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Elderly group bats for universal coverage of social pension

PHILIPPINE STAR/MIGUEL DE GUZMAN

A GROUP of elderly Filipinos supporting a bill expanding the coverage of the social pension system said the government must implement a universal program that meets the needs of the country’s aging citizens without discrimination.

“We are advocating for the approval of a universal social pension program as the current system does not sustain the needs of indigent senior citizens,” Dioscoro B. Benalla, Sr., president of the Confederation of Older Persons Association of the Philippines (COPAP), told BusinessWorld in a phone interview.

Mr. Benalla said the state pension should also be inclusive, citing the explanatory of House Bill (HB) No. 10109 which states that around 54% of elderly Filipinos do not receive a pension from the government.

The proposed measure file by the Makabayan bloc lawmakers last month seeks to expand the coverage of the country’s social pension system and increase the monthly take of senior citizen beneficiaries from P1,000 to P2,000.

The proposal to increase the pension stipend to P2,000 is P500 more than the initial amount forwarded by COPAP, he said.

A salient feature of the bill is the removal of a clause that restricts social pension beneficiaries to only senior Filipinos who do not receive state pension or financial assistance from their relatives.

The current social pension is not being implemented properly due to its “discriminatory” clause, Mr. Benalla said, referring to the indigency requirement to receive the monthly state financial support.

COPAP is advocating for an inclusive and universal social pension program so that “every senior citizen will be given a monthly stipend.” — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio

Eid’l Fitr celebrations peaceful in Central Mindanao

THOUSANDS of Filipino Muslims gathered at the Quezon City Memorial Circle on Wednesday to celebrate Eid’l Fitr, which marks the end of fasting under Ramadan. — PHILIPPINE STAR/MICHAEL VARCAS

COTABATO CITY — Local executives took turns urging Muslims to vigorously sustain their spiritual solidarity with non-Muslims during the Eid’l Fit’r congregational outdoor prayers on Wednesday in different areas of Central Mindanao.

The obligatory prayer rites marked the end of Ramadhan, a holy month in Islam, where Muslims fast from dawn to dusk for 28-29 days as a religious obligation and to inculcate among them the importance of self-restraint to achieve spiritual perfection.

Major Gen. Alex S. Rillera, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, and Bangsamoro regional police director Brig. Gen. Prexy D. Tanggawohn separately told reporters on Wednesday that the Eid rites in areas under their jurisdiction were peaceful, facilitated with the support of local government units (LGUs).

Muslim leaders and Islamic theologians in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and in Region 12 had called on their constituents, via reporters, after the Eid gatherings to continue supporting the multi-sector cultural and religious-solidarity thrusts of their LGUs in support of the Mindanao peace efforts of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. and the southern Moro communities.

“Islam has very extensive teachings on religious tolerance and about the obligation of every Muslim to be in peace with people with different religions. That should encourage us to be instruments of religious solidarity,” Lanao del Sur Gov. Mamintal A. Adiong, Jr., said.

Some Christian local executives had set a precedent on Wednesday by reaching out to Muslims in designated Eid’l Fit’r worship sites, providing food and bottled water as offerings.

Mr. Rillera and Cotabato’s provincial police director, Col. Gilbert B. Tuzon, separately told reporters that many Christian LGU officials, among them Mayor Rolly C. Sacdalan and Evangeline P. Guzman of Midsayap and Kabacan towns in Cotabato province, respectively, even helped military and police units plan out security contingencies for Wednesday morning’s Eid events in their municipalities.

Muslim officials in the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region said they also appreciate the distribution in mosques of food and drinks during the Ramadhan for iftar, the first meal after a day-long fast, by the LGU of Lamitan City in Basilan.

The mayor of Lamitan City, Roderick Furigay, a Christian, is the only non-Muslim mayor in BARMM whose office has subsidies for clerics managing mosques in all of the 45 barangays under its jurisdiction.

