Manila Standard - 2020 April 6 - Monday by Manila Standard

Palm Sunday rites go online, defy virus By Honor Blanco Cabie THE celebration of Palm Sunday on April 5 this year is markedly different from the commemoration since this predominantly Christian nation of 108 million people received the Christian Cross in the 16th century. Palm Sunday, the beginning of the Holy Week and the final week of Lent in the Christian calendar, marks the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem

VOL. XXXIV • NO. 53 • 2 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 • MONDAY, APRIL 6, 2020 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

(Matthew 21:1–9), when palm fronds were placed in his path. That, before his arrest on Holy Thursday and his crucifixion on Good Friday – this year falling on April 9 and 10. With the coronavirus pandemic, which forced social distancing and other restrictions for the health of the majority, if not all, of the popuNext page

VIRTUAL MASS. Pope Francis holds a palm branch as he celebrates Palm Sunday Mass behind closed doors in St. Peter’s Basilica on April 5, 2020 in Vatican during the lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19. Inset shows a Filipino family attending Mass via online live streaming after the Catholic Church has issued guidelines for the faithful to avoid congregation and instead have their palm fronds blessed online. AFP

Lockdown extension eyed

DOH chief warns vs. easing of quarantine controls too soon By Macon Ramos-Araneta, Vito Barcelo and Rio N. Araja

3,246

NUMBER OF CASES

152 DEATHS

RECOVERIES

152

“We cannot relax all the measures laid down and implemented,” Duque said in an interview over radio dzBB. He also said he could not say how long the stringent measures would remain in place. At the moment, it is still difficult to say because we are still looking at the data, the numbers,” he said. He said the lockdown in China lasted up to 55 days before the transmission of the virus came under control. The Philippines, he said, can learn from specialists from different coun-

NEW CASES

COVID death toll rising; new cases up 152 By Rey E. Requejo, Rio N. Araja, Willie Casas

Trump warns US: Brace for a lot of deaths

AT A GLANCE

(AS OF 4 PM APRIL 5)

EALTH Secretary Francisco Duque III on Sunday said the government still cannot relax the Luzon-wide lockdown to win the battle against COVID-19.

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump has warned Americans to brace for a “very horrendous” number of coronavirus deaths in the coming days as the total number of global fatalities from the pandemic soared past 60,000. There are now more than 1.2 million confirmed cases across the globe, and around 65,000 people have died since the virus first emerged in China late last year, according to a John Hopkins University tally.

COVID-19 PH

THE country’s death toll from the new coronavirus (COVID-19) climbed to 152 on Sunday after the Department of Health reported eight more fatalities. The department also confirmed 152 more COVID-19 cases, bringing the national total to 3,246. The number of people who have recovered from the respiratory disease rose to 64 after seven more people were discharged from hospitals. Next page

INTERVENTIONS ANTI-COVID ARMY. Iloilo-based designer Ram Silva draws inpiration from the Netflix series ‘Money Heist’ to create hazmat protective suits

to boost the morale of health workers of the Internal Medicine Department of the Western Visayas Medical Center. Facebook post of Ram Silva

Hopes dim for Thai red-light areas

PF partygoers: No crowd control

A SHUTDOWN to contain the coronavirus has killed Thailand’s party scene and forced sex workers like Pim out of bars and onto desolate streets. She’s scared but desperately needs customers to

PARTYGOERS at a Pink Floyd tribute night have been scolded for shouting abuse at New Jersey police after defying social distancing rules brought in to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

P200-b ‘subsidy’ won’t work—Ping

Sports complex to host victims By Rey Requejo, Joel Zurbano and Willie Casas

SENATOR Panfilo Lacson warned Sunday that the government’s P200- billion cash subsidy for the poor would not accomplish its objectives unless the Department of Social Welfare and Development makes adjustments to its list of beneficiaries.

RIZAL Memorial Complex in Manila, which has seen many of the country’s sportsmen and athletes, will be operational Monday as a quarantine facility for COVID-19 patients, the National Task Force against the pandemic Chief Implementer Carlito Galvez Jr., said. “We will inspect it and ensure the quality of its facilities. The Philippine General Hospital will then transfer its COVID-19 positive asymptomatic and symptomatic

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

News

MONDAY, APRIL 6, 2020

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Priests, flock improvise on Palm Sunday P

Pump prices on 5th week of rollback

Locals lined up in front of their homes in a district of Manila, which is entering its fourth week of a lockdown that has brought the frenetic metropolis nearly to a halt. The priests made signs of the cross as

PUMP prices continue to decline following the coronavirus pandemic with another rollback of as much as P0.70 per liter expected this week. Unioil Philippines announced in its advisory it expects fuel prices to go down for the week of April 7 to 13. “Diesel should go down around P0.70 per liter. Gasoline should go down around P0.35 per liter,” the company said. This will be the fifth weekly consecutive oil price rollback, reflecting the global slowdown in demand due to COVID-19. On March 31, the country’s oil firms cut the price of gasoline by P2 per liter, kerosene by P1.95 per liter and P0.50 per liter for diesel. World oil prices have been on a downtrend as countries become severely affected by COVID-19, prompting demand to fall significantly as people stay at home to avoid being infected. “Looking forward, Asia’s oil demand is expected to see some recovery in 2020 due to various stimulus measures introduced by various governments in the region and the outbreak starts to ease,” the Energy department said in its monitoring report. Last March 24, the oil firms cut the price of gasoline and kerosene by P3.50 per liter and diesel by P2 per liter. A week before, the oil companies implemented price rollbacks of P4.25 per liter for gasoline and diesel, and P4.35 to P4.50 per liter for kerosene. Year-to-date adjustments stand at a net decrease of P14.72 per liter for gasoline, P13.39 per liter for diesel and P18.20 per liter for kerosene, according to latest data from the Energy department.

RIESTS delivered blessings from the back of trucks and motorized tricycles in the Philippine Sunday, adapting the deeply Catholic nation’s traditions to the battle against the coronavirus pandemic.

they rolled past waving residents marking Palm Sunday, the start of the week that culminates with the observance of Easter. “This celebration will continue despite the spread of the virus,” said Bong

Sosa, who attended wearing a mask crafted from a water cooler bottle. The blessings come as the Philippines recorded a total of 144 deaths and 3,094 confirmed virus cases, numbers that are expected to keep rising as the nation ramps up testing. The quarantine that has shuttered schools and businesses and halted all social and religious events across most of the nation will likely be extended be-

yond mid-April, authorities have said. Easter is a major holiday in the Philippines when millions typically return to their family homes outside the capital, but heavy restrictions on movement will disrupt those trips this year. Bans on large public events will also mean that typically thronged churches will be empty save for priests performing mass that will be live-streamed into tens of millions of homes. AFP

COVID... From A1 The number of Filipino workers overseas who have tested positive for COVID-19 rose to 517, with 51 new cases, the Department of Foreign Affairs reported. Of the total confirmed cases, 343 are undergoing treatment, 131 have recovered, and 43 have died, mostly in the Americas and Europe. As of Saturday, there were 33 countries or regions with Filipino COVID-19 cases. In Quezon City, the number of confirmed cases went up to 500. The city government said it added more cases to its tally after it was given access to the database of cases maintained by the Department of Health. The Zambales Provincial Health Office on Friday said two persons earlier classified as persons under investigation tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases in Zambales to five. Zambales Gov. Hermogenes E. Ebdane Jr. said provincial health authorities are now conducting contact tracing in areas where the two patients were reported to have been to prevent further spread of the dreaded virus. Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko” Domagoso on Saturday night ordered the temporary closure of the Sampaloc Hospital after five of its doctors tested positive for COVID-19. In a statement, the Manila Public Information Office said Domagoso ordered immediate disinfection of the hospital. The hospitals’ doctors and other medical and non-medical staff members have been placed under quarantine. Domagoso said that 15 doctors of the hospital were patients under investigation. With Ansbert Joaquin

P200-b... From A1 Lacson said there was an obvious disconnect between the national government’s data and the needs and priorities of the rightful recipients of cash aid. In Metro Manila alone, for example, only 59 percent of the families that should be covered would benefit from disbursements, if the national government figures are compared to the actual data of local government units. As a starting point, he said, the raw data should come from LGUs and be subject to vetting by national government agencies. More than the central government, the senator said, LGUs have a better grasp of their constituents’ needs through their community-based surveys that are undertaken periodically. “We have been receiving numerous complaints of incorrect data that do not tally with the actual number and identities of persons in need on the ground,” Lacson said. He also said mayors bear the brunt of blame and complaints when their constituents do not get the aid they need. This problem becomes even more important, given the loss of income brought about by the prolonged lockdown as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Hopes dim... From A1 pay her rent. “I’m afraid of the virus but I need to find customers so I can pay for my room and food,” Pim, a 32-year-old transgender sex worker, told AFP in an area of Bangkok where previously bawdy neon-lit bars and brothels have gone dark.

PF partygoers:... From A1 Around 30 people gathered to watch an acoustic rendition of the British rock band’s greatest hits on the front lawn of a home in Rumson, a seaside community south of New York City, that was also broadcast live over social media.

A FRIEND INDEED. Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin welcomes 10 medical experts and 2 officials from China who arrive at NAIA to share technical advice on the prevention and control of the COVID-19 in the Philippines. Contributed photo

Lockdown... From A1

search Institute for Tropical Medicine in Muntinlupa City, San Lazaro Hospital in Manila and the Lung Center of the Philippines in Quezon City. Duque also said the DOH needs to conduct more testing to have an accurate picture of the COVID-19 situation in the Philippines. Earlier, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., chief implementer of the national plan against COVID-19, said they are still studying if the enhanced community quarantine will be extended. He noted that the lockdown has succeeded in slowing down the spread of the virus. “With that, we see a possibility of having the 15 more days,” Galvez said. He quickly added, however, that it was premature to announce this because the scientists, doctors and specialists still needed to weigh in on the decision. “It is difficult to rush to normalcy and the go back to the lockdown. There were countries, which had two or three lockdowns because they relaxed. The surge of new cases returned,” Galvez said. The enhanced community quarantine in the entire Luzon took effect on March 17. President Rodrigo Duterte said the quarantine period would last until April 14. Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, spokesman for the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases said the government has set parameters on whether the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine will be lifted or extended. These include: • Trends in the COVID-19 epidemio-

logical curve, which include, among others, the doubling time, acceleration, or deceleration of new cases; • Capacity of the health care system, which includes, among others, the number and availability of quarantine, isolation, and treatment facilities; the capability to mount contact tracing; availability of Personal Protective Equipment to frontliners, and the testing capacity of the country; • Social factors; • Economic factors; and • Security factors “For this purpose, the Department of Health is hereby directed to convene all concerned agencies and to finalize the aggregation and analysis of all relevant data applicable to the contained area, subject to the deliberation of the IATF and final determination by the President,” Nograles said. Takeshi Kasai, Western Pacific regional director for the World Health Organization had cautioned against rushing to end the quarantine and halt other public health regulations against COVID-19. He said the government might have to lift restrictions gradually and not all at once. Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo, meanwhile, said there was an “emerging consensus” among medical experts, businessmen, and government officials that an extension of two weeks for the enhanced community quarantine or lockdown is necessary “as lifting it could be premature as it might wipe out the gains we have so far achieved in containing the virus.”

patients on Tuesday,” Galvez told doctors during a teleconference Sunday. Galvez convened doctors from private hospitals in Manila to discuss pressing logistical concerns which must be addressed by the NTF. “Our strategy is to transfer patients with mild COVID-19 symptoms. It will also be manned by three doctors and 50 nurses from the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National

Police medical services,” he explained. Galvez’s pronouncement was in response to the concern that there were non-COVID-19 patients who needed medical attention but could not do so because clinics were closed to the Luzon-wide Enhanced Community Quarantine or lockdown. The re-purposed sports complex features air-conditioned cubicles, free food for patients and frontliners, free Internet connection, and 24/7 monitoring by AFP and PNP doctors and nurses. To speed up the conversion of sports complexes and convention centers into

quarantine sites, the government has partnered with private firms who pledged to support the task force’s efforts to prevent the spread of the disease, including the Razon Group (Prime Metro BMD Corp. and the Bloomberry Cultural Foundation Inc.), EEEI Corp., Vista Land, the Ayala Group (AC Energy, Ayala Land, Makati Development Corp.); Filinvest, Investment & Capital Corporation of the Philippines, Aboitiz, World Trade Center Metro Manila, Lina Group of Companies, Meralco, PLDT, Smart Communications, Globe Telecom, D.M. Consunji Inc., and the Concepcion Industrial Corp.

Red-light districts from Bangkok to Pattaya have gone quiet with night clubs and massage parlors closed and tourists blocked from entering the country. That has left an estimated 300,000 sex workers out of a job, pressing some onto the streets where the risks are sharpened by the pandemic. Since Friday Thais have been under a 10 pm to 4 am curfew. Bars and eat-in restaurants closed several days earlier. Many of Bangkok’s sex workers

had jobs in the relative safety of bars, working for tips and willing to go home with customers. When their workplaces suddenly closed most returned home to wait out the crisis. Others like Pim went to work the streets. The government says it is ready to enforce a 24-hour curfew if necessary to control a virus that has infected more than 2,000 people and killed 20, according to official figures. AFP

Police were called to end the revelry, but met a hostile crowd on arrival. “When we informed everyone that they must leave... we were met with well wishes of ‘F-the police’ and ‘Welcome to Nazi Germany,’” said the town’s police department on Facebook late Saturday. Officers then instructed the band to cut the night short as they were halfway

through a performance of Pink Floyd’s 1975 anthem “Wish You Were Here” – fittingly, a song often played as an anthem for absent friends. “The Rumson Police Department takes no enjoyment in ruining anyone’s fun,” the police statement said. “However we ALL have a responsibility to take this pandemic SERIOUSLY and adhere to the social distancing requirement.” AFP

tries, including China. He said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases authorized the visit of a 12-man team from China who will help the country fight COVID-19 by providing technical advice on epidemic prevention and control and sharing medical treatment experience. “The Chinese doctors will share with us their best practices that we can use, the measures they used to effectively manage COVID-19 cases, and the medicines they tried,” Duque said. Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the team was expected to arrive on Sunday. The group of doctors and nurses will stay for two weeks to “observe and give recommendations” on such areas as infection prevention and control, critical care and laboratory management, she said. The Chinese Embassy in Manila said the delegation would be led by Director-General Zheng Huiwen and include physicians from the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Fujian Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Their expertise covers critical care medicine, infectious disease control, internal medicine and clinical integration of traditional Chinese and Western medicine. She said the group would visit the Re-

Sports... From A1

Palm Sunday... From A1 lation, even Masses have been ordered suspended by the Vatican down to the archdioceses and parishes. But people can still pray in the sanctity of their homes following the government’s enforced Enhanced Community Quarantine or lockdown. In Metro Manila and its outskirts, at least two Catholic churches – the Santuario del Santo Cristo in San Juan City and the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Cainta, Rizal – went live with their respective Masses to celebrate Palm Sunday. At the Dominican-run Santuario del Santo Cristo, Fr. Matthias Nga Reh, OP, was the priest presider at 11.00 a.m. while the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Brookside Hills in Cainta went livestream online at 8 a.m. In other areas of Luzon, where there is a complete lock-

By Alena Mae S. Flores

Trump warns... From A1 Trump said the United States was entering “a time that’s going to be very horrendous” with “some really bad numbers.” “This will probably be the toughest week,” he said at the White House. “There will be a lot of death.” At the same time, the President stressed the US cannot remain shut down forever. “Mitigation does work but again, we’re not going to destroy our country,” he said. “I’ve said it from the beginning – the cure cannot be worse than the problem.”

Tide turning in Italy? There was some encouraging news from Europe over the weekend. Worst-hit Italy cheered after seeing its number of intensive care virus cases drop for the first time – from 4,068 on Friday to 3,994 on Saturday. Even some of the most cautious Italian health officials seized on the figures as evidence that the tide may be turning in the deadliest disaster the country has faced since World War II. “This is a very important data point,” said civil protection service chief Angelo Borrelli, adding that it “allows our hospitals to breathe.” The daily rise in new infections across Italy has also slowed. It reported 681 new deaths on Saturday, down from a peak of almost 1,000 just over a week ago.

Spain extends lockdown anew Spain’s prime minister announced an extension of the country’s lockdown to combat the coronavirus, saying the measures are “bearing fruit” as the number of deaths fell for a second day in a row. AFP

down since nearly a month ago, priests in Catholic and Aglipayan churches celebrated Palm Sunday Masses alone in their respective churches while the faithful prayed at home, according to text messages received by this writer. Beyond the palm branches waved frenziedly by the faithful preceding the Mass to celebrate the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, the sight of Jesus suggests, according to theologians, that Jesus entered Jerusalem as Savior and King. The Bible says as Jesus rode a donkey into the town of Jerusalem a large crowd gathered and laid palm branches and their cloaks across the road, giving Jesus “royal treatment.” The hundreds of people shouted “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” According to theology scholars, there are five things that remind Christians that Jesus is Savior and King.

