Manila Standard - 2020 November 3 - Tuesday by Manila Standard

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‘Rolly’ leaves wide swath of damage in 12 provinces 16 died, 2m people affected; infra, crops, homes destroyed

By Vito Barcelo, Othel V. Campos and Macon Ramos-Araneta

YPHOON “Rolly,” the most powerful storm to hit the country this year, destroyed tens of thousands of homes and killed at least 16 people, officials said Monday, as communications to the worst-hit areas remained cut off.

VOL. XXXIV • NO. 242 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2020 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Ground zero: Catanduanes, Albay bombed out By Joel E. Zurbano, Macon Ramos-Araneta and Maricel V. Cruz

Police deputy director for operations Lt. Gen. Cesar Hawthorne Binag said Monday. "I talked to the regional director before I came here... So far, we established and it was reported that 90 percent of the TYPHOON “Rolly” damaged up to 90 percent of all in- infrastructure was damaged," Binag said, without offering Next page frastructure in Catanduanes province, Philippine National any details.

Catanduanes Island and nearby Albay province bore the brunt of the typhoon, which was packing maximum sustained wind speeds of 225 kilometers per hour (kph) when it slammed into the east coast on Sunday. Ferocious winds and torrential rain toppled power lines, triggered flooding and sparked landslides that engulfed

houses as Rolly swept across the southern part of Luzon. More than 300 houses were buried under volcanic rock and mud flows from Mayon Volcano in Albay province. The typhoon lost intensity as it skirted Metro Manila and headed out to the South China Sea. Disaster officials said five people Next page

DAMAGE SURVEY. President Rodrigo Duterte and Senator Christopher 'Bong' Go make an aerial survey via helicopter of the damage caused by Typhoon 'Rolly' on Monday. They landed in the town of Guinobatan, Albay to see the damage up close of the year's strongest storm, which made landfalls in nearby Tiwi town, Bato in Catanduanes, San Narciso in Quezon and Lobo in Batangas -- leaving the areas in disarray. Photos from Sen. Bong Go, Office of Civil Defense, Philippine Coast Guard, and News5 via Twitter

Duterte orders probe of quarrying in Guinobatan Thousands remain in evacuation centers as ‘Siony’ hovers over PH By Vito Barcelo

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte ordered the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to look into the quarrying activities in Guinobatan town in Albay province after hundreds of res-

idential homes were buried in mud due to super typhoon “Rolly.” In a meeting with his Cabinet secretaries Monday afternoon, Duterte tasked Public Works Secretary Mark Villar to investigate the complaints of residents near the area, who say the mining has

caused landslides in the town of Guinobatan. “Up to 90 percent of homes have been badly damaged or destroyed in some areas. This typhoon has smashed into people's lives and livelihoods on

UN, EU to help typhoon-hit areas US campaign enters final day, By Rey E. Requejo COVID-19 PH nation on edge AT A GLANCE (AS OF 4 PM NOV. 2)

385,400 TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES

2,298 29,301 NEW

ACTIVE

7,269

348,830

DEATHS

RECOVERIES

NEW

THE United Nations and the European Union have pledged to support the Philippine government's response to help communities devastated by super Typhoon Rolly on Sunday. In a statement, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Gustavo Gonzalez conveyed to the Philippine government the readiness and willingness of the humanitarian community to support its efforts. “We have not waited for the landfall of this typhoon to mobilize our humanitarian teams and take action,” Gonzalez said. “UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs are already working with relevant government departments and

WASHINGTON―The United States presidential campaign enters its final day Monday (Tuesday in Manila) with a last-minute scramble for votes by Donald Trump and Joe Biden, drawing to a close an extraordinary race that has put a pandemic-stricken country on edge. But while campaigning will halt and voters will have their say on Tuesday, many questions remain over how soon a result will be known due to a flood of mail-in ballots and possible legal challenges. Those factors, along with an unprecedented convergence of social justice

By Jess Malabanan and Rio Araja CITY OF SAN FERNANDO— Thousands of evacuees remained in temporary shelters in Central Luzon as typhoon Siony entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR), according to the regional office of the Office of Civil Defense. But as Tropical Storm Rolly

(international name: Goni) got a quicik exit from the Philippines after cutting a swathe of destruction, yet another weather disturbance—Tropical storm Siony—was breathing down on the country's eastern seaboard. Rolly packed maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 80 kph. It was last tracked 195 kilometers west of Subic, Zambales, moving westward Next page at 20 kph.

News

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2020

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Galvez tabbed as vaccine czar P In a Cabinet meeting on Monday, Duterte said he wanted Galvez to be the sole person in charge of the purchase of vaccines. “Pagbili ng bakuna (In the purchase

of the vaccine), the negotiation, manufacture, production, or distribution, binigay ko yan kay (I gave it to) Secretary Galvez. So only Secretary Galvez is authorized to negotiate or whatever,”

he said. He turned down the idea of having to form a committee in charge of vaccine procurement as it might lead to further delays. “Ayaw ko yang committee-committee. Matagal yan (I don’t want to have to create a committee. It will delay the process). I have great faith in Charlie to really come up with the solutions for the problem,” he added. PH cases drop 25 percent Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire on Monday said the number of COVID-19 cases in the country had decreased by 25 percent

’Rolly’...

other belongings from their houses as they shoveled out mud after heavy rains inundated towns. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said the fatalities were from Albay (10) and Catanduanes (6). NDRRMC spokesperson Mark Timbal said reports of damage and the number of casualties due to Rolly were still being verified. Agriculture Secretary William Dar said Rolly caused P1.1 billion in farm losses, with rice, corn and high-value commercial crops suffering damage. Farms and fishing grounds were destroyed in the Bicol region, Calabarzon and Mimaropa. Dar said his department has already positioned 133,326 bags of rice seeds and 17,435 bags of corn seeds for replanting in areas ravaged by Typhoon Rolly. The DA has also prepared 2,000 kilogs of assorted vegetable seeds to help vegetable growers recover from their losses. Dar said those affected by the disaster could get help fromthe department’s Quick Response Fund of P400 million and loan assistance of as much as P25,000 per farmer under the Survival and Recovery Loan Program, which provides loans payable in 10 years at 0 percent interest. The DA will also provide indemnification funds from the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. For typhoon-insured crops. Each farmer with insured crops will receive P10,000 to P15,000, depending on the value of losses and the kind of crops lost. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) reported that 18 road sections in four regions are closed to traffic due to damage from Typhoon Rolly. In a press briefing at the NDRRMC Monday, DPWH Secretary Mark Villar

said these road sections in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Region 3 (Central Luzon), Region 4-A (Calabarzon), and Region 5 are not passable due to series of slides, fallen trees and electrical posts, and flooding. “We deployed 777 pieces of heavy equipment and vehicle and 518 tools and light equipment. We also deployed 4,931 personnel before the storm arrived,” Villar said. Villar added that there are teams that have been sent to typhoon-hit areas to evaluate the damage it caused on roads, bridges, and government buildings. “Clearing operations are ongoing. We also have teams on the ground to assess damage to government infrastructure,” he said. In CAR, the roads that are not passable are Apayao-Ilocos Norte Road, due to landslide, and Claveria-CalanasanKabugao Road. The Sto. Tomas-Minalin-Macabebe Road and Nueva Ecija-Aurora Road in Central Luzon are closed to traffic due to flooding and mudslides, respectively. In Calabarzon, the CatanauanBuenavista Road is not passable due to fallen trees. Flights at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) resumed operations on Monday after being suspended due to super typhoon Rolly. The airport resumed its domestic and international flights at 10 a.m., the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) said. Airlines with scheduled flights on Monday will be given priority, MIAA general Ed Monreal said. Those affected by the temporary suspension will be given slots, which may cause minimal flight delays. Monreal said almost 100 passengers were stranded in NAIA, but have been accommodated by their respective air-

lines. Flights were canceled Sunday after Rolly roared through the Bicol region and neighboring provinces. The airports in Legazpi City, Masbate and Naga have also resumed operations, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) spokesperson Erik Apolonio said. The Philippine National Police (PNP) said it would assist the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to enforce a price freeze on basic commodities and other essential items in areas that are under a state of calamity due to the typhoon. In a press statement Monday, PNP chief, Gen. Camilo Pancratius Cascolan, said under Republic Act 7581 or the Price Act of the Philippines, automatic price control is up in areas that are declared under a state of calamity for a period of not more than 60 days. Aside from listed essential goods and prime commodities being monitored by the DTI, this also covers those under the regulation of the Department of Agriculture and Department of Health such as rice, sugar, poultry, and dairy products, cooking oil, fuel, and medical supplies. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said it would continue to assist the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in assessing the damage and needs of areas battered by Rolly. Senator Joel Villanueva, meanwhile, reminded revenue-generating agencies to shore up tax collection, beginning with exiting Philippine offshore gaming operations (POGO) firms which have some P50 billion in tax deficiencies. Villanueva urged the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to ensure that it collects all pending taxes, before allowing POGOs to close shop so the government will have available funds to finance the immediate rescue and rehabilitation of communities hit hardest by Rolly.With PNA

pened in Catanduanes," he said. Commandant Admiral George Ursabia, Jr. said that PCG’s Islander plane has already been dispatched to Catanduanes early Morning morning, with clear directives to render the necessary assistance to the typhoon-ravaged province, and areas where immediate rescue and relief missions were needed. Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año said they are also validating information about the four reported casualties in the province. The Philippine Red Cross reported that parts of Virac in Catanduanes are not passable due to debris and flood while the power supply was cut off. Four major airports in the Bicol region

were affected by the onslaught of the typhoon on Sunday. The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines reported that the Legazpi Airport passenger terminal building sustained minimal damage in its ceiling boards and runway lights while the airport in Virac stopped its operation since Saturday because of the bad weather. The CAAP also reported that the passenger terminal building, the fire station building, administration building, and the vehicular parking area in Naga Airport sustained serious damage brought by the typhoon. Senator Richard Gordon, chairman of the Philippine Red Cross, said 80 percent to 90 percent of houses in Virac in Catanduanes were damaged by the typhoon. Gordon said Catanduanes, which is an

isolated island in the Bicol region, was devastated by typhoon Rolly. "A supermarket in Virac was totally damaged, even our (Philippine Red Cross) chapter building was destroyed, the airport and seaport were also damaged. Hospitals have [also sustained] minor damage," he said. He said the PRC has mobilized to bring relief goods, including water, to the typhoon-damaged areas. "We are sending our rescue trucks, ambulance and there water tankers because there was no water. Also, we will provide them with a desalination system for the water from the sea. Fuel tankers will be going around. We will also provide 24 generators in Virac, San Andres and Bato, which were hard hit by the typhoon," Gordon said.

President Duterte was expected to address the nation Monday night or Tuesday morning after he returned from the Bicol region, the Palace said. Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the President did not appear earlier because the local government was “functioning.” Duterte was in Davao City as this year's strongest storm churned across Luzon, ripping off roofs, toppling power lines and causing flooding in the hardest-hit areas where hundreds of thousands had fled their homes. Roque also denied suggestions on social media that the government’s closure of ABS-CBN led to an information gap during the height of the typhoon. Roque said there were other networks that reported on the storm, such as GMA-7, TV5 and the state-owned PTV. “Radio reporters were on top of typhoon watch too”, he said. “The communication infrastructure of the government during disaster is working. I think there is no vacuum,” Roque said during the government's first post-disaster press briefing since Rolly drenched Luzon.

Thousands... All tropical cyclone wind signals raised in the country were lifted. However, occasional gusts may be experienced over Batanes, Babuyan Islands, Ilocos Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, and the northern portions of mainland Cagayan and Zambales. Weathermen said Siony maintained its strength while accelerating westnorthwestward over the Philippine Sea. It s likely to remain within tropical storm category within the next 36 to 48 hours. As of 4 p.m. Monday, it was estimated at 655 kilometers east of Calayan, Cagayan with maximum sustained winds of 65 kms per hour and gustiness of 80 kph. Cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms will prevail over Cagayan Valley, Apayao, Kalinga and Ilocos Norte due to trough. The OCD said 18, 965 persons were moved during preemptive evacuation to safer ground from differernt provinces in the region by disaster-control personnel in Pampanga, Bataan, Aurora, Tarlac, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija and Zambales.

They are housed in 113 evacuation centers, stated in the report submitted to Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office. OCD-3 said sevaral government infrastructures including roads and bridges in Pampanga and Aurora had been made impassable due to flooding. A total 10 road networks have been closed to traffic due to flooding, said OCD3 director Maria Theresa Escolano. Over in Tarlac, classes have been suspended by Tarlac State University from Nov 3 to 7. OCD-3 recorded 241,790 individuals affected by typhoon Rolly in at least five Central Luzon provinces. Meanwhile, the local government units here intensified the distribution of relief goods including foods and non-food items for thousands of flood victims in the province low-lying and coastal villages municipalities of the province, taking advantage of an improved weather Monday. The Pampanga Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) recorded a total of 6,534 individuals dwelling in 89 evacuation centers spread through out the province government and private schools since the preemptive evacuation was enforced Saturday evening.