“We in Basilan are keen on fostering religious unity among the local Muslim and Christian communities. It is for that unity that we have driven out from the Abu Sayyaf that for so long made life so uneasy for our people. We now have peace here, courtesy of our Muslim and Christian communities,” Gov. Hadjiman Salliman, chairperson of the multi-sector Basilan Peace and Order Council, said.

Many erstwhile non-Muslims who have embraced Islam in recent years, among them active members of the Philippine National Police and personnel of units of 6th ID, attended the Eid congregational ceremony at the division’s mosque in the premises of Camp Siongco in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte, organized by Mr. Rillera and their Islamic preacher, the Maranaw Captain Alinair C. Guro.

Mr. Tanggawohn, who assumed as police director of BARMM only last week, said he shall embark on projects, along with the provincial police offices in the autonomous region, that can help maintain cordiality among the local Muslim, Christian and non-Moro indigenous communities. — John Felix M. Unson

Gov’t urged to ensure workers’ safety amid summer heat

A mural in Paco, Manila is seen on May 16, 2022. — PHILIPPINE STAR/KRIZ JOHN ROSALES

AMID rising temperatures this summer, the government should formulate a comprehensive strategy for workers’ safety and protection from heat-related health risks, a labor group leader said Wednesday.

Jose “Sonny” G. Matula, who chairs the NAGKAISA labor coalition, said in a statement that current workplace safety regulations do not address the challenges faced by workers as summer temperatures reach dangerous levels.

“Current laws and regulations fall short in addressing the challenges and stresses faced by workers due to extreme heat,” he said.

The latest heat index bulletin of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) warned that Dagupan City in Northern Luzon and seven other cities and municipalities throughout the country may reach “dangerous” levels of heat on Thursday.

Metro Manila’s heat index may reach temperatures of 40° to 41° Celsius, which warrants an “extreme caution” rating — meaning a person exposed to such temperatures could experience cramps and heat exhaustion that may potentially lead to heat stroke.

NAGKAISA recommended that the government institutionalize hazard pay for employees exposed to hot weather. It is also pushing for the inclusion of “heat leaves” within emergency leave provisions of collective bargaining agreements between workers and their management.

“While some CBAs (collective bargaining agreements) address leaves for natural calamities like typhoons, floods, fires, and earthquakes, there’s a critical gap regarding heat waves,” it said.

The group also called on the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) to inspect the work environments of industries to ensure adherence to health and safety standards to prevent the ill effects of heat on workers. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio

Benilde pushes women’s volleyball win streak to 30 games over 4 years

FACEBOOK.COM/NCAA.ORG.PH

Games Tomorrow
(Filoil EcoOil Arena)
7:30 a.m. — Mapua vs SSC-R (men’s)
10 a.m. — Mapua vs SSC-R (women’s)
2 p.m. — LPU vs San Beda (women’s)
5 p.m. — LPU vs San Beda (men’s)

FOR 29 straight NCAA games spanning four years, College of St. Benilde (CSB) was nothing short of immaculate.

Make it 30 in a row.

Brandishing the same deadly and unforgiving roster that netted them two straight title sweeps, the Lady Blazers walloped the Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC) Lady Generals, 25-15, 25-14, 25-23 Wednesday that kept them on track for a three-peat sweep in NCAA Season 99 women’s volleyball action at the Filoil EcoOil Arena.

It also extended CSB’s run of excellence to 30 consecutive wins — seven four years ago when the season was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a pair of 11-game championship sweeps the last two seasons.

Mycah Go, the team’s former skipper and MVP who was back after missing more than a year due to multiple knee injuries, however, said the team is not focused on the streak and taking it one game at a time. “Hindi namin iniisip na wala kami talo o champion kami, lagi namin sinasabi back to zero kami (We never think about being undefeated or winning the championship; we always consider every game to be a reset back to zero),” the 23-year-old Ms. Go said, after playing minimal minutes in a bid to fully recover.