News

MONDAY, APRIL 6, 2020 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

LGU warned vs. blocking transport of plant seeds

IN BRIEF ‘Gov’t must help victims of domestic violence’ AMID the Luzon-wide lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19), the Commission on Human Rights on Sunday called on the government to adopt interventions to ensure that victims of domestic violence have still access to legal aid. In a statement, lawyerspokesperson Jacqueline Ann de Guia said the government must ensure a safe shelter and financial aid for those who would want to leave their home, and must provide medical and psychological care even through helpline services, such as online chats and texting services. She said phone calls might not be the most safe way of reporting. She lamented that women and children who experience abuse are trapped inside their homes with their abusers, and have nowhere to go. “Most of these women are not able to seek help because they fear being overheard by their abusive partners or are stopped from leaving home,” she said. “Domestic abuse is an abhorrent crime,” she added. Rio N. Araja

Angeles mayor hands out jeeploads of food ANGELES CITY—A total of 80 jeeploads of food aid, consisting of rice and canned goods, have been distributed to residents in 33 villages here affected by the enhanced community quarantine now on the second week. The local government loaded 20,705 emergency food packs. Mayor Carmelo Lazatin Jr. himself led the house-to-house distribution. Lazatin said the Angeles LGU hired public utility jeeps that carried the food packs to reach households even in the remotest areas. Lazatin said the city government remain of service to its constituents in this trying times. In fact, the Saturday food aid distribution was the second. The first was on April 1 and April 2 where 50,000 households got their shares bringing to 70,705 bags of relief goods distributed. Jess Malabanan

DOCKED. The Coral Princess cruise ship docked at the Port of Miami in Florida on April 4, 2020, after receiving permission from the US Coast Guard. Two people are confirmed dead due to COVID-19 on the ship. Seven passengers and five crew were confirmed positive on April 2, 2020. There are 1,898 people on the ship; 1,020 passengers and 878 crew. AFP

15k Pinoy cruise ship crew to return home end-April By Vito Barcelo

ORE than 15,000 Filipino seafarers from several major cruise lines docked in Australia, United States and Europe are expected to join their families in the country by the end of April after ending the mandatory 14-day quarantine period, according to recruitment consultant and migration expert Emmanuel Geslani. He said three Royal Caribbean megaships anchored off key Australian cities will bring 2,854 Filipino, Indonesian, Chinese and Indian crew members to their own countries by the third week of April 2020. The Spectrum of the Seas is expected to arrive in Manila on April 22, to disembark 577 Filipino crew while the rest of 382 Filipino crew

from Celebrity Solstice will join the Voyager of the Seas. Eight hundred eighty Filipino crew from Ovation of the Seas will also be transferred to the Voyager of the Seas while off the coast of Bali, Indonesia. “The ship will set sail to the Philippines on April 19, 2020 and expected to arrive in Manila on April

QC hospitals get supplies, PPEs from INC

QUARANTINE FACILITY. The Philippine Arena (shown in photo) in Bocaue, Bulacan, a 50,000-seating capacity arena owned and operated by Iglesia Ni Cristo, will be used as a quarantine facility for people infected with the COVID-19.

Lawmakers praise INC leadership

SEAOIL provides fuel subsidy to hospitals

By Maricel V. Cruz

SEAOIL continues to grant aid to the country’s healthcare institutions in the fight against COVID-19, this time by providing free fuel to hospitals. The free fuel subsidy is for the ambulances and hospital frontliners handling COVID-19 cases. SEAOIL is currently supplying free fuel to over 20 hospitals nationwide, including the Philippine General Hospital, the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, San Lazaro Hospital, East Avenue Medical Center, Philippine Children’s Medical Center and the Philippine Heart Center, among others. The free fuel e-vouchers are given directly by SEAOIL to hospitals. The fuel evouchers are honored in all open SEAOIL stations nationwide. “SEAOIL continues to do its part in helping our frontliners #ConquerCOVID19. We are maximizing resources to keep assistance and aid for our employees and the community.” said Glenn Yu, CEO. He noted that SEAOIL is in touch with partners to extend free fuel where it is urgently needed.

LAWMAKERS on Sunday praised the leadership of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) led by its Executive Minister, Brother Eduardo V. Manalo, for allowing the conversion of its colossal Philippine Arena into a quarantine facility for coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) cases. House Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez and Tingog Party-list Rep. Yedda Marie K. Romualdez said they are grateful to INC for its effort to help the government defeat COVID-19. “Our deep appreciation to the Iglesia ni Cristo for another Christian and humanitarian initiative. Your inspiring vision and support in government’s fight to eliminate COVID-19 is a very valued example to emulate by those who are in public service,” said the Romualdez couple. Bases Conversion and Development Authority president Vince Dizon

25, to sign off 1,232 Filipino crew,” he said. Filipino crews in several other cruise ships docked in US and Europe will be arriving in the country on various flights, he said. The repatriation will be one of the largest arrivals of Filipino crews from three of the largest cruise ships on the world with each having a capacity of 4,000-5,000 passengers. The cruise ships have disembarked all their passengers in Australia and all the crew members have been on quarantine on passenger cabins except for the technical and catering crews. The company said the three Royal Caribbean’s ships will be refueled and restocked with a healthy crew before departing to a long journey to Asia.

THE Philippine Seed Industry Association, the biggest seed organization in the Philippines, warns of a possible food shortage if local government units continue to block the transport of seeds and other agricultural products because of the enhanced community quarantine. Dr. Mary Ann P. Sayoc, PSIA president, said that the Department of Agriculture has already issued memorandum circulars allowing the continued operation of agriculture and seed companies which were closely coordinated with the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease. However, some LGUs are reportedly not complying with the said guidelines and continue to block the transport of agricultural commodities. “As seed is the starting point of the food system, unrestricted movement of seeds is critical to food security,” revealed Sayoc. “In order to ensure that food production will continue, all seed production, processing and distribution activities should be exempted from any ban,” she added. Sayoc noted that it is critical for seeds to be planted this April right before the rainy season starts, especially because the main season for planting vegetables runs from October to April when the weather is usually dry. “If farmers do not get their seeds in time for the planting season this will lead to food and feed shortages which we cannot afford during these trying times,” Sayoc added. According to Sayoc, PSIA member companies are still experiencing difficulties in transporting agricultural commodities and in the movement of necessary farm manpower since some LGUs have implemented their own strict community quarantine and checkpoint policies that are not consistent with the IATF guidelines. Sayoc encouraged LGUs to heed the IATF-approved measures set by the Department of Agriculture to prevent disruptions in the food supply chain that could impact the country’s food security. Included in these measures are: All farming activities shall be allowed to continue; all healthy farmers, farm workers, and agribusiness personnel shall be exempted from restricted movement; operations of agricultural supply stores shall be allowed and movement of all supplies used for agriculture including food packaging and manufacturing materials should be unhampered. The DA has opened special food lanes where food and agricultural input delivery vehicles can pass unhampered. The special lanes are meant to allow unimpeded passage of all vehicles carrying essential food commodities, agri-fishery products and inputs, including seeds.

earlier announced that the INC has allowed the use of the Philippine Arena as quarantine facility. Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr., president of the National Unity Party (NUP), lauded the INC for “another worthy and admirable act of helping the government eliminate the COVID-19 by allowing the use of Philippine Arena to house possible carriers of COVID-19.” “This is a big boost in our efforts to defeat COVID-19. Thank you again INC for another great and noble deed,” said Barzaga, chairman of the House committee on natural resources. Deputy Speaker and Batangas Rep. Raneo Abu welcomed the “selfless act” of INC that he said would contribute greatly to efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19. “Our heartfelt gratitude to INC for always in the forefront of another big battle to save the country and the world from COVID pandemic,” said Abu.

THE Iglesia Ni Cristo has started providing protective equipment as well as needed hospital supplies to key public hospitals in Quezon City in an effort to assist the local government and health authorities in the fight against the COVID-19 virus. “We’re distributing these necessities to all public hospitals in Quezon City to address the urgent needs of our medical frontliners. We’re doing our own effort to lessen their vulnerability to the virus when they’re performing their tasks,” said INC General Auditor Glicerio B. Santos Jr. Santos added that INC Executive Minister Brother Eduardo V. Manalo directed the church to be “all-out” in its aid and assistance efforts to prevent the spread of the virus, which has hit various areas in Quezon City as well as opening up the use of the Philippine Arena to be used by the government in fighting this disease. “Ka Eduardo has told us that rather than face this threat with fear, we should confront it with action––and this is why the Church has chosen to help the gov-

ernment and our countrymen in any way we can,” stressed Santos. Santos said the facility’s management has already discussed this with the InterAgency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATFEID). On Friday, government representatives conducted a site visit and ocular inspection of the Philippine Arena, Philippine Sports Stadium and The Garden Suites, all inside Ciudad de Victoria in Bocaue, Bulacan. According to Santos, “the government can already begin making preparations in order to ensure that it can handle a sudden rise in the number of COVID-19 cases.” “Handa kaming tumulong. In this critical time we all need to work together to beat this virus. We are all affected, so we must all act.” The Philippine Arena––located in Bocaue, Bulacan––is the largest indoor arena in the world. It can sit over 50,000 spectators and has a floor area of 99,000 square meters.

IMPROVISED.

A resident of a barangay in Dasmariñas, Cavite wears an improvised face mask made from plastic softdrink bottles and mineral water as it is now mandatory for residents in the Philippines to wear face masks when going out of their house to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Jr Josue

Opinion

MONDAY, APRIL 6, 2020

DOH approval of rapid testing a lie?

IT SEEMS the Food and Drug Administration was only forced to issue its stamp of approval for various brands of COVID-19 rapid test (on-site) kits due to intense public pressure for mass testing. The Department of Health, of which it is under, apparently has no real intention of implementing mass testing come April 14.

It appears it was all for show to take the pressure off Duque. Time and again, Health Secretary Francisco Duque has emphasized that he only approves of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method which is the gold standard in testing patients for COVID-19, playing blind to the fact that countries such as South Korea, China, Australia, Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, United Kingdom, United States, etc. have been employing rapid test kits side-by-side with the PCR kits to combat the dreaded virus. The clamor for using rapid test kits gained traction as the PCR method being used by the DOH takes several days—even weeks—to get the result, so much so that many infected individuals, including frontliners, have died without even knowing if they’ve tested positive or negative for COVID-19. Using rapid test kits, South Korea even set up drive-through COVID-19

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

test sites that boasted of testing at least 10,000 individuals per day. US is following the example by setting up its own version, the walk-through test sites being situated in supermarket parking lots. Duque’s behavior toward mass testing proves strange and symptomatic of regulatory paralysis. While he boasted in the media that he had already directed FDA Director-General Eric Domingo to validate the integrity of the rapid test kits submitted to the agency for exemption, a check with FDA revealed that it had only one staff-member assigned to take care of the kits so much so that it required the assistance of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine to do the job. Since FDA only had one staff for this critical job, the applicants for exemption had to retrieve the test kits from FDA and submit them to RITM themselves although the latter is just a stone’s throw away from FDA, since no one in the agency could do it. RITM personnel, however, didn’t receive any word from either FDA or DOH on what to do with the rapid test kits, so the crucial mass testing kits had to sleep for over a week at RITM without being touched. Apparently humiliated by this paralysis in checking the kits that was already talk-of-the-town in the mainstream and social media, FDA suddenly released on March 30, 2020 a list of approved brands of rapid test kits. On the following day, however, DOH released Department Circular No. 2020-0160 with the following subject: Guidance on the Use of COVID-19 Rapid Antibody Test Kits. The department circular practically bars the national government

Keeping watch

HE crisis caused by the spread and threat of COVID-19 has brought out the best and the worst among us. We continue to see the selfless sacrifices made by frontliners who do their job notwithstanding the risks and difficulties. We also see how people donate their resources to those without the wherewithal to respond to their most basic needs during this time of economic pause. There are experts who devote their time and effort to finding solutions to the problem. Bayanihan is all too real, and it takes on many forms. It is not because we are of any political persuasion, or religion; it is because of our common humanity. But even as there are bright spots to see us through these difficult times, we are also much aware of

the how some people can give in to their base nature. There are politicians demanding preferential treatment, leaders lying and refusing to be upstaged by their more diligent counterparts, and others shamelessly using the situation to paint a rosy picture of themselves before the public. There are those tasked with life and death decisions but who insist on taking their time and refusing to act with urgency. There are numerous displays of nonsense and incompetence by those who are supposed to be in charge of the situation. There are threats of violence against those whose only sin is to ask why their government is letting them fend for themselves when they cannot even earn a decent living. Those in government do not have a monopoly of bad deeds. Some enrich themselves by taking

advantage of the economic uncertainty. Others use technology to steal information and violate privacy. Many spread false information. These things are enough to drive many to a sense of desperation and helplessness. We stay in our homes for fear of contracting the virus, and it is tempting to feel as though we cannot do anything much to change the situation. But we can keep close watch over what is happening and speak out against injustices being committed, or responsibilities not performed. We share a common fate, after all, and our failure to call out excesses and inadequacies will allow evils to persist, dooming not some of us, not many of us, but all of us. It’s a long way still, but if we are constant and vigilant, we can emerge from this crisis better and stronger together.

Turn to A5

EvEryman

‘Shoot them dead!’ By Joel Vega IN OUR globalized world, leaders can no longer escape the scrutiny of their constituents but also the gaze and appraisal of people outside their borders. Our links are no longer local or parochial, but are global due to modern information technologies and through the economic contracts dictated by neoliberalistpolicies the world has adopted. I watched this week a primetime, highly-rated Dutch TV talk show where the presenter Eva Jinek ran a generous 60-second clip of President Rodrigo Duterte ordering his police officers to shoot unruly protesters. The video clip, which showed Duterte’s response to a group of indigent protesters who demanded government aid, stunned the TV studio audience. One of Jinek’s invited guests, a seasoned investigative journalist, was tongue-tied when Jinek asked for his opinion on the segment. He managed to utter a reply, saying that the Dutch should be thankful that their own prime minister, Mark Rutte, does not manage the COVID health crisis with such an extreme, iron-fist manner. Watching that segment highlighted two things in my mind. First, is the challenge of effective communication, and second is that responses to international crisis situations exposes the mettle (or lack of it) of even the most efficient managers. The COVID healthcare crisis has shown that mature and developed countries are could still be vulnerable when faced with a pandemic of this proportion. To immature and developing economies, the challenges are manifold, if not more complex. The dire consequences of the COVID crisis on everyone have yet to unravel in the coming months. To the Filipino people, Duterte’s response may no longer be a surprise. They have lived through almost four

years of his administration that saw the illegal deaths of suspected drug users, and whose families are, up to now, deprived of basic legal remedies and aid. His characteristic cowboy-style and bully talk are also increasingly falling on deaf ears. But even Filipinos who are used to his tough-talking persona are getting fed up by the lack of clear guidance. It’s not too much to ask for a doable executive strategy when livelihood and food sources hang in the balance.

True discipline cannot be achieved when the very government that leads cannot fulfill its own mandate. Duterte’s knee-jerk response is reflective of his mayor-from-Davao manner of resolving complex issues. But in 2016, he has entered a platform that is bigger than the world in Toril. It’s a platform that not only encompasses Manila’s viper-pit politics but also the larger world. This larger international community is looking from behind the prisms of their democratic cultures, and it is utterly naive to assume that the Philippines is entitled to a free pass when assessments are done in the family of democratic nations. The Philippines is a co-signatory to international treaties on health, law and other socio-economic commitments which were crafted precisely to mitigate the impact of political, social, environmental and health crises that affect the world. Duterte’s rant against what he suspected as communist-instigated protest actions thus sound lame and unconvincing since he’s addressing a segment of Philippine society that Turn to A5

EvEryman

National unity in a time of crisis By Ernesto G. Banawis CURRENT measures to address the crisis created by COVID-19 are as yet temporary, palliative, and incongruous. Medical scientists are conducting experiments to find an effective cure or antidote against the coronavirus. Some appear promising but have yet to be validated and will take a little more time before they become available. The World Health Organization and all those who have embraced the medical profession are racing against time to forestall a pandemic which threatens to erase human civilization. It is not the alarming spread of COVID-19 which should be of immediate and serious concern to the government and the citizenry. It is the economic depression or meltdown which will cause anarchy and chaos once the millions of jobless,

idle and desperate people get hungry, mad and violent. Like an approaching super typhoon, this terrifying calamity is gaining speed and will be devastating at landfall. This calamity is known as economic recession or depression.

