Arts & Culture (05/25/22)

May 25, 2022 | 12:02 am

Digital-Gallery — Ayala Museum digital gallery

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Galerie Joaquin presents Marge Organo’s glass works

IN HER LATEST exhibit “Par Excellence,” Marge Organo presents 32 works that play around with the literal and metaphorical meaning of objects, often those that seem to highlight the human body’s connection to those around it. Ms. Organo had studied glass sculpting at the Studio of the Corning Museum of Glass in New York before she was accepted at the Kamenicky Senov in the Czech Republic, one of the oldest glassmaking schools in the world, to pursue glass casting. In the exhibit, the glass sculptures are the artist’s interpretations of icons and images. “Marge Organo: Par Excellence” runs until May 26 at Galerie Joaquin in Power Plant Mall, Rockwell Center in Makati.

NCCA accepting proposals for grants program

THE NATIONAL Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) is now accepting proposals for the 2023 Competitive Grants Program until Aug. 31. The Grants Program is competitive in nature, with the proposals passing through a rigorous and confidential evaluation process. The NCCA Charter authorizes the Commission to give grants to artists and cultural groups which contribute significantly to the Filipino’s cultural legacy as means to extend artistic achievement. The same law also mandates the Commission to administer the National Endowment Fund for Culture and the Arts and give grants for the development, protection, preservation, and dissemination of Philippine culture and arts. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/NCCAOfficial.

Free visit to the Ayala Museum

CELEBRATE International Museum Day (IMD) by visiting Ayala Museum and the Filipinas Heritage Library for free on May 27 between 11:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Limited slots are available. The museum will be celebrating IMD this year both onsite and online as a response to the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Onsite, aside from the free day on May 27, two new exhibition experiences will be launched that day. Filipinas Heritage Library’s “Liberation: War & Hope” is a free exhibit that centers on stories of the life of everyday Filipinos before, during, and post-war. Meanwhile, the Dioramas of Philippine History exhibition gets a narrative extension with the launch of “Diorama Dialogue” — a new segment curated by Manuel Quezon III. “Diorama Dialogue” presents a fresh approach to understanding history by connecting selected dioramas with related events. Special activities will also be scheduled throughout the day. In consideration of everyone’s health and safety, slots will be limited and will be released through Ayala Museum’s website on May 26, 4 p.m., on a first-come-first-served basis. For those unable to visit the museum in person, Ayala Museum will be hosting a free interactive virtual tour of the “Dioramas of Philippine History” exhibit through the social platform, Gather.Town. Guests will be able to interact with each other, control an avatar, and explore a 2D render of Ayala Museum and all 60 of its historical dioramas. The virtual space will be open to visiting virtually anytime from May 27 to June 27. The link to the virtual tour will be available on Ayala Museum’s website and social media pages. For more information and instructions, visit www.ayalamuseum.org or contact Ayala Museum through any of their social media platforms.

Botanical art exhibition at the National Museum

THE NATIONAL Museum of the Philippines, in partnership with the Philippine Botanical Art Society and the Philippine Fauna Art Society, will launch a temporary exhibition featuring artworks of Philippine endemic and native species of plants and animals in the National Museum of Natural History starting May 24. This exhibition will be open for public viewing until Sept. 25.

Sansó’s surrealist fabric designs made into ensembles

THE ARTISTIC legacy of Juvenal Sansó as a fabric designer is currently being exhibited at the FDM X SANSÓ show at the Fundacion Sansó in their San Juan City Gallery. The exhibit is a collaboration with the educators, industry experts, and students of the Fashion Design and Merchandising Program of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde. Though globally renowned as a painter, the artist was also a fabric designer whose prints were used in the couture pieces of fashion giants including House of Balenciaga and Elsa Schiaparelli. For the exhibit, fashion students transformed the signature surrealist artworks into eye-catching pieces of wearable art. FDM X SANSÓ is on view from Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., until June 18 at the Fundacion Sansó, 32 V. Cruz St., Brgy. Sta. Lucia, San Juan City.