The Lady Blazers faltered in the third set when they trailed the Lady Generals by two, 21-19, but kept their wits about them with recalibrated attacking and defensive schemes to seize six of the last eight points.

“Lagi namin sinasabi kalaban namin sarili. Iyun nangyari, nag relax at feeling namin okay na maski hindi pa tapos ang game (We can be our own worst enemies. What happened was, we relaxed and felt we had done enough, even though the match was not over),” Ms. Go said.

In men’s action earlier, EAC edged CSB, 22-25, 25-23, 25-22, 22-25, 15-12, to launch its bid to duplicate, if not improve on its Final Four finish last year.

Jan Ruther Abor came off the bench and fired 26 points with 25 kills, while Marvin Williams Romero and captain Kenneth Batiancila contributed 16 and 11 hits, respectively. — Joey Villar

Cignal ‘can’t afford to lose’ going into matchup with Chery Tiggo

FACEBOOK.COM/PREMIERVOLLEYBALLLEAGUE

Games Today
(PhilSports Arena)
4 p.m. — Capital1 Solar vs Akari
6 p.m. — Cignal vs Chery Tiggo

JOVELYN Gonzaga, Cignal’s charismatic leader, knows that for the HD Spikers to survive the heated Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference semifinal race, they needed to play with urgency and desperation.

“We can’t afford to lose,” said the 32-year-old opposite hitter whose squad clashes with a dangerously resurgent Chery Tiggo in today’s critical elimination round showdown at the PhilSports Arena, which could make or break the campaign.

Cignal is currently tied for fifth with Chery Tiggo, going into their 6 p.m. battle, with both risking their identical 5-2 records.

The winner of that duel would enter the magic four and share third spot with powerhouse Creamline and Petro Gazz, which own 6-2 slates.

Ms. Gonzaga, the so-called “Bionic Ilongga,” is embracing the responsibility of helping the team playing its best by providing much-needed leadership for the HD Spikers.

“Hindi talaga ako vocal unlike Rachel (I’m not as vocal as Rachel),” she said, referring to former captain Rachel Daquis, who is on temporary leave. “Kailangan ko maging vocal and tulungan si Ces (I need to be vocal and help Ces Molina). Knowing Ces, very tahimik iyun at nasa transition pa ng pagiging team captain (Ces is quiet and still transitioning into the team captain role).”

“So kailangan ko talaga mag-step up para sa team, kailangan ko i-embrace responsibility (I need to step up for the team and embrace the responsibility),” she added.

The HD Spikers are expected to have their hands full in tackling a team that has strung together three straight wins, with their victims including contenders Creamline and Petro Gazz.

And the key for the Crossovers’ resurgence has been their much improved team chemistry.

“Mas maganda na chemistry namin, kumpara nung una (Our chemistry has been better than it was),” according tod Chery Tiggo skipper Aby Marano, who has been with the club for only two months.

“But we’re still working hard on that, as well as our communication as a team,” she added.

Akari (3-5), meanwhile, fights for dear life as it squares off with Capital1 Solar Energy (1-7) at 4 p.m. — Joey Villar

Warriors shoot 63.4% from deep, knock down Lakers

FACEBOOK.COM/NBA

KLAY THOMPSON scored 27 points and Stephen Curry added 23 as the sharp-shooting Golden State Warriors inched closer to the host Los Angeles Lakers in the battle for play-in tournament seeding with a 134-120 victory Tuesday.

Golden State made a season-high 26 3-pointers on 41 attempts, one made triple short of the franchise record, and won the season series with three wins in four games.

Mr. Curry was 6-for-6 from distance and Draymond Green went 5-for-7 as the Warriors delivered the best 3-point shooting percentage in a game in NBA history (63.4%) with a minimum of 40 long-range attempts, per ESPN Stats & Info.

Andrew Wiggins scored 17 points and Mr. Green added 15 to go along with 10 assists as the Warriors (44-35) won for the eighth time in their past nine games.