We need the best and the brightest minds. Since the crisis is not abating and the stop-gap measures are not sufficiently working, the pandemic will claim more and more victims. Unless more stringent and disciplinary measures are imposed and observed, the transmission of the virus will be widespread and difficult to control or contain. The daily death toll in New

York City is sending chilly alarms to other countries. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte should exercise the emergency powers given him by Congress. He must be on top of the situation. The people would want him to take the bull by the horn, so to speak. No one can boost the morale of the people and lift their spirits more than the nation’s highest official and chief executive. President Duterte should address the nation on national television every day or as often as is necessary. The President could call on the 50 richest families in the country to contribute P1 billion each to the government’s relief funds. This will hardly make a dent on their wealth. Corporate farming, cooperative fishing and the production of essential goods and medicine can be financed Turn to A5

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Opinion All hands on deck to fight a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic By Antonio Guterres ONLY by coming together will the world be able to face down the COVID-19 pandemic and its shattering consequences. At an emergency virtual meeting last Thursday, G20 leaders took steps in the right direction. But we are still far away from having a coordinated, articulated global response that meets the unprecedented magnitude of what we are facing. Far from flattening the curve of infection, we are still well behind it. The disease initially took 67 days to infect 100,000 people; soon, 100,000 people and more will be infected daily. Without concerted and courageous action, the number of new cases will almost certainly escalate into the millions, pushing health systems to the breaking point, economies into a nosedive and people into despair, with the poorest hit hardest. We must prepare for the worst and do everything to avoid it. Here is a three-point call to action—based on science, solidarity and smart policies—for doing just that. First, suppress transmission of the coronavirus. That requires aggressive and early testing and contact tracing, complemented by quarantines, treatment, and measures to keep first responders safe, combined with measures to restrict movement and contact. Such steps, despite the disruptions they cause, must be sustained until therapies and a vaccine emerge. Crucially, this robust and cooperative effort should be guided by the World Health Organization, a member of the United Nations family; countries acting on their own—as they must for their people—will not get the job done for all. Second, tackle the devastating social and economic dimensions of the crisis. The virus is spreading like wildfire, and is likely to move swiftly into the Global South, where health systems face constraints, people are more vulnerable, and millions live in densely populated slums or crowded settlements for refugees and internally displaced persons. Fueled by such conditions, the virus could devastate the developing world and then re-emerge where it was previously suppressed. In our interconnected world, we are only as strong as the weakest health systems. Clearly, we must fight the virus for all of humanity, with a focus on people, especially the most affected: women, older persons, youth, lowwage workers, small and medium enterprises, the informal sector and vulnerable groups. The United Nations has just issued reports documenting how the viral contagion has become an economic contagion, and setting out the financing needed to address the shocks. The International Monetary Fund has declared that we have entered a recession as bad as or worse than in 2009. We need a comprehensive multilateral response amounting to a double-digit percentage of global Gross Domestic Product.

Developed countries can do it by themselves, and some are indeed doing it. But we must massively increase the resources available to the developing world by expanding the capacity of the IMF, namely through the issuance of special drawing rights, and of the other international financial institutions so that they can rapidly inject resources into the countries that need them. I know this is difficult as nations find themselves increasing domestic spending by record amounts. But that spending will be in vain if we don’t control the virus. Coordinated swaps among central banks can also bring liquidity to emerging economies. Debt alleviation must also be a priority—including immediate waivers on interest payments for 2020. Third, recover better. We simply cannot return to where we were before COVID-19 struck, with societies unnecessarily vulnerable to crisis. The pandemic has reminded us, in the starkest way possible, of the price we pay for weaknesses in health systems, social protections and public services. It has underscored and exacerbated inequalities, above all gender inequity, laying bare the way in which the formal economy has been sustained on the back of invisible and unpaid care labor. It has highlighted ongoing human rights challenges, including stigma and violence against women. Now is the time to redouble our efforts to build more inclusive and sustainable economies and societies that are more resilient in the face of pandemics, climate change and other global challenges. The recovery must lead to a different economy. Our roadmap remains the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals. The United Nations system is fully mobilized: supporting country responses, placing our supply chains at the world’s disposal, and advocating for a global ceasefire. Ending the pandemic everywhere is both a moral imperative and a matter of enlightened self-interest. At this unusual moment, we cannot resort to the usual tools. Extraordinary times demand extraordinary measures. We face a colossal test which demands decisive, coordinated and innovative action from all, for all. António Guterres is secretarygeneral of the United Nations. This piece first appeared in The Guardian.

‘Shoot... From A4

has long been marginalized and left vulnerable to various political and economic shocks. The timing of his message also followed weeks of executive silence and dilly-dallying, with decisions anchored on political expediency and shortcuts. Instead of clear strategies, he came up with a list of grievances against his political enemies and came on TV with rambling talks that are going elsewhere. While his counterparts in other ASEAN countries are firing point by point policy-based talks with expert statistics on hand, he emerges from his corner surrounded by the usual coterie of sycophant advisers, relying on threats of military arrests and garbled executive orders. The shallowness of any administration’s strategy will be severely tested by a pandemic that is still unfolding. The extreme responses will betray either authoritarian hold, illogical belief or a fanatical mindset such as those shown by leaders in Hungary, Turkestan and Kenya. International humanitarian aid and their backers monitor these responses. That aid, being limited, is channeled to nations that are vulnerable and those who need it the most, and to those who exemplified workable and sound solutions. Like water this international aid is not unlimited or renewable, but are finite and subject to accountability. Duterte and his managers have not shown receptiveness to local or national accountability. International accountability is anathema to him and he bristles with nationalistic pride when confronted with his missteps. His regime shows an unwillingness to be made accountable, and even the most uncritical of his critics are met with the muzzle of a gun. The Filipino do not deserve threats and intimidation fired from the holstered hip, and reasonable people will not fall in line when their government only comes up with the same old formulas replete with holes and rancor. True discipline, which his supporters are claiming is his ultimate goal, cannot be achieved when the very government that leads cannot fulfill its own mandate. Joel Vega is the author of ‘Drift,’ a poetry collection that won the 2019 National Book Award for Poetry in English. He lives in Arnhem, The Netherlands, where he works as publications editor.

MONDAY, APRIL 6, 2020

A time for giving and transformation YESTERDAY was the start of the Holy Week with empty churches and millions of Catholics hearing Palm Sunday Mass broadcast or live streaming in their homes, minus the traditional palm branches. As we begin the fourth week of the Luzon-wide lockdown, what used to be a traditional exodus to provincial homecomings and vacation resorts has taken on the form of an imposed staycation for all of us. We are now confined to endure what might feel as the longest week of the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) within the limited confines of our domicile. Unavoidable is a feeling of uncertainty because of the catastrophic risk of being infected by this unseen specter. The mortal danger of this contagion threatens all, but the sudden halt of economic activities imposed by the lockdown is hitting hard on the poorest sectors of our society and has ignited a parallel crisis that must be addressed with urgency. Giving to the poor is a tradition of the season of Lent that now has extraordinary relevance. Millions of daily wage earners and countless more who are living hand to mouth in the underground economy are now trapped in this predicament. They need to be rescued. Speed and efficiency are key, and speed and efficiency are what the private sector is good at. The day after this ECQ was declared, a rare aggrupation of top business groups quickly organized Project Damayan and raised enough resources to give P1,000 grocery certificates for some 1.6 million families in greater Manila’s most vulnerable communities. That’s over P1.6 billion immediately committed for the cause. Project Ugnayan is in collaboration with the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation and the Caritas Manila network which includes the Dioceses of Manila, Antipolo (Rizal), Cubao, Imus (Cavite), Caloocan, Malolos (Bulacan), Novaliches, Paranaque, Pasig, and San Pablo (Laguna) covering 628 parishes. The project’s first two channels are Caritas’ Project Damayan plus ABSCBN’s Pantawid ng Pagibig. Add to that the recent linkage with the Asian Development Bank and the Government to further expand reach. As of this writing, Project Ugnayan

has reached 985,000 families benefiting approximately 5 million people in less than two weeks of door-to-door distribution. This is an impressive feat by any standard and a shining example of the nimble, efficient and developmental culture of the private sector. The private enterprises provide the much-needed employment and together with its interlinked allied industries, are the core drivers of our unprecedented economic growth, until the Wuhan virus stopped everything.

Stay calm, stay safe, give more. On the government side, the Bayanihan Act signed by the President commits to distribute P5,000 to P8,000 for 2 months to 18 million households whose livelihoods were lost because of the ECQ. Unfortunate but not surprising is some delay, because of the need to fix the database of those qualified to receive the cash assistance. Yesterday’s news update reported that the DSWD has started distributing the cash grants in some parts of Manila and more areas will be reached in the coming days. According to the President’s report, the database will be derived from the existing beneficiary list submitted by the government agencies and local government units. This is well and good–but what about the affected workers who are not registered in the databases of DOLE, SSS or DSWD? They are many–those self-employed or are “gig workers” like carpenters, painters, barbers, therapists, freelancers, multi-level marketers, Transportation Network Vehicle Service (TNVS) drivers, street vendors, laborers, production crews, golf caddies, your weekly cleaning lady/ lavandera, fitness trainers and many more in the informal sector. Their families are among the poorest who lost their daily source of sustenance. With no work, they don’t get paid. Only 77 percent of the population are

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and local government units to purchase rapid test kits. The rapid test kits are intended for mass testing, that’s the whole idea, because a rapid test kit can come up with the result in 15 minutes aside from being much cheaper than the PCR method, ideal for contact-tracing and at the same time, democratizing COVID-19 testing to erase the perception that only VIPs get COVID-19 tests. If the idea of approving the various brands of rapid test kits is to be used as complementary kits to PCR for mass testing, why is DOH banning the government from purchasing it for mass use? It’s precisely defeating the purpose of rapid testing! This, in essence, contradicts COVID-19 response head Carlito Galvez’s pronouncement mass testing beginning April 14. It is now clear as day that the approval of rapid test kits was all for show just to ease the public pressure on Duque. In short, a lie. Other than a stress reliever, what could be Duque’s other reason that other countries who have successfully flattened the curve with the help of rapid testing failed to see?

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and managed by the owners of business conglomerates to ensure that food and essential commodities will be adequately available for as long as the crisis persists. Most of the members of the Inter-Agency Task Force and the Cabinet are competent and are ably doing their jobs. But they could be too burdened with the nitty gritty aspects of their responsibilities that they may lack full grasp and insights into the complexities of the principal concerns that the government must address. This is where the best and the brightest minds in the private sector, the brains behind the most successful business establishments, are needed. The President should call on them. With their experience and ingenuity,

estimated by Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to have bank accounts. This is an indication of how many Filipinos don’t have enough savings for emergency situations. The first waves of relief from the outpouring of support and cooperation from so many individuals, companies and pro-active measures of the LGUs has been instrumental in averting what could have been a scary breakdown in peace and order. To be fair, nobody can expect perfection in a situation where there are no playbooks to guide our leaders. Creative solutions should be encouraged, and restrictive regulations should be set aside while maintaining transparency and intolerance to corruption. The lockdown has forced all offices to conduct business online and to quickly adapt operations to comply with ECQ guidelines. The disruptive shock of the pandemic should radically accelerate the pace of digital transformation of all governments and industries. Access to reliable connectivity has become an indispensable lifeline of the world’s population. This is a strategic lesson that our policy leaders should remember to focus on after the crisis. The raging global rampage of this virus from Wuhan is seen by some thinkers as a pivotal moment in human history that will profoundly change society. An area of transformation creates new opportunities such as surge in demand for digital technologies that will make the world more prepared for a novel emergency. The economic disaster experienced by all economies has clearly established the symbiotic relationship of the environment and human survival. Any extreme tipping of the balance is disastrous with the poorest communities first to suffer. A balanced, holistic but determined approach is still valid. Governments must ensure the health security of its population. Economic systems, the way we work and live will change. Our outlook as individuals cannot be limited by parochial attitudes. We must all step up our level of discipline and contribute the best we can in not just surviving but in getting back on track. Stay calm, stay safe, stay healthy, pray for divine intervention and most of all, as much as we can, let us give more.

In case the people have forgotten, Senator Panfilo Lacson exposed last year that Duque’s family-owned business consistently bagged DOH medicine supply contracts and even leased out last year a building in Dagupan City to PhilHealth. Of course, Duque denied any involvement in the supply and lease contracts, perhaps in the same manner he denied that he had called Makati Medical Center after Senator Koko Pimentel asked him to intervene so the senator’s pregnant wife would be admitted in the hospital. Every second of delay in using the rapid test kits for mass testing costs the government billions of pesos in public funds, especially that PhilHealth covers for all the hospital, medicine and treatment costs of COVID-19 patients. With the DOH red tape, the number of those infected is expected to shoot up as the invisible enemy remains undetected. For some mysterious reason, Duque insists on playing Blackjack with death on a losing hand, where the currency on the table is the blood of millions of Filipinos. I hope the President makes mention of his name when he addresses the nation again today. As I’ve said before, it won’t hurt to drop a few deadweights along the way. And the President just did that last Friday.

they could be the catalysts in confronting successfully the crisis. There should be full and detailed media coverage of the crisis. Like the medical and law enforcement frontrunners, media practitioners should be allowed to perform their jobs at their establishments and should be given access to all sources of information. The government’s media information agencies do not have the manpower and facilities to disseminate what is going on all over the country and around the world. The government should subsidize the operations of the media establishments and the salaries of the private media practitioners since they are not receiving income from advertisements and sales. The business establishments who have been the biggest advertisers could also be convinced by the government to contribute to the subsidy budget. President Duterte should now ap-

peal for national unity in the face of the most dreadful crisis confronting the country. COVID-19 infects anyone, regardless of color, gender, calling, age, social status and creed. The President should impose discipline and compliance with the laws and correspondingly mete out sanctions on those who transgress them. With less than a little over two more years left in his term and still enjoying a high performance and acceptance rating, President Rodrigo Duterte has been given the rare opportunity to be a great and beloved leader. By confronting the crisis with ingenuity and courage, the President could prove worthy of the honor and equal to the challenge. As in previous visits of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, God will save mankind whom he created in his own image. Pious genuflections and prayers will help.

World/Business

MONDAY, APRIL 6, 2020 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

7-yr-old kid is youngest fatality in UK

IN BRIEF France probes terrorist attack A SUDANESE refugee went on a knife rampage in a town in southeastern France on Saturday, killing two people in what is being treated as a terrorist attack. The attack in broad daylight, which President Emmanuel Macron called “an odious act,” took place with the country on lockdown in a bid to stem the spread of the deadly coronavirus. Counter-terrorism prosecutors have launched an investigation into “murder linked to a terrorist enterprise” after the rampage in a string of shops in Romanssur-Isere, a riverside town with a population of about 35,000. The assailant, identified only as Abdallah A.-O., a refugee in his 30s from Sudan who lives in the town, was arrested without a fight by police. “He was found on his knees on the pavement praying in Arabic,” the prosecutor’s office said. According to witnesses cited by local radio station France Bleu Drome Ardeche, he shouted “Allah Akbar!” (God is Greatest) as he stabbed his victims. “Anyone who had the misfortune to find themselves in his way were attacked,” town mayor Marie-Helene Thoraval told AFP. David Olivier Reverdy, from the National Police Alliance union, said the assailant had called on police to kill him when they came to arrest him. The country has been on terror alert since a wave of deadly jihadist bombings and shootings in Paris in 2015. In all, 258 people have been killed in France in what have been deemed terrorist attacks. AFP

Accidental mine explosion kills 11 ELEVEN people were killed and four injured in an accidental explosion at a Colombian coal mine in Cucunuba, near Bogota, on Saturday, according to the local fire department. The victims were miners who were working despite the health emergency caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Most Colombians are quarantined by government order, but mining is among the activities exempted. Captain Alvaro Farfan, head of the fire department of the department of Cundinamarca, told local media that the accident occurred in a legally operated coal mine, although he did not give details about the type of explosion. On Friday, six other miners were killed in a similar incident at a coal mine in the municipality of San Cayetano in northeastern Colombia. After the new accident, the state-run National Mining Agency announced the suspension of “the underground coal mining activity” in Cucunuba. The agency confirmed the report of 11 dead and four injured. AFP

Quibi launches movies on-the-go QUIBI, the multi-billion-dollar streaming platform launching Monday, is betting it can transform entertainment with short, Hollywood-quality clips to watch “on the go”— w even as much of the world is trapped at home. Industry legends and stars from Steven Spielberg and Guillermo del Toro to Jennifer Lopez and Reese Witherspoon have lined up to make movies and shows for the youth-focused, smartphone-only service. Tapping into the boom in mobile video viewing, all content will be delivered in clips of no more than 10 minutes – or “quick bites.” Every show must be made in both horizontal and vertical formats, automatically flipping between the two as viewers rotate their phones. But Quibi’s plans were set long before the coronavirus pandemic prompted stay-at-home orders for billions of people around the globe – meaning nobody is quite sure how to measure success in the months ahead, its CEO told AFP. “Honestly, we don’t know, because we are launching in unprecedented times,” said Meg Whitman, who previously led eBay. “I don’t think any of us have ever seen anything quite like this.” While presumably fewer people will now watch during commutes or coffee breaks, self-isolation could prompt its own need for quick distractions, Quibi executives say. A formidable lineup—50 shows at launch, with 175 originals in its first year—helped make Quibi’s decision to stick with its long-established April 6 launch a lot easier, said Whitman. Big Hollywood names have committed to work with Quibi thanks to its founder, Jeffrey Katzenberg, a towering figure in Tinseltown who ran Disney Studios for a decade and co-founded DreamWorks. “We had enough content in the bank,” Whitman said. AFP

ART IMITATES LIFE. People walk by an apocalyptic mural by Hijackhart, where soldiers wearing face masks fight COVID-19 with disinfectant and hand sanitizers during the coronavirus pandemic on April 4 in Los Angeles, California. US President Donald Trump has warned Americans to brace for a “very horrendous” number of coronavirus deaths in the coming days as the total number of global fatalities from the pandemic soared past 60,000. AFP

Paris starts clinical trials of blood plasma P

ARIS—France is to begin clinical trials involving transfusions of blood plasma from coronavirus survivors into patients who have severe symptoms in a bid to treat the illness, the institutions involved said. Drugmakers are racing to develop a vaccine and treatment for the pandemic, which has killed over 60,000 people since the coronavirus first emerged in China in December. Plasma, the fluid in blood teeming with antibodies post-illness, has already proven effective in small studies to treat infectious diseases including Ebola and SARS. The French trials are to start on Tues-

day, according to a joint statement from the Paris hospital authority AP-HP, the national medical research institute INSERM, and the national blood service EFS. “This clinical trial involves the transfusion of plasma from patients who have recovered from COVID-19, containing antibodies against the virus, and who could transfer this immunity to a patient suffering from COVID-19,” it said.

