time in America and spoke out on the issue in an Instagram story on Sunday.

“I see those of you who are staying silent, some of you the biggest of stars yet you stay silent in the midst of injustice,” wrote the Mercedes driver.

“Not a sign from anybody in my industry which of course is a white dominated sport. I’m one of the only people of color HAMILTON: Standing alone in a white-dominated sport.

there yet I stand alone,” he added.

“I would have thought by now you would see why this happens and say something about it, but you can’t stand alongside us. Just know I know who you...are and I see you.”

In a second post, Hamilton added: “I do not stand with those looting and burning buildings but those who are protesting peacefully. There can be no peace until our so-called leaders make change.”

McLaren driver Lando Norris, Hamilton’s compatriot, was one of those who did comment, adding a line to his profile on the Twitch streaming platform that said “sign the! BLM petitions #BLACKLIVESMATTER” Canadian Nicholas Latifi, who is due to drive for Williams this season, said on Twitter ‘This has to stop #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd.”

Hamilton has spoken out before about the lack of diversity in motor racing.

“There really is the most minimal diversity within this sport and I really somehow want to be a part of shapeshifting that with Formula One,” he said a year ago.

– Reuters

‘Drive out hate’ AMID nationwide unrest over the death of George Floyd, Vanessa Bryant shared a photo of her late husband Kobe wearing an “I Can’t Breathe” T-shirt.

Her Instagram post included a reminder that life is short and unpredictable.

“My husband wore this shirt years ago and yet here we are again,” she wrote. “Life is so fragile. Life is so unpredictable. Life is too short. Let’s share and embrace the beautiful qualities and similarities we all share as people. Drive out hate. Teach respect and love for all at home and school. Spread LOVE. Fight for change — register to VOTE. Do not use innocent lives lost an excuse to loot.

BE AN EXAMPLE OF THE CHANGE WE WANT TO SEE. #BLACKLIVESMATTER.” Floyd died in police custody, handcuffed and pinned to the ground, in Minneapolis on Monday. It has sparked a wave of protests across the country.

The photo of Kobe Bryant was taken before a Los Angeles Lakers game in December 2014. The T-shirt referenced the final words of Eric Garner, who died in police custody in New York City in July 2014.

Bryant, 41, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others died in a helicopter crash in California on Jan. 26. – Field Level Media

How much has really changed?

DETROIT Pistons head coach Dwane Casey called for change and unity in a statement issued Saturday, amid country-wide protests following the death of George Floyd earlier this week.

Casey, 62, recalled his own experience as an 8-year-old in Kentucky when schools were desegregated, saying he remembers feeling helpless, “as if I was neither seen, nor heard, nor understood.” He said he believes that feeling persists.

“The injustices continue to mount, and nothing seems to be changing,” Casey said, in part, in his statement.

“Fifty-four years later, my son is now eight years old and I look at the world he is growing up in and wonder, how much has really changed? How often is he judged on sight? Is he growing up in a world where he is seen, and heard, and understood? Does he feel helpless?

“Will he be treated like George Floyd or Ahmaud Arbery? What have we really done in the last 54 years to make his eight-year-old world better than mine was? We all have to be and do better.

“We have to change the way we see and hear each other. We have to work together to find

Overseas-based tankers keep Tokyo dreams burning

BY BONG PEDRALVEZ

DESPITE the global coronavirus pandemic, national swimmers Luke Gebbie, James Deiparine and Remedy Rule have not abandoned their dreams of qualifying and representing the country in the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games, according to Philippine Swimming Inc. president Lani Velasco.

“Luke, Jame and Remedy are our three swimmers who are within reach of making the Olympic A qualifying times for their respective events and are keen on earning a ticket to Tokyo,” Velasco said over the weekend.

Velasco, who released the PSI’s “Return to Swim” guidelines on the eve of Metro Manila’s transition to general community quarantine since it is one sport allowed under GCQ, said Gebbie has not stopped training in his home base of Sydney, Australia amid the virus crisis.

A freestyle specialist, Gebbie clocked 22.62 seconds in copping the bronze medal in the men’s 50-meter freestyle event of the 30th Southeast Asian Games at the New Clark City Aquatics Center in Capas, Tarlac last December, an eyeblink off the Olympic qualifying standard of 22.01 seconds.

He also booked 49.94 seconds in a recent meet in the 100-meter freestyle, within striking distance of the Olympic qualifying standard of 49.94 seconds, Velasco added.

Velasco said Rule has resumed training with her former varsity coach at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas over the last three weeks.

Rule clocked 2:09.58 in the women’s 200-meter butterfly in a recent competition in Indianapolis, moving closer to the Olympic cutoff of 2.08.43. Velasco said this was faster than her silver-medal time of 2:10.97 in last year’s SEA

players and so on. Fifteen players, so bale tatlong shifts.”

Apart from prior testing for the virus before practices, other safety protocols would also come into play, Cardel added.

“The gym, equipment, personnel, must all be sanitized after each shift,” narrated Cardel. “Pagkatapos ng players, direstso uwi na. Sa bahay na lang sila mag-shower.”

Hard as the shutdown was, Cardel still sees some silver lining.

“Nagka-bonding ng mga players at kahit kaming coaches iyung family namin. At the same time,

Games.

Deiparine, a gold and silver medal in the SEA Games, is also set to resume training. His workouts at the University of Stanford California pool were cut short last March when Los Angela went on lockdown to stem the contagion.

An ex-California Polytechnic State varsity swimming squad mainstay, Deiparine set a new SEA Games and national record of 1:01.46 in ruling the men’s 100-meter breaststroke race last December, a heartbeat away from the Olympic qualifying standard of 59.93 seconds.

solutions to make the justice system just. Black, white and brown people have to work together to find new answers.

The only way we can stop the systemic problems that people of color have faced all our lives is through honesty and transparency. We have to understand why people are at their limit at this moment. It takes empathy, in its truest form. It takes a culture shift, it takes action.

Let’s stop the injustice now. Let’s not allow another generation to continue to live in a world where they are treated as unequal. Now is the time for real change.”

Floyd, who is black, died while in police custody in Minneapolis on Monday, leading to murder and manslaughter charges against officer Derek Chauvin, who is white. Fervent protests have emerged in dozens of cities across the nation this week, including several leading to riots in Minneapolis, where the city’s 3rd Precinct burned down on Thursday night.

Casey was the Minnesota Timberwolves’ head coach from 2005-07. He grew up in Kentucky, going to high school in Morganfield and playing at the University of Kentucky from 1975-79. – Field Level Media

nagkaroon lahat ng deeper realization na everything could be taken away just like that,” said Cardel.

“Kaya iyung dapat mahalin ‘yung trabaho, live up the fans expectations, hindi na kailangan pang i-reiterate sa kanila.”

That appreciation could only be shown best through games and Cardel is certainly looking forward to the PBA’s resumption.

“Sana kahit iyung Philippine Cup mai-salba, mailaro,” mused Cardel. “Kasi nga, ito ‘yung best na paraan para ma-satisfy craving ng fans para sa basketball, sa PBA.”

New CEU coach stays patient

BY MICHAEL JUGADO

WITH play still suspended until further notice in the PBA DLeague Aspirants’ Cup due to COVID-19, Karate Kid-Centro Escolar University coach Jeff Napa is not losing his patience.

The Scorpions are rebuilding after Napa took over from veteran tactician Derrick Pumaren last January.

“Hindi naman mahirap. Mas okay nga kasi start from zero, so kami din magsisimula sa umpisa,” Napa told Malaya-Business Insight yesterday on the adjustments the squad is going through in the face of the deadly global pandemic.

“Okay naman ang team. Right now, we do home workouts para sa players for them to stay healthy,” he added.

The season-opening tourney was halted last March 11, with PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial saying last month the fate of the DLeague will depend largely on the plans of the UAAP and NCAA. Usually kicking off in September, the UAAP has yet to announce its plans for Season 83, while the NCAA’s July opening is no longer possible as it eyes a mid-2021 start for Season 96.