LeBron James scored 33 points and dished out 11 assists and Austin Reaves had 22 points for the Lakers (45-35), who lost consecutive games for just the second time since the start of February.

It was Los Angeles’ final home game of the regular season. The Lakers were playing without Anthony Davis, who took a blow to the side of the head in Sunday’s loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves and still was experiencing nausea with a headache on Tuesday.

Rui Hachimura supplied 20 points and 11 rebounds and D’Angelo Russell scored 14 points for the Lakers, who had won nine of 10 games before dropping the last two, both at home.

The ninth-seeded Lakers are now just a half-game ahead of the No. 10 Warriors. The No. 9 and 10 seeds face off in the play-in tournament, with that winner set to go up against the loser of the 7-8 game for the final Western Conference playoff spot. — Field Level Media

Paris Olympic Games on track to exceed NBC record for advertising sales after pandemic

AS THE July opening ceremony for the 2024 Paris Olympics draws closer, US broadcaster NBCUniversal (NBCU) is seeing renewed interest from major corporate sponsors in the premier global sporting event as fans are expected to fill Olympic stadiums for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Comcast-owned NBCU said Tuesday it has sold $1.2 billion in advertising for the Paris games and is on track to achieve a new sales record in Olympic history.

The company paid $7.65 billion to renew its broadcast rights deal through 2032, the largest deal in the world for the games.

Ad spending from International Olympic Committee (IOC) sponsors is currently up 18% from the previous summer Olympics in Tokyo that took place in 2021, Dan Lovinger, president of Olympic and Paralympic sales at NBCU, said in an interview.

The announcement represents a rebound from previous years. In recent Olympics, IOC sponsors reduced their ad spending with the media company, according to a former NBCU executive and a second person familiar with the ad sales.

IOC sponsors, which include major brands like Visa, Toyota and Procter & Gamble, pay upwards of about $100 million for the right to use the Olympic rings in their marketing materials.

The growth can be attributed to Paris being the first Olympics to allow all spectators since the pandemic, and with a more favorable time zone for US audiences, Mr. Lovinger said.

“Very few properties can help (brands) build reach and know exactly where their advertising is running. That is why the Olympics continues to garner support from major advertisers,” he said.

As viewers, particularly young people, increasingly consume content online and through social media, NBCU has taken steps to follow the shift. It announced last month that in a summer Olympics first, every Paris event will be available on its streaming service Peacock.

Advertisers will be able to buy ads for the first time using automated technology, rather than salespeople, and NBCU has also signed agreements to post clips on X and Snapchat. NBCU’s digital advertising revenue for Paris has surpassed any past Olympics, Mr. Lovinger said.

In previous Olympics as top IOC sponsors reduced their ad spending, NBCU cast a wider net to sell to brands that were not Olympic partners in order to make up the difference, according to the former NBCU executive and the second source familiar with its ads sales.

The former executive said the media company sold to about three times as many advertisers to reach sales goals for Tokyo and the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, adding that the effort was “getting harder and harder.”

In March 2020, NBCU said it sold $1.25 billion in ads for the Tokyo Summer Olympics. The media company restarted the sales process when the games were delayed to the following year due to the pandemic.

NBCU said in mid-2021 that Tokyo was on track to exceed the $1.2 billion in ads sold for the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics, but declined to say whether it would beat the $1.25 billion sold before the Tokyo games were postponed.

NBCU has booked $350 million in revenue from brands advertising for the first time during the Olympics, Mr. Lovinger said, adding that the growth in the number of advertisers supporting the games is a positive for the Olympics.

Procter & Gamble (P&G) was previously spending in the tens of millions of dollars with NBCU for the Olympics, but cut its spending by about 50% over time, the former NBCU executive said. NBCU declined to comment on P&G spending.

P&G said its brands will have television commercials during the Paris games. Chipmaker Intel and tire brand Bridgestone, two IOC sponsors, told Reuters they will forgo television ads and place their Paris marketing campaigns on digital platforms.