THREE SENSES THE first three months of this new decade has been filled with many misfortunes and hair- raising headlines. As we welcome a new month, three new senses have been well manifested in social media, in the news,and our everyday strife amid this COVID-19 Enhance Community Quarantine (ECQ). While these three senses are “normal” human traits, their manifestations in these trying times are sweeping our newsfeed. Let me start with the light-hearted. Sense of Humor Our humor is why Filipinos are called “resilient.” From the great memes on work from home (WFH) or online learning of students, I would say these were a “breath of fresh air” to the mostly gloomy news. Filipinos are very creative in coping with this quarantine. From jokes on gaining weight after the lockdown to how we innovatively “travel” around the house as the President suggests, these memes are epic. Businesses, too, took advantage of the ECQ in their marketing stunts. Catchy and original, these innovative ads tickled our sense of humor. From the Golden Arches social distancing to a sardine brand asking if we already took a bath (naLIGO ka na ba?), these amusing memes help lighten our moods. On the flip side, there were these “rants” disguised as memes. While some might find it funny, when I reflect on their message, it makes me think: “wow, this is a PROBLEM for you?” Which leads to my next sense, and that is… Sense of Entitlement This is where things get a little messy. We have seen this sense of entitlement, from affluent “influencers” telling us to “shut up and wash our hands” to socialites calling the daily wage earners invectives to politicians getting tested despite the shortage of test kits. Not to mention a Senator who went on a strolling spree despite having symptoms and yet DOJ requests for our “compassion.” Netizens, young and old, are raging with

anger and posting hashtags such as #notoVIPtesting, #KOKOresign and #yesforMasstesting. Businesses, on the other hand, are quick to pay it forward because they believe it is part of their social responsibility. Big names in the food, retail, real estate and manufacturing rose to the occasion and are helping the front liners and poor during this global crisis. So, we have seen the good, the bad, now let’s look at the ugly instances of entitlement. Remember our legislators holding a banner and comparing themselves to our fearless frontlines? Their sign said they “went to work” for us. Yes, all of you are public servants. You do and MUST work for us! Because these elected officials feel so entitled, they lost this last sense, which is… Common Sense Despite the two rounds of “lockdown” disguised as community quarantine in Metro Manila, people defied these orders. Days after, it became ECQ that covered the whole of Luzon and still the same story. In defying these orders, two types of people are identified: the “haves” and the “have nots.” The “have nots” have no choice but to leave home and find means to feed their family. The “haves” or those “entitled” and just wanted to leave home, so their IG stories are updated. Worse, they want to flaunt the lap of luxury they enjoy. Ultimately, Mr. Strolling Spree legislator missed this one, big time. Why are these common-sense issues? First, if the President has one, he could have given people ample time to prepare. So instead of achieving social distancing, which is one of the end goals of the quarantine, people flocked to bus stations to make sure they leave Metro Manila sooner. Others made a mad dash to malls, markets and supermarkets to ensure they had enough food to eat. Second, LGUs were not quick to respond to the President’s directive, and this gave the common Juan something to worry about. Questions like, “If I don’t work for the whole duration of the lock-

“The plasma of the people who have recovered contains these antibodies that their organisms have developed. These antibodies could help patients in an acute stage of the disease to fight the virus.” The trials will involve 60 patients in Paris hospitals, half of whom will receive the plasma from the persons who have recovered. It said the first results could be known two to three weeks after the trials. The US Food and Drug Administration has already authorized physicians to experiment with the strategy to fight the coronavirus. Tests are also being done in China. AFP

ALVIN NEIL A. GUTIERREZ

Green LiGht down, how will I eat?” “How will I feed my family?” troubled these “no work, no pay” workers. It took days before LGUs provided aid for them. Speaking of “no work, no pay,” businesses on must also exercise this last sense. Before you flaunt your CSR and pay it forward initiatives, you must reassure your workers that they are going to be paid and will have jobs to return to despite being forced to work from home or not working at all. As Mother Teresa said, “Love begins by taking care of the closest ones—the ones at home.” In the end, what have these three senses taught us during this 24/7 “house arrest?” To keep our sanity in check, make great memories with our family members. Laugh at the situation and hope for the best. Remember, “Laughter is the best medicine.” We should check our privilege. Sometimes, we think this quarantine is a cause for boredom and complaint, but think of the people who do not have what you’re enjoying and have to deal with daily battles in this time of crisis. Finally, let us use our common sense in 2022 as we choose our new leaders. Let us not forget how some leaders used up our limited testing kits and let others die untested. Let us look at our LGUs and who among them abandoned us and who rose to the occasion, with or without the media coverage. I remain hopeful that this COVID-19 pandemic will bring out the best in all of us. The author is an Assistant Professor of the Management and Organization Department of the Ramon V. Del Rosario College of Business. He teaches Strategic Human Resources and Organizational Behavior as well as Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Governance. He can be reached at alvin.gutierrez@dlsu.edu.ph. The views expressed above are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official position of De La Salle University and its faculty and administrators.

LONDON—Britain on Saturday reported a record 708 daily deaths from COVID-19, including a five-year-old child, who is thought to be the country’s youngest victim. The health ministry said 4,313 people who tested positive for the virus in hospital had died while there were 41,903 confirmed cases as of Saturday, up by 3,735. The toll has been steadily increasing by more than 500 deaths a day last week and the country is bracing for an expected peak in the next week to 10 days. A total of 637 of the latest deaths were in England, the National Health Service said. “Patients were aged between five years and 104 years old. At least 40 of the 637 patients (aged between 48 and 93 years old) had no known underlying health condition,” it said in a statement. The NHS said it would not be giving further information about the five-yearold patient at the request of the family. A 13-year-old boy from London, Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab, died last week, days after testing positive for COVID-19. His family said he had no underlying illnesses. Senior minister Michael Gove told a daily briefing that the teenager’s mother and siblings were now showing symptoms. The overall death toll now included seven healthcare professionals, he added. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is in self-isolation after developing mild symptoms of the disease, ordered a three-week lockdown of the country on March 23 to try to cut infections. But there has been concern that warmer weather forecast for this weekend could tempt people from their homes to green spaces and public parks. Health Secretary Matt Hancock has warned against any relaxation in social distancing, saying: “If we do, people will die.” Imperial College London epidemiologist Neil Ferguson, who is advising the government, told BBC radio a peak was expected around the Easter weekend. “We still think things will plateau but we’ll be at quite high levels of infection for weeks and weeks rather than seeing quite a rapid decline as the type seen in China,” he said. AFP

Coptic church suspends Easter celebrations CAIRO—Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox church has decided to suspend prayers preceding Easter celebrations later this month as part of efforts to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus. The church, which last month ordered the closure of churches and suspension of services nationwide, said the decision was taken on Thursday during a meeting chaired by Pope Tawadros II. “Prayers, including Holy Week services, which are considered the most important rituals in the Coptic Orthodox church, will be suspended” until the pandemic is contained, a statement posted on Facebook said. Holy Week prayers precede Easter Sunday, which this year will be celebrated on April 19 by the Orthodox community, one week later than the Catholic Easter. Church spokesman Boulos Halim said these were “unprecedented and historic” measures implemented to stem the crisis. On March 21, the church ordered the closure of all churches and suspended ritual services, masses and other religious activities for two weeks to combat the spread of the virus. It was not yet clear if Pope Tawadros II, who heads the Coptic church, would go ahead with a pared-down midnight mass ahead of Easter. Coptic Christians are the largest non-Muslim religious minority in the Middle East and account for 10-15 percent of Egypt’s predominantly Sunni Muslim population of 100 million. Egypt so far has recorded 71 deaths out of 1,070 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus. Authorities have imposed tough measures to limit social interaction in the Arab world’s most populous country, including a night-time curfew that went into effect last week. AFP

Business

MONDAY, APRIL 6, 2020 || extrastory2000@gmail.com

Stocks poised to trade sideways S By Jenniffer B. Austria

HARE prices are expected move sideways during this shortened trading week on thin trading as investors await the government’s decision on the possible lifting or extension of the enhanced community quarantine.

Financial markets will be closed on Thursday and Friday in observance of the Holy Week. The Luzon-wide community quarantine that started March 16 will end on April 12. The Inter-agency Task Force

on Emerging Infectious Diseases is evaluating if the enhanced community quarantine will be terminated, extended or expanded to include more areas. Philstocks Financial Inc. research head Justino Calaycay Jr noted that the market advanced 10 percent in the past two weeks as investors started looking at the market for the medium to long term period. “Prices are definitely cheap. Most have in fact retraced levels extending back 7 to 10 years. Prices... at some point not a few months back... nobody probably thought they’d see again—or worse! But this is our reality today and the prudent investor is able to adapt to the times and act accordingly,” Calaycay said. The Philippine Stock Exchange Index last week rose 80.35 points or 1.64 percent week-on-week as local buyers stepped in, even as foreign investors

were net sellers for the week by P33.5 billion. “The market seesawed this week, although within a narrower band than it did last week, but traded higher anyway. With hardly any corporate developments to drive the market, it looked for guidance elsewhere, primarily from Wall St,” RCBC Securities said. Among the weekly top gainers during the week were Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc., which advanced by 22.8 percent to P39.90, Semirara Mining and Power Corp., which climbed 11.5 percent to P11.82, and Manila Electric Co., which rose 9.1 percent to P240. Weekly top price losers were Ayala Corp., which declined 8.5 percent to P451, Robinsons Land, which fell 6.6 percent to P13.88, and Vista Land & Lifescapes Inc., which dipped 5.8 percent to P4.03. Wall Street stocks, meanwhile, fin-

ished sharply lower Friday following a gloomy jobs report that analysts said represented a harbinger of far worse unemployment due to the coronavirus outbreak. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended down 1.7 percent, or around 350 points, at 21,052.53. The broad-based S&P 500 shed 1.5 percent to 2,488.65, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index also dropped 1.5 percent to 7,373.08. US employment plunged by 701,000 in March and the jobless rate surged to 4.4 percent, the Labor Department reported earlier Friday. Yet the department acknowledged its statistics could not yet capture the full extent of the damage, and its own weekly data on first-time claims for jobless benefits showed 10 million people lost their jobs in the last two weeks of the month. With AFP

Manila Standard BuSineSS Weekly StockS revieW STOCKS

MARCH 30-APRIL 3, 2020 Close Volume Value

Asia United Bank Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. Bank of PI Bright Kindle Resources China Bank COL Financial Eastwest Bank Ferronoux Holding I-Remit Inc. Manulife Fin. Corp. MEDCO Holdings Metrobank Natl. Reinsurance Corp. PB Bank Phil Bank of Comm Phil. National Bank Phil. Savings Bank Philippine trust Co. PSE Inc. RCBC `A’ Security Bank Sun Life Financial Union Bank Vantage Equities

46 99.30 60.60 0.52 19.98 15.2 7.6 2.71 0.86 718.00 0.270 37 0.69 8.5 16.00 19.00 42 103 169.5 17.1 108.5 1620.00 53.50 1.11

21,200 15,467,420 15,107,650 105,000 334,600 13,700 736,600 493,000 3,000 30 600,000 22,792,000 602,000 100 304,400 5,590,800 4,300 460 3,520 207,200 2,616,430 215 21,810 30,000

FINANCIAL 959,125.00 1,568,567,416.00 922,096,712.00 57,140.00 6,733,792.00 207,670.00 5,692,298.00 1,313,820.00 2,740.00 21,540.00 158,700.00 873,507,245.00 401,360.00 850.00 4,876,410.00 108,063,317.00 185,490.00 35,680.00 582,838.00 3,468,702.00 278,669,622.50 344,900.00 1,158,883.50 31,060.00

Aboitiz Power Corp. AC Energy Agrinurture Inc. Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. Alsons Cons. Axelum Basic Energy Corp. Bogo Medelin Cemex Holdings Century Food Cirtek Holdings (Chips) Conc. Aggr. ‘A’ Conc. Aggr. ‘B’ Concepcion Crown Asia Da Vinci Capital Del Monte DNL Industries Inc. Eagle Cement EEI Emperador Euro-Med Lab First Gen Corp. First Holdings ‘A’ Fruitas Holdings Ginebra San Miguel Inc. Greenergy Holcim Philippines Inc. Integ. Micro-Electronics Ionics Inc Jollibee Foods Corp. Liberty Flour LMG Chemicals Mabuhay Vinyl Macay Holdings Manila Water Co. Inc. Maxs Group Megawide Mla. Elect. Co `A’ Panasonic Mfg Phil. Corp. Pepsi-Cola Products Phil. Petroenergy Res. Corp. Petron Corporation Phinma Corporation Phoenix Petroleum Phils. Pilipinas Shell Pryce Corp. `A’ RFM Corporation Roxas and Co. SFA Semicon Shakeys Pizza SMC Food and Beverage SPC Power Corp. Swift Foods, Inc. TKC Steel Corp. Universal Robina Victorias Milling Vitarich Corp. Vivant Corp. Vulcan Ind’l.

28.2 2.01 6.48 0.53 1 2.5 0.164 97.7 1.03 13.88 6.3 46 48 25.05 1.87 4 3.5 4.810 7.53 5.03 8.05 1.91 17.16 49 1.16 32.90 0.7900 11.98 4.45 0.950 102.00 30.35 4.6 3.1 5.50 9.76 4.62 6.1 240.00 4.90 1.79 2.44 2.59 8.95 10.30 18.6 4.3 4.40 1.44 0.76 4.84 49.4 7.95 0.106 0.75 103 2.8 0.86 13.00 0.57

10,252,000 34,469,000 1,265,700 1,584,000 5,060,000 7,535,000 2,080,000 550 22,703,000 3,344,800 8,440,200 910 810 11,700 278,000 2,000 94,000 13,440,000 2,666,200 2,374,700 16,454,200 4,177,000 9,955,100 957,700 37,566,000 1,849,800 4,128,000 1,435,900 1,499,000 2,701,000 7,008,770 700 14,000 22,000 21,700 8,871,200 2,519,000 6,095,600 1,387,090 2,000 10,462,000 439,000 12,315,000 13,600 404,700 2,176,800 38,000 280,000 4,347,000 1,782,000 5,270,700 1,747,930 567,600 2,510,000 228,000 10,107,160 175,000 26,613,000 1,600 1,429,000

INDUSTRIAL 271,733,790.00 68,937,170.00 8,148,880.00 815,070.00 4,884,360.00 17,267,570.00 332,440.00 49,246.50 24,005,550.00 45,449,352.00 54,591,408.00 41,838.00 39,465.00 337,080.00 519,900.00 8,000.00 312,960.00 66,137,890.00 19,799,368.00 12,136,384.00 131,903,559.00 8,081,160.00 165,549,636.00 45,618,810.00 43,674,680.00 59,391,235.00 3,285,220.00 17,389,324.00 6,728,610.00 2,604,170.00 735,355,106.00 21,195.00 62,500.00 68,200.00 105,960.00 84,502,114.00 11,778,840.00 37,991,666.00 310,946,862.00 9,800.00 18,591,530.00 954,950.00 30,914,050.00 112,890.00 4,001,879.00 40,677,764.00 160,940.00 1,184,790.00 5,933,020.00 1,315,100.00 25,552,318.00 85,315,331.00 4,464,630.00 255,320.00 160,070.00 1,029,911,474.00 439,650.00 23,622,890.00 21,782.00 799,880.00

Abacus Cons. À’ Aboitiz Equity Alliance Global Inc. Anglo Holdings A Anscor À’ Asiabest Group ATN Holdings A ATN Holdings B Ayala Corp À’ Ayala Land Log Cosco Capital DMCI Holdings Filinvest Dev. Corp. Forum Pacific GT Capital House of Inv. JG Summit Holdings Keppel Holdings `B’ Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp. Lopez Holdings Corp. LT Group Mabuhay Holdings À’ Metro Pacific Inv. Corp. Pacifica À’ Prime Media Hldg Republic Glass ‘A’ San Miguel Corp À’ SM Investments Inc. Solid Group Inc. South China Res. Inc. Top Frontier Transgrid Wellex Industries Zeus Holdings