Both leagues terminated the remainder of their seasons last month.

Aside from the Scorpions, other school-based teams set to see action in the Aspirants’ Cup are reigning NCAA champion Wangs-Letran, Seaoil-Far Eastern University, Apex Fuel-San Sebastian College, ADG Dong-Mapua University, Diliman College, FamilyMart-Enderun, Technological Institute of the Philippines, and AMA Senior High.

The coronavirus crisis’ financial repercussions have taken their toll on some teams.

Letran, carrying the colors of Wangs-Letran in the Aspirants’ Cup, is reportedly set to downsize its sports program in the NCAA, while Technological Institute of the Philippines has ceased operations for all its varsity teams.

Napa refused to comment on CEU’s financial status, saying: “No comment muna ako diyan.”

The Scorpions are leaning on the likes of forwards Rich Guinitaran and Dave Bernabe, and guard Franz Diaz.

Karate Kid-CEU is reinforced by Arellano University slotman and last season’s NCAA Rookie of the Year Justin Arana, former University of the East big man John Apacible, former Adamson University playmaker Jerie Pingoy, and University of the Philippines wingman David Murrell in the tourney.

Napa maintained the revamped Mendiola-based five needs time to fulfill its potential.

“Hindi ko pa masasagot kaagad if ano potential ng team,” he said.

“Tignan na lang natin kapag naging okay na ang lahat.”

PSA Forum back today PHILIPPINE Sports Commission Chairman William Ramirez and Philippine Olympic Committee President Abraham Tolentino are the main guests in the inaugural Philippine Sports Association Forum video conferencing today.

Ramirez is expected to talk about the major effect caused by the COVID-19 global pandemic to Philippine sports in general, while Tolentino will address the possible steps to be taken by the POC in the light of the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics to next year.

Ramirez headlines the first part of the video conferencing at 10 a.m., followed by Tolentino an hour later.

The weekly Forum is holding its first session under a new platform following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The regular sports program was last held Jan. 27 or about a month before the staging of the PSA Annual Awards Night.

The session will still be shown live via the PSA Facebook page fb. com/PhilippineSportswritersAssociation and will be shared in the Facebook page of long-time partner Radyo Pilipinas 2.

The PSA Forum is presented by San Miguel Corp., Amelie Hotel, Braska Restaurant, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., Go For Gold, and powered by Smart.

Malaya

Business Insight

Tuesday, June 2, 2020

NEWS

A9

Hundreds of protesters rally in London, Berlin over US death LONDON. — Hundreds of people protested in London and Berlin on Sunday in solidarity with demonstrations in the United States over the death of a black man shown on video gasping for breath as a white policeman knelt on his neck in Minneapolis.

The protesters knelt in central London’s Trafalgar Square, chanting “No justice, no peace,” and then marched past the Houses of Parliament and finished up outside the US Embassy.

The Metropolitan police said they had made five arrests outside the US Embassy, three for violations of the coronavirus lockdown guidelines and two for assault on police.

Several hundred protesters also staged a rally outside the US Embassy in Berlin, holding up posters saying “Justice for George Floyd,” “Stop killing us” and “Who’s neckst.”

The death of George Floyd after his arrest on Monday has triggered a tide of protests in the United States, unleashing long simmering rage over racial bias in the U.S. criminal justice system.

Some rallies have turned violent as demonstrators blocked traffic, set fires and clashed with riot police, some of whom fired tear gas and plastic bullets in an effort to restore order.

KIWIS WEIGH IN Thousands of New Zealanders marched peacefully on Monday chanting “Black Lives Matter” in solidarity with George Floyd, a black American who died in po-

lice custody in the United States last week.

The event was part of a number of protests around the globe, from London and Berlin to Australia and the Netherlands, after video showed a white Minneapolis police officer kneeling on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes before he died last Monday.

The incident touched off outrage in the United States in the midst of a polarizing presidential campaign and recently released from strict stay-at-home orders during the coronavirus pandemic that threw millions out of work.

Protesters in New Zealand’s Auckland city sat on the road after their peaceful march as they raised clenched fists in a sign of unity, solidarity and Black Power.

Social media posts showed demonstrators outside the American Consulate in Auckland wielding posters that read “Justice For George Floyd” and “Are We Next?”.

In the capital Wellington, more than 100 people walked from New Zealand’s parliament building to the American Embassy, chanting “Black Lives Matter”.

A candlelight vigil is also being planned in Wellington on Monday evening.

Across the Tasman Sea in Australia, demonstrations are expected on Tuesday evening.

In an email to American citizens living in Australia, the U.S. consulate said its Sydney city offices would shut early on Tuesday as a result. “Police expect counter protesters,” the email read, without providing further details. – Reuters

Democrat Biden visits site of police brutality protest in Delaware DEMOCRATIC presidential candidate Joe Biden on Sunday toured the site of one of the protests that ripped through US cities overnight and called for protesters against police brutality not to turn to violence.

Biden, wearing a face mask, made his second appearance outside his Delaware home since the coronavirus crisis hit in March, visiting an area in Wilmington where demonstrators vented outrage at the death of a black man shown on video gasping for breath as a white Minneapolis policeman knelt on his neck.

A campaign post on Instagram showed Biden speaking with African American residents and inspecting buildings boarded up to prevent damage hours after he issued a statement that “we are a nation in pain, but we must not allow this pain to destroy us.”

“Protesting such brutality is right and necessary,” Biden said in the statement emailed shortly after midnight. “But burning down communities and needless destruction is not.”

Biden will face President Donald Trump in the Nov. 3 presidential election. Trump’s re-election campaign manager, Brad Parscale, had said on Saturday that Biden should deliver a more forceful condemnation of violence.

Biden’s remarks echoed a statement on Saturday by prominent black civil rights activist and US Representative John Lewis of Georgia.

Lewis, who in 1965 was beaten unconscious by Alabama state troopers during a march for voting rights, called for protesters to “be constructive, not destructive,” though he said he knows their pain. – Reuters

Faceoff. Protesters carrying signs demonstrate in front of a police line in Long Beach, California.

REUTERS PHOTO

UK minister defends easing of lockdown as the ‘right step’ LONDON. — British foreign minister Dominic Raab on Sunday defended the government’s careful loosening of the coronavirus lockdown, saying it was the “right step to be taking” at this time.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has come under fire from some scientists for easing a lockdown put in place 10 weeks ago, with several saying it was a premature and risky move in the absence of a fully functioning system to track new outbreaks.

Britain has one of the world’s highest death rates from COVID-19 and the government says it is easing the stringent lockdown cautiously to balance the need to restart the economy while also trying to prevent another increase in the number of infections.

“We are confident that this is the right step to be taking at this moment in time,” Raab told Sky News. “We are taking those steps very carefully, based on the science

but also based on our ability now to monitor the virus.”

From Monday, up to six people will be able to meet outside in England, some school classes will restart, elite competitive sport can resume without spectators and more than 2 million people who have been “shielding” will be allowed to spend time outdoors.

Housing minister Robert Jenrick said the government was “reasonably confident” the easing would not boost the rate of infection, but some pictures of people apparently flouting the new rules has caused concern.

England’s deputy chief medical officer, Jenny Harries, emphasized the need for people to remain on their guard.

“This is a really, really critical time. So where we are seeing (that) government is easing measures, the public really, really need to stick to those measures,” she told a news conference.

Johnson, meanwhile, is under pressure from some in his governing Conservative Party and businesses to start reopening the economy after spending billions to help to protect companies and workers from the impact of the coronavirus crisis.

TEST AND TRACE At the heart of the strategy to ease the lockdown is a system to test and trace those people who have come into contact with confirmed cases of COVID-19.

On Sunday, the government said it had met its 200,000 capacity testing target, including the means for 40,000 antibody tests a day, which health minister Matt Hancock described as “an important milestone”.