93 million people have cast early ballots, including in-person and mailed votes, according to the nonpartisan US Elections Project. As the hours count down on Monday and with polls showing him behind, Trump will repeat his marathon performance from the previous day with another set of five rallies in North Carolina,

Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. Biden will also be in Pennsylvania — including for a drive-in rally with pop star Lady Gaga—as well as in Cleveland, Ohio. Seeking to energize Democrats and prevent a 2016-like surprise, Barack Obama will appear in Georgia before holding an election eve rally in Miami. AFP

By Willie Casas and Macon Ramos-Araneta

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has designated national policy against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. as “vaccine czar” to ensure that the Philippines has access to a potential vaccine for the virus once available.

From A1

were missing as the typhoon affected 2 million people across 12 of the country’s 18 regions in the Visayas, the Bicol region and Luzon provinces. Electricity was knocked out in areas battered by the strong winds, which knocked down electrical posts, including some areas in Metro Manila. "We are horrified by the devastation caused by this typhoon in many areas including Catanduanes island and Albay," Philippines Red Cross chief Senator Richard Gordon said in a statement. "Up to 90 percent of homes have been badly damaged or destroyed in some areas,” he said. Nearly 400,000 people fled their homes ahead of the typhoon and most of them remain in evacuation centers as authorities scramble to restore power and telecommunications services in the hardest-hit areas. Ten deaths were recorded in Albay province, but provincial disaster chief Cedric Daep said without pre-emptive evacuations, thousands would have died. Three of the victims were caught in landslides of volcanic ash that police said engulfed numerous houses in two adjacent villages near the active Mayon volcano. Another three are still missing. Rolly was ranked as a "super typhoon" when it made landfall on Catanduanes where at least six people died and authorities estimate most houses and infrastructure were damaged. Across the areas in Rolly’s path more than 20,000 houses were destroyed and around 55,500 were damaged, Civil Defense said in a statement. Farmland was also damaged. Clean-up efforts were under way with residents removing sodden furniture and

Ground... From A1

Government officials said communications in the province was limited while rescue teams were unable to reach the area to help affected residents and to determine the extent of damage. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said it was difficult to reach those in Catanduanes, including the local officials, but said Coast Guard personnel were deployed to check on the situation in the province. "Governor (Joseph) Cua was given a satellite phone but for some reason he could not be contacted. The Coast Guard personnel are on their way, so we will have efficient communication, and we will know the extent of the damage that hap-

Duterte... From A1

top of the relentless physical, emotional and economic toll of COVID-19, the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) said. The NDRRMC said the affected houses were in Purok 6 and 7, San Francisco, Guinobatan, Albay. Villar vowed to immediately conduct an investigation into the quarrying near Mayon Volcano. The Bicol region was battered last week by typhoon Quinta. Presdint Duterte visited Albay province following questions about his absence from public view during the disaster. Duterte led an aerial survey and later appeared before residents of Guinobatan town, where super typhoon Rolly spawned landslides of volcanic ash from nearby Mt. Mayon. About 400,000 people fled their homes ahead of the typhoon and most of them remain in evacuation centers as authorities scramble to restore power and telecommunications services in the hardest-hit areas.

Taking no chances, businesses in some cities have boarded up windows, From A1 while across the country the harsh political climate has led to fierce debate, in protests, coronavirus precautions and some cases even dividing families. President Trump's fear-mongering camAs proof of how much Americans have paign, have led to apprehension over been galvanized -- and perhaps frightened whether unrest could erupt. by the pandemic—a record of more than

US...

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as against comparative figures in September. Vergeire, during an online briefing, said the trend might improve further to no more new COVID-19 cases to be reported in a day. Based on Department of Health data, the average number of new reported cases per day from three to four weeks ago was 2,517 cases. In the past two weeks, Vergeire said this dropped to 1,887 cases. Vergeire said the average number of new COVID-19 cases in the National Capital Region also dropped from 842 cases to 522 cases.

Rody renews vow to remove corrupt execs PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Monday said he will remove more government officials linked to corruption from their posts before December this year, making special mention of the Bureau of Customs, Bureau of Immigration, and the Department of Public Works and Highways as the most corrupt government agencies. Duterte made the statement during a televised Cabinet meeting in Malacañang, as he also named the more than 40 Immigration employees who were tagged in the controversial airport bribery scheme. He vowed to go after customs officials involved in illegal activities and instructed Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero to cleanse his turf from alleged graft and corruption. The President has pledged to bring down the ax on high-ranking officials and heads of offices accused of corruption and abuse of power before his term ends in 2022. Duterte noted the immigration "pastillas" scheme, first brought to light in February, that allegedly allowed Chinese nationals to enter the country without background checks in exchange for grease money. The operation was dubbed “pastillas" because money would be hidden in rolled paper sheets like the wrapping for the local milk candy. Vito Barcelo

Local oil firms roll back prices by P0.85/liter By Alena Mae S. Flores THE country’s oil firms rolled back pump prices by as much as P0.85 per liter effective 6am Tuesday to reflect the movement of prices in the world oil market. The oil firms cut the price of diesel by P0.85 per liter, gasoline by P0.80 per liter and kerosene by P0.70 per liter. “Phoenix Petroleum Philippines will decrease the prices of diesel by P0.85 per liter and gasoline by P0.80 per liter effective 6am of 03 November 2020,” Phoenix Petroleum said in its advisory. Aside from Phoenix, Seaoil Philippines and Cleanfuel, also announced the latest oil price movement. Other oil companies are expected to follow suit. Unioil Philippines said during the weekend consumers could expect diesel and gasoline prices to go down by P0.80 per liter. “Expect fuel prices to go down next week (November 3 to 9),” it said. “Diesel should go down by P0.80 per liter. Gasoline should go down by P0.80 per liter,” Unioil Philippines said in its weekly advisory.

UN,... From A1

offices, Philippine Red Cross, and with private sector groups to coordinate our efforts to support the conduct of rapid needs assessments and swiftly assist the most vulnerable people caught in the typhoon’s destructive path,” the UN official added. In a Twitter post, the EU said it will extend assistance for the government’s recovery efforts following the onslaught of super Typhoon Rolly. "Our solidarity with the Filipino people as typhoon #RollyPh batters the country, particularly Bicol region. The resiliency, strength, and courage of the Filipinos will persevere in these trying times," the EU said. According to Gonzalez, the humanitarian agencies are conducting assessments of the humanitarian impact of the typhoon Rolly, including in the most affected areas, in coordination with the government while observing all movement restrictions and safety protocols in place due to COVID-19. It noted that the Philippine Red Cross emergency response teams are also supporting the authorities in search and rescue efforts and in providing immediate relief to hard-hit communities as the disaster unfolds. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is doing impact assessments, while International Organization for Migration (IOM) is providing support to the authorities in the management of evacuation centers, the UN said. The World Food Program has already received a request for logistical support to food distributions, it added. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said more than two million individuals from 12 regions had been affected by the typhoon.

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Go bats for DDR, Marcos hits ‘Yellow Force’ for bashing OSG, backing Leonen but colleagues push idea back By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Maricel V. Cruz SENATOR Christopher Go has been pushing for the creation of a Department of Disaster Resilience but some senators have rejected it, saying there is already an established national disaster council and the Office of the Civil Defense. Go says he respects the stand of his fellow lawmakers on the proposed DDR. He says he will be open and ready to listen to the recommendations of his colleagues to better improve the measure they have been fighting. “This is why I am urging my colleagues in the Senate to act on this proposed measure. Let us deliberate on it and let the legislative process take its course,” he said. “I am sure other senators, subject matter experts and executive officials can also contribute to the discussions on how to improve further the mechanisms in making our country more prepared, responsive and disaster-resilient.” Go made his statement even as Senator Win Gatchalian said the government should seriously consider building permanent disaster-resilient and fully-equipped shelters for evacuees during natural calamities. “Experience has taught us, like the harrowing super typhoon Yolanda, to rethink our strategies in emergency preparedness and invest in sophisticated early warning systems to mitigate the number of casualties,” Gatchalian said. Meanwhile, Rep. Carlos Zarate on Monday renewed his call for the earlier passage of the bill governing evacuation centers in the wake of Typhoon “Rolly” and the continuing Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic that saw the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people. “With quarantine facilities for COVID patients occupying the normal evacuation centers in cities and provinces, and the successive battering of typhoons we are now experiencing, the need to fast-track House Bill 5259 or the Evacuation Centers bill becomes more apparent,” Zarate said. Since normal evacuation centers are being used to isolate COVID-19 patients, the residents of areas hit by typhoons “Quinta” and “Rolly” had difficulty finding other safe places to seek shelter, Zarate said. In renewing his call for the creation of a DDR, Go said this would ensure quick response and a proactive and holistic approach in preparing for calamities and other natural disasters.

THE camp of former Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday scored the opposition Liberal Party and the personalities belonging to what it described as the “Yellow Force” for “working double time” in defending Supreme Court Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, who was recently accused of allegedly failing to submit his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net worth for 15 years in violation of the SALN law.

Vic Rodriguez, Marcos’ spokesman, urged the LP-Yellow Force to leave Leonen alone in defending himself from public perception of bias and prejudice that allegedly greatly affected the fair and speedy resolution of Marcos’ election protest against Vice President Leni Robredo. “The LP-Yellow force is working double time in defense of AJ Leonen who committed a crime of violating the

SALN Law at the expense of knowing the speedy decision on BBM’s case,” Rodriguez said. He said a few personalities who came out lately with political statements and making noise in support of Leonen only strengthened the public doubts and perception of his true leaning and color. “The Liberal Party will be doing Justice Leonen a big favor if they just back off and let him be independent and free

‘SC as PET can declare poll failure’ By Rey E. Requejo

HE Supreme Court, acting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, can declare the annulment of elections or a failure of elections in three Mindanao provinces if it finds evidence of massive fraud as sought in the poll protest filed by former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. against Vice President Leni Robredo, according to the Office of the Solicitor General.

RAINY DAY FIRE. Amid rains brought about by Typhoon ‘Rolly’, a fire breaks out in a residential area on Anonas St., Sta. Mesa. The fire was raised to the 4th alarm at around 4 p.m., according to the Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.

Senators defend Rody’s absence from typhoon gabs By Macon Ramos-Araneta SENATORS yesterday took the cudgels for President Rodrigo Duterte during his absence in Cabinet meetings to discuss the government’s response to recent typhoons. Senator Christopher “Bong” Go also assured the public that the President is currently monitoring and giving directives to agencies involved in responding to the devastation brought by Typhoon “Rolly.” “President Rodrigo Duterte and all

government agencies mandated to respond to calamities to give effective emergency response and assistance to all those affected are focused on their job,” said Go. Go, a former presidential aide, guaranteed that the Duterte government would not neglect its people especially in times of crisis and calamities. “Let us help one another to overcome the challenges we are facing,” added Go. “He is in the Philippines di ba? The web is very active di ba? What can he not

do in Davao?” said Senate President Vicente Sotto III when sought for comment on the issue. Sotto said if the President was in the press briefing “and talks for a couple of hours, there will also be complaints right?” He pointed out that the President can oversee government from wherever he is if he wants to. “(There’s) internet! What can he do in Albay that he cannot do in Davao?” questioned Sotto.

Customs seizes P20m in supercars By Joel E. Zurbano

AIRPORT REOPENS. Passengers try to find their boarding gate at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport as it resumed its flight operations on Monday, after it closed for a day in preparation for the onslaught of Typhoon RollyPH. Flights that were cancelled on Monday, Nov. 1, would be given priority, according to airport officials.

SMC delivers food, relief to Bicol, areas hit by ‘Rolly’ SAN Miguel Corporation is mobilizing its resources to quickly deliver food relief to the Bicol region and other provinces hit by super typhoon “Rolly.” SMC president and chief operating officer Ramon S. Ang said the company was channeling, initially, food products for Albay, Catanduanes, Sorsogon, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Quezon Province, Romblon, Marinduque, Laguna and Batangas.

from any perceived bias and prejudice that has greatly affected the fair, speedy and just resolution of Sen. Bongbong Marcos’ election protest,” Rodriguez said. He made the statement after Senator Franklin Drilon defended Leonen from the allegations he violated the SALN law for 15 years by attacking the Office of the Solicitor General’s request to the Supreme Court to release Leonen’s SALN documents. Rey E. Requejo

The company, according to Ang, expects the amount of food donations to go higher as it looks to deliver aid to more affected provinces in the coming days. “Right now, through our own people on the ground and upon coordination with various officials, we are trying to move as fast as we can to get food aid to the hard-hit provinces,” Ang said Monday morning, just a day after “Rolly” battered Bicol.

The super typhoon also affected many other areas in Luzon including Cavite, Metro Manila and parts of Pampanga, Zambales, Bulacan, Rizal and Mindoro. “As we get a better hold of the situation in many areas—especially in terms of whether roads are already passable, and as to where aid can be brought—we will work to bring more food supplies to our affected kababayans through whatever means necessary,” Ang said.