0.520 39.90 7.03 0.49 6.00 5.7 0.510 0.560 451 1.500 5.01 3.84 9.40 0.180 399 3.70 53.20 6 0.405 2.81 7.5 0.520 2.46 2.7500 0.820 2.60 93.00 825.00 0.84 0.59 152.500 200.00 0.1880 0.130

8,171,000 5,362,400 17,783,600 400,000 70,100 280,600 1,466,000 180,000 6,111,610 7,135,000 8,477,800 44,441,000 38,000 10,000 1,103,190 494,000 13,296,000 13,200 420,000 1,918,000 5,958,300 86,000 330,168,000 3,000 12,000 2,000 1,163,380 1,869,590 1,720,000 299,000 4,940 32,330 530,000 3,330,000

HOLDING FIRMS 4,169,880.00 198,674,680.00 120,672,470.00 213,020.00 421,340.00 1,552,470.00 736,805.00 99,440.00 2,843,814,804.00 11,318,710.00 41,625,667.00 164,264,360.00 309,608.00 1,800.00 441,651,448.00 1,803,040.00 696,905,355.00 79,200.00 170,950.00 5,436,570.00 44,267,892.00 38,245.00 811,458,710.00 8,490.00 9,700.00 5,200.00 107,093,170.50 1,508,357,690.00 1,427,340.00 182,280.00 749,300.00 6,286,761.00 97,010.00 409,010.00

8990 HLDG A. Brown Co., Inc. Anchor Land Holdings Inc. Araneta Prop À’ Arthaland Corp. Ayala Land `B’ Belle Corp. À’ CEB Landmasters Cebu Holdings Century Property City & Land Dev. Cityland Dev. À’ Crown Equities Inc. Cyber Bay Corp. DM Wenceslao Double Dragon Empire East Land Filinvest Land,Inc. Global-Estate Keppel Properties Megaworld MRC Allied Ind. Phil Infradev Phil. Estates Corp. Phil. Realty À’ Primex Corp. Robinson’s Land `B’

11.600 0.51 9.00 1.010 0.600 32.000 1.33 3.95 6 0.365 0.74 0.790 0.120 0.236 7.000 16.12 0.315 0.91 0.75 3.60 2.52 0.148 0.7400 0.3800 0.228 1.7 13.88

718,900 4,977,000 1,200 459,000 6,346,000 80,693,000 2,383,000 3,237,000 287,900 11,070,000 93,000 94,000 4,420,000 110,000 441,000 997,500 360,000 54,915,000 1,559,000 8,000 239,126,000 30,050,000 8,889,000 2,920,000 480,000 127,000 15,576,900

PROPERTY 8,515,838.00 2,567,360.00 10,800.00 478,920.00 3,755,250.00 2,503,842,965.00 3,097,730.00 12,477,200.00 1,746,011.00 4,080,250.00 63,460.00 68,730.00 527,100.00 25,410.00 3,087,609.00 16,027,286.00 106,750.00 49,963,810.00 1,144,430.00 28,840.00 592,444,450.00 4,282,650.00 5,855,680.00 1,107,600.00 131,330.00 213,150.00 217,773,624.00

MARCH 23-27, 2020 Close Volume Value 44.5 102.10 63.95 0.60 20.1 15.6 8 3.19 0.93 750.00 0.280 37.9 0.68 8.9 17.00 20.00 45.75

25,200 20,412,740 23,789,920 259,000 738,200 29,600 1,523,500 4,000 63,000 100 1,360,000 35,409,600 209,000 30,200 1,400 4,415,000 8,500

1,069,970.00 2,046,231,087.00 1,373,916,177.00 158,140.00 14,978,418.00 456,400.00 11,611,931.00 12,200.00 58,130.00 66,300.00 382,350.00 1,310,122,685.00 138,190.00 246,040.00 23,808.00 83,823,530.00 310,470.00

172 17.5 106.8 1450.00 52.00 1.15

17,740 116,600 3,592,870 220 89,630 5,000

2,862,764.00 1,978,522.00 387,219,837.00 303,305.00 4,711,777.50 5,450.00

26 1.96 6.45 0.53 0.8 2.03 0.169

15,247,200 30,024,000 977,200 921,000 56,000 4,256,000 7,520,000

396,920,420.00 53,956,740.00 6,152,952.00 448,790.00 49,610.00 8,669,770.00 1,200,080.00

1.09 13.24 6.3 60 59.85

39,035,000 5,427,700 15,085,400 400 240

39,938,900.00 59,097,686.00 94,682,657.00 24,000.00 14,297.50

1.85

85,000

158,030.00

3.2 4.800 7.6 5.34 8.50 1.98 17.02 48.05 1.17 31.85 0.8000 12.36 4.55 1.010 107.00 40.00

338,000 24,980,000 3,536,900 2,070,900 31,955,200 17,532,000 18,615,800 912,800 66,013,000 226,600 4,407,000 479,700 1,589,000 3,161,000 15,023,960 1,700

1,106,550.00 222,854,590.00 24,404,386.00 11,413,941.00 227,830,996.00 33,887,070.00 297,895,884.00 41,197,585.00 75,988,060.00 6,742,950.00 3,395,340.00 5,862,376.00 6,370,710.00 3,071,270.00 1,516,325,398.00 70,345.00

3.2 4.80 9.28 4.72 5.84 220.00 4.94 1.3 3.00 2.40 9.38 9.98 18.7 4.1 4.30 1.42 0.78 5.11 51 8 0.110 0.72 98 2.51 0.88 12.00 0.60

26,000 86,900 15,726,200 4,618,000 4,514,300 2,316,830 2,000 681,000 70,000 27,690,000 15,000 906,900 2,385,600 41,000 169,000 7,639,000 4,048,000 3,921,100 2,487,200 738,400 1,460,000 317,000 13,003,160 23,000 47,903,000 1,200 2,425,000

82,310.00 413,254.00 144,873,662.00 22,109,410.00 27,843,978.00 493,890,404.00 9,880.00 883,510.00 208,260.00 62,327,710.00 134,580.00 8,761,725.00 44,277,320.00 159,180.00 724,960.00 10,224,040.00 3,128,270.00 19,621,864.00 119,497,730.00 5,772,303.00 157,950.00 218,080.00 1,297,670,434.00 49,330.00 40,533,060.00 16,568.00 1,379,540.00

0.520 32.50 6.87 0.55 6.00 5.71 0.530 0.620 493 1.780 5 3.60 8.99

23,518,000 7,160,900 182,880,500 793,000 246,400 197,700 6,231,000 3,688,000 4,397,600 2,854,000 9,443,000 53,805,000 240,500

11,848,470.00 220,650,220.00 1,182,866,495.00 413,580.00 1,563,734.00 1,161,173.00 3,083,145.00 2,035,900.00 2,057,517,531.00 4,546,400.00 43,655,670.00 187,615,600.00 1,944,804.00

409 3.60 51.20 6.8 0.415 2.98 7.24 0.550 2.6 2.7600 0.750 2.60 90.00 805.00 0.82 0.63 152.000 150.00 0.1870 0.133

967,020 352,000 10,513,640 45,900 360,000 1,376,000 44,797,600 155,000 319,091,000 71,000 223,000 78,000 1,786,350 2,747,780 478,000 382,000 3,570 880 630,000 2,510,000

398,868,340.00 1,283,900.00 502,117,935.50 312,120.00 147,400.00 2,952,580.00 288,809,112.00 83,710.00 803,646,770.00 199,310.00 170,200.00 187,800.00 157,024,150.50 2,159,287,120.00 386,540.00 241,100.00 519,199.00 125,590.00 111,040.00 320,060.00

12.500 0.54 8.99 1.080 0.560 31.000 1.31 3.93 6.1 0.370 0.74 0.790 0.131 0.230 6.900 16.3 0.295 0.91 0.75

3,599,100 12,910,000 100 462,000 2,824,000 106,622,500 5,813,000 2,268,000 115,900 14,270,000 228,000 67,000 18,270,000 430,000 770,700 2,002,400 1,350,000 72,769,000 2,245,000

47,128,296.00 6,868,275.00 899.00 507,940.00 1,504,510.00 3,180,115,320.00 7,495,970.00 8,599,420.00 693,930.00 4,958,500.00 162,690.00 50,570.00 2,353,600.00 98,820.00 5,407,861.00 32,519,082.00 415,650.00 62,902,080.00 1,526,300.00

2.39 0.142 0.6700 0.3150 0.250 1.7 14.86

369,862,000 31,450,000 4,987,000 250,000 1,360,000 74,000 18,814,100

805,651,570.00 4,215,200.00 3,236,160.00 78,500.00 323,500.00 113,700.00 245,561,670.00

STOCKS

MARCH 30-APRIL 3, 2020 Close Volume Value

MARCH 23-27, 2020 Close Volume Value

Rockwell Shang Properties Inc. SM Prime Holdings Sta. Lucia Land Inc. Suntrust Home Dev. Inc. Vista Land & Lifescapes Vistamalls

1.46 2.97 29.00 2 1.150 4.030 3.540

1,288,000 1,058,000 66,418,300 3,400,000 2,382,000 6,425,000 930,000

2GO Group’ ABS-CBN Acesite Hotel AllHome APC Group, Inc. Apollo Global Asian Terminals Inc. Berjaya Phils. Inc. Bloomberry Boulevard Holdings Cebu Air Inc. (5J) Centro Esc. Univ. Chelsea DFNN Inc. Discovery World DITO CME Holdings Easy Call “Common” Globe Telecom GMA Network Inc. Golden Haven Grand Plaza Hotel Harbor Star I.C.T.S.I. IPeople Inc. `A’ Island Info ISM Communications LBC Express Leisure & Resorts Lorenzo Shipping Macroasia Corp. Manila Broadcasting Manila Bulletin Metro Retail MetroAlliance A MetroAlliance B NOW Corp. Pacific Online Sys. Corp. PAL Holdings Inc. Paxys Inc. PH Resorts Group Phil. Racing Club Phil. Seven Corp. Philweb.Com Inc. PLDT Common PremiereHorizon Premium Leisure Puregold Robinsons RTL SBS Phil. Corp. SSI Group STI Holdings Transpacific Broadcast Waterfront Phils. Wilcon Depot

5.98 16 1.15 4.72 0.275 0.039 17.48 2.25 5.98 0.0280 46.6 6.07 2.56 2.53 1.89 1.58 4.85 2050 5.10 378.80 12.76 0.75 70 7.44 0.077 1.7000 11.98 1.30 0.70 4.25 12.98 0.365 1.47 1.39 1.58 1.560 1.6 6.49 2.42 4.00 8.5 131.00 1.58 1118.00 0.195 0.300 38.70 56.00 5.60 1.30 0.395 0.154 0.390 12.700

136,400 812,400 19,000 33,133,000 3,770,000 18,200,000 6,000 228,000 12,503,800 63,100,000 1,131,700 8,300 11,358,000 12,000 13,000 153,782,000 134,400 375,645 2,348,800 990 500 1,960,000 9,124,620 9,900 6,370,000 96,990,000 20,200 10,789,000 235,000 14,232,000 1,700 370,000 8,098,000 4,311,000 104,000 10,308,000 3,000 55,200 12,000 65,000 600 948,730 5,065,000 1,014,235 3,840,000 10,040,000 25,410,200 2,834,860 14,000 4,432,000 22,910,000 3,750,000 1,960,000 2,891,800

SERVICES 823,727.00 12,777,486.00 22,900.00 162,475,520.00 968,170.00 691,800.00 97,218.00 479,400.00 73,023,385.00 1,628,900.00 50,990,595.00 51,136.00 29,868,930.00 31,900.00 24,130.00 252,400,990.00 665,931.00 743,469,175.00 11,890,523.00 342,652.00 5,330.00 1,451,010.00 664,668,028.00 69,502.00 507,950.00 155,062,940.00 239,288.00 14,449,200.00 146,500.00 64,336,020.00 20,696.00 137,400.00 11,474,640.00 6,379,730.00 156,860.00 15,422,220.00 4,800.00 354,312.00 25,810.00 257,510.00 4,850.00 124,759,553.00 7,715,520.00 1,126,152,145.00 752,780.00 2,975,700.00 951,762,800.00 157,376,771.00 75,966.00 5,494,980.00 9,096,250.00 581,230.00 728,300.00 37,240,728.00

Abra Mining ACE Enexor Apex À’ Atlas Cons. À’ Atok-Big Wedge À’ Century Peak Metals Hldgs Coal Asia Dizon Ferronickel Geograce Res. Phil. Inc. Lepanto À’ Lepanto `B’ Manila Mining À’ Manila Mining `B’ Marcventures Hldgs., Inc. Nickelasia Nihao Mineral Resources Oriental Peninsula Res. Oriental Pet. À’ Oriental Pet. `B’ Philex À’ PhilexPetroleum Philodrill Corp. À’ Semirara Corp. United Paragon

0.0010 5.2700 0.73 1.90 10.86 2.6 0.205 6.20 0.580 0.184 0.074 0.089 0.0084 0.0071 0.58 1.53 0.9 0.4600 0.0083 0.0100 2.00 4.00 0.0080 11.82 0.0037

42,000,000 437,200 1,436,000 95,000 48,300 1,234,000 610,000 16,300 15,342,000 300,000 11,820,000 170,000 6,000,000 1,000,000 3,437,000 26,733,000 309,000 260,000 20,000,000 19,000,000 2,927,000 1,909,000 28,000,000 10,259,400 13,000,000

MINING & OIL 43,800.00 2,256,014.00 1,014,980.00 177,750.00 523,818.00 3,193,480.00 137,290.00 101,602.00 8,544,520.00 56,200.00 885,350.00 14,650.00 43,100.00 7,100.00 1,936,070.00 41,267,180.00 281,870.00 120,950.00 165,100.00 170,200.00 5,865,990.00 7,757,670.00 198,600.00 114,986,432.00 49,300.00

ABS-CBN Holdings Corp. Alco Preferred B Ayala Corp. Pref `B1’ Ayala Corp. Pref ‘B2’ CPG PREF A DD PREF First Gen G FPH Pref C GLOBE PREF P GMA Holdings Inc. GTCAP PREF A GTCAP PREF B House Preferred MWIDE PREF PCOR-Preferred 2B PCOR-Preferred 3A PCOR-Preferred 3B PF Pref 2 PNX PREF 3A PNX PREF 3B SMC Preferred B SMC Preferred C SMC Preferred D SMC Preferred E SMC Preferred F SMC Preferred G SMC Preferred H SMPFC Preferred

13.98 100 498 490 99.5 97.25 108 480 499.8 4.9 999 980 94.95 99.1 990 1016 1022 98.5 100.1 996 75.5 73.4 74.35 74.5 73.75 74 74 1.7

289,300 9,000 11,950 2,460 630 104,780 14,650 40 80 5,540,200 20 3,640 2,340 3,110 785 65,335 10,135 4,780 22,410 8,220 458,180 69,500 43,990 151,000 4,500 107,000 57,020 2,000

PREFERRED 4,024,084.00 896,000.00 5,951,120.00 1,195,370.00 62,855.00 10,238,344.50 1,508,230.00 19,200.00 39,966.00 27,171,151.00 19,980.00 3,567,200.00 217,394.50 305,342.00 777,395.00 66,339,345.00 10,332,960.00 471,380.00 2,253,437.00 8,197,810.00 34,470,661.00 5,114,015.00 3,250,479.50 11,217,591.00 332,825.00 7,976,038.50 4,216,248.00 3,400.00

LR Warrant

0.710

106,000

Italpinas Kepwealth Xurpas

1.9 6 0.48

2,040,000 653,000 7,150,000

First Metro ETF

80.95 9.9 9.7 0.86

USD DMPL A1 USD DMPL A2 USD TECH B2

1,871,500.00 2,936,010.00 1,870,804,785.00 6,634,560.00 2,798,740.00 26,169,930.00 3,222,280.00

1.5 2.74 28.50 2.15 1.150 4.280 3.450

1,893,000 167,000 89,150,000 10,274,000 6,720,000 19,154,000 631,000

2,876,330.00 455,090.00 2,444,617,205.00 23,715,360.00 7,608,880.00 68,039,570.00 2,092,240.00

6 16.06 1.25 4.6 0.245 0.039 15.78 2.3 5.70 0.0270 43.45 6.03 2.65 3.00 1.95

361,500 997,300 63,000 7,203,100 22,170,000 17,100,000 700 202,000 46,062,600 28,800,000 2,569,900 400 10,487,000 50,000 9,000

2,129,856.00 15,923,728.00 74,190.00 82,345,523.00 5,817,300.00 661,100.00 11,056.00 418,760.00 231,671,480.00 774,700.00 103,563,945.00 2,546.00 25,455,770.00 142,810.00 16,770.00

5.05 1949 5.18 371.00 12.80 0.76 74.25

160,100 415,455 1,535,700 3,040 100 2,419,000 10,523,890

783,223.00 778,163,835.00 7,572,536.00 1,007,650.00 1,280.00 1,653,030.00 747,594,661.00