70^th Palanca Awards issues last call for entries

THE CARLOS Palanca Foundation, Inc., the sponsor and organizer of the 70^th Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, is reminding aspiring Palanca awardees to submit entries before the deadline on May 31. This year’s comeback edition of the country’s longest-running and most prestigious literary contest is accepting entries in all of its 22 categories: Novel and Nobela categories; English Division — Short Story, Short Story for Children, Essay, Poetry, Poetry Written for Children, One-act Play, and Full-length Play; Filipino Division — Maikling Kuwento, Maikling Kuwentong Pambata, Sanaysay, Tula, Tula Para sa mga Bata, Dulang May Isang Yugto, Dulang Ganap ang Haba, and Dulang Pampelikula; Regional Languages Division — Short Story-Cebuano, Short Story-Hiligaynon, and Short Story-Ilokano; Kabataan Division — Kabataan Essay (“Life in the Midst of the Pandemic and Coping in the New Normal”) and Kabataan Sanaysay (“Buhay sa Gitna ng Pandemya at Pagharap sa ‘New Normal’”). Participants may submit only one entry per category. Published/produced works which were first published or first produced between June 1, 2021 to May 31, 2022 and/or unpublished/unproduced works may be entered in the contest. For the Novel and Nobela categories, published works which were first published within a period of two years prior to May 31 and unpublished works may be submitted. Only unproduced works may be entered in the Dulang Pampelikula category. A work which has been awarded a prize in another contest before midnight of May 31 is not qualified. Contest rules and official entry forms are available at Palanca Awards’ official website, www.palancaawards.com.ph. Entries must be submitted online. All winners will be honored in a special online ceremony later this year. Contact the CPMA office at info@palancaawards.com.ph or at 8843-8277 or 8478-7996 and ask for Leslie Layoso or Susan Castillo.

Migz Salazar at ARTablado

THERE is something quite romantic about the concept of loving someone to the moon and back that to say these words would equate to the strongest sense of affection one can feel for another. “To The Moon and Back,” Allanrey “Migz” Salazar’s new exhibition at Robinsons Land’s Artablado (3^rd floor of Robinsons Galleria), features some 25 of his more recent works. In the late 1990s, Mr. Salazar took up brief formal art studies at Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts de Paris, took an intensive course in photography in Wurzburg, Germany, and later took up courses in Italian Renaissance art history in Florence and in Venice. Mr. Salazar would spend the majority of his artistic career in Paris before finding himself back in Manila just before the pandemic began. He is the first Filipino contemporary visual artist to win the Bust of Pablo Picasso International Art Prize for 2019 in Lecce, Italy, Bust of Julius Caesar International Art Prize, conferment for highest recognition in Arts for Human Rights, and the Francoise-Marie Arouet Voltaire Prize for Civil Rights and Social Commitments in 2018. He is also an Honorary Member of the Accademia Italia in Arte Nel Mondo Associazione Culturale in Lecce Italy from 2018-2020. In the Philippines, he is a recipient of the Ani ng Dangal Awards (2020 and 2022) by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts as well as being an Ambassador of Goodwill by the Global Artists’ Creative Collaboration of Empowerment in California USA.

CCP’s National Rondalla workshop goes online

THE ARTIST Training Division of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) is holding the 7^th National Rondalla Workshop online via Zoom from July 19 to 23 (9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.), with a Virtual Culminating Program streaming on Sept. 24. This is the second year that the workshop will be held online. The workshop trainers will be led by Prof. Elaine Juliet Espejo of the Celso Espejo Rondalla and the UP Rondalla, and faculty member of the UP College of Music. The workshop is open to Filipino rondalla groups nationwide who have been in existence for at least two years and are non-beginners, with members who are in at least high school or above. Rondalla ensembles that have all the instruments may apply for the workshop. In addition, individual participant slots for rondalla instrumentalists and conductors are again opened during this online set-up. Application forms for Rondalla Groups with Conductors are accessible at https://tinyurl.com/Rondalla2022-Apply-Group and for Individual Conductors and/or Instrumentalists at https://tinyurl.com/Rondalla2022-Apply-Individual. Application deadline is on June 17. For inquiries, contact workshop coordinator, Abby Lazo, at ccp.national.rondalla.workshop@gmail.com.