AGENTS of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service have seized a container van loaded with used luxury cars worth P20 million at the Manila International Container Port. Based on the import documents, Blue Core Enterprises imported the vehicles but described the shipment as ‘furniture’. The shipment arrived at the Manila North Harbor on Oct. 16 Among the vehicles seized on Oct. 20 were a Porsche Sports car, a Bentley Luxury Car, a Mercedes Benz Sports car and a half-cut Volkswagen. The Office of the MICP District Collector has already ordered the seizure of the shipment. The bureau also placed the importer under investigation and may face criminal charges for violating the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act. The agency reminded the public that the importation of used vehicles is strictly prohibited. In a statement, district collector Romeo Allan Rosales said the MICP remained committed in preventing the illegal entry of items into the country.

The OSG, through Solicitor General Jose Calida, said the PET had the power and jurisdiction to annul the elections held in the Mindanao provinces due to massive election irregularities as claimed by Marcos. The OSG cited the 1987 Constitution that, he said, provided that the high court en banc “shall be the sole judge of all contests relating to the election, returns, and qualifications of the President or VicePresident and may promulgate rules for the purpose.” Under the 2010 Rules of the PET, particularly Rule 7 and Rule 8, the PET has its express and implied powers and “other such powers as may be inherent, necessary or incidental thereto for the accomplishment of its purposes and functions.” “The Presidential Electoral Tribunal has the power to declare the Annulment of Elections or a Failure of Elections without infringing upon the authority of the Commission on Elections,” the Solicitor General said The comment, which was signed by the Solicitor General along with his assistants and solicitors, said that in the exercise of its powers, the PET could declare the annulment of elections or failure of elections, adding the tribunal “must not shirk from its powers to do the same.” “Surely, the framers of the Constitution did not intend the PET to operate in vacuo, that is why when the Constitution vested it with the exclusive authority, it means that it also empowered to promulgate whatever rules are needed in order to fulfill its mandate,” the OSG comment said. However, the chief state lawyer expressed reservation on the matter that the PET could not conduct special elections, which were purely administrative in nature and vested with the Comelec. “The PET does not have the power to call for special elections. Its mandate under the Constitution is clear—to be the “sole judge of all contests relating to the election, returns, and qualifications of the President or Vice-President...” The OSG said the annulment of elections by electoral tribunals, such as the PET, House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal and the Senate Electoral Tribunal in connection with the pending election contest before it, was entirely different with the failure of elections which is under the province of the Comelec, being a purely administrative function. According to the Solicitor General, the failure of elections was done before the proclamation contests, while the annulment of elections was made after the contest and during election protests.

House OKs measure granting subsidized power bills By Maricel V. Cruz THE House of Representatives’ Committee on Energy has approved a bill that would give low-income consumers 10 more years of lifeline electricity rates or subsidized power bills The committee approved the substitute bill for the originally consolidated measures that amends the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 or Republic Act 9136. The approval was made late last week by the committee led by Pampanga Rep.

Juan Miguel Arroyo. Low-income consumers were given 10 years to benefit from the lifeline rate mandated by the Epira, which was enacted in 2001. In 2011 the period was extended until 2021. The original bills aim to extend the lifeline rate for an additional 20 years or until 2041. “Twenty years might be too long... and with the market forces, economic forces the value of 10 years might change in 20

years,” Arroyo said. Power industry stakeholders, including the Department of Energy, Energy Regulatory Commission, National Electrification Administration, Philippine Rural Electric Cooperatives Association, Manila Electric Co., National Power Corp., National Transmission Corp. and Philippine Independent Power Producers Association are supporting the substitute bill. Arroyo said the committee report on the measure was approved after no member of the panel raised objections.

HAPPY BACK HOME. Youths are all smiles after two days of staying at the evacuation center at San Juan Elementary School in Tagaytay City, Cavite on Monday. The families contentedly returned to their house beside a hill in the said city after Typhoon Rolly hit the province. JR Josue

Jimbo Owen Gulle, Editor lgu@manilastandard.net editor.lgustandard@gmail.com

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2020

LGUs LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

Provinces torn up in wake of ‘Rolly’

NOTHING SPARED. The interior of the St. John the Baptist Parish Church in Tabaco, Albay

lies in ruin after its roof was torn off by Typhoon ‘Rolly’ on Sunday. The year’s strongest storm ripped apart communities and structures across Luzon, including in the towns of Guinobatan, Tiwi, and Polangui in Albay, the airport in Virac, Catanduanes, and towns in Batangas and Cavite. Communications to the worst-hit areas remained cut off. See story on A1. Norman Cruz, ABS-CBN, GMA News, TV5 photos

World

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HK police seize record‘meth’haul HONG Kong authorities announced a record seizure of over half a ton of methamphetamine on Monday, saying the coronavirus pandemic had led smugglers to riskier bulk shipments in place of traditional drug mules. The crystal meth -- reportedly worth around HK$300 million ($39 million) -- was discovered last Thursday hidden in a shipping container with a declared cargo of cement bags, officials said. The shipment was headed from Vietnam to Australia, but suspicions were reportedly raised by its unusual route. The container originated in Mexico, went through South Korea and then remained in Vietnam for three months before sailing onto Hong Kong. “We believe the traffickers were trying to avoid customs investigations and surveillance by designing such an extraordinarily circuitous route,” Barry Chu, head of the city’s Customs Drug Investigation Bureau, told reporters. Chu said the pandemic, which has dramatically slashed international travel, has cut off one of the most reliable and expendable transport methods for drug cartels—the use of human “mules”. “This year, due to widespread travel restrictions, most of the trafficking was carried out via freight transport, postal services and express delivery,” he said. Most of the 244 kilos of meth Hong Kong customs had seized over the nine months before Thursday’s record haul was smuggled in this way, he added. AFP

IN BRIEF Fire breaks out inside refugee camp in Greece A FIRE broke out early on Monday in the refugee camp on earthquake hit Greece’s Samos island burning down 15 tents, the Migration Ministry said. The blaze started at 4 a.m. local time and 21 firemen with seven vehicles battled for four hours to bring it under control. There were no reports of injuries. According to official figures, 4,200 people are sheltered at the Samos refugee camp where late September two more fires had broken out as a result of arson. The south-Aegean island of Samos was hit by a powerful earthquake that shook the region on Friday and caused the death of two teenagers and severe damage to buildings. Sixty-nine people died in western Turkey. AFP

FINAL STRETCH. US President Donald Trump leaves after speaking during a Make America Great Again rally at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport in Opa Locka, Florida on November 2, 2020. (See story on A1) AFP

Iran to focus on new US regime I RAN’S foreign ministry said Monday it will focus on the “actions” of the new US administration rather than who wins the White House, a day before Americans vote.

“Our position is clear: we do not look at (what happens) tomorrow, we will be watching the approach of the new US administration, whichever party it’s from,” ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told reporters. “More than the result of the election, we will pay attention to the actions” of

whoever is president, he added. Since unilaterally withdrawing from a landmark nuclear deal with Tehran and world powers in 2018, the Republican administration of President Donald Trump has re-imposed—and extended— crippling sanctions on Iran. Trump’s Democratic challenger, Joe

Biden, has said he wants to use the 2015 nuclear accord—a pact hammered out when he was vice president under Barack Obama—as a “starting-point for followon negotiations” with Tehran. Iranian officials have repeatedly said they favour no specific candidate in the race, while also calling for a return to the nuclear accord, the lifting of sanctions and compensation for damages caused. “What is clear is that both parties have realised the extent of the failure of their policies” regarding Iran, Khatibzadeh added, referring to the Republican and Demo-

Belgium imposes tighter lockdown

Forest fires scorch Brazil’s vast Amazon wetlands A RECORD high number of fires scorched Brazil’s Amazon and Pantanal wetlands last month, official data showed on Sunday, as deforestation and climate change wreaked havoc on some of the planet’s most valuable ecosystems. The Amazon rainforest has been described as the Earth’s “lungs” due to its role in producing almost 10 percent of the world’s oxygen. The Pantanal further south is one of the world’s largest tropical wetlands and a biodiversity paradise that extends across Brazil’s borders into Paraguay and Bolivia. The number of fires typically fall in October as the Amazon approaches the rainy season. But Brazil’s National Institute of Space Research on Sunday recorded 17,326 fires in the Amazon in October, more than double the number seen in the same month in 2019. Satellite imagery showed close to 100,000 fires in the first 10 months of 2020, more than were seen in the whole of last year. The INPE also detected almost 3,000 individual fires in the Pantanal, a new monthly record since data collection began in 1998. The region—23 percent of which is estimated to have gone up in smoke this year—has seen a record-breaking 21,115 fires so far this year, more than double the number registered in all of 2019. AFP

50k people in Bangladesh join rally vs French leader AT LEAST 50,000 people took part Monday in the biggest demonstration yet in Bangladesh over French President Emmanuel Macron’s defense of the right to publish cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, police said. A rally which started at Bangladesh’s biggest mosque was stopped from getting close to the French embassy where security has been stepped up. Police estimated some 50,000 people took part in the protest, which demanded a boycott of French products, while organizers said there were more than 100,000. Protesters chanted “No defamation of the Prophet Mohammed” and burned an effigy of the French leader. Macron sparked protests across the Muslim world after the murder last month of teacher Samuel Paty—who had shown his class a cartoon of Mohammed—by saying France would never renounce its laws permitting blasphemous caricatures. AFP

cratic parties, and emphasising that the “framework for talks” is the nuclear deal. US intelligence last month accused both Iran and Russia of trying to interfere in the 2020 election, charges which Tehran has strongly denied. Tehran “has repeatedly stated that it neither has any interest in interfering in the US election nor does it think interference would be to anyone’s benefit,” Khatibzadeh said, calling US allegations “baseless.” “The US election has turned into a show, and as in a show, they try to create more attractions,” he added. AFP

HAPPY AND GAY. Newly-wedded same-sex couple Yi Wang (right) and Yumi Meng pose for a photograph during a mass wedding at Taiwan’s Army Command Headquarters in Taoyuan, where two Taiwanese soldiers and their civilian same-sex partners tied the knot marking another gay rights landmark in Asia. AFP

France honors murdered teacher as school reopens FRANCE on Monday honored the teacher beheaded in front of his school by a suspected Islamist radical in a murder that shocked the country, as millions of students returned to classes after the autumn break. Schoolchildren across France were to observe a minute of silence at 11 a.m. (1000 GMT) to remember Samuel Paty, who was killed in Conflans-Sainte-Hono-

rine, outside Paris, on October 16 just as the holiday began. Paty had shown his class a cartoon of the prophet Mohammed for a lesson on freedom of expression, spurring an online campaign targeting him. His killing further set France on edge as President Emmanuel Macron spearheads a campaign against Islamist radicalism. On Thursday morning, three people

were knifed to death in a church in the southern city of Nice in another strike the government described as an act of “Islamist” terror. “I know your emotion after the terrorist attacks, including one in front of a school against a teacher,” Macron said in a message to pupils on his Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook social media channels. AFP

BELGIUM, the country with by some measures the world’s worst coronavirus outbreak, will impose tighter lockdown rules from Monday, closing non-essential businesses and restricting household visits. “These are last-chance measures if we want to get the figures down,” said Prime Minister Alexander de Croo, warning that the new rules would stay in place for at least a month and a half. Households will only be allowed to receive one visitor, half-term holidays for schools will be extended to November 15 and those who can adapt their jobs to work from home will be asked to do so. “It’s a lockdown, but a lockdown that allows factories to operate, that will allow schools to open cautiously, and that will not plunge people into isolation,” said health minister Frank Vandenbroucke. Belgium, with 11.5 million inhabitants, has the most Covid-19 cases per capita in the world and has as many hospital cases now as at the peak of the pandemic’s first wave in April. There were 6,187 patients in hospital on Friday, 1,057 of them in intensive care. Over the last week Belgium has recorded more than 100,000 new infections—more than 15,000 per day on average—a record. “Our country is in a state of health emergency. The pressure in the hospitals is immense and the medical staff are making superhuman efforts to save lives every day,” De Croo said. AFP

4 hurt as gunmen storm Kabul university GUNMEN stormed Kabul university Monday ahead of the opening of an Iranian book fair, firing shots and sending students fleeing, Afghan officials and witnesses said. “The enemies of Afghanistan, the enemies of education... have entered Kabul University,” Tariq Arian, a spokesman for the ministry of interior, told reporters. “The security forces are in the area trying to control the situation. They are advancing carefully to prevent any harm to the students.” The Taliban said they were not involved, but in recent years several education centers have been attacked by extremist groups such as Islamic State. Hamid Obaidi, a spokesman for the ministry of higher education, told AFP that gunfire erupted when government

officials were expected to arrive for the opening of the fair. He said students were being evacuated. Masooma Jafari, deputy spokeswoman for the health ministry, told AFP four people had been taken to hospital but casualties could increase. Students spoke of chaos and confusion as gunfire erupted. “We were studying inside our classrooms when suddenly we heard a burst of gunfire inside the university,” said student Fraidoon Ahmadi, 23. “Some university students have fled... it is chaotic and students are terrified,” he added. Last week at least 24 people, mostly students, were killed in a suicide attack on an educational centre in western Kabul district that was claimed by IS. AFP

ANTI-FRENCH. Protesters display placards during an anti-France demonstration in Dhaka on November 2, 2020. AFP