0.078 1.5300 11.5 1.38 0.70 4.90 11.34 0.370 1.44 1.55 1.51 1.390 1.6 6.60

4,010,000 165,054,000 21,200 2,694,000 60,000 8,072,000 17,000 750,000 10,632,000 16,040,000 368,000 11,607,000 105,000 128,200

256,920.00 229,875,720.00 247,262.00 3,611,370.00 39,600.00 38,142,740.00 197,602.00 257,950.00 14,244,530.00 23,438,080.00 546,410.00 15,223,200.00 159,790.00 805,033.00

3.80 7.6 130.00 1.60 1070.00 0.202 0.310 39.00 54.50 6.00 1.20 0.405 0.154 0.375 13.500

70,000 1,000 2,297,160 8,211,000 1,352,615 11,853,000 43,431,000 16,281,400 3,569,490 19,000 10,333,000 9,400,000 9,870,000 890,000 18,667,300

256,320.00 7,600.00 296,103,034.00 12,580,230.00 1,353,009,780.00 2,539,130.00 14,090,550.00 558,717,495.00 185,838,375.50 112,763.00 11,177,670.00 3,777,850.00 1,497,220.00 335,300.00 241,409,752.00

0.0011 5.4500 0.72 1.82 10.86 2.53 0.250 6.50 0.560 0.186 0.074 0.075 0.0061 0.0071 0.54 1.56 0.85 0.4400 0.0082 0.0094 2.02 4.24 0.0070 10.60 0.0041

191,000,000 502,500 5,445,000 184,000 67,100 635,000 220,000 30,800 23,012,000 1,260,000 10,320,000 1,100,000 20,000,000 5,000,000 1,246,000 25,062,000 18,320,000 540,000 9,000,000 28,000,000 1,420,000 3,708,000 57,000,000 13,916,800 7,000,000

192,600.00 2,532,264.00 3,800,820.00 331,100.00 703,800.00 1,565,180.00 54,500.00 194,841.00 12,601,070.00 229,410.00 685,890.00 76,340.00 121,000.00 26,700.00 640,985.00 39,258,080.00 15,734,470.00 245,850.00 77,200.00 246,200.00 2,824,560.00 14,476,160.00 384,800.00 145,343,790.00 29,100.00

14 98 498 496 96 97.8 102

426,800 26,570 7,380 8,470 20,790 273,850 10,330

6,026,094.00 2,651,794.00 3,689,930.00 4,200,880.00 2,084,688.00 26,803,113.00 1,076,200.00

498 5 970 989 93 99 1039 1020 1000 99 105 998 76 75 74.05 74.3 74.2 74.5 74.8

110 11,808,800 205 880 19,430 2,770 1,855 7,155 7,565 24,850 3,220 23,010 125,170 1,521,830 1,019,350 2,171,620 100,130 110,560 1,167,080

54,780.00 57,275,979.00 198,522.50 860,390.00 1,821,677.00 275,030.00 1,904,120.00 7,246,030.00 6,871,935.00 2,460,136.00 339,640.00 7,139,372.50 9,417,952.00 114,133,900.00 75,482,027.00 161,748,721.00 7,455,423.50 8,279,650.00 87,532,159.00

0.680

353,000

249,320.00

2.04 5.85 0.5

1,558,000 289,600 4,454,000

2,991,330.00 1,693,068.00 2,251,385.00

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 214,950 17,141,994.50

81.6

688,740

56,763,797.50

DOLLAR DENONIMATED SEC. 110 1,089.00 24,910 248,892.30 3,000 2,613.00

10.3 9.7 0.87

30,170 2,330 12,500

307,330.00 22,974.20 10,971.00

WARRANTS & BONDS 76,810.00 SME 4,031,420.00 3,925,676.00 3,396,200.00

WEEKLY MOST TRADED STOCKS Metro Pacific Inv. Corp. Megaworld DITO CME Holdings ISM Communications Ayala Land `B’ SM Prime Holdings Boulevard Holdings Filinvest Land,Inc. DMCI Holdings Abra Mining

VOLUME 330,168,000 239,126,000 153,782,000 96,990,000 80,693,000 66,418,300 63,100,000 54,915,000 44,441,000 42,000,000

STOCKS Ayala Corp `A’ Ayala Land `B’ SM Prime Holdings Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. SM Investments Inc. PLDT Common Universal Robina Puregold Bank of PI Metrobank

VALUE 2,843,814,804.00 2,503,842,965.00 1,870,804,785.00 1,568,567,416.00 1,508,357,690.00 1,126,152,145.00 1,029,911,474.00 951,762,800.00 922,096,712.00 873,507,245.00

GT Capital allots P30.5b for ‘20 capital expenditures CONGLOMERATE GT Capital Holdings Inc. of the Ty Group will spend between P28.5 billion and P30.5 billion this year mainly to support the expansion of its real estate, banking and automotive businesses and finance possible acquisitions. GT Capital said in a regulatory filing over the weekend it would allot P12 billion for acquisitions and investments and some P7.5 billion for land banking and project development of real estate unit Federal Land Inc. The group’s automotive arm, Toyota Motor Philippines Corp., meanwhile is expected to spend P4.9 billion to fund new model launches, upgrade and special projects, while banking arm Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. would invest P3 billion to P5 billion in information technology. GT Capital will earmark the balance to other units, including Toyota Manila Bay Corp., Sumisho Motor Finance Corp., Toyota Financial Services Philippines Corp. and Philippine AXA Life Insurance Corp. GT Capital last week reported that net income attributable to equity holders of the parent company increased by 54 percent in 2029 to P20.31 billion from P13.16 billion in 2018. The company’s 2019 net income was boosted by higher sales from automotive business as well as disposal of its investment in real estate unit Property Company of Friends,Inc. (ProFriends). Core net income also jumped 22 percent to P15.8 billion. Consolidated revenues rose also eight percent in 2019 to P222.9 billion from P205.8 billion the previous year. The increase in revenue came from auto sales of Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. and Toyota Manila Bay Corp., which stood at P192.9 billion, up eight percent from a year ago. The net sales of associates and joint venture increased 27 percent to P14.58 billion, accounting for seven percent of the total revenues. Federal Land posted a seven-percent decline in sales to P9.84 billion. GT Capital in July obtained the approval of the Philippine Competition Commission to dispose of its 51-percent stake in Pro-Friends and 702 hectares of real estate properties mostly located in Lancanster New City in Cavite worth P20 billion. Jenniffer B. Austria

GMA-7 claims top PH television ratings in March By Darwin G. Amojelar GMA Network Inc. said it remained the number one broadcasting network in the country in March despite recent programming changes in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Citing the latest data from Nielsen TV Audience Measurement in March, GMA, which airs on Channel 7 on free TV, registered a 33.8-percent average total day people audience share in the National Urban Television Audience Measurement (NUTAM), while ABSCBN got 29.4 percent. The network consequently won in all day parts that include the morning, afternoon and evening blocks. GMA has suspended temporarily the production of entertainment programs in compliance with the government’s implementation of the enhanced community quarantine. It continues to deliver reliable news and information to the public across all platforms. This resulted in the airing of a new programming line-up that include reruns. GMA continued to dominate in key urban areas including Urban Luzon and Urban Visayas. The network recorded a 35.4-percent total day people audience share in Urban Luzon, while its competitor posted 26.5 percent. In the recently-clinched Urban Visayas, GMA also posted a bigger lead with 35.9 percent against the rival network’s 32.5 percent. With official data from March 1 to 21, the network also won in Mega Manila with a 37.7-percent total day people audience share, outscoring ABSCBN’s 25.1 percent. Nielsen TV Audience Measurement’s client pool covers 37 clients/ subscribers consisting of local TV networks, regional clients, block timers, advertisers and agencies.

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com

MONDAY, APRIL 6, 2020

Business

PH economy to survive COVID-19 IN BRIEF S By Julito G. Rada

NEA remits dividends and unused subsidies

STATE-RUN National Electrification Administration will remit around P1.35 billion of unused subsidies and dividends to the national government to support efforts to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The NEA board of administrators approved the remittance to the Bureau of Treasury as requested by the Department of Finance. Of the amount, P1.26 billion represents unutilized subsidy funds received in 2016 and earlier, and P85.71 million in dividends to the national government from its 2019 operations. NEA administrator Edgardo Masongsong said the move was pursuant to Republic Act No. 11469 or the “Bayanihan to Heal as One Act.” “The amount will help our national government facilitate the delivery of much needed assistance for many industries and livelihoods that were severely disrupted by the ongoing public health emergency,” Masongsong said. Alena Mae S. Flores

PSALM says principal debt reaches P417.9b

TRONG economic fundamentals will enable the Philippines to withstand the economic shocks brought about by coronavirus disease 2019 that compelled the government to implement a month-long enhanced community quarantine in Luzon, according to the Finance Department.

The department said in an economic bulletin over the weekend the country’s current external position was one of its strengths that could help weather the impact of the pandemic. It said current account, one of the main components of the balance of payments, “strengthened in 2019 and almost wiped out the deficit as strong earnings were achieved from exports of goods and services and incomes from investment

placements and remittances.” Data showed the current account deficit dropped from 2.38 percent of GDP ($7.879 billion) in 2018 to 0.13 percent ($0.464 billion) in 2019. “This implies higher reliance on domestic savings than on foreign savings such as foreign borrowing and foreign investment. Domestic savings rose due to improved balances in goods and services trade, and higher primary and secondary incomes of Filipinos,” the department said. The deficit in the trade in goods and services balance dropped from 7.62 percent of GDP in 2018 to 6.19 percent of GDP in 2019 as imports slowed down on lower capital goods purchases and the country earned higher net receipts from exports of services. The surplus in income balances rose 7.7 percent, but its ratio to GDP dipped from 9.25 percent of GDP ($30.592 billion) to 9.17 percent ($32.956 billion. “Earnings from business process outsourcing, remittances inflows and earnings from investments abroad by Filipino citizens accounted for these substantial receipts,” it said. “The country’s strong fundamentals

will enable the economy to withstand economic shocks arising from the coronavirus pandemic which has locked down more than a third of the economy to a state of inertia,” the DOF said. The Luzon lockdown cut the source of livelihood of 11 million Filipino workers in Luzon, including 4 million in Metro Manila, according to Dr. Cielito Habito, a former economic planning chief and a professor at Ateneo de Manila University. A study by ADMU economists shows that 4 million of the 5 million workers in the National Capital Region had to stay at home, with only a million still working as part of the skeletal work force. Habito, who served as director-general of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) under the Ramos administration, said the economy would likely contract this year, as remittances from overseas Filipino workers would likely fall by $4 billion to $5 billion from more than $30 billion in 2019. He said remittances fuel consumer spending, which accounts for more than 60 percent of the gross domestic product in the Philippines.

THE principal financial obligations of state-run Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. has reached P417.88 billion as of end February this year. PSALM president Irene Joy Garcia said the amount consisted of P273.32 billion in debts and P144.56 billion in lease obligations. “Please be assured that despite all the challenges created by the COVID-19 situation and the enhanced community quarantine, PSALM is still able to remit payments not only for the principal financial obligations, but also for the interests, the borrowing costs as well as all other payables of PSALM,” Garcia said. Garcia earlier said among PSALM’s goals this year was the liquidation of maturing financial obligations amounting to P11.943 billion. PSALM earlier announced it cut its principal financial obligations to P422.011 billion in 2019, down 6 percent from P449.19 billion in 2018. Alena Mae S. Flores

Sun Life Foundation grants life insurance

SUN Life Financial-Philippines Foundation Inc. (Sun Life Foundation), the philanthropic arm of Sun Life Philippines (Sun Life), will donate digital life insurance to health workers to help protect those fighting in the frontlines against CoViD-19. A total of 3,000 Life Armor products with up to P75-million coverage will be donated to various Philippine hospitals. These will be allocated to health workers, such as doctors, nurses or other medical support staff, who are directly involved in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 and registered members of Lazada Philippines. “Filipinos in the medical field are working doubly hard and putting their lives on the line to protect the rest of us from CoViD-19. It is only fitting that we also protect them and look after the welfare of those who are most important to them: their families,” said Sun Life Philippines chief executive officer and country head Benedict Sison, who also chairs the Sun Life Foundation. “We earnestly hope that Sun Life’s simple gesture inspires our health workers to keep fighting because brighter days will soon be upon us.”

DISINFECTING APPARATUS. The Villar Group installs disinfecting apparatus at the Rizal Medical Center in Pasig City for the use of healthcare workers, staff and everyone visiting the hospital in support of the country’s fight against the spread of coronavirus disease 2019. The disinfecting apparatus has a sensor prompting to automatically spray disinfecting mists when people enter the tunnel. The disinfecting apparatus will also be installed at the Lung Center, Heart Center and Quirino Medical Center in Quezon City, Research Institute for Tropical Medicine and Las Piñas General Hospital, San Lazaro and Sta. Ana Hospital in Manila and Don Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial in Caloocan.

By Darwin G. Amojelar THE Department of Transportation teamed up with 2GO Shipping to transform passenger vessels into “quarantine ships” for returning seafarers and other overseas Filipino workers who are required to undergo 14-day quarantine. The agency said under the proposal of the Philippine Coast Guard, private passenger ships will be converted into temporary quarantine facilities as authorities expect more repatriates to return to the country. 2GO Shipping agreed to convert two of their vessels into “quarantine ships” that can serve 1,500 patients. They will be operational by next week. The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases gave the DOTr and the PCG the green light to implement the operation of “quarantine ships” as temporary facilities for persons under monitoring or those who have traveled to COVID-19 affected areas and those who show symptoms but have no history of exposure. The project will be implemented in close coordination with the Department of Health and the Bureau of Quarantine. This is also expected to unburden hospitals that are now operating at their full capacity. The PCG vowed to ensure the unhampered and orderly operations of quarantine ships and the delivery of effective onboard healthcare, subject to standard environment controls, hygiene protocols, maritime safety and security regulations. “We are grateful for the support and partnership we had with 2GO. Negotiations with them went well and so, two ships are now awaiting their deployment to serve our people. With this meaningful cause, we are setting an example for other nations how to combat this pandemic,” PCG Commandant Admiral Joel Garcia said. DOTr Undersecretary for administrative service and IATF official representative Artemio Tuazon Jr. said efforts to reach out to various shipping companies resulted in more shipping companies expressing their intention to join the project. “The DOTr has been continuously reaching out to various shipping companies to seek their support for the project. A lot of them have already signified their intent to make use of their ships as floating quarantine facilities. We are grateful that more of them are expressing their willingness to cooperate with government during this very critical situation,” Tuazon said.

DOE expects Iloilo electric service to improve with MORE takeover By Alena Mae S. Flores THE Energy Department is confident electricity customers in Iloilo City will experience better service under More Electric Power Corp. with its planned P1.8-billion modernization program. “We are hopeful, but we have to see the improvements for its franchise area,” said Energy Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella. MORE submitted an investment program of P1.8 billion to imrpove Iloilo City’s distribution system. The agency has yet to start the full validation process amid the enhanced community quarantine that also affected Visayas. Mario Marasigan, director of Electric

Power Industry Management Bureau, said even without validation, the agency had not received any negative information on MORE’s operations in Iloilo City. The department is set to conduct the validation work on MORE’s planned modernization program. “Apparently, MORE’s operation is okay,” Marasigan said. MORE Power president Roel Castro assured Iloilo City Mayor Geronimo Treñas and Iloilo City residents that the company would work on providing a reliable, safe and cheap supply of electricity. “Ilonggos deserve the best from us. Nothing more, nothing less,” said

Castro. He said MORE is in Iloilo City to complement its economic boom by “investing P1.8 billion to modernize the city’s power distribution system to improve its efficiency, cut systems losses and give Iloilo a more reliable, safer and cheaper electricity supply than they got from the previous utility.” He said the company would start with the replacement of all electric meters in the city with new meters that have been approved by the Energy Regulatory Commission to reduce MORE’s systems loss. Former distributor Panay Electric Co. recorded systems loss of 9.03 percent, higher than the 6.5 percent

NEDA preparing policies to help industries adjust to ‘new normal’ THE National Economic and Development Authority said over the weekend the government is preparing policies to help industries adjust to the “new normal” amid the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019. Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said in a statement the Inter-Agency Task Force Technical Working Group for Anticipatory and Forward Planning chaired by NEDA was preparing recommendations to rebuild confidence and adjust to the new normal. “We are doing this even while the government accelerates the implementation of measures to slow down the spread of the COVID-19 virus,” he said. The group was created through the IATF-Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases Resolution No. 16 on March 27, 2020. Members of the IATF-TWG-AFP are the Departments of Science and Technology, Trade and Industry, Education, Health, Budget and Management, Finance, Agriculture, Tourism and Information and Communications Technology; National Intelligence Coordinating Agency; Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas; and University of the Philippines Resilience Institute. Other individuals or institutions from both the private sector and academe are

DOTR picks 2GO vessels as quarantine ships of OFWs

invited as resource persons. “As this pandemic affects various sectors, it is important for us to be able to characterize what this new normal would mean to each and every segment of the population. We are currently crowdsourcing for inputs on how the whole of government can address the challenges the country is facing,” Pernia said. The TWG will recommend programs and strategies to promote confidence in the health systems through data analytics, recommend programs and strategies to rebuild consumer and business confidence and recommend policies and programs to adapt to a “new normal” state of economic activities. “The whole of government will also be ready to adjust plans and implement the necessary interventions as the air of uncertainty is expected to remain with us for some time. We aim for these strategies to cover the most pressing issues and build from there with forward planning as our lens,” said Pernia. A progress report from the group is expected to be submitted to the IATF for Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases on April 7 and the final report by April 13, 2020. The group is currently conducting surveys for business owners and consumers. Julito G. Rada

cap set by ERC. A technical scanning conducted by MORE with MIESCOR, the engineering company of Manila Electric Co., showed an extensive array of equipment and distribution lines that needed to be replaced to improve safety, reliability and efficiency of the distribution system. Castro said these included rotten poles, undersized transformers, undersized conductors, old and dilapidated substations, among others. Among the equipment that needed to be replaced or rehabilitated are 119 transformers all over the city that were found to be abnormally overheating, an indication of overloading, he said.