Davao Doctors Hospital to open two satellite clinics

May 25, 2022 | 12:02 am

Davao Doctors Hospital (DDH) will open primary care clinics in SM Lanang on July 29 and SM City Davao on Aug. 15, bringing its total number of satellite clinics to four.

“Follow-up care must be provided… That is why we are providing other avenues of service [such as the] primary care clinics,” said Dr. Noel A. Villanueva, DDH patient experience division head, in a May 23 hybrid presser.

With the pandemic subsiding, the hospital is reconfiguring its coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) home care service to treat patients with chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension.

“In the last two to three months, our positivity rate has only been around 0 to 3%,” said Dr. Ronald P. Tangente, DDH medical director.

As part of its move toward people-centered care, DDH has a platform that gathers public feedback in an effort to improve its design, process, and people.

“Healthcare is not just about doctors and nurses. It involves everyone — including the security guards,” said Dr. Celia C. Castillo, who heads the systems, process and technology division at DDH. “Everyone engaged in serving patients has a perspective as to what ‘good care’ means… The impact of healthcare must also be seen from the perspective of the community.”

DDH is celebrating its first Patient Experience Week until May 27. It is under the hospital unit of Metro Pacific Investments Corp., one of three Philippine units of Hong Kong-based First Pacific Co. Ltd., the others being PLDT, Inc. and Philex Mining Corp. Hastings Holdings, Inc. — a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc. — maintains interest in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — P. B. Mirasol

Boxers performance in SEAG ‘impressive,’ says Picson

May 25, 2022 | 12:02 am

IMPRESSIVE.

That was how Association of Boxing Alliances of the Philippines (ABAP) president Ed Picson described the national team’s performance in the 31^st Southeast Asian Games that concluded on Monday in Hanoi, Vietnam.

“We’re proud of all the boxers and coaches who sacrificed being away from family for several months while training and competition abroad, rigorous daily regimen and some heartaches along the way,” said Mr. Picson. “But in all, a great showing.”

Truly, the Filipinos went perfect as all the nine boxers fielded in went home with at least a bronze medal with Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Eumir Felix D. Marcial, flyweight Rogen Ladon and bantam Ian Clark Bautista delivering golden performances.

Overall, the country also snared a silver from Olympian Irish Magno and five bronzes from Tokyo silver medalist Nesthy A. Petecio, lightweight James Palicte, welter Marjon Pianar, lightfly Josie Gabuco and feather Riza Pasuit.

The country had a shot at matching, if not eclipsing, its seven-gold, three-silver and two-bronze harvest in the 2019 Manila edition when it sent all its nine pugs in the semis.

It wasn’t meant to be tough.

While there were some questionable losses including a controversial one by Ms. Petecio to eventual gold winner Tran Thi Linh of host Vietnam, Mr. Picson did not make excuses.

“The national team sent 10 boxers to Vietnam. Unfortunately, one weight class was canceled due to lack of participants. That left us with nine boxers in the competition,” said Mr. Picson.

“I’m happy to reports that all nine boxers are going home with medals. It definitely could have been better, but this is not the time to rant or complain,” he added.

Local firm included in Accelerating Asia startup program

May 25, 2022 | 12:01 am

A PHILIPPINE-BASED fitness startup was included among startups that were included in the program of international early-stage venture capital (VC) fund platform Accelerating Asia.

In a statement on Tuesday, Accelerating Asia said startup Fitscovery was the only successful startup from the Philippines out of 600 applicants for the Cohort 6 startups program.

“A marketplace where fitness businesses and consumers can easily discover each other and connect, Fitscovery enables trainers and vendors to efficiently build a customized fitness website and helps consumers easily find trainers and gyms with the help of filters and reviews,” Accelerating Asia said.

“In just 30 minutes, Fitscovery’s platform creates a customized fitness website for trainers and vendors, fully equipped with events, video programs, membership subscriptions, and more — anything trainers need to monetize,” it added.

With the new investments, Accelerating Asia said its portfolio has reached 52 startups that have raised $42 million under the program.

The VC fund firm added that the new investments in Cohort 6 also have market traction and growth revenue with an average gross merchandise value of $100,000 per month and an average monthly recurring revenue of over $25,000.