Business

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$3.9-b KLM bailout shaky as workers nix pay cut

PSEi October 30, 2020

TOP GAINERS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

SFIP WPI ACE AR SPM TBGI WIN FDC DFNN PXP

LAST PRICE 1.8 0.495 1.39 0.0011 2 0.27 0.218 9.7 3.28 12.1

CHANGE 0.6 0.07 0.17 0.0001 0.18 0.023 0.018 0.8 0.26 0.94

% CHANGE 50.00% 16.47% 13.93% 10.00% 9.89% 9.31% 9.00% 8.99% 8.61% 8.42%

TOP LOSERS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

TECB2 CNPF IMI HVN MB LTG I ATN MARC ION

LAST PRICE 0.87 15.52 6.44 354 0.4 11.54 1.17 0.89 0.92 1.02

CHANGE -0.08 -0.98 -0.34 -16 -0.015 -0.42 -0.04 -0.03 -0.03 -0.03

% CHANGE -8.42% -5.94% -5.01% -4.32% -3.61% -3.51% -3.31% -3.26% -3.16% -2.86%

MOST ACTIVE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

CNVRG BDO DITO ICT SM ALI MBT PGOLD MPI SMPH

VOLUME 47,400,700 6,572,650 80,912,000 3,708,140 361,180 10,161,800 6,291,100 5,827,800 50,634,000 6,005,600

VALUE (PHP) 707,341,938.00 584,322,109.00 559,869,812.00 422,470,502.00 342,410,815.00 330,554,980.00 256,344,025.00 241,358,835.00 202,396,090.00 200,388,645.00

ONLINE SHOPPING DAY. An employee checks the delivery information for packages ahead of the upcoming “Double Eleven” Online Shopping Festival day at an e-commerce warehouse in Lianyungang, in eastern China’s Jiangsu province on November 2, 2020. AFP

Asian markets mostly rise as focus turns to US polls

ONG KONG, China—Asian markets mostly rose Monday following last week’s painful global sell-off, with attention on the American presidential election which comes against a backdrop of rising coronavirus infections across the United States and Europe. After months of rallying from their March lows, equities were brought to a juddering halt in October as new virus cases surged, forcing governments across Europe to reimpose tough lockdown measures, throwing a tentative economic rebound into chaos and battering oil prices.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the weekend said England would shut up shop as he struggled to temper a second wave, with similar measures taken by France, Portugal, Austria, Greece and Ireland. Germany, Spain and Italy are also enforcing strict containment measures. The moves fanned fears that many businesses could go under, with Michael Kill, CEO of the Night Time Industries Association, which lobbies for the entertainment and hospitality sector, saying firms faced “financial Armageddon.” The disease is also rampant across the United States, which last week recorded a world record number of infections, dealing a further blow to Donald Trump’s hopes of re-election on Tuesday. The president continues to trail Joe Biden in national and battleground polls, but markets remain on edge with Trump’s surprise win in 2016 in mind, while there are also worries a tight result

could be contested. “This week would have been chaotic for investors at any rate, but viewed through the intensifying pandemic lens as Covid-19 rages in the West, it could spell mayhem,” said Axi strategist Stephen Innes. “It might even flip the whole picture upside down for any postelection reflation trade.” “The virus’s latest evolution is complicated by a series of stricter lockdowns putting the eurozone in the vanguard of concerns around the fourth-quarter economic implosion, leaning against global risk sentiment.” He added that the result on Tuesday would have a major impact on the size of any expected fiscal stimulus for the US economy. Polls suggest a Biden win could come with a Democratic sweep of both houses of Congress, which would likely see a huge spending package passed, though a win for Republicans in either of the races is expected to see a much smaller sum. AFP

THE HAGUE, Netherlands—The future of a multi-billion-euro bailout keeping Dutch national carrier KLM afloat was thrown into disarray Saturday after unions declined to sign what they termed a “last minute” change to conditions for the deal. Dutch Finance Minister Wopke Hoekstra gave KLM and unions representing pilots, cabin and ground crew until 12:00 p.m. (1100 GMT) to sign an agreement to unlock the 3.4 billion euro ($3.9 bn) injection into the Dutch arm of Air France-KLM. The bitter feud centers around a clause in the agreement being negotiated between KLM and the Dutch government which asks the troubled airline’s staff to take salary cuts for the next five years. KLM this week presented the Finance Ministry with the austerity plan, which demands a 15-percent cut in costs and will see 5,000 jobs being shed as a result of the global impact of the coronavirus pandemic on air travel. It included an agreement from unions to cut pilots’ salaries until March 2022 and ground and cabin crew salaries until the start of 2023. But Hoekstra on Friday turned down the plan, insisting on salary cuts to run concurrently with the government’s five-year bailout package. “We have not signed,” a VNV representative told AFP shortly after the deadline passed. “We had an agreement in place with KLM on October 1 and now they (the government) are going back on it,” said the representative, who declined to be named. “A deal is a deal,” he said. Umbrella union organization FNV have also not signed, Dutch news reports said, adding talks were still under way on Saturday. FNV was not immediately available for comment. Some 3,000 pilots within the airline are said be the hardest hit by the austerity plan, with salary cuts of up to 20 percent, Dutch news reports said. AFP

London transport Fed Reserve policy committee in holding pattern amid tense US election system secures $2.3-b relief deal LONDON—London’s transport system said on Sunday it has secured a bailout from the government worth nearly £2 billion, following weeks of politically-charged wrangling as the coronavirus continues to decimate revenues. Transport for London (TfL), which runs the British capital’s public transport network, said the deal worth £1.8 billion ($2.3 billion, 2.0 billion euros) would enable it to keep operating services until the end of March 2021. It comes as England prepares to enter a second national lockdown from Thursday for four weeks, with people ordered to stay at home except in cases where exemptions apply, such as for work, education or exercise. Pubs and restaurants will shut unless serving takeaway food, while all leisure and entertainment venues and non-essential shops will close. TfL said the exact amount of money it will get from the ruling Conservative government would be subject to passenger revenue in the coming months. London mayor Sadiq Khan, from the opposition Labor party, had for weeks been opposing raising fares and making other changes in exchange for the funding boost. He said it was not “a perfect deal” but that he had succeeded in “killing off the very worst government proposals.” Transport Secretary Grant Shapps described the agreement as “fair to taxpayers across the country.” Last month Prime Minister Boris Johnson claimed TfL was “effectively bankrupted” before the coronavirus pandemic, and proposals to hike charges were “entirely the responsibility” of Khan. The government pumped £1.6 billion into the system in May to restore services and help prevent overcrowding as people returned to work when the first national shutdown was eased. AFP

WASHINGTON—The Federal Reserve’s policy setting committee meets this week at a turbulent time: one day after voters head to the polls in the deeply uncertain US presidential election. But the body pointedly keeps itself out of politics, and analysts expect the policy-setting Federal Open Markets Committee (FOMC) will do little to rock the boat at its two-day meeting beginning Wednesday. The Fed already zeroed out borrowing rates and offered massive credit facilities amid the coronavirus downturn, recently expanding them to reach more firms and nonprofit organizations. “I think November’s meeting is too soon for there to be a dramatic break,” said David Wilcox, a former top economist at the Fed who is now with the Peterson Institute for International Economics. “This is a sort of a placeholder meeting while they wait for those situations to clarify.” Political uncertainty ahead of the vote comes amid continued worries about the world’s largest economy amid the coronavirus crisis. While the Fed moved quickly with new credit lines

and the rate cut as the pandemic arrived, the initial momentum to get aid bills through Congress has petered out despite increasingly desperate pleas for more aid from Fed Chair Jerome Powell. John Mousseau, president and chief executive officer at Cumberland Advisors, said the central bank is likely to again encourage lawmakers to continue the push for new stimulus after the election in the final weeks before a new Congress is installed in January. “The Fed has done their job,” he said. And as they call for more aid next week “the message will be delivered to a lame duck Congress that might actually act on what the Fed’s doing.” The FOMC meeting lacks any suspense over the benchmark lending rate after the central bank in August debuted a new policy keeping interest rates lower for longer to wait to inflation to rise and maximize employment. The coronavirus pandemic in the United States caused tens of millions of layoffs as well as a historic contraction in GDP, but recent data shows a recovery is underway.

GDP growth rebounded by 33.1 percent annualized in the third quarter from its 31.4-percent contraction in the quarter before, according to Commerce Department data. But weekly applications for jobless benefits remain higher than the worst of the 2008-2010 global financial crisis, and nearly 23 million people continue to receive some form of government unemployment support. The $2.2 trillion CARES Act stimulus package passed in March has helped spur rehiring and supported spending, but key provisions are expired and fears of a renewed economic malaise have increased. Extending that aid is the job of Congress, but at the Fed, “They’ve got their accelerator foot down hard on the pedal... to sustain the economy as best as they can, using the tools at their disposal,” Wilcox said. It’s unclear if there how much more the Fed is willing or able to do. Mousseau said they could begin buying different types of debt to ease the pressure on entities like local governments, particularly if no stimulus package is passed. AFP

Machu Picchu, Peru’s crown jewel, reopens after Covid lockdown By Francisco Jara PERU—The Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, the crown jewel of Peru’s tourist sites, reopened Sunday with an ancient ritual after a nearly eight-month lockdown due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. For safety reasons, however, only 675 tourists will be able to access the site per day, just 30 percent of the number of visitors pre-pandemic. Under a fine drizzle and multicolored lights, an Inca ritual was held Sunday evening to thank the gods for the citadel’s reopening. “Today, Machu Picchu opens. It opens with (health and safety) protocols, it opens to say that we are reactivating ourselves but with responsibility and great prudence, because we see everything happening in the world” with the pandemic, Foreign Trade and Tourism Minister Rocio Barrios said in a speech. The first train of tourists, along with an AFP team, had arrived Sunday morning at Machu Picchu Pueblo, the village closest to the citadel, after a 90-minute journey along the Urubamba River from the ancient Inca village of Ollantaytambo. Opening Machu Picchu to the world

shows “that we Peruvians are resilient,” Barrios told AFP. The number of coronavirus cases has been steadily decreasing in Peru, and tourists will be expected to maintain social distancing. The coronavirus lockdown has been a body blow to the tens of thousands of people who make their living from the country’s tourism industry, especially those in the mountainous Cusco region where the stone citadel is located. Scores of hotels, restaurants and tourism-related businesses throughout the region went bankrupt by the time a strict mandatory virus lockdown that lasted more than 100 days was lifted in July. Taxi driver Eberth Hancco, who works at the airport of the city of Cusco, the former capital of the Inca empire, was among those affected. “The situation has been very bad, because Cusco depends on tourism,” he told AFP. Before the pandemic there were 80 hotels of various types in Ollantaytambo, a town with an imposing Inca stone fortress located at the end of the road from Cusco to Machu Picchu. “At least half of them have gone bankrupt,” said Joaquin Randall, head of the local hotel and restaurant

View of the archaeological site of Machu Picchu, in Cusco, Peru during its reopening ceremony on November 1, 2020, amid the new coronavirus pandemic. The Inca citadel of Machu Picchu reopened on Sunday in the framework of a gradual decrease in COVID-19 contagions in Peru, after remaining empty almost eight months, affecting the tourism sector severely. AFP

association. “The formal hotels that pay taxes have been able to access government aid,” he told AFP—but not so for the myriad of informal hotels in the area, many of them geared towards backpackers.

Machu Picchu, which means old mountain in Quechua, is the most enduring legacy of the Inca empire that ruled a large swathe of western South America for 100 years before the Spanish conquest in the 16th century. AFP

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2020

IN BRIEF SMC bets on battery energy storage system CONGLOMERATE San Miguel Corp. expressed confidence in the viability of battery energy storage systems to help ensure the stability and reliability of the power grid. “Nobody wants to believe that it will work. We believe on it, so we gambled. I hope we will get good with it,” SMC president Ramon Ang told reporters last week. BESS allows power generators and utilities to be stored for later use. SMC subsidiary SMC Global Power Holdings Corp. disclosed to the Philippine Dealing & Exchange Corp. in August that it was developing BESS projects around the country with a total capacity of 1,000 megawatt-hours for completion until next year. The company targets to complete 470MWh projects in 2020 until the first quarter of 2021. The remaining 530-MWh projects will be completed by the second to fourth quarter next year. “We see an opportunity to contract more than 2,200 MW [megawatts] in capacity across the Philippines, representing uncontracted ASPA [ancillary service procurement agreement] requirements and non-firm ASPA contracts,” SMC Global Power said in a presentation. Alena Mae S. Flores

Citicore secures deal to power Bench Tower CITICORE Power Inc. said over the weekend it started supplying clean energy to Bench Tower in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City on Oct. 26. The headquarters of the popular homegrown clothing brand is the newest addition to Citicore’s growing list of clients. “We thank Bench for entrusting us their power needs, We are delighted to partner with Bench in advocating corporate sustainability,” Citicore president Oliver Tan said in a statement. Ground 18 Realty Corp. signed the supply agreement for Bench with Citicore’s retail electricity supply arm Citicore Energy Solutions Inc. CESI provides clean energy solutions under the retail competition and open access program where large electricity consumers with an average monthly peak demand of at least one megawatt can apply to become a contestable customer in order to have the ability to choose its own electricity supplier. “Retail energy supply is definitely being recognized now in many industrial and commercial facilities as this enables them to choose their own electricity providers that can support their companies’ economic and sustainability goals. And we see more opportunities in the retail market to further push renewable energy development,” Tan said. Alena Mae S. Flores

AboitizLand tops pre-pandemic sales ABOITIZ Land Inc., the real estate arm of the Aboitiz Group, said over the weekend that after several months into the general community quarantine, average monthly sales already exceeded pre-pandemic levels, reflecting the impact of innovative selling techniques and the shifting preferences of property seekers. AboitizLand said reservation sales for the months following the community quarantine averaged above 80 percent of original targets despite lockdown restrictions, and was well on its way to exceed the 2019 performance. “��We are seeing sustained demand for our residential developments despite the limitations brought about by the pandemic. We are attributing this to a shift in our customers’ preferences towards houses and lots in next-wave cities, as bigger living areas, open spaces and amenities become more essential for work-life balance for people in quarantine,” said AboitizLand president and chief executive David Rafael.