Ministers also say the tracing system is already working, though some scientists warned that it is too early to say whether it is fit for purpose and fear that it might not be

able to cope if the lockdown easing increases the transmission rate.

Britain has recorded more than 38,000 deaths from confirmed COVID-19 cases. The Office of National Statistics and other sources of data put the figure of fatalities from suspected and confirmed cases at 48,000.

Peter Openshaw, a member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group and who sits on the government’s scientific advisory group, said he shared other scientists’ “deep concern.”

“I think unlocking too fast carries a great risk that all the good work that has been put in by everyone to try to reduce transmission may be lost,” he told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show.

Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon, who has offered the nation slightly different guidance to that in England, agreed with scientists urging caution. – Reuters

China warns US it will retaliate on moves over Hong Kong BEIJING. – China said on Monday US attempts to harm Chinese interests will be met with firm countermeasures, criticizing a US decision to begin ending special treatment for Hong Kong as well as actions against Chinese students and companies.

China’s parliament last week voted to move forward with imposing national security legislation on Hong Kong, which US President Donald Trump said on Friday was a tragedy for the people of the city, and which violated China’s promise to protect its autonomy.

Trump ordered his administration to begin the process of eliminating special US treatment for Hong Kong to punish China, ranging from extradition treatment

to export controls.

But he stopped short of calling an immediate end to privileges that have helped the former British colony remain a global financial centre.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said China firmly opposed the US steps.

“The announced measures severely interfere with China’s internal affairs, damage US-China relations, and will harm both sides. China is firmly opposed to this,” Zhao told reporters during a regular briefing.

“Any words or actions by the US that harm China’s interests will meet with China’s firm counterattack,” he said.

But Hong Kong shares surged more than 3% on Monday as inves-

tors took comfort that Trump did not immediately end the special U.S. privileges.

At the close of trade, the Hang Seng index was up 3.36%, its biggest one-day percentage gain since March 25.

“Chinese policymakers would likely want to see precisely what the US implements before responding with further policy adjustments or retaliation of their own,” Goldman Sachs wrote in a note on Sunday.

In making his Friday announcement, Trump used some of his toughest rhetoric yet against China, saying it had broken its word over Hong Kong’s autonomy by moving to impose the new national security legislation and the territory no longer

warranted US economic privileges.

Trump said China’s “malfeasance” was responsible for massive suffering and economic damage worldwide.

He said the United States would also impose sanctions on individuals seen as responsible for “smothering - absolutely smothering - Hong Kong’s freedom” but he did not name any of the potential sanctions targets.

Trump gave no time frame for the action, suggesting he may be trying to buy time before deciding whether to implement the most drastic measures, which have drawn strong resistance from US companies operating in Hong Kong. – Reuters

• FROM PAGE A12 •

LOOTING

off outrage that has swept across a politically and racially divided nation in the midst of a polarizing presidential campaign and recently released from strict stay-at-home orders during the coronavirus pandemic that threw millions out of work.

Minority communities were hit especially hard by the pandemic and those clamp-downs.

On Sunday afternoon, a tanker truck drove into a throng of demonstrators on I-35 in Minneapolis, which had been closed to traffic. The driver was pulled from the cab and beaten by protesters before being taken into custody by Minneapolis police. It did not appear any protesters were hit by the truck.

Authorities imposed curfews on dozens of cities across America, the most since 1968 in the aftermath of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr, which also happened during a presidential election campaign and amid the upheaval of anti-war demonstrations.

LOOTING IN CALIFORNIA In Santa Monica, upscale stores were looted along the city’s popular Third Street Promenade before police moved in

to make arrests. The vandalism followed a largely peaceful march earlier in the beachside city. Further south, in the Los Angeles suburb of Long Beach, a group of young men and women smashed windows of a shopping mall and looted stores before they were dispersed ahead of a 6 p.m. curfew.

In Washington, D.C., protesters set fires near the White House, the smoke mixing with billowing clouds of tear gas as police sought to clear them from the area.

Sporadic violence broke out in Boston following peaceful protests as activists threw bottles at police officers and lit a cruiser on fire. Philadelphia announced a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew after a day of protests and looting.

Several hundred demonstrators marched through downtown Miami chanting: “No justice, no peace,” past a detention center where inmates could be seen in the narrow windows waving shirts.

The demonstrations brought out a diversity of people, a point one young black woman noted at a march in Culver City, California on Sunday. “It means a lot to see people other than black people joining the demonstration,” said Candace Collins.

The eruptions of violence have not

let up despite the arrest on Friday of former Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, 44. He has since been charged with third-degree murder. Three other officers involved in Floyd’s arrest have yet to be charged.

In New York City, police arrested about 350 people and 30 officers suffered minor injuries during clashes. Mayor Bill de Blasio said police conduct was being investigated, including widely shared videos showing a police vehicle lurching into a crowd of protesters who were pelting it with debris in Brooklyn.

De Blasio said he had not seen a separate video showing an officer pulling down the mask of a black protester to spray something in his face.

Among those arrested for unlawful assembly on Saturday night was de Blasio’s 25-year-old daughter, Chiara, according to a New York Police Department source, who said she was issued a “desk appearance ticket” and released.

Protests have also flared in Chicago, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Cleveland and Dallas, where rioters were seen on video beating a store owner who chased them with a large machete or sword. Police said on Sunday he was in stable condition.

Thousands of people gathered peacefully on Sunday afternoon for a rally in St. Paul as state troopers surrounded the

state capitol building. About 170 stores in the city have been looted, its mayor told CNN. While covering the protests in Minneapolis on Saturday night, two members of a Reuters TV crew were hit by rubber bullets and a Reuters photographer’s camera was smashed as attacks against journalists covering the unrest intensified. In response to the protests, Target Corp announced it was temporarily closing 100 stores, about 30 of them in Minnesota.

The administration of President Donald Trump, who has called protesters “thugs,” will not federalize and take control of the National Guard for now, national security adviser Robert O’Brien said on Sunday.

Trump said on Sunday the US government would designate anti-fascist group Antifa as a terrorist organization. It was not clear how many of the protesters participating in demonstrations are from Antifa.

“Get tough Democrat Mayors and Governors,” Trump said on Twitter on Sunday afternoon. “These people are ANARCHISTS. Call in our National Guard NOW.” National Guard soldiers were deployed in Atlanta, Minneapolis and Los Angeles, as well as Santa Monica. – Reuters

NEW

at 233,019.

However, new infections and fatalities have fallen steadily in May and the country is unwinding some of the most rigid lockdown restrictions introduced anywhere on the continent.

Zangrillo said some experts were too alarmist about the prospect of a second wave of infections and politicians needed to take into account the new reality.

“We’ve got to get back to being a normal country,” he said. “Someone has to take responsibility for terrorizing the country.”

The government urged caution, saying it was far too soon to claim victory.

“Pending scientific evidence to support the thesis that the virus has disappeared ... I would invite those who say they are sure of it not to confuse Italians,” Sandra Zampa, an undersecretary at the health ministry, said in a statement.

“We should instead invite Italians to maintain the maximum caution, maintain physical distancing, avoid large groups, to frequently wash their hands and to wear masks.”

A second doctor from northern Italy told the national ANSA news agency that he was also seeing the coronavirus weaken.

“The strength the virus had two months ago is not the same strength it has today,” said Matteo Bassetti, head of the infectious diseases clinic at the San Martino hospital in the city of Genoa.

“It is clear that today the COVID-19 disease is different.” – Reuters

Malaya

Business Insight

A10

NEWS

Tuesday, June 2, 2020

Calida faces off with ABS-CBN’s Katigbak

BY WENDELL VIGILIA

QUOTING a line from “May Way,” an iconic song of the late Frank Sinatra, Solicitor General Jose Calida yesterday warned ABSCBN Corporation that “the end is near” for the biggest television network in the country.

Calida, who attended the second hearing of the House committee on legislative franchises and on good government through videoconferencing, faced the network’s executives led by its president and CEO, Carlo Katigbak, who took the opportunity to debunk the allegations against the network.