The Cohort 6 startups have a market presence in over 10 countries in Southeast Asia, South Asia, North America and Europe and cover eight verticals including property technology, marketplace, financial technology, logistics, services, e-commerce and health technology. 80% of the startups are also addressing sustainable development goals.

Aside from Fitscovery, the other companies that joined the Cohort 6 program include Godaam Tech in Pakistan; Markopolo.AI in Bangladesh; MedEasy in Bangladesh; NuCredits in US, UK, Europe, China, and Hong Kong; relay.club in China and Southeast Asia; Stylemyle in US; Tokban in Indonesia; and 60 Plus India in India.

“With the nine new portfolio startups selected from 600 applicants and four follow-on investments, Accelerating Asia is excited to continue to invest in highly scalable pre-Series A startups that also have a positive impact in respective operating markets,” Accelerating Asia General Partner Amra Naidoo said.

“Our VC accelerator model ensures high potential founders have greater access to needed capital financing, mentoring and skill sets to enhance their growth trajectory and quickly become leaders in their respective verticals while also lowering the overall risk for our investors at an early stage,” she added.

Meanwhile, Accelerating Asia also made follow-on investments into existing startups, namely: Shuttle, Transtrack.ID, Numu and Giftpack.

“We’re excited to continue to invest in our portfolio companies as they grow alongside leading institutional investors. There is significant market and investor demand for the portfolio especially in digitization of transport and logistics networks with the industry at an inflection point in emerging economies like Bangladesh and Indonesia,” Accelerating Asia General Partner Craig Bristol Dixon said. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave

BSP proposes rules on operation of real-time gross settlement payment system

May 25, 2022 | 12:01 am

THE CENTRAL BANK is proposing rules for the operation of the Peso Real-Time Gross Settlement Payment System (RTGS PS), based on a draft circular on its website.

The draft rules are in accordance with Republic Act No. 11127 or the National Payment Systems Act, which allows the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to own and operate a payment system, and issue guidelines governing payment systems in the country.

The rules, if approved, will be included in the BSP’s Manual of Regulations for Payment Systems. They will cover the participants of the RTGS PS, including banks and other financial institutions, financial market infrastructures, clearing switch operators, and critical service providers.

Stakeholders are given until June 3 to give their feedback on the proposed circular.

The BSP owns and operates the Philippine Payment and Settlement System or PhilPaSS, the country’s current RTGS payment system. Banks and non-banks with quasi-banking functions are granted access to PhilPaSS to facilitate electronic interbank payments.

PhilPaSS and PhilPaSS Plus were designated as systematically important payment systems last year.

According to the draft circular, the Peso RTGS PS will settle peso-denominated funds transfers representing “time critical and high value payments”.

These transactions include government collections; the movements of funds between participants proprietary accounts; interbank or inter-institution transfers; withdrawals from and deposits into financial institutions’ accounts with the BSP; transactions with the BSP, such as placements in deposit facilities, the purchase or sale of foreign currency (FX) and securities or those related to its intraday liquidity facility; and the money settlement leg of security trades; the peso leg of FX trades; clearing results for checks, automated teller machine transactions, digital payments and other types of retail payments; and other large value transactions.

“The RTGS PS is critical for maintaining price and financial stability, as well as preserving public interest,” the BSP said in the draft circular. “By providing the settlement facility for the open market operation of the BSP, the RTGS PS also supports the BSP’s mandate of ensuring price stability.”

“Moreover, this system plays an indispensable role in upholding public welfare by enabling the efficient and low-risk settlement of retail payments in central bank money.”

Because payment systems affect demand for funds and, consequently, money market rates, the BSP offers intraday and overnight liquidity facilities “to ensure that payments smoothly flow through the RTGS system and that interdependent settlements are executed in a timely manner to manage systemic risk.”

The BSP’s Peso RTGS Management Committee (ManCom) composed of central bank officers and units will manage the operation of the RTGS PS.

“The ManCom shall be responsible for ensuring the safe, efficient, and reliable operation of the RTGS PS and compliance with the applicable expectations for an operator of a designated payment system under Section 101 of the MORPS,” the draft said.