Business

DOF sees strong recovery as restrictions ease in Q4 F By Julito G. Rada

inance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said over the weekend he expects a “strong recovery” for the Philippine economy if mobility restrictions will continue to be eased in the fourth quarter to allow more people to safely return to work while complying with minimum health standards. Dominguez said a third COVID-19 relief package would not be needed at this time, after the enactment of the Bayanihan 1 and 2 laws that were designed to provide emergency assistance to pandemic-hit individuals and sectors. He said the economy would make a strong comeback next year. ‘We are seeing a very strong recovery as we ease up the economy,” said Dominguez in a recent interview with Bloomberg Asia. “We have a very good economy. Un-

fortunately, the contagion has forced us to throttle it down. But as we open up, we can see a very strong recovery through jobs,” he said. Dominguez said that when strict quarantines were in place, the unemployment rate spiked to 17.7 percent in April, but improved to 10 percent in July when lockdowns were eased and more people were allowed to go back to work. The government’s goal is to pull down the unemployment rate to 5 per-

cent or 6 percent, he said. Dominguez also assured Filipinos that the government would not impose new taxes nor sell off state-owned real estate assets to cover the revenue shortfall resulting from the coronavirus-induced lockdowns. The government will instead tap the commercial market and possibly the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to raise more funds for its pandemic response and economic recovery program, he said. “We are not really seriously considering any taxes,” Dominguez said. “Taxing our citizens when their incomes are down is not a good idea.” Dominguez earlier said revenue collections as of September declined by 12 percent from a year ago, but the Bureau of Internal Revenue and Bureau of Customs surpassed the revised collection targets set by the Development Budget Coordination Committee.

FREE FACE MASKS. The Department of Trade and Industry, in partnership with Alaska Milk Corp., taps the Community Health Education Emergency Rescue Services, or CHEERS Corp., and the Philippine Commission for Women to produce 10,000 high-quality reusable and washable non-medical grade face masks, portions of which were distributed to beneficiaries of Barangay Addition Hills and Barangay Namayan in Mandaluyong City. Attending the distribution of face masks are (front row, from left) Alaska Milk corporate affairs director Angela Esquivel, DTI regional director Marcy Alcantara, DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez, Mandaluyong Mayor Menchie Abalos, DTI Undersecretary Besila Lantayona, PCW chair Sandra Montano and DTI assistant secretary Domingo Tolentino.

LGUs asked to tap LandBank’s P300-b credit financing THE Department of Finance over the weekend asked chief executives of local government units to use their healthy borrowing position by availing of the largely untapped P300-billion credit financing window of state-owned Land Bank of the Philippines to bankroll projects that will help the country recover from the coronavirus-induced global economic crisis. Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said barely a third of provinces, cities and municipalities had tapped into LandBank’s P300-billion facility that is available for credit-financing needs.

Speaking at a recent virtual meeting of the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines, Dominguez said based on the DOF’s Bureau of Local Government Finance data, only 35 percent to 40 percent of LGUs in the country had availed of loans despite very reasonable terms of 10-years at an interest rate of 4 percent to 4.5 percent. “I want to point out that the actual borrowings of LGUs are far below their capacity. They have only borrowed less than half,” Dominguez told members of ULAP, an umbrella organization of LGUs.

He said P170 billion to P180 billion in loanable amount was available for LGUs. “There is a lot of capacity, but there is no utilization of that capacity,” Dominguez said. LGUs are considered low-risk borrowers because they can pay for their loans with their annual internal revenue allotment allocations from the national government. The virtual ULAP meeting was also attended by LandBank president and chief executive Cecilia Borromeo, DBP president and chief executive Emmanuel Herbosa. Julito G. Rada

Mobile experience of Globe, Smart subscribers much better since 2018 By Darwin G. Amojelar THE mobile networks of the country’s two largest telecom companies have significantly improved since the fourth quarter of 2018, according to independent mobile analytics firm Opensignal. Opensignal said in a report on users in Mindanao, National Capital Region, North and Central Luzon, South Luzon and the Visayas that overall mobile experience across four metrics significantly improved between fourth quarter of 2018 and third quarter of 2020. “We are pleased that efforts to upgrade our network are being recognized and reported by independent firms. More importantly, the network improvements are being felt and making an impact on the experience of our customers,” Globe chief technology and information officer Gil Genio said. Globe saw its scores in video experience improve in three of the five regions. In North and Central Luzon and NCR, Globe’s score increased by 40.6 percent and 30.3 percent, respectively, between fourth quarter of 2018 and third quarter of 2020, while in South Luzon, it rose by 24 percent. It said that for download speed, Globe users in North and Central Luzon saw a significant improvement of 42.1 percent, while South Luzon and NCR improved by 35.1 percent and 33.8 percent, respectively. Opensignal said that for 4G availabil-

ity, or the proportion of time users spent connected to 4G services, it registered improvements in all five regions, with South Luzon at 18.8 percent, North and Central Luzon at 16.2 percent, NCR at 9 percent, Mindanao at 8.1 percent and Visayas at 7.7 percent. Opensignal said Smart Communications Inc. also made great strides in improving customer experience in NCR, North and Central Luzon, South Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao between the fourth quarter of 2018 and the third quarter of 2020. It said that in terms of video experience, Smart users “observed significantly larger improvements in absolute terms across four of the five regions.” The exception was North and Central Luzon, where users of both telcos saw their video experience score improve by 10.3 points. Opensignal also noted that for the third quarter of 2020, Smart users in NCR were the only ones to observe a “very good (65-75)” video experience. Smart also leads in 4G availability, posting over 80 percent in every region―a feat achieved by its competitor only in NCR. “Our Smart users saw some impressive gains between Q4 2018 and Q3 2020, with those in North and Central Luzon and Mindanao seeing their 4G availability scores rise by 41.5 percent and 34.5 percent, respectively,” Opensignal said.

WATER TREATMENT. Laguna Water, the leading water and wastewater services provider in Laguna, uses state-of-the art technology to produce its own costefficient and environment-friendly chlorine for water disinfection to ensure the health and safety of customers. Eliminating health and environmental risks, the company creates its own sodium hypochlorite (chlorine) with MIOX Corp.’s On-Site Sodium Hypochlorite Generator. The on-site generated chlorine is proven to be an effective disinfectant which improves bacterial control, thus, providing better water quality while reducing capital and operation costs.

PSE INDEX

Friday, October 30, 2020

74.61 PTS. 6,324.00

TOTAL VOLUME TOTAL TRADES

2,375,804,523 110,185

TOTAL VALUE ADVANCES

7,289,807,456.55 135

DECLINES UNCHANGED

81 37

F oreign e xchange r ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2020

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

48.4010

Japan

Yen

0.009561

0.4628

Pound

1.293000

62.5825

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.129002

6.2438

Switzerland

Franc

1.092299

52.8684

Canada

Dollar

0.750807

36.3398

Singapore

Dollar

0.731636

35.4119

Australia

Dollar

0.703000

34.0259

Bahrain

Dinar

2.652450

128.3812

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266660

12.9066

Brunei

Dollar

0.728969

35.2828

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000068

0.0033

Thailand

Baht

0.032010

1.5493

UAE

Dirham

0.272272

13.1782

Euro

1.167500

56.5082

Korea

Won

0.000885

0.0428

China

Yuan

0.148896

7.2067

India

Rupee

0.013446

0.6508

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.240732

11.6517

New Zealand

Dollar

0.662900

32.0850

Taiwan

Dollar

0.035156

1.7016 Source: BSP

PH firms raised P82.5b from local stock market in first ten months By Jenniffer B. Austria THE combined capital raised by companies from the stock market rose 8.2 percent in the first 10 months to P82.5 billion from P78.59 billion a year ago despite the pandemic, data from the Philippine Stock Exchange show. PSE president and chief executive Ramon Monzon said in a virtual press briefing Monday following the annual stockholders’ meeting the local bourse was expecting more companies to raise capital through the stock market before the end of the year. Monzon said as banks tightened their lending standards amid the pandemic, companies would look for cheaper ways to raise funds, and the equities market could provide that opportunity. Two more companies may raise capital before the end of the year. These are PH Resorts Group Holdings Inc., which is planning a P1.125billon follow-on offering, and AC Energy Philippines Inc., which will conduct a stock rights offering. Monzon said two companies also expressed interest to conduct the real estate investment trust offering. Meanwhile, the PSE plans to introduce two new sector classifications and indices as part of its post-pandemic recovery plan. There are six sectoral indices in the equities market, including financials, industrials, holding firms, property, services and mining and oil. The PSE also wants to introduce index-linked funds that track the performance of mid-cap companies and high-dividend issuers. Shareholders of PSE elected four new members of the board of directors Monday. Elected as independent directors were former Chief Justice Teresita De Castro and investment banker and former ING Bank Manila country head Consuelo Garcia. Also elected were San Miguel Corp. chief finance officer and treasurer Ferdinand Constantino as sectoral representative for non-broker director-investors and Securities Specialists Inc. nominee Diosdado Arroyo as broker-director. Re-elected to the PSE board as independent directors were Jose Pardo, Roberto Cecilio Lim and Vicente Panlilio. Anabelle Chua, Rolando Jose Macasaet and Edgardo Lacson were re-elected as non-broker directors and sectoral representatives for issuers, investors and other market participants respectively. The broker-directors who received fresh mandate were Eddie Gobing, Eusebio Tanco, Wilson Sy and Ma. Vivian Yuchengco. Monzon was also re-elected as president and chief executive.

Fruitas Holdings sells 30m shares to Jimmy Ting of STC Paper FRUITAS Holdings Inc. founder and president Lester Yu sold 30 million shares in the company to businessman Jimmy Ting of STC Paper and Plastic Packaging Solutions for P50.4 million, the company said Monday. Fruitas said in a statement Yu sold 30 million Fruitas shares at P1.68 apiece, equivalent to the company’s initial public offering price. The acquisition price represented a 38-percent premium to the stock’s last traded price of P1.22 on Oct. 29. “Having been a long-term supplier of Fruitas, Mr. Ting has seen how Fruitas has grown and has successfully overcome past challenges. He

has full confidence that Fruitas will emerge stronger from this latest crisis,” Fruitas said. Fruitas said the partnership with Ting would open up opportunities for collaboration on packaging development, process and machine optimization. “Fruitas’ overseas expansion plans will also get a boost as Mr. Ting is said to have good contacts abroad who can introduce the kiosk retailer’s brands,” it said. Fuitas said in September it would reallocate a portion of the proceeds from the initial public offering to fund land acquisitions and site expansion.

Fruitas said it would use P20 million from the IPO proceeds to acquire the 1,328-square-meter site of the buko water commissary in Quezon City which it leases. Fruitas will also re-channel P145 million in IPO proceeds for the acquisition its head office in Sta. Mesa, Manila. The five-story building has a net floor area of at least 2,000 square meters. The company said the property acquisitions would enable it to secure ownership the assets which are vital for the future operations of the group. Fruitas raised P1.2 billion from its maiden share offering in December 2019. Jenniffer B. Austria

Hamilton hints at leaving Formula 1 IMOLA—Lewis Hamilton stunned Formula One on Sunday when, hours after winning the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, he admitted that he did not know if he would still be in the sport next season. Speaking during a post-race news conference, the six-time world champion told reporters there was “no guarantee” that he would continue and added that “there’s a lot that excites me with the after-life—time will tell!” Hamilton’s victory, a record-extending 93rd of his career, in Sunday’s race clinched Mercedes’ record seventh consecutive constructors title —an achievement he attributed to the team’s “unsung heroes” and the leadership of team boss Toto Wolff. Both men are out of contract at the end of this season and, for that reason, the subjects of much speculation. When Hamilton was asked if Wolff’s likely departure from his current position next year would have any bearing on his own decision, he said it did not concern him. “I don’t even know if I’m going to be here next year so it’s not a concern for me at the moment,” said Hamilton. He later clarified his position when he added: “I would like to be here next year, but there’s no guarantee of that for sure. There’s a lot that excites me of the ‘after-life’ so time will tell.” Hamilton, 35, is almost certain to clinch his record-equalling seventh drivers title in Turkey in two weeks’ time, drawing level with Michael Schumacher. He has many interests outside motor racing including fashion, music and human rights issues and has said often that he plans to remain active when he retires. His only remaining rival, team-mate Valtteri Bottas, who finished second in a Mercedes one-two on Sunday, must beat him by eight points to prolong the title fight. Wolff has said he wanted to step back and spend more time with his family and admitted that he was looking for a likely successor in his role. “I understand and we have a lot of deep conversations, Toto and I, so I am very, very aware of where he is mentally—and we share and carry a lot of the weight together I think,” Hamilton explained. “I’ve been here a long, long time and I can definitely understand wanting to pull back a little bit and give time to things like family and those things. “I don’t know who will replace him. He’s a leader. He’s not going to put anyone in who’s not going to be able to do the job, who’s not going to be up to it. He will find the right people. “That’s why we have the success that we have because he’s found the right people and put them in the right places, in the positions to be able to shine as bright as possible.” He added he felt fit and strong and could continue. AFP

Sports

Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Reuel Vidal, Assistant Editor

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2020

Winner Mercedes’ British driver Lewis Hamilton holds his trophy as he celebrates on the podium after the Formula One Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari race track in Imola, Italy. AFP

Beermen, Elite clash in pro loop’s1st-ever morning tiff

HE PBA bubble is back and so is business for all teams eyeing playoff slots or ﬁghting for survival in the Philippine Cup.