“ABS-CBN is motivated not by service but by greed and a desire for power and influence. Their brazen acts must come to an end. The hour of reckoning may have been delayed, but it has now come,” Calida said.

Katigbak answered the citizenship issue against its former president, Eugenio “Gabby” Lopez III, who was invited to participate in the next hearing on Wednesday morning on the motion of deputy speaker Rodante Marcoleta.

“The 1935 Constitution states that you are a Filipino from birth if your father or your parents are Filipinos.

Mr. Lopez was born in 1952 and so he’s covered by the 1935 Constitution.

His parents are Filipinos so from birth, he’s automatically a Filipino, too,” Katigbak told the joint panel.

He said the Department of Justice, in granting Lopez’ request for recognition as a Filipino citizen in 2002, said that he was born in Boston which made him an American citizen, the former president of the network is a legitimate child of Conchita Lao and Eugenio Lopez Jr., both natural-born Filipino citizens, which automatically made him a Filipino citizen, too, based to Section 1, Article 4 of the 1935 Constitution.

Calida, who has a pending a quo warranto petition against ABSCBN before the Supreme Court, participated in the joint hearing on the network’s franchise renewal application after he was threatened with contempt by lawmakers.

The solicitor general insisted that in the past 25 years, ABSCBN – which was ordered by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) on May 5 to stop airing – has violated the Constitution, its franchise and other pertinent laws.

Among the issues he cited, which was also part of his SC petition, is the claim that the network, through the ABS-CBN Holdings Corp., allowed foreigners to own its common shares through the issuance of Philippine depositary receipts (PDRs) which he said is a “circumvention of the foreign equity restriction provided under the Philippine Constitution.”

“Indeed, the ABS-CBN PDR

has provided for a creative mechanism (for foreigners) to indirectly own the underlying ABS-CBN shares of stock,” he said.

Katigbak, however, said the PDR is not share that would mean ownership of a part of ABS-CBN since its holders do not have voting rights in the company.

He said the practice of selling PDRs was approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Oct. 4, 1999 and that other media companies like GMA 7 also sold PDRs to the public.

Katigbak also brushed aside Marcoleta’s claim that the network should be taken off the air because it has been using the air waves for 53 years in violation of the Constitution which states that Congress can grant a franchise of only up to 50 years.

He said once a legislative franchise lapses, the Constitution merely requires networks to apply for a renewal which cannot be more than 50 years.

Lastly, Katigbak took Marcoleta to task for questioning how the Lopez family, in the aftermath of the 1986 Edsa People Power revolution under the Aquino administration, was able to recover ABS-CBN from the government despite a pending arbitration case, saying the network was merely returned to its rightful owners.

“This might be the most painful of all allegations because ABSCBN was shut down in 1972 after

martial law was declared. The Lopez family did not sell ABS-CBN. Its facilities were used without compensation,” he said.

He said the return of ABS-CBN to its owners went through the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG), Office of the President, and the Supreme Court.

The joint panel did not cite Calida in contempt after he finally participated in the hearing, but only to say that he will not answer committee questions about issues pending before the SC because of the “sub judice” rule which prohibits him from discussing the merits of the case and the “principle of nonencroachment on the exclusive domain of judicial jurisdiction.”

Calida, who did not attend the first hearing last week, also denied he was at “loggerheads” with the House leadership for allegedly urging the NTC not to issue a provisional authority to allow the network to operate while Congress is hearing the franchise renewal bills.

“I only cautioned the NTC of its possible encroachment on the legislative power (of Congress),” he said. “I never mentioned the name of Speaker Cayetano and any congressman in my advisory letter to the NTC or in any of my subsequent press releases.”

Bulacan Rep. Jose Antonio SyAlvarado, good government panel chair said lawmakers will continue

PNP ‘new normal’ guidelines set up for cops’ protection

BY VICTOR REYES

POLICE chief Gen. Archie Gamboa yesterday said the PNP will adopt a set of “new normal” guidelines, policies and procedures to protect its personnel and their delivery of services in areas under general community quarantine, including Metro Manila.

Gamboa said the six measures were crafted by PNP chief directorial staff Lt. Gen. Cesar Banag.

The measure highlights strict adherence to minimum health standards, particularly the observance of physical distancing and the wearing of face masks.

The PNP will likewise resort to the use of information and communications technology to “minimize transmission of disease by migration of physical (or) in-person processes to a virtual environment thru the use of electronic communication platforms, social media, and devices such as drone, close-circuit television and body worn cameras.”

Gamboa said the PNP will also revise its deployment scheme and work schedule “to ensure that all PNP personnel, particularly frontliners, are free from infection and are all fit for work thru workfrom-home arrangement, skeleton

workforce, four-day (compressed) workweek and staggered working hours.”

The three measures include enhanced personal knowledge or competency-integration of health-related learning in the curriculum of different police courses and training programs; enhanced workspace infrastructure adjustments, both in office and vehicles, to ensure COVID-19 infection is minimized; and additional funding for test kits, personnel protective equipment, collapsible tents, hospital beds, IT equipment, connectivity, and non-lethal police intervention equipment.

The PNP is playing the lead role in the implementation of community quarantine protocols throughout the country, particularly the manning of over 4,000 checkpoints established nationwide to control the movement of people.

Gamboa said the need to adopt existing PNP guidelines to the “new normal” was prompted by the high number of PNP personnel who have been infected with the virus. As of Monday, a total of 341 policemen have tested positive.

Of the number, four have died while 163 have already recovered.

There are 147 active cases.

to ask questions from resource persons next hearing because it is well within their constitutional powers to do so and those who will not cooperate will be cited in contempt.

“We know the rule and our members know how to avoid delving into matters that are subject of the court petitions,” Sy-Alvarado told panel members.

NTC Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba, who was also asked by the joint panel why he should not be cited in contempt and later detained for backtracking on his vow to issue a provisional authority, said the body did so because it “cannot supplant mandate of Congress (to grant franchises) or preempt legislative action.”

“Otherwise, the NTC will be acting beyond powers delegated to it by law,” he said. “It’s not the intention of the NTC to inconvenience (Congress) and certainly, we intended no respect.”

Samar Rep. Edgar Sarmiento slammed the NTC for insulting Congress when it issued a cease and desist order against the network despite its commitment made under oath before lawmakers.

The NTC order was issued a day after the network’s franchise expired.

“Clearly this is a disrespect to Congress. Huwag po tayong pumayag,” he said, stressing that the NTC also violated its own rules and denied

ABS-CBN due process when it did not issue a show-cause order before the cease and desist order.

Calida also slammed ABS-CBN talent Coco Martin for being one of the celebrities who took to social media “to rail against whey they perceive to be oppression on the part of the government.”

“In desperation, they would want to use their influence over their multitudes of fans to muddle the issue and drum up support for their network,” he said.

Calida then quoted the “Ang Probinsyano” actor as saying, “Kapag ang pamilya ko kinanti, kahit sino ka pa, lalaban ako ng patayan sa iyo kahit patayin mo pa ako (When you touch my family, no matter who you are, I will fight to the death even if you kill me).”

The Solicitor General said that while the Kapamilya actor has already apologized for the outburst, he continued to attack the government when he said in social media: “Maraming salamat Solicitor General Joe Calida at sa bumubuo ng National Telecommunication Commission sa kontribusyon niyo sa ating bayan! Tinatarantado ninyo ang mga Pilipino (Thanks to Solicitor General Joe Calida and the NTC for your contribution to the country.

You did the country a disservice).”

“If I had not been the Solicitor General, I would have called his bluff and make him eat his words,” Calida said.

IBP wants online trial court hearing as ‘general rule’

BY ASHZEL HACHERO

THE Integrated Bar of the Philippines yesterday asked the Supreme Court to refine the guidelines it issued on the operation of courts under the general community quarantine (GCQ) to make online trial court hearings the “general rule.”