The ManCom will review and endorse for Monetary Board approval the policy proposals or amendments on the operation of the RTGS PS and oversee the implementation of programs, policies, and procedures to ensure the operation of the system aligns with global standards or best practices.

The draft rules also outline the criteria for determining entities that can settle through the RTGS PS. Participants will need to comply with the BSP’s connectivity requirements and have a risk management system in place.

“While participation is open regardless of the size of a prospective participant and the complexity of its business, the BSP considers the applicant’s capacity to fulfill operational, financial, legal, and regulatory pre-requisites to manage participant-induced risks to the safety and efficiency of the PS,” the central bank said in the draft circular.

“Managing the risks arising from participation in the RTGS PS shall be an integral part of the participants’ operation. To ensure that risks are comprehensively addressed, the participants shall establish policies, procedures, and controls, which are aimed at mitigating legal, credit, liquidity, general business, and operational risks. The participants shall consider not only the risks to themselves but also those that they pose to the RTGS PS,” it added.

According to the draft rules, RTGS PS participants may use the following payment messaging channels: the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication or SWIFT messaging system, the web-based system provided by the BSP to system participants, and the Virtual Private Network – Straight Through Processing or VPN-STP Gateway communication module.

Settlement through the RTGS system will need to comply with required levels of settlement account balances and execution of settlement instructions, among others. The RTGS PS will also implement settlement guarantee mechanisms.

The draft circular likewise included rules on incident management, business continuity, system enhancement and testing, and settlement fees and charges. — KBT

Heard lawyers will not call Depp back to witness stand

May 25, 2022 | 12:01 am

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard in The Rum Diary (2011) — Johnny Depp and Amber Heard in a scene from the 2011 film The Rum Diary. — IMDB.COM

LAWYERS for Aquaman actress Amber Heard decided not to call Johnny Depp back to the witness stand as they wrapped up their defense this week in the former couple’s defamation case, a source close to Ms. Heard said on Monday afternoon.

Mr. Depp appeared on a list of potential witnesses as the trial entered its sixth and final week.

The Pirates of the Caribbean star could testify again if his own lawyers summon him for more questioning ahead of closing arguments on Friday.

Mr. Depp, 58, is suing Ms. Heard in Virginia for $50 million, saying she defamed him when she said she was a victim of domestic abuse. Ms. Heard, 36, has countersued for $100 million, arguing that Mr. Depp smeared her by calling her a liar.

A jury in Virginia will be asked to decide both claims.

Mr. Depp has told jurors he never hit Ms. Heard and argued that she was the abuser in their relationship. He said Ms. Heard threw a vodka bottle at him in early 2015, severing the top of his right middle finger.

Ms. Heard said she did not cause the finger injury and said she only hit him to defend herself or her sister.

On Monday, jurors were shown graphic photos of Mr. Depp’s bloody finger and heard testimony from a hand surgeon, Dr. Richard Moore, who was called as an expert witness for Ms. Heard.

Mr. Moore, who reviewed Depp’s medical records, said he did not believe Depp’s injury was sustained in the way the actor described.

“The wound doesn’t really appear to be a sharp glass laceration,” he said.

Mr. Moore said he believed it was instead a “crush injury,” though he acknowledged under questioning from Mr. Depp’s lawyers that he could not say for sure what happened to the finger.

Ms. Heard had testified that she thought Mr. Depp might have injured himself when he smashed a wall-mounted phone into “smithereens” during their argument that night in Australia, where Mr. Depp was filming the fifth Pirates movie.

Mr. Depp and Ms. Heard met in 2011 while filming The Rum Diary. They wed in February 2015 and their divorce was finalized about two years later.

The legal case centers on a December 2018 opinion piece by Ms. Heard that appeared in the Washington Post. The article never mentioned Mr. Depp by name, but his lawyer told jurors it was clear that Ms. Heard was referring to him.

Mr. Depp, once among Hollywood’s biggest stars, said Ms. Heard’s allegations cost him “everything.” A new Pirates movie was put on hold, and Mr. Depp was replaced in the Fantastic Beast film franchise, a Harry Potter spinoff.