“The days of big TV campaigns are behind us,” said Bridgestone’s chief marketing officer Sara Correa. Bridgestone filmed a video showcasing how it uses its rubber technology to help Paralympic athletes with tires for their wheelchairs and rubber soles for running blades, which it posted on its YouTube, Facebook and Instagram accounts.

Intel said it was exploring billboards and so-called out-of-home advertising in addition to digital and social.

Digital can be a draw for brands with an eye on reining in costs. “The absolute cost of digital is lower. Digital is easier to track and easier to measure,” according to Martin Sorrell, founder of advertising firms S4 Capital and WPP.

Visa said it continues to believe in the power of TV for live sports, but added that the “center-of-gravity for fans, especially relatively young fans, is social media,” according to Frank Cooper, Visa’s chief marketing officer.

Toyota said it will advertise on TV, including during the opening and closing ceremonies, while working with celebrities and athletes to connect with audiences that are not traditional sports fans.

“It’s an interesting way of expanding a traditional Olympic marketing base and connect with people through influencers,” according to Dedra DeLilli, Toyota’s head of sponsorships. — Reuters

Summer Olympics federations exclude IBA, call for new boxing body

BERLIN — The Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) on Tuesday excluded the International Boxing Association (IBA) and called for a new organization to take over the sport’s global duties.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided last year to strip the IBA of recognition over its failure to complete reforms on governance, finance and ethical issues.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) earlier this month rejected the IBA’s appeal. The IOC has since urged national boxing federations and national Olympic committees (NOCs) to find a partner international federation by next year at the latest to keep the sport in the Olympics.

“After we waited for the appeal at CAS and the decision of the IOC was confirmed we had no choice to follow our constitution,” ASOIF president Francesco Ricci Bitti said at a news conference. “Now we are waiting for some alternative organization. Boxing is a very important sport.”

The boxing tournaments at the Paris 2024 Games this summer are being organized by the IOC but the Olympic body has repeatedly said it cannot continue doing that.

Los Angeles will host the 2028 Olympics.

Rival body World Boxing, which will seek recognition from Olympic organizers to replace the IBA and keep the sport on the programme for the 2028 Games, has claimed it should be the new federation the IOC partners with.

“This is up to the IOC. We hope that the alternative body that will come into the picture will be representative of the real sports organizations which are the national bodies,” Mr. Ricci Bitti said.

The IBA said it was disappointed by the ASOIF decision. “While this outcome is profoundly disappointing, we wish to stress our unwavering commitment to the sport of boxing and our remarkable athletes and coaches across the globe as the IBA starts its recognition journey,” the IBA said in a statement. — Reuters

Giannis Antetokounmpo exits with injury, but Bucks top league-leading Celtics

GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO collected 15 points, eight rebounds and seven assists before he left the game with a leg injury, and the Milwaukee Bucks ended a four-game losing streak by defeating the visiting Boston Celtics 104-91 Tuesday.

Antetokounmpo fell to the floor and grabbed his left calf with 3:37 remaining in the third quarter. He walked to the locker room and did not return to the game.

The Bucks called the injury a soleus strain.

Boston, playing its final road game, saw its five-game winning streak end. The Celtics (62-17) will wrap up the regular season with home games against New York, Charlotte and Washington.

Patrick Beverley led the Bucks with 20 points, and grabbed 10 rebounds. Milwaukee received 15 points from both Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis, with Mr. Portis grabbing 10 rebounds.

Milwaukee (48-31) is battling Orlando, New York and Cleveland for the No. 2 seed — behind Boston — in the Eastern Conference.

The victory allowed the Bucks to remain in sole possession of second place with three games to play.

Boston’s Jayson Tatum led all scorers with 22 points. Jaylen Brown added 14 points and 10 boards, and Jrue Holiday finished with 12 points.

The Celtics’ frontcourt was thin as Kristaps Porzingis (hamstring) and Al Horford (toe) were sidelined.

Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton was in the starting lineup and finished with 12 points, nine assists and six rebounds in 33 minutes.

Mr. Middleton left the Bucks’ Sunday loss to New York in the second quarter with a mouth injury and didn’t return.

Milwaukee led 37-21 after one quarter, 63-43 at halftime and 78-67 at the end of three quarters.

The Bucks shot 73.7% in the first quarter (14 of 19), when they made 8 of their 10 3-point attempts

Boston outscored Milwaukee 24-15 in the third and ended the quarter on a 14-5 run to pull within 11, but the Boston Celtics never got closer than 11 in the fourth.

The Celtics didn’t attempt a free throw in the game. The Milwaukee Bucks were 1 of 2 from the foul line. — Field Level Media

Biden says Netanyahu’s approach to the war in Gaza is a ‘mistake’

US PRESIDENT Joseph R. Biden (left) meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) in Tel Aviv, Israel, Oct. 18, 2023. — MIRIAM ALSTER/POOL VIA REUTERS FILE PHOTO

WASHINGTON — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approach to the war in Gaza is a “mistake,” US President Joseph R. Biden said in an interview published on Tuesday, offering further criticism of Israel’s handling of the conflict.

“I think what he’s doing is a mistake. I don’t agree with his approach,” Mr. Biden said in comments to Univision, a US Spanish-language TV network.

Mr. Biden has also previously called Israel’s bombing in Gaza “indiscriminate” and its military actions “over the top.”

The White House said last week that the president, in a call with Mr. Netanyahu, threatened to make conditional US support for Israel’s offensive on it taking concrete steps to protect aid workers and civilians. That call followed an Israeli airstrike that killed seven staff of the aid group World Central Kitchen. 

“What I’m calling for is for the Israelis to just call for a ceasefire, allow for the next six, eight weeks, total access to all food and medicine going into the country,” Mr. Biden said in Tuesday’s interview.

Israel’s military assault on Gaza has been the subject of mounting international criticism. Domestically, Mr. Biden has also faced months of protests from anti-war activists, Muslims and Arab Americans across the country, who have demanded a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and restrictions on US military assistance for Israel.

Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies. Israel’s subsequent military assault on Hamas-governed Gaza has killed over 33,000, according to the local health ministry, displaced nearly all of its 2.3 million population and led to genocide allegations that Israel denies. The coastal enclave also suffers widespread hunger.

Israel has received more U.S. foreign aid than any other country since World War Two, although annual assistance has been dwarfed for two years by funding and military equipment sent to Ukraine since Russia’s 2022 invasion.

The United States has traditionally shielded Israel in the United Nations Security Council and vetoed three draft resolutions on the war in Gaza. It abstained last month when the Security Council demanded an immediate ceasefire. — Reuters

Argentina running out of bug spray amid record surge in dengue cases

BLOOMBERG

BUG SPRAY is out of stock across Argentina as the country confronts its worst-ever outbreak of dengue, a mosquito-borne illness that’s surged across Latin America amid high heat and heavy rains.

Argentina reported 233,000 cases of dengue so far during the Southern Hemisphere’s summer — about eight times the number of case reported during the same week last year — and 161 deaths, according to its Health Ministry. Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina are the hardest hit, with more than 3.5 million cases, 83% of which are concentrated in Brazil, according to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

“This is reason for concern, as it represents three times more cases than reported on the same date in 2023, a record year with more than 4.5 million cases reported in the region,” PAHO Director Jarbas Barbosa told reporters March 28.

Barbados, Costa Rica, Gaudeloupe, Guatemala, Martinique and Mexico have all seen surges, Mr. Barbosa said. Dengue is also known as the break-bone fever because of the high temperatures and severe aches it causes. While most infections get better after about 10 days, some cases require hospitalization. Those who are infected a second time have a greater risk of ending up in the hospital.