Eight teams plunge into action today as the PBA resumes the bubble with a heavy four-game schedule that includes an early morning game—the first time in the long-running league—at the AUF Sports Arena & Cultural Center in Angeles City, Pampanga. Interestingly, to San Miguel Beer, the most successful franchise in the PBA and the only remaining original franchise in the league, and Blackwater, belong the distinction of being the first teams to play in the morning. This has become possible as the PBA seeks to hasten to finish the elimination round on November 11 as originally planned. The Beermen and the Elite collide at 10 a.m., with the six-time defending All Filipino Champions eyeing to extend their winning to run to four that will bolster their bid for one of four quarterfinal slots offering twice-to-beat advantages. The Elite are seeking to rebound from back-to-back losses to remain within the magic 8. They are currently holding

precariously the eighth spot with their anemic 2-4 win-loss slate, in a tie with the Magnolia Hotshots. The league got the green light from the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to continue the bubble last Saturday, but the teams were allowed to practice on Sunday, and the Beermen took no time to take the opportunity to practice in the morning so they would have some feel of morning game. “Lahat naman makakalaro sa umaga. Naka ensayo kami ng maaga, mga 8:30 a.m. (last Sunday), pero siyempre ‘di natin alam effect niyan sa mga players,” said SMB coach Leo Austria. “Our concern is we have to play five games in seven days,” added Austria. With the bubble now presumed to be safer than ever after all the 12 teams tested negative of coronavirus, the elimination round is expected to be over in just nine straight days beginning today. After that, it’s playoff time already. The PBA briefly postponed games on Friday as it prepared to comply with the additional health protocols recommended by the IATF. Of the eight teams seeing action today, only three of them are on winning momentum, and San Miguel Beer is one,

Games today

(AUF Sports Arena & Cultural Center) 10 a.m.—Blackwater vs. San Miguel 1 p.m.—Phoenix vs. Terrafirma Dyip 4 p.m.—NorthPort vs. TNT T Giga 6:45 p.m.—Ginebra vs. Alaska

with the two others being Alaska and NorthPort. Phoenix, which suffered a 105-97 loss to Alaska a day before the PBA suspended the games, goes up against Terrafirma Dyip in the second game at 1 p.m., followed by the 4 p.m. tussle pitting NorthPort and Talk ‘N Text Tropang Giga. The Dyip are still winless in five games. With still six games to play, the Dyip are still in contention, but they need to start winning. The Batang Pier have also won their last outing at the expense of the Dyip, who they defeated last Oct 24 (107-96), but that may not have much effect on their rhythm because of the long layoff. Even the pacesetting Tropang Giga have lost in their last game, falling to sister team NLEX Road Warriors, 109-98, also on the day before the suspension. Ginebra and Alaska clash in the nightcap at 6:45 p.m. in a game between teams that met in the finals of the 2012 Commissioner’s Cup.

Manuel, Belga CIGNAL co-Players of Week SMART CLARK GIGA CITY—Two big men rose to the occasion and created ripples for their respective teams before the PBA Philippine Cup bubble had a brief break. Vic Manuel of Alaska and Rain or Shine’s Beau Belga came out with huge performances to keep Alaska and Rain or Shine’s spots in the upper half of the standings, thereby earning the Cignal TV-PBA Press Corps Co-Players of the Week honors for the period Oct. 26-Nov. 1. The ‘Muscle Man,’ bullied his way to 21.0 points (60 percent shooting clip), 7.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists as the Aces went on an unbeaten streak during the week to climb to a 5-3 card. The Philippine School of Business Administration alum posted 18 markers and seven boards in Alaska’s 99-96 win over Terrafirma, before spoiling close pal Calvin Abueva and Phoenix Super LPG with a 105-97 victory behind a 24-point, seven-rebound outing.

Belga, for his part, pumped in 20 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists in Rain or Shine’s lone yet massive 85-82 overtime victory over Barangay Ginebra prior to the break. The former Philippine Christian University standout capped his exploits with five straight points in the extra session, none bigger than the dagger trey he drained during the final minute of the win that propelled the Elasto Painters to solo second spot at 4-1. Meanwhile, Mike Ayonayon also made his own mark after being named PBAPC Rookie of the Week after NLEX pulled the rug from under previously unbeaten TNT in a physical tussle, 109-98. The win got the Road Warriors back on track with a 2-5 slate. Complementing the backcourt tandem of Kevin Alas and Kiefer Ravena, the spitf ire guard put up eight points and three rebounds in quality minutes off the bench to ear n the citation given by members of the media covering the PBA beat.

Alaska’s Vic Manuel drives to the basket against Justin Chua of Phoenix.

D’Antoni added to Nash’s Brooklyn Nets coaching staff LOS ANGELES—The Brooklyn Nets announced Friday they have hired Mike D’Antoni as an assistant coach, reuniting the former Phoenix Suns bench boss with newly-hired Nets head coach Steve Nash. Nash won two league MVP awards while playing point guard for D’Antoni with the Phoenix Suns in the mid-2000s. Last month, the 69-year-old D ’A n t o n i stepped down after four seasons as head coach of the Houston Rockets. The Nets also announced the hiring of Ime Udoka as Mike D’Antoni an assistant coach and Amar’e Stoudemire as a player development assistant. “We’ve assembled an experienced staff of high-character individuals with varied backgrounds, both on and off the court, that will help create a solid foundation for me and our players,” said Nash. “When I set out to build this staff, I wanted to put together a committed group that would connect with our players and help put them in the best position to succeed as a team. “With coaching and playing experience at the highest level and a deep background in player development, I’m confident that we’ve put the right people in place to lead us forward.” Led by four-time scoring champion Kevin Durant, the Nets are bidding to be a strong playoff contender in 2021-22. This will be the third time D’Antoni and Nash have hooked up on an NBA team. Nash played under D’Antoni from 2004-2008 with the Suns, then D’Antoni coach Nash for two seasons on the Los Angeles Lakers, 2012-2014. D’Antoni, a two-time NBA coach of the year, was 217-101 in four seasons as Rockets coach, advancing once to the Western Conference finals and three times to the conference semi-finals. AFP

3x3 champs ready to take act to next level By Peter Atencio

Members of the Family’s Brand Sardines Zamboanga City team celebrate their 3x3 title conquest.

AFTER dominating the 2020 Chooks-to-Go President’s Cup series last week, members of the national team are ready to take their act to another level. Joining two stages of the 2020 FIBA 3x3 World Tour will now get Joshua Munzon and Alvin Pasaol ready for the Olympic qualifiers next year. “This gave an insight on how far we have gone. So definitely, we will put this to the test in our next games,” said Munzon, the team skipper of the Family’s Brand Sardines Zamboanga City, which ruled the Grand Finals of the President’s Cup and claimed the P1-

million grand prize. Munzon and his teammates talked about their coming campaigns on Zoom following their latest title conquest. In the grand finals, Munzon and Pasaol teamed up with Santi Santillan and Troy Rike to beat Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards, 22-19, in the last staging for the tourney last Friday. In their next tournaments in Doha and Jeddah, they will again team up with Santillan and Rike to get ready for next year’s Olympic qualifiers. “I want us to be in the stage to hopefully make some noise. It will be a big chance for us,” added Munzon.

The Doha Masters will be from November 20 to 21, while the Jeddah finals is slated on December 11 and 12. They will be in for a big challenge because they will be up against four of the top five teams in the world-top-ranked Liman of Serbia, world no. 2 Riga, no. 4 New York Harlem and fifth-ranked Princeton. Liman has top-ranked cagers in world no. 3 Stefan Kojic, no. 4 Mihailo Vasic, no. 6 Aleksandar Ratkov, and no. 11 Maksim Kovacevic. Not far behind is no. 3 Riga of Latvia, led by world no. 2 Nauris Miezis, no. 5 Karlis Lasmanis, no. 12 Agnis Cavars, and no. 13 Edgars Krumins.

Sports

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2020 C2 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Russia takes 4-year ban battle to court L

AUSANNE—Russia will attempt to overturn its fouryear ban from international sport this week in the latest chapter of a long-running and controversial saga over state-sanctioned doping. Global anti-doping body WADA in December last year declared the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) to be non-compliant after being accused of manipulating testing data. The ban meant the country would miss the Tokyo Olympics as well as football’s 2022 World Cup in Qatar and the 2022 Winter Olympics in China. This week’s Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) hearing, which is expected to last until Friday, has already caused division. “WADA had requested that the hearing be held in public but for that to happen all

parties were required to be in agreement and that was not the case,” said a WADA statement. Instead, and in keeping with the ‘Cold War style’ of the case, the hearing will take place behind closed doors and at a secret location. A decision will only be made public on an undisclosed date. Russia considers its ban to be legally indefensible. Former Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev described the suspension as “chronic anti-Russian hysteria”. It’s being billed as a landmark week

for Russian sport and global antidoping efforts. WADA, formed in 1999, also has plenty on the line after the US threatened to pull its annual $2.7 million financing. American lawmakers accused WADA of failing to implement governance reforms and has been critical of their handling of the Russian scandal. Also, the International Olympic Committee and sports federations are expecting clear directives from CAS, eight months out from the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics. “WADA has left no stone unturned in preparation for this hearing and we are looking forward to having the opportunity to present our case clearly and fairly to the panel,” said WADA president Witold Banka. “I remain convinced that the

WADA Executive Committee made the right recommendation in this case last December. “As at every other stage, we are following due process in relation to RUSADA’s compliance procedure as we continue to deal effectively with this complex matter.” It is a saga which is now uncomfortably into its fifth year. In May 2016, Grigory Rodchenkov, the former head of Moscow’s anti-doping laboratory, blew the whistle over state-backed doping at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Barely two weeks before the 2016 Olympics in July that year, WADA called for Russia to be banned from Rio. The IOC, however, stopped short of an outright ban and said individual federations would decide whether to allow Russian athletes to compete. AFP

A handout photo taken and released on November 2, 2020 by Racing Photos shows Irish horse Tiger Moth preparing for its morning gallop at Werribee Racecourse ahead of the Melbourne Cup horse race. Australia’s “race that stops a nation” will be staged in front of empty grandstands, devoid of the roars from tens of thousands of punters when the Melbourne Cup is run behind closed doors for the first time in its long history. AFP

Vera’s new hobby draws similarities to martial arts ONE Championship continues to bring together the unique ecosystems of martial arts end esports. Since establishing ONE Esports in 2019, the organization has revitalized competitive video gaming in Asia, introducing a new major player in the esports sphere. ONE Esports’ latest initiative is a co-activation between athletes of the Baguio City-based Team Lakay and Filipino-American ONE Heavyweight World Champion Brandon “The Truth” Vera. The recently-launched “Truth x Lakay Gaming” features superstars such as former ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard Folayang, ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua Pacio, and Vera himself. The athletes take turns “streaming” their gaming sessions live. Vera says he’s enjoyed his time so far, plying the online routes, especially during lockdowns imposed by COVID-19. “I started gaming about a year ago with ONE Esports and a couple of popular gaming live streamers in Quezon City (Philippines). I believe it was with Rumble Royale and Kuya Pein and Kuya Lex,” said Vera. “It has been a lot of fun so far, while being at home for now.” Vera and Team Lakay have streamed mobile game “Mobile Legends: Bang Bang” so far, although they might branch out to other popular mobile games in the future, including popular FPS titles such as “Call of Duty: Mobile” and “PUBG Mobile.” Vera, who has held the ONE Heavyweight World Championship since capturing the inaugural title in 2015, said the game has many similarities to his work inside the ONE Circle. In many ways, “The

FREE THROW SHOOTER NATHANIEL DELA CRUZ GREATEST of all time. GOAT. No four words are as powerful a trigger today as this. I am not going to talk about who I think is the GOAT to repeat the arguments that you have heard from sports commentators and analysts or read on the Internet and social media. Besides, I very rarely engage in this conversation, and when I do, it is when people ask me to share my opinion, and I always leave it at that. I have always believed that the Greatest of All Time need not be universal and unanimous. It is about you and me picking that one athlete we think is the best among the rest, and we do not have to have the same answer. The GOAT is a personal truth. It is natural for us to have different choices. That’s okay. That makes it fun. Any conversation about the GOAT

changes every game with an infinite amount of oncoming problems depending on characters and styles of play —almost like our other job as martial artists,” said Vera. “I think it is a stress reliever and a stress giver Brandon (laughs). It just depends on how serious the Vera matches are. Either way it is a lot more relaxing than our regular job.” Vera is currently in Guam right now, spending time with his wife Jessica and newborn son Atreyu. He isn’t slated to see action this year, but is expected to defend his title some time in 2021, against former UFC star Arjan Bhullar. “The Truth” has a lot of time on his hands right now, so don’t be surprised if you catch him in a public game in Mobile Legends. Vera warned fans he could potentially play with online, he’s pretty good at this game. “No one noticed us until we started going live. They didn’t know they were playing with world champions. Then everybody wanted to ask me about it,” Vera said about anonymity in the game before rating his playing skills. “I would say I am in the 80th percentile when I’m playing smart (laughs).” ONE Championship returns with ONE: INSIDE THE MATRIX II, a previously-recorded event at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore scheduled for air this Friday night, 6 November. In the main event, reigning ONE Welterweight Truth” believes the game is a great stress reliever for World Champion Kiamrian Abbasov of Kyrgyzstan casual play, but can get pretty intense if matches are makes the first defense of his world title against undefeated top contender James Nakashima of the serious. “The game is like a combat version of chess that United States.

Bare bones should begin with these parameters. It should be an exploration of another person’s point of view, not an opportunity to try to bend and break and anger other people. I subscribe to the idea that many athletes have earned the right to be considered as the GOAT. It is clear who deserves to be there in that rarefied, and who does not. I am not going to talk about who I think is the GOAT. But I want to argue as to why I think one person does not deserve consideration. I am making no bones about Jon Jones. So what makes an athlete great? Is it just his/her skills and accomplishments? And what makes someone the greatest among the greats? Some people will say we should rank and appraise athletes based on their athletic record and performance - partially correct and completely antiquated. Here is the Charles Barkley sports morality of the early 90s: judge me as an athlete, not a role model.

It is not asking too much if we ask athletes to be role models because the bare minimum for this task is to be a law-abiding citizen, which is the same thing we ask of everyone else. So if you cannot at least be a good citizen, how can you even consider yourself a great athlete? Douglas T. Putnam, in his book Controversies of the Sports World, wrote: “That talent can become so captivating that it becomes the base on which much nobler characteristics—humility, courage, wisdom, concern for others—are mounted.” So let us talk humility: Khabib Nurmagomedov just announced his retirement after an emotional win sans his father, who recently passed away. Jon Jones had to take a jab at the Russian MMA fighter because he wants the public to know he is the real GOAT, not Nurmagomedov. Tywin Lannister’s words to his grandson Joffrey Baratheon comes to mind: “Any man who must say I am the king is no true king.” Now, let us talk about concern for

others. In 2015, Jon Jones fled a hitand-run. He returned later to grab some cash from his car and then took off again. The injured victim was a pregnant woman. Jones said this after he was given 18 months of supervised probation and was required to make 72 youth outreach/charity appearances: I hope you can give me an opportunity to redeem myself. Five years later, Jones was arrested for drunk driving and firing a weapon. He also had a DUI arrest back in 2012, and between then and now is a string of other controversies (cocaine use and suspensions because of doping). So how is Jones—the first fighter in UFC history to be stripped of a title twice—the greatest of all time in UFC? Those considered as Greatest of All Time excel at two things: being a good athlete and being a good person. Jon Jones may be good at what he does, but he is not the greatest of all time.

Melbourne Cup to be staged with empty grandstand MELBOURNE—Australia’s “race that stops a nation” will Tuesday be staged in front of empty grandstands, devoid of the roars from tens of thousands of punters when the Melbourne Cup is run behind closed doors for the first time in its long history. Held on the first Tuesday of November since 1876, the punishing 3200 metre (two-mile) handicap is so important that race day is a public holiday in the state that hosts it, Victoria, with the winning horse becoming a household name in Australia. Hordes of colourfully-dressed spectators usually flock to Flemington for a boozy day out, but the track will be eerily quiet this year because of Covid-19 restrictions with fans instead huddled around televisions, radios and live streams. Melbourne emerged from months of coronavirus lockdown last week, sparking hopes that some spectators would be allowed, only for organisers to decide it was too soon. “While we are very disappointed not to be able to welcome our members and racegoers to Cup Week, we understand the (Victoria) government’s commitment to keeping our community safe,” said Victoria Racing chairman Amanda Elliott. With cricket’s Boxing Day Test match, the Australian Open tennis and Australian Formula One Grand Prix all scheduled to take place in the next few months, the Melbourne Cup heralds the return of top-level sport to the city. McEvoy targets fourth win Regarded as the ultimate test of stamina and staying power, the Melbourne Cup has Aus$8 million (US$5.6 million) at stake and a third of the 24-strong field are international horses, mostly Irish and British, despite the pandemic. The fancied Tiger Moth was handed a horror barrier draw at the weekend, but heads into the showpiece as the early favourite alongside fellow Irish raider Anthony Van Dyck. For Tiger Moth’s jockey Kerrin McEvoy, who last month claimed the Aus$15 million Everest for the third time in Sydney, the draw couldn’t have been worse as he targets a fourth victory. The fouryear-old stallion will start from gate 23, the second widest. AFP

Zero virus cases in NBL

THE National Basketball League concluded its bubble with all players, coaches and league staff yielding a negative result in its final COVID-19 tests on Saturday. The testing was done inside the Bren Z. Guiao Sports Complex before all the delegates from the Season 3 champion Pampanga Delta, La Union PAOwer, and NBL staff left the bubble. It was the fourth testing done by the league during the bubble in which the finals were played. Three antigen tests and one RT-PCR test were done in the entire duration of the series with all yielding a negative result. “The NBL has achieved its ultimate goal of a safe and sound bubble,” said the league in a statement posted on its Facebook page. The testing was done in coordination with a medical team led by Dr. Johan Uichico and the Games and Amusements Board. The Pampanga Delta captured the Season 3 Black Arrow Express-President’s Cup championship series after beating the La Union PAOwer in Game 4, 76-68, last October 28. Levi Hernandez was named as the finals MVP.

Aranas graces PSA Forum CLINT Aranas, one of two candidates vying for the presidency of the Philippine Olympic Committee, will be the lone special guest in the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) webcast Forum on Tuesday. The president of the World Archery Philippines is expected to talk about his platform as he challenges incumbent Abraham ‘Bambol’ Tolentino for the leadership of the country’s Olympic body. Presented by San Miguel Corp., Go For Gold, MILO, Amelie Hotel Manila, Braska Restaurant, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, powered by Smart, and with Upstream Media as the official webcast partner, the session starts at 10 a.m. The Forum is livestreamed via the PSA Facebook page fb.com/PhilippineSportswritersAssociation and also shared by Radyo Pilipinas 2 Facebook page.

Entertainment

‘Better Days’ are coming

fter challenging times, everyone deserves to welcome better days. And that is exactly what Boys Love (BL) series titled Better Days promises its followers.

BOYS LOVE. Vloggers Benedix Ramos (left) and Chesther Chua are the stars of ‘Better Days,’ the newest BL series to hit the digital world.

Headlined by Chesther Chua and Benedix Ramos, the two digital influencers are set to play the roles of Kian Nuestro and Aron Villegas respectively to highlight love and food in the digital sixepisode series written and directed by Carlo A. Obispo. they may be considered as “newbies” in the entertainment industry but these two are set to prove that they got the looks, brains, and most especially the skills. Produced by Unframed Film and co-produced by LoveJohn Media Productions and Uncle Scott Global Productions in cooperation with Rough Road Productions, Better Days started stealing hearts on Oct. 31. The director is proud to say that Better Days looks beyond the usual sensual romance. “Better Days won’t dwell too much on intimacy but we are to highlight other aspects of love and relationship, not just the physical attraction.” Unframed Film Executive Producer Kristian Villaflor added, “we are offering love as a venue in fulfilling their individual dreams by growing together.” Describing his character, 21-year-old Benedix says, “Aron is a man of few words. “He is someone you can’t really judge immediately, he is a very mysterious person. You need to talk to him first so you could know him better.” Laughing, he adds, “this is something na medyo nahirapan ako kasi if you know me personally, you would notice that I like talking.” Meanwhile, 19-year-old Chesther had no difficulties in portraying his role as Kian Nuestro mainly because “he is a vlogger, his passion is not far from what I do in real life.” Follow Unframed Film Production on all social media platforms for more update.

DingDong expresses IN A recent virtual press conference, Dingdong Dantes talked about Marian Rivera’s dedication as a homemaker putting her showbiz career in the back seat. It’s public knowledge that the actress was set to do the GMA primetime series First Yaya opposite veteran acting stalwart Gabby Concepcion but decided to drop the project because she’s not comfortable with the lock-in taping set-up, which is being practiced these days. She couldn’t afford to be away from her children Zia and Ziggy that long. Due to this, the Kapuso management replaced her with Sanya Lopez. In her past interviews, Marian averred, “I really would like to do First Yaya. My heart and mind were already set for the project. But the pandemic came and there were changes in television tapings. It’s hard since it would require me to be away from my kids for a considerable length of time. I still breastfeed Ziggy and I attend to Zia’s online class. Perhaps, it’s not yet time for me to do a comeback in the soap opera scene.” for Dingdong, he commends Marian’s decision to put their family first among all things. “I perfectly understand where she’s coming from. And I respect her decision. I know her sacrifice in turning back from a project which she would really like to do. It was really a difficult decision on her part,” Dingdong said. As support to his wife, Dong said that he is ready to make adjustments in his work to be able to help Marian

admiration for Marian

Dingdong Dantes with wife Marian Rivera and children Zia and Ziggy

in raising their kids. “I can choose the projects that are being offered to me. I wouldn’t accept heavy workload as possible so I can be with her in the house and take care of the children. It’s either that or there would be times when I have to double-

time because I also need to earn for our needs. But either way, I’m okay to do it,” he shared. Speaking of work, his current soap Descendants of the Sun is back airing fresh episodes. How did he feel when he had to be out for a couple of

Barbie Almalbis touches hearts with uplifting rendition of ‘Umagang Kay Ganda’ tHere seems to be a perfect anscenes featured in the music video. them for all those that badly need Some users were inspired to a picker-upper. Last July 30, post their interpretations of Magnolia Dari Creme rethe song, with the intention leased its collaboration with to share a piece of solace to singer and songwriter Barthose who need it this time, bie Almalbis through a just how Magnolia Dari beautiful rendition of the Creme and Barbie did. these classic song, “Umagang Kay video responses warmed the Ganda.” The song and its musinger’s heart, saying “I am sic video aimed to give support grateful that through creativity and honor to our brave frontand with the help of technoloA scene from ‘Umagang gy, we can still be emotionally liners, just in time when they Kay Ganda’ music video appealed for their two weeks connected to our communities performed by singer and and families even while we are of time-out. Barbie shared that the songwriter Barbie Almalbis. physically isolated.”. power of music expressed in Through the song, Magnosongs like “Umagang Kay Ganda” has been lia Dari Creme hopes to send a beautiful rea great source of joy and comfort, especially minder of the importance of our families and during the lockdown. According to her, “It communities as we embrace new realities. As has helped ease our anxiety, encouraged a household brand that supports starting each us towards faith, and given us comfort and day with a wonderful breakfast with the fampockets of happiness.” ily, we too can do what we can to rise and The music video has gone viral, generating make each day better. over 10 million views and 44K shares on You“Umagang Kay Ganda” by Barbie Almalbis tube and Facebook, a testament of how much in collaboration with Magnolia Dari Creme this song struck and stirred so many hearts. is now available for streaming on Spotify, The comments section was flooded with neti- Apple Music, and iTunes. Visit Magnolia Dari zens’ reactions, sharing how they were deeply Creme’s Youtube channel and Barbie Almalbis’ moved by the song and the real, authentic Facebook Page to watch the full music video.

weeks for the taping? “I’ve been with my family day in, day out because of the quarantine. I got used to it. So, when the time came that I had to be locked-in on the set of DOTS, I felt sad when I left the house,” ended Dong. *** It’s good to know that majority of GMA shows which were put on hold because of the pandemic have either gone back or readying for taping. first to have a recap is the charttopping afternoon soap Prima Donnas, which stars Aiko Melendez, Katrina Halili, Jillian Ward, and Althea Ablan. It will start airing new episodes starting next week. Barbie Forteza and Kate Valdez’s Anak ni Waray Vs. Anak ni Biday, which also stars veteran acting stalwarts Dina Bonnevie and Snooky Serna, just wrapped up taping. the top-rating afternoon soap Magkaagaw starring Sunshine Dizon, Sheryl Cruz, and Jeric Gonzales is also taping fresh episodes soon. Cameras have also started grinding for the hit afternoon soap Bilangin ang Bituin sa Langit headlined by Kyline Alcantara, Mylene Dizon, and Nora Aunor. this is indeed a positive development that would delight the viewers who have longed to see fresh content from said Kapuso programs.

Nickie Wang, Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com TUESday, NOVEMBER 3, 2020

extra INterNatIONaL

Bad Romance: Lady Gaga in Twitter feud with Trump campaign MUSIC superstar Lady Gaga got into an unlikely Twitter feud Sunday with President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign after they accused her of being anti-fracking. Democratic challenger Joe Biden announced that Gaga would appear with him Monday evening at a drive-in rally in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a state crucial to clinching victory on Nov. 3. Trump’s team responded immediately, slamming the joint appearance. “Nothing exposes Joe Biden’s disdain for the forgotten working men and women of Pennsylvania like campaigning with anti-fracking activist Lady Gaga,” campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh said in a statement posted to twitter.

Popstar Lady Gaga joked that she was ‘glad to be living rent free’ in US President Donald Trump’s head.

“This desperate effort to drum up enthusiasm for his lackluster candidacy is actually a sharp stick in the eye for 600,000 Pennsylvanians who work in the fracking industry,” Murtaugh said, adding that Biden has “repeatedly promised left-wing activists” he will end fracking should he take office. Fracking -- gas and oil extraction from deep underground rock using an injection of water and chemicals -- boomed in the mid-2000s thanks to new technology. By 2014, it made the US the world’s biggest oil and gas producer. But its costs are high: the drilling triggers earthquakes, while research links its air emissions and water contamination to myriad health problems. It also contributes to global warming when methane leaks out from drilling wells and becomes a highly potent greenhouse gas. Biden favors prohibiting new fracking on public lands and transitioning the country to renewables, but has said he would not eliminate fracking entirely. Lady Gaga clapped back at Murtaugh, tweeting: “HEY TIM HEY @realDonaldTrump SO HAPPY IM GLAD TO BE LIVING RENT FREE in your HEAD. #BidenHarris.” the Oscar-winner attached an image of Murtaugh’s statement, decorated with animated stickers that said “LOL” and “Vote Biden,” as well as the message, “Heeeey Donald... #WINNING (also, what is a fracking?) keep your jobs PA... We (heart emoji) You.” Murtaugh thanked Gaga for sharing the statement with her 82 million followers, saying he hoped “lots of folks in PA see this.” “Next time @ me,” he added, referring to twitter’s method of tagging people in posts. But there was only love for Gaga in the rest of the comments, where fans jokingly urged her to “END HIM” and “GET HIM QUEEN.” Murtaugh doubled down shortly after, tweeting, “Now that we have your attention, Google ‘Lady Gaga fracking.’” AFP

KApUso BARAnGAyAn on WheeLs: Reaching out to more Filipinos in the regions

GMA Regional TV reaches out to more Filipinos in the regions through Kapuso Barangayan on Wheels. GMA Regional TV’s (RTV) Kapuso Barangayan on Wheels continues to reach out to more Kapuso in the regions, extending help to thousands of families in North Central Luzon; Central and Eastern Visayas; Western Visayas; and North, Central, and Southern Mindanao. Halfway through its second leg, this civic initiative launched by GMA RTV last May is a modified version of Kapuso Barangayan. As most of the cities and provinces in the country were placed under community quarantine, Kapuso Barangayan on Wheels was conceptualized

to provide filipinos with essential items they urgently need such as breakfast items, grocery packs, as well as hygiene kits and vitamins. From June to the first week of October, a total of 1,040 families from nine barangays in North Central Luzon were given food and grocery packs by GMA RTV North Central Luzon team. Meanwhile, 14 barangays in Iloilo were visited by GMA RTV Western Visayas from the last week of May to the first week of October, benefiting 1,660 families. In Cebu, 10 barangays were provided with food packs and fresh locally-produced vegetables since June, with GMA RTV Central and eastern Visayas reaching 1,130 families. From July to September, the GMA RTV Southern Mindanao team was able to aid 1,080 families in nine barangays in Davao. The Kapuso Barangayan on Wheels went all the way to Cagayan de Oro and Misamis Oriental where almost 600 families from five barangays received food items from GMA RTV North and Central

Mindanao. Each pack of “Kapuso Barangayan on Wheels” included notes with messages of encouragement from the anchors and hosts of GMA Regional TV’s newscasts and morning programs to help uplift the beneficiary family’s spirits. “Our Kapuso Barangayan on Wheels is more than just distributing essentials and grocery packs to the Kapuso families in the regions,” says GMA Regional TV and Synergy Vice President and Head Oliver Amoroso. “This is our way of reaching out to every Kapuso, for them to feel that they are not alone in this fight against COVID-19 and that GMA Network, thru GMA Regional TV, is one with them in these trying times. We thank all our partners across the Philippines in helping us realize our mission. Rest assured that we will continue to do our best in providing our Kapuso families basic supplies so as to lessen their load,” he ends. “Kapuso Barangayan on Wheels” is set to kickstart its third wave this December with the aim of reaching more beneficiaries throughout the country.

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

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2020

Life

HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT

Science is the answer This year’s NASA Space Apps Challenge was held online.

ILIPINO developers, engineers, designers, scientists, coders, and innovators once again banded together—at home, this time—in a virtual hackathon to develop solutions to real-world problems using National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) free and open data.

Some of the projects developed during this year’s edition of NASA’s International Space Apps Challenge on October 2-4 included road hazard detection, data visualization tools, and machine learning for satellite image monitoring, and more. With the hackathon held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s theme “Take Action” serves as reminder that anyone can make a difference, even from home. The first director-general of the Philippine Space Agency, Dr. Joel Joseph S. Marciano Jr. stressed the importance of space science in helping the society. “Space infrastructure, space data, and space-enabled services therefore help inform policies and decision-support systems that can lead us to better plan and decongest our cities, improve our transportation systems, monitor the state of infrastructure, enable better connectivity, enhance our agricultural and fisheries production, and protect our natural environment,” he said. For many years, Filipinos collaborate and work with one another in developing projects to solve problems using

Filipinos develop solutions to real-world problems anew

SOLVE IT WITH SCIENCE. The NASA Space Apps international hackathon allows coders, scientists, designers, and engineers around the world to engage with NASA’s free and open data to develop solutions addressing real-world problems. Photos courtesy of Space Apps Challenge/Facebook space technologies. NASA and partner agencies—Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), National Centre for Space Studies (CNES) of France, Canadian Space Agency (CSA), and European Space Agency (ESA)—have been recognized the hard work done by Filipinos. Participants from the Philippines have been recognized and awarded globally as winners and finalists consecutively in the past three years. Software developer Michael Lance M. Domagas is optimistic that in these trying times, the country would still choose to prioritize and give value to science, technolo-

gy, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), especially in emerging fields like space science where innovators can contribute and solve the most pressing problems prevailing in the society and environment today. “Why can’t we support our own modern-day heroes specializing in new and emerging technologies to address issues and help others in our country? NASA and partner agencies from other countries have already recognized the ingenuity of Filipinos for the past three years. Now is the proper time for our own country to recognize their achievements too,” emphasized Domagas.

Technology and developer community leaders and STAMINA4Space engineers served as mentors helping participants during the virtual hackathon.

Research finds mouthwash, baby shampoo may deactivate coronaviruses By Chris Melore (Editor’s note: This article first came out at studyfinds.org. The virus analyzed in the study was human coronavirus 229e or HCoV-229e and not SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19. No human partici participants were involved in the research.)

Novartis Healthcare Philippines and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness team up to address eye screening gaps in the country.

Multi-stakeholder partnership to address eye screening gaps in PH

ACCORDING to the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), 253 million people in the world are visually impaired, 36 million of which are blind while 217 million have moderate/severe visual impairment. And more than a billion cannot see well because they don’t have access to glasses. During the recent World Sight Day on October 8, Novartis Healthcare Philippines and IAPB launched the multi-stakeholder “Collaboration to Preserve Sight” to address eye screening gaps in the country. “Novartis is privileged to collaborate with the IAPB and our other partners to provide eye screening and education in eye care and raise awareness on the massive unmet needs in eye health,” Jugo Tsumura, president and managing director of Novartis Healthcare Philippines, said during a virtual media briefing. With political commitment to take action to make eye care an integral part of Universal Health Coverage and to implement ‘integrated people-centered eye care,’ IAPB Western Pacific chairperson Amanda Davis enthused, “there is Hope In Sight.” “We laud this multi-stakeholder partnership to address eye screening gaps in the country and realize the Philippines’ commitment to the Global Elimination of Avoidable Blindness: Vision 2020 – The Right to Sight,” said Dr. Beverly Lorraine Ho, director of Health Promotion Bureau at the Department of Health. According to Mardi Mapa-Suplido,

Attending the virtual launch of ‘Collaboration to Preserve Sight’ are Jugo Tsumura (Novartis Healthcare Philippines), Dr. Beverly Lorraine Ho (Department of Health), Dr. Leo Cubillan (Philippine Eye Research Institute), Amanda Davis (IAPB Western Pacific), Mardi MapaSuplido (The Fred Hollows Foundation), Dr. Ma. Margarita Lat-Luna (Philippine Academy of Ophthalmology), Dr. Marie Joan Loy (Vitreo-Retina Society of the Philippines), Dr. Noel Chua (National Committee for Sight Preservation), Dr. Peter Paul Ronque (Novartis Medical Affairs– Ophthalmology), and Christine Fajardo (Novartis Healthcare Philippines).

country manager of The Fred Hollows Foundation, “Our program will implement a home vision screening campaign encouraging families during the quarantine to detect simple eye problems at home, then refer to provincial eye centers for further diagnosis and treatment in Tarlac, Quezon, Oriental Mindoro, Antique, Negros Oriental, and Surigao del Norte.” The Mulat Mata Diabetic Retinopathy Project, on the other hand, aims to set up a comprehensive diabetic retinopathy program consisting of awareness campaigns and education, diabetic retinopathy screening, and data gather-

ing. The program will begin at the community level in Bulacan, said Dr. Marie Joan Loy, president of Vitreo-Retina Society of the Philippines. For National Committee for Sight Preservation’s part, chairman Dr. Noel Chua said, “We are privileged to support the ‘Collaboration to Preserve Sight’ through the development and roll-out of a National Eye Health Communications Strategy Plan, the replication of the home vision screening program in 10 provinces, and the pilot of an online vision screening program for kindergarten students.”

AS THE world waits for a vaccine to COVID-19, a new study finds there may be a way to slow the spread sitting in your medicine cabinet. Researchers from Penn State College of Medicine say nasal and oral rinses like mouthwash can deactivate human coronaviruses. Their study finds these common, over-thecounter products should have the same effect on SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19. The group tested various products including one-percent baby shampoo, a neti pot, peroxide sore-mouth cleansers, and mouthwash, seeing how each would lower the viral load of coronavirus strains in a patient’s mouth. Their findings reveal most of these products effectively shut down virus particles in less than two minutes. Researchers hope they may also lower the chances of COVID-19 infection among people carrying the virus. “While we wait for a vaccine to be developed, methods to reduce transmission are needed,” Craig Meyers, professor of microbiology, immunology, obstetrics, and gynecology said in a university release. “The products we tested are readily available and often already part of people’s daily routines.” The study finds both mouthwash and baby shampoo render 99.9 percent of coronaviruses inactive. Meyers and his team replicated the reaction between virus cells in mouths and noses when they encounter rinses and mouthwashes. Health officials say these are the two major points where COVID-19 enters and exits the body, which explains the emphasis on face mask protection. Researchers introduced their virus solutions to all of the cleansing products for 30 seconds, one minute, and two min-

utes. Meyers explains that the outer envelope of their viruses and SARS-CoV-2 are so genetically similar that the results should mean COVID-19 would become inactive after exposure to rinses as well. The results reveal one-percent baby shampoo solution deactivated more than af 99.9 percent of human coronaviruses after two minutes of contact. Researchers say doctors, who regularly have contact with infected patients, often use baby A recently published research shows mouthwash deactivates 99.9 percent of human coronaviruses after a 30-second contact.

shampoo to rinse out their sinuses. Even better, the results find several mouthwash and gargling products leave 99.9 percent of coronaviruses inactive after just 30 seconds. Some of these rinses stopped 99.99 percent of coronavirus. “People who test positive for COVID-19 and return home to quarantine may possibly transmit the virus to those they live with,” adds Meyers. “Certain professions including dentists and other healthcare workers are at a constant risk of exposure.” Meyers, however, clarifies, “Clinical trials are needed to determine if these products can reduce the amount of virus COVIDpositive patients or those with high-risk occupations may spread while talking, coughing, or sneezing. Even if the use of these solutions could reduce transmission by 50 percent, it would have a major impact.” Researchers will now be looking to expand their study to clinical trials involving COVID-19-positive patients. The study was published in the Journal of Medical Virology.