Ms. Heard’s attorneys have argued that she told the truth and that her opinion was protected free speech under the US Constitution’s First Amendment.

Less than two years ago, Mr. Depp lost a libel case against the Sun, a British tabloid that labeled him a “wife beater.” A London High Court judge ruled that he had repeatedly assaulted Ms. Heard.

Mr. Depp’s lawyers filed the case in Fairfax County, Virginia, because the Washington Post is printed there. The newspaper is not a defendant. — Reuters

Kiefer Ravena quits Gilas Pilipinas, returns to NLEX

May 25, 2022 | 12:01 am

keifer-ravena — GILAS mainstay Kiefer Ravena — PHILIPPINE STAR FILE PHOTO

THE shocking gold medal bust in the 31^st Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) probably struck Kiefer Ravena, the longest-tenured and winningest among the Gilas Pilipinas mainstays, the hardest.

Five-time winner prior to the Vietnam edition, Mr. Ravena would have loved to end his SEAG tour of duty on a triumphant note but now has to endure and get over arguably the most painful of defeats.

“That’s it for me!” Mr. Ravena, who first competed in the SEA Games in 2011 as an 18-year-old college star, posted on Instagram after the unexpected fall of mighty Gilas to first-time champion Indonesia.

“Hanging these bad boys up for my last SEA Games. It’s been my absolute pleasure playing for the Philippines.”

In retrospect, “The Phenom” said it was a great ride overall for him in the biennial meet. After the gold in Jakarta, Mr. Ravena reaped more success with the Sinag-Gilas crews in 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019 as powerhouse Philippines extended its championship run to 13 consecutive SEA Games.

“Thank you, SEA Games for the competition, relationship and memories,” he said. “Thirteen straight is tough to beat and I’m so proud of my team. Sorry, we fell short (in Vietnam).”

Gilas Pilipinas has to regroup quickly with the next competition, the third window of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA)World Cup Asian Qualifiers, set on June 30 and July 3 against New Zealand and India, respectively. The squad is reportedly arranging a pair of tune-up matches with South Korea next month before going back to battle.

The redemption tour will reach fever pitch with the FIBA Asia Cup in July as the National play right on the turf of their conqueror Indonesia.

As for Mr. Ravena, it’s back to NLEX after his stint in the Japan B. League. He attended mass with the Road Warriors on Tuesday.

Stemming the HIV epidemic

May 25, 2022 | 12:01 am

Red-ribbon — The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)/Flickr

May 15 marked the start of the country’s week-long observance of the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial. This annual event is an opportune time to remember the many lives lost to AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) and honor those who dedicated their lives to helping people living with and affected by HIV (human immunodeficiency virus).

The Philippines had the fastest growing HIV epidemic in the Asia-Pacific region with the highest percent increase (174%) of new HIV infections between 2010 and 2017, according to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

Unfortunately, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has worsened the HIV epidemic in the country. In “The Philippine HIV crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic: a worsening crisis” published in November 2021 in Public Health, Dr. Rowalt Alibudbud cited Department of Health (DoH) data showing that HIV testing decreased by 61% and treatment initiation dipped by 28% in 2020. Moreover, only 70% of the estimated 111,400 Filipinos living with HIV in 2020 are aware of their status, while only 61% are on life-saving antiretroviral therapy (ART).

Dr. Alibudbud identified lower accessibility, delivery, and financing of HIV-related health services and programs in the community as factors during the pandemic that contributed to the country’s state of HIV.

Accessibility to a testing center and delivery of HIV-related health services were hindered by travel restrictions and limited mass transportation; and financing of HIV-related programs were limited by the re-appropriation and re-alignment of the government’s budget to pandemic control measures.

Decreased HIV testing and treatment could result in an increase of full-blown AIDS cases in the country, warned Dr. Alibudbud. He also pointed out the HIV/AIDS & ART Registry report that 105 pregnant women were diagnosed with HIV in 2020, the first time in the past decade that this statistic reached more than a hundred. If left unchecked, the country’s HIV crisis may shift from its concentration in MSM (men who have sex with men) into the general population, he said.

In “HIV crisis in the Philippines: urgent actions needed” published in February 2019 in The Lancet, HIV researcher Dr. Louie Mar Gangcuangco outlined six interventions to curb the country’s HIV epidemic.

First, reduce the stigma by integrating sexual health and gender-sensitivity education in school curriculums. Second, increase HIV awareness among healthcare professionals by emphasizing the importance of early HIV detection and enhancing knowledge in HIV management in medical and nursing curriculums.

Third, distribute pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) on a national scale as part of comprehensive HIV prevention programs. Fourth, use integrase inhibitors. Fifth, empower primary care physicians to provide HIV care. Lastly, with injecting drug users accounting for 4% of HIV cases in the country, address substance abuse and promote mental health.

Two decades after the country’s first HIV/AIDS legislation was passed, Republic Act 11166 or the Philippine HIV and AIDS Policy Act, was enacted in 2018. It lowers the age of a person to avail of free HIV testing without parents’ consent to 15 from 18 years old; provides free and accessible anti-retroviral treatment and medication for opportunistic infections to all people living with HIV (PLHIVs) enrolled in the program; mandates the development of a benefit package for PLHIVs that includes coverage for in-patient and out-patient medical and diagnostic services, including medication and treatment; development of a benefit package for the unborn and the newborn child from infected mothers; sets a reference price for HIV services in government hospitals; and mandates the development of a mechanism for orphans living with HIV to access the HIV benefit package.

The research-based biopharmaceutical industry is actively engaged in a number of initiatives to improve screening, timely diagnosis and access to treatment for HIV, awareness raising and education to halt transmission and reduce stigma, and research and development (R&D) of new medicines and vaccines to combat this disease.

Our industry is developing 44 medicines and vaccines for HIV infection, focusing on improved treatment regimens, more effective therapies, and preventative vaccines. These include a first-in-class medicine intended to prevent HIV from breaking through the cell membrane, and a cell therapy that modifies a patient’s own cells in an attempt to make them resistant to HIV.

Over the past 35 years, HIV/AIDS has gone from being a death sentence to a chronic, manageable disease thanks in large part to advances in biopharmaceutical research that has developed more than 20 antiretroviral therapies. R&D for new treatments and vaccines will provide long-term benefits to help halt the global AIDS epidemic.

Teodoro B. Padilla is the executive director of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP), which represents the biopharmaceutical medicines and vaccines industry in the country. Its members are at the forefront of research and development efforts for COVID-19 and other diseases that affect Filipinos.

How does the Philippines compare with its neighbors in mining attractiveness?

May 25, 2022 | 12:00 am

In the latest edition of the annual survey of mining and exploration companies by Canadian policy think tank Fraser Institute, the Philippines ranked 57th in the Investment Attractiveness Index out of 84 jurisdictions (provinces, states, and countries). The survey assessed how mineral endowments and public policy factors such as taxation and regulatory uncertainty affect exploration investment. The Investment Attractiveness Index identiﬁed jurisdictions that have the most attractive policies for encouraging investment in mining exploration. It was a combination of a jurisdiction’s geologic attractiveness (Best Practices Mineral Potential index) and policy climate (Policy Perception Index or PPI). In terms of mineral potential, the Philippines placed 29th. However, it was of the least attractive jurisdictions based on PPI rankings (83rd). The report said the uncertainty concerning environmental regulations, regulatory inconsistencies, legal system, taxation, disputed land claims, political instability, and security were all policy factors that deter investment in the Philippines.

How PSEi member stocks performed — May 24, 2022

May 25, 2022 | 12:00 am

Here’s a quick glance at how PSEi stocks fared on Tuesday, May 24, 2022.

PSEi sinks further as net foreign selling surges

May 24, 2022 | 9:00 pm

STOCKS continued to drop on Tuesday as net foreign selling surged amid Wall Street’s rise and expectations of global monetary tightening.

The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) fell by 110.40 points or 1.65% to close at 6,577.45 on Tuesday, while the broader all shares index retreated by 40.81 points or 1.13% to 3,550.40.