After Jorge Munua lined the shelves of his family’s 11 supermarkets in the greater Buenos Aires area with about 7,000 cans of bug spray, they were sold within hours — despite a one-can-per-customer limit. Even vanilla extract, the main ingredient of the do-it-yourself alternative, flew off the shelves, he said.

“People are making their own home remedies because the truth is there is no repellent anywhere. I’ve called wholesalers, other supermarkets. As soon as stock arrives, there’s so much psychosis, it just flies off the shelves,” said Mr. Munua, commercial officer for supermarket chain El Abastecedor. “It’s just like what happened with hand sanitizer during the pandemic.”

Fed up with customers’ desperate pleas, shops across Buenos Aires have taken to posting signs outside their stores saying they don’t have any bug spray. On the online marketplace MercadoLibre, mosquito repellent is going for $20 a can, a more than 500% jump from its retail value, a shock even for inflation-battered Argentines grappling with consumer price increases that are now running at an annual pace of 276%.

On Monday, President Javier Milei’s government lifted restrictions on imports of mosquito repellent for 30 days, including looser inspection requirements by local health authorities. In his first TV interview last week, Health Minister Mario Russo said the benefits of the waiver would take effect “probably within the next two weeks.”

SC Johnson, whose mosquito repellent dominates 80% of the local market, saw a 300% jump in demand compared with the same period last year, which they described as “unprecedented” in a press release last week. They now plan to import more than 120,000 canisters of bug spray from Poland. On Tuesday, the company flew in 20,000 cans from Mexico to donate across the northern provinces, which are experiencing the most severe outbreaks coupled with some of the highest poverty rates.

In the meantime Mr. Russo, the health minister, recommended people wear light-colored clothing, stick to long sleeves and “be careful with shorts.” — Bloomberg

Takeaways from the Swiss women’s climate victory

A WOMAN walks on the ice to a measuring point on the Pers Glacier near the Alpine resort of Pontresina, Switzerland, July 21, 2022. — REUTERS

LONDON — The European Court of Human Rights ruled in favor of more than 2,000 Swiss women on Tuesday, affirming their argument that the Swiss government violated their human rights by failing to take sufficient action on climate change.

Here are some takeaways from the verdict.

WEAK CLIMATE POLICIES CAN BREACH HUMAN RIGHTS
This is the first time a regional human rights court has ruled that countries can violate human rights by failing to reduce their climate-warming emissions fast enough.

The Court said it interpreted the European Convention on Human Rights language on a right to private and family life to encompass a right to effective protection by governments from climate change’s adverse impacts on lives, health, well-being and quality of life.

THE WIN WILL CHANGE CLIMATE CASE LAW IN EUROPE
The Court’s ruling against the Swiss government does not only matter for Switzerland, but for all 46 countries which are signatories to the European Convention on Human Rights. Any climate and human rights case brought before a judge in Europe’s national courts will now need to consider the top human rights court’s ruling in whatever decision they make. — Reuters

THE CASE COULD IMPACT CLIMATE LITIGATION WORLDWIDE
While the outcome of the Swiss women’s case is not legally binding in jurisdictions outside Europe, experts expect international courts will consider the ruling in future judgments.

Three other international tribunals — the International Court of Justice, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea — are also writing advisory opinions now on states’ obligations on climate change.

CLIMATE LITIGATION ISN’T GOING AWAY
Tuesday’s ruling could open the floodgates on citizens taking their governments to court on the grounds of human rights claims. Already, the number of climate-related court cases filed around the world has surged: In 2017 there were fewer than 1,000 cases filed globally. By the end of 2023, that number was up to more than 2,500.

THERE ARE NO GUARANTEED WINNERS
Climate lawsuits argued on the grounds of human rights are still relatively novel, and not everyone emerges with a victory. While the European Court of Human Rights ruled in favor of the Swiss women’s argument, it tossed out two other cases on procedural grounds — highlighting how success in climate cases can often depend on factors including jurisdiction or the claimants’ ability to establish themselves as suffering specific harms caused by the effects of climate change. — Reuters

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