PNB ON WHEELS. Bank

on Wheels of the Philippine National Bank makes a strong comeback as it brings banking to those most in need. It allows Filipinos to conveniently perform transactions such as cash withdrawal, cash deposit, bills payment and fund transfer. Photos shows Bank on Wheels stationed on April 3 at the Lung Center of the Philippines. PNB first introduced ‘Bank On Wheels’ in 1973.

Govt eyes Singapore app for community contact tracing in PH THE government is looking at Singaporebased app “TraceTogether” as one of the potential tools to address the Covid-19 health crisis in the country, according to the Department of Information and Communications Technology. TraceTogether is a community-driven contact tracing app launched on March 20, 2020. The app works by exchanging shortdistance Bluetooth signals between phones to detect other app users who are within about two to five-meter proximity.

Records of encounter between app users will be stored locally in the users’ phones. If one app user tested positive for Covid-19, authorities will be able to identify other app users who were in close contact with the patient. DICT Secretary Gregorio Honasan said in a letter to Singapore Ambassador Gerard Ho Wei Hong the ICT-enabled tools could assist in addressing the Covid-19 situation in the Philippines. Honasan requested more details and information about the app. Hong said Singapore was willing to

provide technical assistance to DICT regarding the matter. The DICT, as a member of the InterAgency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Disease, recognizes the need for systems to identify, screen and assist Filipinos suspected or confirmed to be infected with Covid-19. These include contact-tracing systems that will minimize, if not prevent, the local spread of the coronavirus through the use of information and communications technology. Darwin G. Amojelar

Sports

Pacio, Kingad share passion for ESports ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio and his best friend Danny “The King” Kingad share a passion for Mixed Martial Arts. Not known to many but the two are also passionate ESports gamers. Pacio favors the first-person shooter genre and names Call Of Duty as his absolute favorite. He learned about the gaming series from his Uncle Ray— the same person who introduced him to martial arts. “It started when I was really young —I think I was in grade school. I also discovered it through my Uncle Ray, and Call Of Duty has been my game ever since,” said the 24-year-old strawweight king. “I switched to Prince Of Persia and Assassin’s Creed after that. I transferred to Dota when I was in college, but I never really focused on it.” Kingad experienced video games the old fashioned way—through arcades. His favorite was first-person shooter game Counter-Strike, which is famously known as CS:GO today. That game was the most popular Local Area Network (LAN) multiplayer game in the Philippines back in the early 2000s. “I started back when I was in grade one,” said the 24-year-old flyweight sensation. “I was already hooked on video games. I started with fighting games like Mortal Kombat and other oldschool arcade games, and then I switched over to computer games.” With multiplayer online arena battle games accessible on smartphones, the best friends crossed paths through Mobile Legends. That game is so popular in the Philippines that almost every Team Lakay member now plays it. That includes former ONE World Champions Eduard “Landslide” Folayang and Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon. Pacio actually views gaming as a way to strengthen his relationship with his teammates. “We’re all good here,” Pacio says. “We’re all in the same rank, except for kuya Eduard and kuya Kevin because they just started playing. It’s a good bonding (experience) for us.” Kingad insists his friend is being modest. He says “The Passion” is obsessed with Mobile Legends. “Joshua is better than me. He is addicted to that game,” said Kingad with a laugh.

MONDAY, APRIL 6, 2020

Danny Kingad (right) delivers a kick to the padded torso of ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua Pacio during a sparring session. The two also share a passion for ESports. ONE Championship

IOC extends Tokyo Olympics deadline for qualifiers to 2021 By Peter Atencio

PPORTUNITIES to qualify for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics have been granted. This was after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) revised the qualiﬁcation deadline for the Olympiad after the Games were postponed until 2021 because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The IOC, in an announcement yesterday, said the qualification period would end on June 29, 2021. The date will be a week before the final entry deadline of July 5. This will be 18 days before the Olympics is slated to open on July 23. In a separate letter to National Olympic Committees, the IOC said it hoped to finalize the adapted qualifi-

cation system later this month. “A 2021 schedule is ideal enough. I favor a postponement because the health and safety of everyone in sports—both in the Philippines and all over the world—is paramount in this Covid-19 pandemic,” said Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham Tolentino. The International Federations have

been instructed to use their original qualification systems where possible. There are numerous events that had been cancelled or postponed in response to the Covid-19 outbreak. “This principle encourages IFs to follow a like-for-like approach by replacing those lost opportunities that were allocating quotas with the same number of events,” the IOC said in a statement. The IOC said Federations will “retain full discretion to define the new ranking deadline and pathway.” But it warned a balance “needs to be found between protecting those athletes who were close to qualifying based on the previous 2020 deadlines.

Kobe heads 2020 honorees Trump sees quick return of virus-hit sports to basketball Hall of Fame LOS ANGELES, United States— Five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant headed a star-studded list of honorees named to basketball’s 2020 Hall of Fame on Saturday (Sunday Philippine time). The Los Angeles Lakers icon, who died in a helicopter crash in January, was named alongside nine honorees who will be enshrined at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on August 29. Joining Bryant in the sport’s pantheon are three-time NBA Finals MVP Tim Duncan, 15-time NBA All-Star Kevin Garnett, two-time NBA champion coach Rudy Tomjanovich and four-time Olympic medalist Tamika Catchings. Other inductees include threetime NCAA National Championship coach Kim Mulkey, college basketball coach Barbara Stevens and longtime FIBA executive Patrick Baumann, who died of a heart attack in 2018 at the age of 41. “The Class of 2020 is undoubtedly one of the most historic of all time and the talent and social influence of these nine honorees is beyond measure,” said John Doleva, chief executive of the Hall of Fame. “In 2020, the basketball community has suffered the unimaginable loss of iconic figures Commissioner David Stern and Kobe Bryant, as well as the game itself due to COVID-19. “We have also banded together like never before in appreciation of the game and those who have made it the uniting force it is today.” The basketball world was left stunned by Bryant’s death earlier this year, with the crash also claiming the life of his daughter Gianna and seven others. The NBA season has also been left in disarray by the coronavirus pandemic, with the campaign halted indefinitely last month and the league currently on hiatus. AFP

WASHINGTON, United States—President Donald Trump said Saturday (Sunday Philippine time) he believed US sports leagues hit by the coronavirus pandemic would resume “sooner rather than later” but declined to set a timetable for their return. On a conference call with the commissioners of the major professional sports leagues, Trump told National Football League commissioner Roger Goodell he believed the season would kick off as scheduled in September. US sports have been upended by the coronavirus, with the NBA, Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer and National Hockey League all halting or suspending their respective seasons last month as the pandemic erupted. “I want fans back in the arenas...whenever we’re ready,” Trump told reporters at a White House briefing on Saturday (Sunday Philippine time). “As soon as we can obviously. I can’t tell you a date but I think it’s going to be sooner rather than later.” Major League Baseball and NBA officials are reportedly studying plans to play games without spectators at neutral venues to minimise the risks of infection associated with crowded arenas. Trump, however, spoke optimistically of fans eventually being let back into stadiums. “We’re not going to have separation for the rest of our times on the planet,” Trump said. “We need it for this period of time. But eventually people are going to be able to occupy those seats next to each other. I’m not committing to it. It would be great if we could.” The NFL has so far made no plans to alter the start of its 2020-2021 season, with pre-season games usually starting in August. However, California Governor Gavin Newsom was skeptical of the possibility of sports resuming in August or September. Speaking at his daily briefing, Newsom warned of a possible resurgence in infections if sport returned too soon.

US President Donald Trump answers questions in the press briefing room with members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force in Washington, DC. AFP

Asked about the possibility of fans heading to stadiums in September, Newsom said: “I’m not anticipating that happening in this state.” “We’ve all seen the headlines in the last couple of days in Asia where they were opening up certain up businesses and now they’re starting to roll back those openings because there’s some spread, a boomerang,” Newsom said. “One has to be very cautious not to over-promise. I have a lot of friends that work in Major League Baseball and the NFL and basketball who have been asking me. I would move very cautiously. AFP

IM Quizon rules Dasma Online Chess Tournament INTERNATIONAL Master (IM) Daniel Maravilla Quizon completed his conquest of champions by downing Grandmaster (GM) Darwin Rosales Laylo, 3.5-2.5, to rule the 1st All-Dasmarinas Online Blitz Chess Tournament at the famous chess website: “www.lichess.org.” The 15-year-old Quizon, the top player of Dasmariñas Chess Academy of Rep. Elpidio “Pidi” Barzaga and national coach International Master (IM) Roel Abelgas, defeated reigning Eastern Asian Champion International Master (IM) Michael “Jako” Concio Jr. and Asian Age group champion Daren Dela Cruz to arrange the championship showdown against Laylo. Last month, Quizon beat Pinoy Thailand based Fide Master (FM) Deniel Causo in the last round to win the the third leg of the online Rising Phoenix International Chess Championship 2020 hosted by Rising Phoenix Chess Academy Owner/Managing Director International Master (IM) Joel “Cholo” Banawa. Earlier, FIDE Master (FM) Sander Severino topped the second leg of the online Cesar Orbe Memorial Cup recently. Meanwhile, Dentist Alfredo “Fred” Paez wants to win more Arena online games rated tournaments of the World Chess Federation (FIDE). This after earning his Arena International Master (AIM) title. The former top player of UAAP chess champion National University (NU) chess team needed to break the 2000 barrier to achieve online Arena Grandmaster (AGM) title and follow the footsteps of newly installed AGM Dandel Fernandez.

Yee uses time off to recover from injury

Mark Yee

WITH the 2020 Chooks-to-Go MPBL Lakan Season Division Finals put on hold due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Davao Occidental-Cocolife main man Mark Yee is putting all his spare time to good use. After being initially diagnosed with a torn plantaris muscle on his right knee due to a collision during the Game Two of their quarterfinals match-up against Bicol last February 21, MRI results revealed that the 38-year-old bruiser suffered a partial anterior cruciate ligament tear and a torn calf. Despite the injuries, Yee battled through the pain and managed to suit up in four of Davao Occidental’s last

five playoff games. But with Luzon placed under enhanced community quarantine due to the country’s on-going fight against the pandemic, Yee is maximizing his extra time to work out, making sure that he’s a hundredpercent ready once their Game Three clash against Basilan-Jumbo Plastic resume. “Sobrang malaking bagay ‘to para sa akin kasi makakapag rehab ako kahit dito sa bahay at makakapaghanda para sa game. Bahay lang talaga, kaunting papawis. Sa ngayon ang iniisip ko sana matapos muna ‘tong COVID virus, dasal lang saka tiwala kay God talaga,” Yee shared.

“Pinagaling na ako ni God, pero masaya na malungkot ako dahil sa quarantine. Siyempre, masaya kasi may time ako makapag-workout at makapaghanda para sa Game Three pero malungkot kasi maraming mga tao yung naapektuhan at ‘di makapagtrabaho.” Despite the future of the Lakan playoffs being uncertain, Yee insisted that the Tigers need to brace for every possible scenario—including a win-or-go-home Game Three. “Walang nakakalamang e, kahit home court namin or nasa amin yung momentum, kailangan namin pagtrabahuhan nang maigi para makuha namin yung panalo.”

Entertainment

Nickie Wang, Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com

MONDAY, APRIL 6, 2020

A message of support and strength from Kapamilya artists

Gary Valenciano

Inigo Pascual

BS-CBN singers join forces to deliver a message of support and strength with “Ililigtas Ka Niya” and donate the royalties they will receive from the recording of the song to the Pantawid ng Pag-ibig program.

Jeremy G

Gary Valenciano, “Ililigtas Ka Niya” original singer, gives another uplifting interpretation of the prayer song, this time with Kapamilya singers Angeline Quinto, Ebe Dancel, Erik Santos, Inigo Pascual, Janella Salvador, Jason Dy, Jaya, Jayda, Jay R, Jed Madela, Jeremy G, Jessa Zaragoza, Jona, Juris, Kyla, Lani Misalucha, Lea Salonga, Marlo Mortel, Martin Nievera, Moira dela Torre, Morissette, Ogie Alcasid, Piolo Pascual, Regine Velasquez, Toni Gonzaga, Yeng Constantino, Zephanie, and Zsa Zsa Padilla. The inspirational track, written and produced by Jonathan Manalo under Star Music, speaks of putting one’s fears and worries behind and remembering God’s promise that He will not desert his people and that He will save them from whatever challenges there may be. The song royalties, from its online views and streams, will be donated to “Pantawid ng Pagibig,” the campaign launched by ABS-CBN that seeks to raise funds to assist Filipinos whose source of livelihood was greatly affected by the community quarantine. The funds collected will then be used to purchase food and other basic necessities, which will be turned over to LGUs in Metro Manila for distribution. The song’s music video premiered on ASAP Natin ‘To opening with a prayer led by Gary V himself. The original “Ililigtas Ka Niya” version was first heard in 2018 in the longest running action-drama series FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano. It was hailed as Best Inspirational Recording in last year’s Awit Awards.

Here’s how to get your DEAR ACTION financial aid from FDCP

ARIAS ALWIN IGNACIO YES, though the Catfish Diaries’ notoriety was easily dislodged from its number one trending spot and eclipsed by a political shenanigan, even if it was a short-lived one, it cannot be denied the web of lies and deceit, authored by a relatively young and affluent miss, Sam Morales, is a cautionary tale that we all need to dissect. In the nearest future, this tale will surely launch a thousand screenplays, if not movies or digital television dramas. And maybe, just maybe, win us our very first Oscar for best foreign film feature. If you have read the book and watched the Oscar-nominated film Dangerous Liaisons, which starred acting greats and royalties John Malkovich, Michelle Pfieffer and the Glen Close or its ‘90s teen-counterpart Cruel Intentions with Sarah Michelle Gellar, Reese Witherspoon, and Ryan Phillipe, you will immediately grasp and understand the bizarre tale that involved Morales, Jzan Tero, the transwoman who shared and posted this sordid story on Twitter, and the lover/boy toy and pawn of Morales, Bilko Argana, nicknamed as Billy, the cockteaser of the moment. To Jzan who did this expose, I cannot find it in my heart to fully accept and believe that you are the biggest loser and victim in this morality play. Frankly speaking my dear, you were a willing prey. I believe you are intelligent, emotionally healthy and sound, that is why, I cannot help but wonder, why did you dive into such a trap when the signs from the very beginning were not only loud and clear, but were so crystal? He did not meet you at the airport during your appointed time, disappeared in your life for two months and so, when he made his presence felt once more, you believed him, hook, line and sinker with open arms, heart and legs? (Akala ko ba, babae ka na? Bakit ugaling bakla ka pa rin?) Honey, sorry to burst your fairy tale bubble but real romance, a dating app is the last place for you to find it. Majority of the people who are in this getting-to-know-you apps are either desperate, horny or perverted. It is one massive porky market place for the whambam kind of sexual congresses. Why you chose to act naïve, innocent and virginal with the whims and ways of men and believed that your prince will come via Tinder is truly one for the books, laughable and outright pitiful.