“Philippine shares continued to slide as investors returned to the US after being beaten down last week. Wall Street is also looking ahead to new home sales… US stocks bounced on Monday as investors snapped up beaten-down shares such as banks after the Dow Jones Industrial Average notched eight straight losing weeks,” Regina Capital Development Corp. Head of Sales Luis A. Limlingan said in a Viber message.

Net foreign selling surged to P9.58 billion on Tuesday from P305.97 million the previous trading day.

US stocks ended higher on Monday as gains from banks and a rebound in market-leading tech shares supported a broad-based rally following Wall Street’s longest streak of weekly declines since the dotcom bust more than 20 years ago.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 618.34 points or 1.98% to 31,880.24; the S&P 500 gained 72.39 points or 1.86% to 3,973.75; and the Nasdaq Composite added 180.66 points or 1.59% to 11,535.27.

On Friday, the S&P 500 closed 18.7% below its record closing high reached on Jan. 3. If the benchmark index closes 20% or more below that record, it will confirm it has been in a bear market since then.

Markets have been roiled in recent weeks by worries about persistently high inflation and aggressive attempts by the US Federal Reserve to rein it in while the global economy copes with fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

First Metro Investment Corp. Head of Research Cristina S. Ulang said the market was down again mainly due to increasingly more hawkish messaging from the world’s biggest central banks, including the European Central Bank (ECB).

The euro leapt on Tuesday after the ECB said it was likely to lift its deposit rate out of negative territory by September.

Majority of the sectoral indices ended in the red, except for mining and oil, which gained by 21.71 points or 0.18% to 11,780.86.

Meanwhile, holding firms sank by 145.31 points or 2.35% to 6,018.51; financials dropped by 27.79 points or 1.74% to 1,566.21; property lost 38.99 points or 1.27% to end at 3,017.08; industrials declined by 109.72 points or 1.17% to 9,248.14; and services went down by 9.12 points or 0.48% to 1,873.27.

Decliners bested advancers, 120 versus 63, while 54 names ended unchanged.

Value turnover surged to P20.20 billion on Tuesday with 1.54 billion shares changing hands from the P6.64 billion with 1.22 million issues seen on Monday. — Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson with Reuters

Peso inches lower vs dollar on global inflation concerns

May 24, 2022 | 9:00 pm

THE PESO moved sideways versus the greenback on Tuesday amid inflation concerns as the protracted war between Russia and Ukraine and coronavirus lockdowns in China roil global fuel prices.

The local unit ended trading at P52.32 per dollar on Tuesday, losing five centavos from its P52.27 close on Monday, Bankers Association of the Philippines data showed.

The peso opened Tuesday’s session at P52.32 versus the dollar. Its weakest showing was at P52.39, while its intraday best was at P52.23 against the greenback.

Dollars exchanged declined to $1.02 billion on Tuesday from $1.19 billion on Monday.

“USD/PHP continued to move sideways on Tuesday as dollar supply remained sufficient to meet demand,” Bank of the Philippine Islands Lead Economist Emilio S. Neri, Jr. said in a Viber message.

“Market players are currently monitoring developments that could affect inflation and interest rates in the coming months, like the movement of oil prices, the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, and the lockdowns in China,” Mr. Neri added.

Oil prices were caught between worries over a possible global downturn and the prospect of higher fuel demand from the US summer driving season and Shanghai’s plans to reopen after a two-month coronavirus lockdown, Reuters reported.

US crude eased 66 cents to $109.08 per barrel, while Brent fell 1.14% to $112.14.

Meanwhile, Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. Chief Economist Michael L. Ricafort said in a Viber message that the peso weakened slightly after a slight upward correction in the benchmark 10-year US Treasury’s yield and local stock market’s decline.

The yield on 10-year Treasury notes rose 7.7 basis points (bps) to 2.864% after a more than 40-bp decline from a multi-year high of 3.203% set two weeks ago.

On the other hand, the benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index fell by 110.40 points or 1.65% to close at 6,577.45 on Tuesday, while the broader all shares index retreated by 40.81 points or 0.13% to 3,550.40.

For Wednesday, Mr. Ricafort expects the peso to trade from P52.20 to P52.40 per dollar. — KBT with Reuters