IBP President Domingo Egon Cayosa said other countries have already computerized their judicial system and turned to online trial with great results in the face of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

“Beyond helping contain the spread COVID-19 virus and keeping litigants

and workers in the justice sector safe, the wise use of information technology promotes efficiency, accessibility, integrity, transparency, accountability and speed in the resolution of cases,” Cayosa said in a statement.

“The IBP seeks refinement in the Supreme Court guidelines during the general community quarantine to make online hearings in trial court the general rule,” he added.

Court Administrator Jose Midas Marquez said videoconferencing hearings in courts will continue during the GCQ as authorized by previous circulars issued by Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta.

• FROM PAGE A12 •

DRILON

expressed fears that the health department may have been underreporting cases all along.

“What is the basis for disaggregating cases and how does that affect our interpretation of flattening of the curve? Has the inter-agency task force (IATF) considered these figures in its decision to shift to general community quarantine (GCQ)?” Drilon said.

He said there are several complaints not only from the public but also from laboratories themselves which are confused with the new classification of cases into “fresh” and “late” cases.

“If the DOH could not provide logical explanations for this, except for putting the blame on laboratories, then there is a reason to believe that it is underreporting COVID-19 cases. That is not only counter-productive because hiding the real data could be fatal,” Drilon said, citing the differences between the way South Korea and China reported their COVID-19 cases.

Sen. Leila de Lima filed Senate Resolution No. 425 which calls for an inquiry into the real status of the government’s mass testing programs.

“The lack of effective mass testing has effectively hampered our ability to control the spread of the virus by denying us leads for contact tracing, which, in turn prevents us from isolating and containing the infected individuals,” de Lima

said in a statement.

Aside from the failure of some health facilities to update their records with the onslaught of new COVID-19 cases, de Lima said there is also a problem in COVID19-related deaths which are not properly accounted for as some persons have already died before testing were done.

“According to a report, there exists no national total of how many Filipinos have died of circumstances that resemble COVID-19 but were never confirmed by lab testing. Even the DOH COVID-19 tracker only counts the deaths of confirmed cases.

In its continuing bid to get a realtime picture of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in the Philippines, the Department of Health has called on 14 of the 42 operational licensed laboratories to immediately submit the test results that still require validation.

In a statement on late Sunday night, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the 14 laboratories have to submit their complete line lists to allow the agency’s Epidemiology Bureau (EB) to validate them and be included in the country’s official count.

“We urge the 14 remaining operational laboratories, who have yet to submit their complete line lists, to coordinate with DOH and submit immediately,” said Duque.

He said the DOH needs line lists to be able to provide accurate and timely information to policy-makers. “(It is also important) to the public, who have endured the hardships brought on by this pandemic.

Our people deserve to know,” said Duque.

The health chief explained that the line list contains all COVID-19 test results conducted since the beginning of the laboratory’s operation.

The validation process of the DOH-EB, meanwhile, eliminates possible duplication in recording of cases sourced from all test results have been transmitted to DOH. Sans the line lists from the 14 laboratories, Duque said they will no longer provide any “late cases,” or test results released four days or more from the date of reporting but have just been validated, in the daily case bulletin.

This, he added, is because the line list of 27 licensed laboratories and the partial line list of 1 other have already been submitted and validated by the DOH-EB. “(We have) cleared all the backlog cases for validation based on the complete line lists submitted,” said the health chief.

“Starting June 1, no more late cases will be reported until the remaining operational laboratories submit their complete line lists,” Duque added.

ANTI-TERROR

nagpaplano din yan kahit tayo ay naka-quarantine at nandito tayo sa problema ng COVID. At kung mare-recall natin may ibang insidente

na gumamit pa ng sarin gas para ipatupad yung kanilang terorismo.

(These terrorists are planning even while we are on quarantine and facing

the COVID problem. And if we can recall, there are incidents when they used sarin gas to pursue their terrorism),” said Año without elaborating.

AREAS

MECQ (There are no more places in the Philippines that is under the ECQ at MECQ. But if there are many people who will violate the health protocols, we might return to ECQ and MECQ),” Roque warned.

Roque reiterated that minimum health standards like observance of social or physical distancing, washing of hands, wearing of face mask and continued staying at home especially for those from the vulnerable sectors, should still be observed.

Starting June 1, the following areas shifted to general community quarantine (GCQ) after 75 days of ECQ setting: National Capital Region (NCR), Cagayan Valley (Region 2); Central Luzon (Region 3); Calabarzon (Region 4-A); Central Visayas (Region 7); Pangasinan province; and the cities of Zamboanga, Davao, Cebu and Mandaue.

Roque said Metro Manila and Cebu City are required to strictly monitor their health system performance capacity and compliance

with surveillance, isolation and treatment protocols.

Roque likewise reminded Cebu City to submit its zoning plans especially for high risk barangays.

18,638 cases.

Of the newly-reported cases, 119 are considered “fresh cases” while the other 433 are identified as “late cases.”

Among the COVID-19 cases, three new fatalities were recorded, bringing to 960 the total number of COVID-19 deaths in the country.

Also on Monday, the DOH reported 70 new cases of recoveries among COVID-19 patients to bring the national total to 3,979 Drilon said being fully transparent with the data plays an important role in containing the virus, as what South Korea did.

“South Korea has showed transparency since Day One. They did not hide the real data from the people. They dealt with the pandemic with complete transparency and because of this, coupled with the government’s decisiveness, they are able to contain the virus,” he said.

On the contrary, Drilon said China apparently hid vital information on the virus during the early outbreak of the virus in Wuhan, where the disease originated.

“Whereas China, it cannot be denied that the China experience has shown that the lack of transparency could be fatal,” he added.

Drilon questioned the basis of the DOH new reporting as he

citing the global threat of terrorism.

“At itong mga terorista na ito

COVID is better because it is segmented, surgical and more localized),” he said.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said ECQ can be reimposed in provinces or cities that will fail to comply with minimum health standards.

“Wala na pong lugar sa Pilipinas ang nasa ilalim ng ECQ at MECQ. Ngunit kung marami po sa atin ang hindi susunod sa health protocols, baka bumalik po tayo sa ECQ and

DUTERTE IN DAVAO Roque said President Duterte flew to Davao City late last week to check the situation in Mindanao.

He said the President also has scheduled activities in Mindanao, including a meeting with the IATF on June 4. He is expected to ad-

COMMUTER

Eleazar said the first day of GCQ in Metro Manila was generally peaceful. “So far, we have no problem, except the expected traffic congestion and more people in the street. It’s manageable.

There was no untoward incident reported,” he said when asked to assess Metro Manila’s first day under GCQ. He said people who went out generally followed quarantine protocols like wearing of face masks and observance of physical distancing.

Citing reports from the PNP Command Center, PNP spokesman Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac said the transition of Metro Manila and other areas to GCQ and others to modified GCQ “was generally peaceful and orderly.”

“Except for reports of stranded commuters due to inadequate public transportation, no other significant reports of major untoward incidents were recorded since the opening hours of June 1st,” said Banac.

Banac said checkpoints, curfew

hours, travel restrictions, strict enforcement of physical distancing, and minimum health standards will remain enforced in all areas under GCQ and MGCQ. Presidential spokesman Harry Roque reminded the public that while there was already an easing of restrictions under the GCQ and MGCQ categories, persons who belong to the vulnerable sector, including elders, those suffering from immunodeficiency, those who have co-morbidities and other health risks, pregnant women and those aged 20 and below should continue to just stay home.

Roque said no provincial buses are still allowed to operate.

Interior and local Government Secretary Eduardo Año said employers should refrain from marking their employees who fail to report for duty due to lack of transportation.

In terms of domestic flights, National Task Force (NTF) on COVID-19 Carlito Galvez Jr. said the NTF and the DOTr will meet with local government officials who are opposed to the entry of outsiders or returning residents to their provinces for fear of opening local transmission of the infectious virus.

Roque that travel authority is no longer needed when travelling from different cities within Metro Manila or from different towns within the same provinces, but it shall be required when travelling from Metro Manila to a province or from province to province. – With Noel Talacay and Jocelyn Montemayor

dress the nation on Thursday from his home city.

“Ngayong siya po ay nasa Mindanao, hindi lang naman siya nagreunion, tinitingnan din niya kung ano po ang nangyari diyan sa Mindanao. At in fact, magkakaroon siya ng mga official functions sa Davao kasama na po ang pag-uulat sa bayan, at ang pagmi-meeting niya sa ilang mga miyembro ng IATF, magaganap po iyan sa Davao (Now that he is in Mindanao, he did not go there for a reunion. He checked what was happening in

Mindanao. And in fact, he would have official functions in Davao including his report to the nation, and a meeting with the members of the IATF. It will all happen in Davao),” he said.

The President flew to Davao late Thursday night.

This is his second trip to Davao since the easing of lockdown in several parts of the country.

He had been staying in Metro Manila since March after he placed Metro Manila and Luzon under an ECQ.

health of commuters.

The DOTr during the weekend announced that from June 1 to 21, only trains and bus augmentation, taxis and TNVS, shuttle services, bicycles and tricycle are allowed to operate. From June 22 to 30, public utility buses, modern public utility jeeps and UV Express will already be allowed to operate.

GENERALLY PEACEFUL

Malaya

Business Insight

Tuesday, June 2, 2020

News

A11

Oldest PH church shut down due to COVID-19

By Gerard Naval

NOT even the oldest Roman Catholic church in the Philippines has been spared from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

The Basílica Menor del Santo Niño de Cebú in Cebu City has been shut down temporarily due to the presence of “suspected cases” of the virus in its convent, according to Fr. Andres Rivera Jr., the prior provincial of the Augustinian Province of Cebu.

“All friars and personnel are being quarantined within the basilica convent,” said Rivera, adding the basilica will remain temporarily closed to the public until further notice.

For the meantime, he said the faithful can take part in online masses via the Basilica’s Official

Shuttered.

The Basílica Menor del Santo Niño de Cebú in Cebu City is now off limits to the public.

Facebook Page.

According to Rivera, the suspected cases were detected last May 25 inside the Basilica del Santo Niño convent.

He said swab tests have been conducted by the Cebu City Health Department on all priests and personnel staying at the convent, but they are still waiting for the laboratory results.

“We are in constant coordination with the City Health Officials as well as with the Barangay Santo Niño Officials. With their help and guidance, we assure the public that everything is properly managed and there shall be no cause for further alarm and distress,” said Rivera.

The Santo Niño Basilica was founded in 1565 and is the oldest Roman Catholic church in the country.

5M ‘left out’ families priority in payout of May cash aid: Año

BY JOCELYN MONTEMAYOR

INTERIOR Secretary Eduardo Año yesterday said the estimated five million poor families who were “left out” from the April tranche of the emergency cash assistance under the government’s Social Amelioration Program (SAP) will likely receive the payout ahead of those who are eligible for the second tranche.

Año said that while the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has been busy preparing for the distribution of the May cash aid, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) had gone ahead in the validation of the five million

low income households who were initially excluded from getting the financial subsidy.

So far, Año said the DILG has validated four million out of the five million names submitted by local government units (LGUs).

He said the validated names had already been forwarded to the DSWD while the DILG continues to vet the remaining names in their list.

The DSWD had already posted a partial list of the confirmed waitlisted or left out beneficiaries in its website.

“The five million who were left out may receive (the cash aid).

This work in progress is very good and we might give out the second

tranche this June,” he said.

The DSWD is still validating the list of beneficiaries who got the P5,000 to P8,000 cash assistance in April that were submitted by the LGUs to ensure that there was no duplication.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque assured beneficiaries of the second tranche that they will still receive the May payout even if it is already June and even if they are already living in areas now under general community quarantine or modified general community quarantine.

DSWD UPDATE DSWD Secretary Rolando Bautista said the distribution of the

first tranche is already 97.7 percent complete as of the end of May. Bautista, during the Laging Handa network briefing, said that as of 8 p.m. of May 31, the government had already paid out a total of P99.4 billion to 17.59 million of the 18 million targeted beneficiaries for April.

Among those that received the April allocation include low income family households (13.29 million), Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries (3.82 million) and drivers of public utility vehicles and transportation network vehicle services (62,028).

The DSWD, in a message via Twitter, reiterated the second tranche of the SAP or the payout

for May will only begin once the department completes the validation of the lists of beneficiaries submitted by the LGUs. “Magandang araw. Ang implementasyon ng 2nd tranche ay matapos na makumpleto ang validation ng listahan ng 1st tranche mula sa mga LGUs. Mangyaring antabayan ang anunsyo tungkol dito. Salamat po (Good day. The implementation of the 2nd tranche will be after the validation of the list for the 1st tranche from the LGUs is completed. Please wait for further announcement.

Thank you),” the post read.

Bautista said that as of May 31, only 874 of the 1,634 LGUs nationwide have submitted their liquidation reports and list of SAP

NHA hit for lack of transparency in settlement deal with property developer

BY Peter Tabingo

THE Commission on Audit has issued an Audit Observation Memorandum (AOM) taking the National Housing Authority (NHA) to task for alleged lack of transparency in its out-of-court settlement deal with property developer R-II Builders, Inc. (RBI) over pending court cases.

The AOM, dated May 12, 2020, was issued to NHA general manager Marcelino Escalada Jr., assistant general manager Victor Balba and five other officials of the housing agency.

It was signed by Infrastructure and Subsidy audit team leader Liza S. dela Cruz and OIC-supervising auditor Radito Ching.

The audit team said the NHA failed to submit documents regarding the Compromise Agreement dated November 21, 2018 between NHA and R-II Builders relative to the Smokey Mountain Develop-

ment and Reclamation Project (SMDRP) in Vitas, Tondo.

“The requested documents regarding the Compromise Agreement …were not submitted, not in consonance with the freedom of information policy that recognizes and confirms the commitment of the Government to full public disclosure, transparency and accountability in public service,” the auditors said.

The Smokey Mountain Project was launched in 1992 under the administration of President Fidel V. Ramos. NHA entered into a joint venture agreement (JVA), an amended and restated JVA (ARJVA), and an Amendment to the ARJVA (ARJVA).

The total project cost was pegged at P6.693 billion, with NHA’s equity being the 100 hectares of land consisting of 79 hectares of reclaimed land and another 21 hectares of Smokey Mountain land. It was assigned a value of

P1.403 billion.

On the other hand, RBI as financier and developer was supposed to provide P5.29 billion. However, it was only able to raise P298 million.

Due to lack of funding, a modified financing scheme was adopted wherein the NHA and RBI were joined by the Home Guarantee Corporation and the Philippine National Bank in 1994 in an Asset Pool Formation Trust Agreement.

After a change of administration, however, on June 30, 2002 the government decided to subject the Smokey Mountain Project to a Swiss Challenge and to submit the 17-hectare Vitas property as well as the 150-hectare reclamation for public bidding.

The RBI demanded just compensation for all its expenses and accomplishments on the property with reasonable rate of return on top. This led to the filing of a lawsuit against the NHA before the Quezon City regional trial court in

CHED to private colleges, universities: Explain why students should pay full fees

BY Peter Tabingo

SECRETARY Prospero de Vera of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) on Monday said private colleges and universities should explain to parents and students why they are being charged full payment for the previous semester even if the school year was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking at the public briefing Laging Handa, De Vera noted that several higher learning institutions have already refunded tuition paid by parents and students while others simply credited the amount paid for the next semester.

The CHED chairman was reacting to reports that college students and their parents have complained about being compelled to pay their school fees in full under threat of getting incomplete grades for noncompliance.

“In the previous semester, there were a number of activities that were not completed anymore. There were laboratory (works), and scheduled school activities that did not materialize so perhaps, there is a valid basis for the complaint of parents and students about being made to pay the full cost,” he pointed out.

De Vera, however, said the recommended first course of action is for both parties to sit down and

try to reach a mutually agreeable compromise.

“The parents, students and the school management should thresh out the issue between them.

Because these are private higher education institutions, the tuition and other fees is a private contract between these parties. At that level, the Commission does not interfere.

If they fail to reach an agreement, they can submit the issue before CHED,” he explained.

He added that many private colleges and universities that filed their early application for tuition rate adjustment have since withdrawn their application in light of the COVID-19 crisis.

Duterte names new Coast Guard chief BY victor reyes

PRESIDENT Duterte has designated a “seasoned mariner” as the new commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard, replacing Vice Adm. Joel Garcia who reached the mandatory retirement age of 56 yesterday.

Vice Adm. George Ursabia Jr., previously the chief of the PCG’s Marine Environmental Protection Command, assumed his new post in simple rites at the PCG headquarters in Manila yesterday afternoon.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said: “We are confident that the appointment of Mr. Ursabia will bring the PCG closer to its vision of

being a world-class guardian of the sea. We wish the new commandant good luck as he begins to lead the PCG in this challenging time.”

Ursabia, a member of the Philippine Military Academy class of 1987, held various positions with major responsibilities both in the Navy and PCG. The PCG was founded in 1967 as part of the Philippine Navy, one of the service commands of the Armed Forces. In 1998, the PCG was placed under the Department of Transportation due to the civilian nature of its job.

Ursabia previously commanded the Coast Guard districts in Central Visayas, Palawan, Southeastern

Mindanao, and Northern Luzon.

He also once commanded the Coast Guard Ready Force and Staff for Maritime Safety Affairs.

PCG spokesman Commodore Armand Balilo described Ursabia as a “seasoned marine officer” who earned the coveted command-at-sea badge after commanding three Coast Guard search and rescue vessels and three ships of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.

Ursabia bested two other senior PCG officers who were also recommended to replace Garcia – PCG deputy commander Vice Adm. Leopoldo Laroya and Chief of Coast Guard Staff Rear Adm. Jose William Isaga.

2008 seeking specific performance and payment of damages.

The QC-RTC issued a ruling on December 2, 2011 in favor of RBI, ordering the NHA to pay P859.78 million plus interest, transfer of five hectares of the Vitas property plus additional two hectares from an adjoining property. NHA was also told to pay P44.17 million as attorney’s fees.

The case was elevated to the Court of Appeals which ordered the parties to undergo mandatory conciliation proceedings leading to the compromise deal mutually entered on November 21, 2018.

However, the COA warned that NHA could face more legal cases which will cost the government bigger expenses in the future since part of the property included in the compromise agreement were covered by five other separate “conditional contract to sell” with Star Terminals of the Asian Regions Corp. (STARC).

DOLE: Over 25k OFWs in quarantine now home

BY GERARD NAVAL

OVER 25,000 repatriated overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) were successfully reunited with their families last week.

This was after the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) completed their transport to their respective hometowns from different quarantine facilities, as ordered by President Duterte.

“As of May 31, 2020, a total of 25,002 stranded OFWs have been released from quarantine facilities,” said Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III in a statement.

“The Labor Department accomplished the ‘hatid probinsiya’ for OFWs exactly one week after President Duterte ordered the immediate release of the COVID-19cleared OFWs,” he added.

Of the said figure, the labor chief said a total of 9,595 were transported by air, another 7,900 traveled by land, and 385 returned by sea.

Meanwhile, Bello said the other 6,574 were fetched by their relatives from quarantine facilities.

Last week, Duterte ordered DOLE to bring home within the week all repatriated OFWs staying in quarantine facilities.

This as many of them have already completed the requirement of 14-day mandatory quarantine and testing negative for COVID-19.

beneficiaries for April.

DSWD spokeswoman Director Irene Dumlao said 1,513 LGUs had completed the distribution of the SAP for April as of May 30.

As of May 26, only four regions had completed the SAP distribution for April namely: the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), the Bicol region (Region 5), Zamboanga Peninsula (Region 9) and Caraga.

Cagayan Valley had the lowest completion rate with only 28 of the 93 LGUs, or 30 percent, completing the April payout last week. It was followed by Western Visayas (Region 6) with only 101 of the 131 LGUs or 76 percent completing the task.

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT METROPOLITAN MANILA DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (Pangasiwaan Sa Pagpapaunlad Ng Kalakhang Maynila) ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED METRO MANILA COUNCIL

MMDA REGULATION NO. 2020-001 Series of 2020

ADOPTING THE MODIFIED UNIFIED VEHICULAR VOLUME REDUCTION PROGRAM DURING THE COVID-19 SITUATION IN METROPOLITAN MANILA WHEREAS in conjunction with Executive Order No. 112 dated 30 April 2020, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging infectious Diseases (IATFMEID) issued its “Omnibus Guidelines on the Implementation of Community Quarantine in the Philippines” wherein public transportation shall be suspended, among others.

WHEREAS, pursuant to IATF MEID Rosolution No. 37 Series of 2020 dated 15 May 2020, the National Capital Region was placed under a Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) until 31 May 2020.

WHEREAS, due to the lack of public transportation and in order to provide meaningful assistance to all frontline and essential workers, there is a need to modify the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program (UVVRP), commonly known as the “Number Coding Scheme” such that private motor vichiles may be exempted from UVVRP subject to specified conditions.

NOW, THEREFORE, the Metro Manila Council hereby resolves for 1.

Private motor vehicles shall be exempted from the UVVRP provided that: a) There are two or more passengers including the driver, b) Social or physical distancing is strictly observed, i.e., seated at least one (1) meter apart from each passenger, and c) All passengers shall wear face masks.

2.

Owner-driver or self-driven private motor vehicles of doctors, nurses, and other medical personnel shall be exempted from the UVVRP.

3.

All other previous Regulations, Resolutions, Ordinances, rules and regulations of the Metro Manila Council which may be inconsistent with or contrary to the foregoing are hereby revoked, amended, or modified accordingly.

4.

This Regulation shall be effective immediately after its publication in two (2) newspapers of general circulation and filing with the Office of the National Administrative Register, U.P. law Center.

APPROVED AND ADOPTED on this 26th day of May 2020 via video conference.

DANILO DELAPUZ LIM Chairman

Mayor Carmelita A. Abalos Mandaluyong

Mayor Imelda L. Aguilar Las Piñas City

Mayor Francisco M. Domagoso City of Manila

Mayor Josefina G. Belmonte Quezon City

Mayor Mar-Len Abigail S. Binay Makati City

Mayor Miguel F. Ponce, III Municipality of Pateros

Mayor Rexlon T. Gatchalian Valenzuela City

Mayor Francisco Javier M. Zamora San Juan City

Mayor Victor Ma. Regis N. Sotto Pasig City

Mayor Jaime R. Fresnedi Muntinlupa City

Mayor Marcelino R. Teodoro Marikina City

Mayor Oscar G. Malapitan Caloocan City

Mayor Edwin L. Olivarez Parañaque City

Mayor Tobias Reynald M. Tiangco Navotas City

Mayor Lino Edgardo S. Cayetano Taguig City

Mayor Imelda G. Calixto-Rubiano Pasay City

Mayor Antolin Oreta, III Malabon City

Hon. Luis Macario E. Asistio President, Vice-Mayor League

Hon. Robin Andrew E. Feliciano President, Councilors League

Malaya – June 2, 2020

Malaya Since 1983

www.malaya.com.ph

malayanews@yahoo.com

TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2020

New normal. Commuters practice safe distancing on the MRT and P2P buses on their way to work in the first day of the general community quarantine in Metro Manila.

PHOTOS BY RHOY COBILLA

Commuter woes snag shift to GCQ

BY VICTOR REYES

PROBLEMS on traffic congestion, stranded commuters and long lines at train stations greeted Metro Manila’s workforce yesterday as the metropolis transitioned to general community quarantine (GCQ) after 75 days of strict stay-at-home regulations, Joint Task Force COVID Shield commander Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said.

Aside from Metro Manila, other areas that shifted to GCQ on Monday were Cagayan Valley (Region 2); Central Luzon (Region 3); Calabarzon (Region 4-A); Central Visayas (Region 7); Pangasinan province; and the cities of Zamboanga, Davao, Cebu and Mandaue.

The rest of the country is under modified GCQ. Under a GCQ setting, public transport such as trains and shuttle buses were allowed to operate on a limited basis.

Eleazar, who is the PNP deputy chief for operations, said they anticipated the transportation nightmare since operations of public utility vehicles (PUVs) were still limited. Passenger buses and jeepneys are not yet allowed, at least for now, to operate under GCQ.

“There’s traffic congestion due to more (private) vehicles. It’s expected because there are more vehicles, more people in the street as they went back to work,” Eleazar said.

Eleazar said the PNP got reports that hundreds of commuters were stranded along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City, while many others in the Marikina CityRizal area walked for hours to get to work due to lack of public vehicles.

Defense Secretar y Delfin Lorenzana said the Armed Forces deployed 48 buses and trucks to help the marooned commuters.

Eight of the vehicles ferried passengers from Commonwealth to Edsa.

National Action Plan on COVID-19 chief implementer Carlito Galvez Jr. said buses from the Department of Transportation (DOTr) were also deployed in key areas in Metro Manila.

Galvez acknowledged the lack of transportation along Commonwealth Avenue but said the issue was resolved Monday afternoon.

“We’re monitoring the situation and at present, it’s already normalized,” the official said.

The Metropolitan Manila De-

Areas with high COVID cases to be under zonal lockdowns

BY JOCELYN MONTEMAYOR

NATIONAL Task Force (NTF) on COVID-19 Carlito Galvez Jr. yesterday said localized or zoning lockdowns will be implemented in areas that register high numbers of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases.

Galvez said the specialized lockdowns will apply even if it covers only a building, block, subdivision or barangay.

Galvez said protocols observed under enhanced community quarantine and modified ECQ

(MECQ) shall be imposed during the zonal lockdowns.

“Ito ay para at least ang nakikita natin, continuous balancing ng ating health at saka iyong economy.

At nakikita namin na itong localized fight against COVID is mas maganda kasi nakikita natin segmented ito at saka ito tinatawag na surgical at saka tinatawag nating mas localized (We would at least see a continuous balancing of health and the economy. We see that the localized fight against ..................................................

See AREAS Page A10

Looting, protests in US cities MINNEAPOLIS. — Looting broke out on Sunday in Southern California, a tanker truck drove into marchers in Minneapolis, and demonstrators clashed with police in Boston and Washington, D.C. as the United States struggled to contain chaotic protests over race and policing.

National Guard troops were deployed in 15 US states and Washington, D.C. as darkness fell in major cities still reeling from five nights of violence and destruction that began with peaceful protests over the death

of a black man, George Floyd, in police custody.

“I hate to see my city like this but at the end we need justice,” said 18-year-old Jahvon Craven as he stood on an overpass watching protesters below on Interstate 35 in downtown Minneapolis moments before an 8 p.m. curfew went into effect in that city.

Floyd, 46, died on Monday after video showed a white Minneapolis police officer kneeling on his neck for nearly nine minutes. It touched ..................................................

See LOOTING Page A9

velopment Authority (MMDA) opened Edsa’s yellow lane for private vehicles to stop traffic build-up along the metropolis’ biggest thoroughfare, general manager Jojo Garcia said.

Garcia said private vehicles may use the rightmost lane of Edsa during the GCQ period of June 1 to 15, or while public buses are still not allowed ply their routes. Edsa’s yellow lane is normally reserved for public buses.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, a member of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), said the DOTr is making adjustments to solve the problem on lack of public transport vehicles.

The DOTr has initially allowed the operation of train facilities and P2P buses as part of its phase-byphase strategy.

“There are still adjustments to be made until, if I’m not mistaken, June 21, there will be more public vehicles to be allowed,” he said, adding the government cannot immediately allow full operations of the public transport system as doing so may compromise the ..................................................

See COMMUTER Page A10

Leg power. Bicycles make a big comeback as another mode of transport for the masses, competing for road space with motorcycles on Taft Ave. in Manila.

PHOTO BY RHOY COBILLA

Drilon: Is DOH hiding something?

BY RAYMOND AFRICA and GERARD NAVAL

New virus losing potency, says Italian doc ROME. — The new coronavirus is losing its potency and has become much less lethal, a senior Italian doctor said on Sunday, but the government urged caution.

“In reality, the virus clinically no longer exists in Italy,” said Alberto Zangrillo, the head of the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan in the northern region of Lombardy, which has borne the brunt of Italy’s coronavirus contagion.

“The swabs that were performed over the last 10 days showed a viral load in quantitative terms that was absolutely infinitesimal compared to the ones carried out a month or two months ago,” he told RAI television.

Italy has the third highest death toll in the world from COVID-19, with 33,415 people dying since the outbreak came to light on Feb. 21. It has the sixth highest global tally of cases ...........................................

See NEW Page A9

SENATE minority leader Franklin Drilon yesterday demanded full transparency from government after the Department of Health changed the manner of reporting data on the country’s COVID-19 cases.

“We demand full transparency.

With the DOH changing the manner of reporting the data after more than two months, we cannot help but suspect that it is hiding something. Honesty is the best

policy here,” Drilon said.

Drilon made the call after the health department said it would now also include in its daily report the breakdown of new COVID-19 cases, the number of newly-validated cases, and those which were delayed.

The DOH changed its manner of reporting as it reported the highest single day cases of 539 on Friday last week or three days before Metro Manila and some parts of the country were to transition to a general community quarantine status which eased quarantine protocols.

The recent surge in the submission of line lists from laboratories has prompted the DOH to reformat its daily case bulletin.

The new DOH format now indicates how many are “late cases” and how many are “fresh cases,” or test results released within the last three days of the date of reporting.

Based on the June 1 Case Bulletin, the DOH said 552 new COVID-19 cases were reported on as of 4 p.m. of Monday.

This brings the country’s total to ..................................................

See DRILON Page A10

Anti-terror bill certified as urgent

BY VICTOR REYES

PRESIDENT Duterte yesterday certified as urgent a bill that will effectively repeal the Human Security Act, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said yesterday.

Lorenzana released to media a copy of the President’s letter, addressed to Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, certifying the “necessity of the immediate enactment” of House Bill 6875 or the anti-terror bill.

The House committees on pub-

lic order and safety and on defense and security on Friday adopted the Senate version of the proposed Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 (Senate Bill 1083) which will repeal the Human Security Act of 2007.

In the letter, the President said there is a need to pass the measure “to address the urgent need to strengthen the law on antiterrorism in order to adequately and effectively contain the menace of terrorist acts for the preservation of national security and the promotion of general welfare.”

Metro Manila: Partly cloudy to at times cloudy with rain showers.

Rest of the country: Cloudy skies with scattered rain showers or thunderstorms in Palawan and Zamboanga Peninsula; partly cloudy

Lorenzana again defended the proposal from criticisms that it will lead to human rights abuses.

Lorenzana said the opposition of some quarters “lacked basis.”

He said he read the bill and there are provisions to protect human rights, and provisions that provide punishment to members of law enforcement agencies who will abuse their powers.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año urged the public to support the bill, ..................................................

See ANTI-TERROR Page A10

to cloudy skies with scattered rain showers or thunderstorms in the rest of Mindanao; and partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms in the rest of the country.

Temperature extremes: Today, 25-34 degrees Celsius; yesterday, 24 at 5:30 a.m.; 34.2 at 10:50 a.m.

Sunrise: 5:26 a.m. Sunset: 6:22 p.m.

(Source: PAGASA)