Jayda Avanzado

The catfish diaries What is with drama of crying foul and behaving as the aggrieved and used one? Certainly, you already knew since the start, he stood you up at the airport, with not even a whiff of his deodorant for you to implant in your olfactory nerves as souvenir, he was lying to his teeth. And the fact that, according to your version of truth, you did the sexual whoopee, what is your motivation then for this expose? For others to come out in the open so that you will feel good na hindi ka nag-iisa sa katangahan? With regard to boy toy, who claimed that Sam manipulated him into playing along and that he was helpless and had no choice but to give in due to power dynamics since she was his superior, and being jobless is synonymous to death for him? Jobless, my foot. Bro, your excuse is the lamest of them all. No amount of “coercion” from a woman will make you connive and implement a dastardly act. Magpaka-lalaki ka naman, tol, even for once. Admit it, you did not only like the situation at hand, you truly enjoyed and relished what you did. The attention and love that Tero gave you, it completed you. Every time she looked at you with eyes filled with love, it made you kilig and the fact that she worshipped you, such a reality was the greatest turn on for someone who used to parade his half nakedness in bikini open contests and fashion shows. You loved that you were coveted and desired. Please, stop playing the victim card as well. Own up your transgressions. As far as Morales is concerned, re-

TWITTER FIASCO. The story of the

transwoman Jzan Vern Tero involving Sam Morales and Bilko Argana has set social media ablaze.

vealing that she did it simply because she doesn't like gay/trans people because she was bullied as a child. Can we conclude that this was your act of revenge that eventually became an addiction, is sufficient ground for your cruelty and callousness? Honey, wherever you are right now, you need serious psychological help. Please seek counseling and guidance from a professional. And whoever is your God, His or Her forgiveness, please request for it pronto. Mend your twisted and wicked ways. Sam, Jzan and Billy are all at fault here. Love or romance, or someone else’s feelings is not a toy or game anyone should play with not only because it is bad, but because it is fundamentally wrong. And to all the hopeless romantics, who are reading Arias today, there is indeed wisdom, in this song from the Supremes, “You can’t hurry love. You just have to wait. No, love don’t come easy, it’s a game of give and take.”

IF YOU are a technical crew, production or post-production staff, stunt person, actor, dubber, or any other freelance audio-visual (AV) content worker with a “no work, no pay” status whose work was abruptly can canceled or postponed as a direct result of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) situation, then you can apply for the DEAR ACTION! financial assistance worth P8,000 from the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP). As an immediate response to the COVID-19 crisis, FDCP launched DEAR which stands for Disaster/Emergency Assistance and Relief. FDCP set up the DEAR Program by reallocating budget from its existing funds to help ease the burden of disaster-affected AV industry stakeholders not only during this current public health emergency situation but also in the event of future calamities and emergencies. The DEAR Program will only be activated once the President of the Republic of the Philippines declares a state of calamity due to a major natural disaster or public health emergency. The DEAR Program was first activated on March 23, and under it is the DEAR ACTION! (For Displaced Freelance AV Workers) program that aims to give P8,000 financial assistance to freelance AV content industry members who suddenly lost work or became out of work due to the COVID-19 pandemic

that caused the Enhanced Community Quarantine implementation in Luzon and declaration of a national state of calamity. In order to be a qualified DEAR ACTION! applicant, you must have had five work days (whether pre-production, production, or post-production) that were cancelled or postponed within the period of March 15 to April 14. You also must not have a direct employer and you must not be qualified for government-instituted benefits. Due to the limited funds of FDCP, the initial run of DEAR ACTION! will provide income support to 2,000 workers. While DEAR ACTION! is open to eligible disaster-affected freelance AV content workers, FDCP reserves the right to prioritize low-income individuals during its initial disbursement of funds. Lowincome individuals are those whose talent fee is around P3,000 or less per day or have a package rate of P20,000 or less per project. FDCP has already been accepting numerous inquiries and applications for the DEAR ACTION! financial assistance. You still have a lot of time to file a claim because the deadline for submission of applications is on April 24. For more details, Contact the FDCP National Registry, the implementing office of the DEAR Program, at dearnationalregistry@fdcp.ph or 0917-8003227, or visit http://fdcp.ph/dear-program .

A photo from the set of ‘Lola Igna,’ the Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino 2019 Best Picture.

Life

Bernadette Lunas, Editor manilastandardlife@gmail.com @manilastandardlife @MStandardLIFE

FOOD

MONDAY, APRIL 6, 2020

By Monica Sanchez

PIPING hot bowl of soup may not be the most enticing food to eat right now what with the scorching hot temperature, but for Ilonggos, everyday is a great day to enjoy a hearty serving of batchoy. Hence in January, Iloilo’s signature soup got a well-deserved time in the limelight during the first-ever Batchoy Festival at SM City Iloilo’s Southpoint area in the Mandurriao district. A joint project of SM City Iloilo, the Department of Tourism Region IV, the Iloilo City government, and the Iloilo Festivals Foundation, Inc., the four-day event welcomed special guests including Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat who tried a number of batchoy dishes from some of the city’s popular brands. Batchoy is a hearty noodle soup often called La Paz Batchoy in a nod to La Paz district where it originated. It’s a filling dish made with miki (egg noodles), pork, liver, pork intestines, chicharon, garlic, and chives, all sitting on top of the hot broth of pork or beef bones and condiments, which some say are boiled as early as 4:00 a.m. to squeeze all the flavors from the ingredients into the soup. Four popular batchoy brands shared their stories during the festival, as well as a little peak into their signature recipes.

HEARTY SOUP. Iloilo recently celebrated its signature soup dish, batchoy, which is made with egg noodles, pork, liver, chicharon, garlic, and chives in piping hot pork or beef broth.

For the love of

BATCHOY

Inggo’s Original La Paz Batchoy

Popular brands share recipe secrets

Said to be the first batchoyan in Iloilo City, the business started when Domingo “Inggo” Lozada came up with his recipe and opened shop in 1921. He was reportedly only 21 years old then. The dish was called bas-oy or simply meatballs dipped in homemade sauce, which Lozada sold in Luna Street and later the La Paz Market. He made his recipe’s pancit and pepper out of handpicked ingredients, according to his descendants. Two of Tiyo Inggo’s five children, Adelaida L. Prado and Virgilia L. Guillergan continued the business, which from the 1960s to 2010 was located at the Iloilo Central Market. Today, the business is managed by Tiyo Inggo’s grandson Raul L. Guillergan and his eldest son Reynold. In 1984, Domingo Lozada was recognized as the Outstanding Pioneer in Batchoy Food Products by the Iloilo Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The secret: Reynold shares that while their recipe remains a secret, they make their own chicharon.

With only 10 pesos in his pocket and a modest 5x5 food stall to his name, Teodorico “Ted” Lepura first sold his batchoy at the La Paz Public Market in 1945, The brand’s humble beginning and commitment to the preservation of history made it one of the beloved batchoys in Iloilo. Ted’s daughter Adelfa and her husband Larry Borro have ensured that his name and his heritage will not only survive, but continue to be relevant to the changing times. In the late ‘60s, they introduced the “choose your own noodles” option which allowed the customers to choose from miswa, sotanghon, bihon, or the usual miki. It was only in 1984 when they opened their first branch outside La Paz. Twenty branches later, Ted’s began franchising. Ted’s already numerous accolades include a trophy for 2010 Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist, awarded by global professional service firm Ernst & Young. The secret: While batchoy recipes are almost the same, many Ted’s aficionados keep coming back and claim that “it’s in the broth.” The preparation of the broth is a well-kept secret.

Popoy’s was hailed the “Best Batchoy” in the friendly competition organized by Reporter’s Journal of RMN-Iloilo. The brand’s batchoy is known for its huge chunks of chicharon and generous meat toppings. The secret: The family says that Popoy’s is different from other batchoys because they use a special rock salt instead of the usual iodized salt, which “makes all the difference.”

Balai Kalan-an by Sabor Ilonggo

Popoy’s Original La Paz Batchoy

Ted’s Oldtimer La Paz Batchoy

Balai Kalan-An’s Bulalo Batchoy.

Popoy’s batchoy with huge chunks of meat and chicharon.

Rodolfo “Popoy” Beniegas joined the industry when he put up his first batchoyan after the construction of Central Market in Iloilo City more than 40 years ago.

Treat a medical frontliner to a meal CASUAL dining operator Max’s Group, Inc. on March 30 launched an online food donation platform that allows anyone, especially those who want to help but can’t leave the house, to treat medical frontliners to a filling meal. Dubbed “Pledge A Plate,” the initiative aims to provide sustenance to frontliners engaged in the fight against the coronavirus disease in different hospitals in Metro Manila. Every P90 meal donation will feed one frontliner a fresh and hearty meal made in MGI’s kitchens. Go to www.maxsgroupdelivers.com for details on the meals to be delivered, the list of partner hospitals, and payment options. Donations are open until April 12.

Max’s Group, Inc.’s Pledge A Plate online initiative lets donors treat a medical frontliner to a hearty meal for only P90.

Batchoy is just one of the many Ilonggo specialties the restaurant serves. Balai Kalan-An is managed by Sally Genoveza, widow of Jessy Genoveza, former manager of the Iloilo Producers Association and the man behind Sabor Ilonggo—the home of delicious Ilonggo delicacies. The restaurant’s menu includes its unique take on batchoy, the Bulalo Batchoy, where the richness of the broth of two heritage dishes—batchoy and bulalo—are combined in one bowl. The secret: Balai’s bulalo, or popularly known in Western Visayas as cansi, broth features a light colored soup that is made by cooking beef shanks and bone marrow until the collagen and fat has melted into the clear broth.

RECIPE FILES

Healthy summer salad CHEF Margarita Marty, the Culinary Arts Program chairperson of Benilde’s School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Institution Management, shares a low-calorie treat filled with nutrients such as vitamins C, A, B1, B5, and B6 as well as potassium and magnesium. Grilled Watermelon Salad Ingredients: For the salad 750g 250g 100g 25g 50g 10 pcs. ¼ tsp.

watermelon whole cucumber fresh cherry tomatoes red onions (about ¼ of a medium onion) kesong puti in olive oil mint leaves McCormick Greek seasoning

For the dressing 2 tbsp. olive oil 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar ¼ tsp. McCormick Greek seasoning ¼ tsp. sugar (optional) Procedure: 1. Cut watermelon into half-inch slices with the rind. Season with salt, pepper, and Greek seasoning. 2. Heat grill on high heat. Grill watermelon for one to two minutes per side. Create grill marks. 3. After grilling, cut the watermelon into cubes.

4. Peel and remove cucumber seeds and cut into cubes. Cut cherry tomatoes into halves. Peel and dice red onion. Chiffonade mint leaves. 5. For the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a small bottle and shake until ingredients are combined. 6. Place the watermelon, cucumber, tomatoes, onions, kesong puti, mint leaves, and dressing in a large bowl. Toss lightly. 7. Serve in a salad bowl or on a bed of lettuce. And garnish with mint leaves. Serve.

Pets

Desiree Carlos, Editor daycarlos28@yahoo.com

MONDAY, APRIL 6, 2020

‘Lockdown food’

for pets

T HAS been a struggle for pet owners in Luzon, specially those in Metro Manila, to find pet stores that deliver dry and canned dog food and cat food during the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).

Most times too, pet owners do not have sufficient funds in their bank accounts online to buy pet food by the bulk. There have been rumors going around too that the ECQ or lockdown will be extend for at least 15 days. Don’t worry. There are food in your refrigerator, or in your garden, that are good for dogs and cats. Even if you have dry pet food or pellets or kibble, you can still give homemade food to your pets as treats. This will lessen their boredom from being locked inside the home too. (Don’t forget to have your pet “sunbathe” in the garage or balcony or terrace though, and to walk a bit outside.)

Homemade food for dogs Meat stock or fish stock The first thing you can do is keep stock from boiled beef, pork or chicken for dogs and stock from boiled fish inside the refrigerator, preferably the freezer. Put the stock or soup in small containers for several cooking or uses. When you are boiling meat for sinigang or bulalo, for example, set aside some soup or stock before you put salt or any seasoning, and refrigerate or freeze.

Veggie-Fish balls for cats

Dogs love boiled vegetables.

Vegetables that are good for cats: Here is a list of vegetables that are good for cats: Cooked carrots, pumpkin, green beans, peas, zucchini, and broccoli. Grate or cut into small, thin pieces that a cat can “chew” and swallow.

Stew for dogs

A stew for dogs consists only of beef or pork or chicken stock (sabaw), and Vegetables that are good some vegetables. Dot not put any seasoning. You can put rosemary leaves for dogs Here is a list of vegetables that you (dried or fresh) for a good, shiny coat/ can give to your dogs: fur, and a few drops of apple cider vin-

Ground meat with rosemary for the doggos.

Stew for cats

A stew for cats consists of chicken or fish stock, and moringa leaves, with some Pumpkin, carrots, sweet potato, cab- other vegetables which are good for cats. bage, broccoli, cauliflower, sayote, Veggie-Meat balls for dogs pachay tagalog, pechay Baguio. Talbos 1. Boil ground pork or beef or minced ng kamote or sweet potato tops, ampalaya without the seed, upo without the chicken. 2. Remove most stock and keep in the seed, patola in small amounts without the seed, baguio beans (cut into very refrigerator for a meat stew later. 3. Grate pumpkin or carrots or sayote thin, small pieces, and celery. or kamote. 4. Add the vegetables to the boiling meat. 5. If vegetables are already cooked, remove pot from the fire. 6. Drain the water/soup from the meat and veggies. 7. Roll the meat and veggies into a ball. 8. Roll the ball of meat and veggies on corn starch. 9. You can choose to boil in the meat-veggies stock and serve to your dog this way or 10. Bake the meat-veggie ball or put in the oven toaster. Remove when light brown. Then give to your dog when it is no longer hot. 11. Give the soup to your dog later, or add noodles or add to dry dog food.

Congee or Lugaw Next, you can make congee. Just boil your rice in water. You can also put small amounts in small containers, and put in the refrigerator. But it is always best to cook lugaw before feeding time. Before giving congee to your dogs, you can mix the meat stock, and add some grated pumpkin or carrots, and some leafy vegetables like malunggay or moringa leaves which you can grow in the garden.

egar which is good for the heart and keeps ticks away.

1. Boil the fish. 2. Remove the head and bones of the fish. 3. Set aside the flesh. 4. Put grated vegetables in the fish stock and let boil for 3-5 minutes. 5. Mix veggies with the fish and roll into a ball. 6. Roll the ball on corn starch. 7. Put fish balls in the stock and serve to dogs as is, or 8. Bake the fish balls or put in the oven toaster. Remove when light brown. 9. Then give the stock to your cat with dry kibble for dinner.

Vegetable treats You can also boil carrots, sayote, or sweet potatoes which have been cut like French fries. Dogs love these. They also love the stalk of celery. These food are not only easy to prepare and cook, they are also healthy for your pet. DC

You can add noodles to the meat stock with vegetables.

Clinics open during lockdown

Diamond and her babies.

How to help a mama dog during puppy birth “MY DOG is giv4. Suction the PET TALES ing birth! The pup’s mouth. Then BY DESIREE CARLOS towel it vigorously to clinic is closed! What can I do?” stimulate respiration. This is one of the concerns pet own5. Put the pup close to the mother’s ers posted in social media in the past body for warmth and nursing. three weeks. 6. Even if the pups don’t nurse imThe clinic is closed. mediately, they should be near the Don’t panic. You can help your dog mother’s body for warmth and comfort give birth at home. or moved to a warm area, like an open, Lisa McQuerrey in “How to Assist towel-lined styrofoam cooler. a Mother Dog That’s Giving Birth” in cuteness.com, noted “You love your Limit Physical Help dog and you never want to see her in Never pull a pup from the birth pain. You might feel helpless while canal. watching your pup give birth to her “It’s natural for pups to be born litter, wanting to jump in and help as breech, and unless the mother dog much as possible. Keep in mind that becomes feverish or experiences birth is a natural process for animals, labored breathing, don’t intervene, and your mama dog knows what she’s “ said McQuerrey. supposed to do. You can help by pro“If you have concerns, contact your viding a safe environment and moni- vet. Anticipate the mother expelling toring and caring for her to ensure placentas during the delivery process and count the number to ensure there there are no complications.” is one for each pup,” Mcquarrey added.

Prepare

1.Mama dog needs a warm, safe and quiet location to have her puppies. She may select her own place, which should be cleared of distractions and items that can hurt her. Provide absorbent bedding too. 2. Your vet would have told you mama dog’s die date. Keep a close watch on her as the date nears. 3. Make sure she gets adequate rest and nutrition. 4. Be more loving and supportive. 5. But give her space as she may be preoccupied with nesting.

Support

Monitor

Please talk to the mama dog in a gentle and comforting way/tone during the birth process. But keep your distance so she seems agitated. Offer water or a treat like vanilla ice cream which will boost her energy, McQuarrey said. Continue making the birthing area clean by replacing soiled towels and bedding as necessary and cleaning away placenta and afterbirth. “The mother may attempt to eat the placenta -- this is a normal act, but not one that is necessary to her health,” McQuarrey said.

1. When the contractions begin, she will deliver her first pup within the hour and have one pup every 30 to 60 minutes until she has fully delivered. 2. After each pup is born the mama dog will break its individual membrane and sever the umbilical cord with her teeth. 3. If she doesn’t do these, tie off the cord with dental floss or clean thread, then cut the cord about an inch from the pup’s abdomen. Coat the ends of the cord with iodine.

Mama dog will be very tired after giving birth, yet she has to attend to her pups who will require her full attention. “Help your pup become an attentive mother by taking care of her with nutrition and hydration. If for any reason your mother dog is feverish or listless, or if the puppies are not nursing, contact your vet for assistance, “McQuarrey said.

Care

HERE is a list of veterinary clinics in Metro Manila that are open during the lockdown prepared by the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS).