PLDT group says services fully restored in more typhoon-hit areas

January 6, 2022 | 12:01 am

THE PLDT group on Wednesday said it had fully restored services in the provinces of Antique, Iloilo, Eastern Samar, Northern Samar and Western Samar in the Visayas.

The group also reported full restoration of services in Agusan del Norte and Camiguin in Mindanao.

“The group has… ramped up restoration activities in Palawan, Bohol, Cebu, Leyte, Southern Leyte, Negros provinces, Dinagat Islands, Misamis Oriental and Surigao provinces,” it said in an e-mailed statement.

Customers in areas where services have been restored could still experience service issues due to the lack of enough commercial power and accidental cuts during road clearing, the group noted.

Restoration of network services in Visayas cities and municipalities hit by Typhoon Odette was at over 90% as of Wednesday.

The group said it reestablished network coverage in over 98% of Bacolod.

“Network services also continue to provide vital communications links for most of Mindanao, with the restoration of 98% of wireless services and 99% of fixed services. Coverage includes Dinagat Islands and Siargao — two of the badly-hit areas in the region. In Palawan, 83% of wireless services and 90% of fixed services have been restored,” said PLDT, Inc. and its unit Smart Communications, Inc.

The group also assured its customers of continued service amid stricter community quarantine rules due to the Omicron variant of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

“We are fully prepared to serve our customers amid mobility restrictions. Our customers can be reassured that we can address their inquiries offline and online through our physical stores, virtual booking sites, official social media accounts, and other channels,” said Alfredo S. Panlilio, PLDT and Smart president and chief executive officer.

Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Dining In/Out (01/06/22)

January 6, 2022 | 12:01 am

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Chatime Milk Tea at Shell Acienda Silang

WHILE loading gas, and having the oil, tires and water level checked, one can add an order or two of Chatime Milk Tea (including its new flavor, Choco Malty Overload) at the Shell Mobility Station in Acienda Silang, Cavite. The purveyor of bubble tea will be opening more Chatime branches at Shell Mobility Stations, with a potential of over 1,000 new locations, according to a statement. Taiwan’s largest bubble tea brand, Chatime was founded in 2005 and has since grown exponentially serving millions of customers all over the world. In the Philippines, it was introduced in 2011 and is now recognized as one of the leading milk tea brands in the country with over 150 stores in Metro Manila and the provinces. Chatime brings to the Shell Mobility Station in Acienda, Silang its core drinks, such as the signature Pearl Milk Tea.

Milo launches #MILOBreakfastEveryday campaign

MILO has launched its #MILOBreakfastEveryday campaign that encourages parents to level-up the nutrition of their kids’ breakfasts. During a media roundtable held last month, brand representatives shared data-driven and research-based insights on the importance of having a nutritious breakfast. “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day as it provides 20-35% of the daily energy we need. For kids especially, skipping breakfast may result in energy and nutrient deficiency, and even weakened immunity, so eating breakfast consistently every morning is an investment that has profound benefits in the short and long run. Moreover, adding a nutritious beverage like MILO can significantly increase the meal’s energy, B-Vitamins, Vitamin C, Iron and Calcium,” said Charisma Sy, Corporate Nutritionist of Nestlé Philippines in a statement. The new normal is difficult to navigate and this is true for both parents and kids, but everything is possible with a champion mindset, and a winning breakfast habit, says Milo. Visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nVk-beKLnI to learn more about the Milo Breakfast Habit.

Headline inflation rates in the Philippines (Dec. 2021)

January 6, 2022 | 12:00 am

PHILIPPINE INFLATION in December eased to its lowest in 12 months, due to the slower increase in the prices of food and transport, but the full-year inflation still exceeded the central bank’s 2-4% target band. Read the full story.

How PSEi member stocks performed — January 5, 2022

January 6, 2022 | 12:00 am

Here’s a quick glance at how PSEi stocks fared on Wednesday, January 5, 2022.

Typhoon damage to fisheries P3 billion, tops in agri industry

January 5, 2022 | 10:54 pm

FISHERIES remained the most affected sector of agriculture, sustaining P3 billion worth of damage due to Typhoon Odette (international name: Rai), the Department of Agriculture (DA) said.

The overall agricultural damage was P10.8 billion, affecting 356,486 farmers and fishermen over 399,531 hectares of agricultural land in the Visayas and Mindanao.

The volume of lost production was estimated at 239,656 metric tons (MT).

Rice was the next-most affected commodity with losses valued at P2.2 billion, with crop damage reported across 93,096 hectares. The estimate of lost production volume was 124,704 MT.

Coconut and high-value crops sustained damage of P1.5 billion each, across 240,240 hectares and 6,131 hectares respectively.

Damage to irrigation and agriculture facilities was reckoned at P489.6 million, including shallow tube wells, rain shelters, crop nurseries, greenhouses, vermi-composting facilities, and fertilizer processing centers.

Livestock and poultry reported P468.2 million in losses, affecting almost 1.5 million head of chicken, swine, cattle, carabao, goat, duck, sheep, and horse, among other livestock.

The government will be providing at least P2.9 billion in aid to farmers and fisherfolk.

The DA said its regional field offices are still undertaking assessments of damage to the agri-fisheries industries. — Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson

Fisherfolk call for suspension of closed fishing season policy in typhoon-affected provinces

January 5, 2022 | 10:54 pm

AN ORGANIZATION of small fishermen has expressed its opposition to importing fish for typhoon-hit areas, calling instead for aid to restore its members’ livelihoods and the lifting of an order imposing a closed fishing season on key fishing grounds.

The Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA) said in a statement on Wednesday that the plan to import frozen fish for areas hit by Typhoon Odette (international name: Rai) will not address the livelihoods lost due to the typhoon.

“Instead of imports, we call for a quick and concrete rehabilitation of the livelihood of hundreds of thousands of fisherfolk whose fishing gear and boats were swept away by the recent typhoon. This action would restore the wheels of production and stabilize the supply and prices of fish in the typhoon-hit areas,” PAMALAKAYA National Chairman Fernando L. Hicap said.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) approved a plan to import 11,015 metric tons of frozen small pelagic fish for wet markets in typhoon-hit areas to keep fish prices from rising due to lack of supply.

PAMALAKAYA proposed that the DA expedite its rehabilitation efforts for coastal communities to help the fishermen rebuild their livelihoods.

It said imports will negatively impact fisherfolk income by “driv(ing) down farmgate prices.”

“The immediate impact of imports will be felt by small fisherfolk whose local products will be outcompeted by imported fish,” Mr. Hicap added.

PAMALAKAYA also urged the government to lift Fisheries Administrative Order (FAO) 167-3, which in November imposed a three-month closed fishing season in 33 coastal towns in Regions V, VI, and VII. The FAO will be in force until February.

“The existing closed fishing season creates an artificial shortage of fish and inflation that affects both fisherfolk and consumers,” Mr. Hicap said. “The rehabilitation of livelihood of affected fisherfolk should be accompanied by the lifting of the existing closed fishing season, instead of resorting to imports that do nothing but harm to our already battered fishing industry.”

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) said in a statement that it welcomed the imports, which it said will help speed up rehabilitation efforts in the typhoon zone.

The BFAR said it “expresses its strong commitment to fast-track the recovery of the fisheries sector in the areas affected by Odette.”

“However, while the rehabilitation of fisheries-related livelihoods is underway, ensuring the availability of safe and affordable fisheries commodities for consumers in these areas is also paramount,” the BFAR added. — Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson

Roxas Boulevard repairs targeted to begin mid-Jan.

January 5, 2022 | 10:51 pm

THE planned closure of a portion of Roxas Boulevard is targeted for the middle of this month to allow for the repair of a damaged drainage structure, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said on Wednesday.

The repairs might start in “one or two weeks,” MMDA Chairman Benjamin D. Abalos, Jr. said at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay virtual forum, referring to the planned closure of the thoroughfare, a major route used by trucks to access the Port of Manila.

“Kasi ang problema baka mag-collapse ‘yung kalye eh (The problem is that the street might collapse),” he noted. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is repairing the damaged box culvert that was constructed in the 1970s.

“Nag-collapse ito dahil ginawa ito 1970 pa (The culvert collapsed because it was constructed in the 1970s), so it’s a 50-year-old culvert.”

Mr. Abalos said in December that the agency had yet to determine whether a portion of the southbound direction of Roxas Boulevard fronting HK Sun Plaza would be totally or partially closed to vehicular traffic.

“The structural integrity is at stake. Hence, we are appealing for the public’s understanding of the inconvenience the road closure would cause. This is temporary. The construction is only for three months,” he said in a statement.

Mr. Abalos and officials from the Department of Transportation, DPWH, Philippine Ports Authority, and International Container Terminal Services, Inc. also met last month to discuss solutions for trucks and trailers which will be affected by the closure.

“One of the possible solutions that we are eyeing is for the container vans to be carried on barges for transport from MICT (Manila International Container Terminal) to the Cavite Gateway Terminal in Tanza, Cavite,” Mr. Abalos said.

The move is expected to reduce the number of trailer trucks using the road by 25%.

“’Yung mga trailer trucks doon (Cavite) na lang susundo. ’Yung byaheng Cavite, ang tantya namin that’s only about 25% or 20%, pero at least makokonti, mababawasan (The pickup point for containers will be in Cavite. We expect the reduction in truck traffic to be only 20-25%, but at least there will be a reduction,” Mr. Abalos said during the forum Wednesday.

The Confederation of Truckers Associations of the Philippines has said that instead of closure, the MMDA and the DPWH should allow the use of some of the northbound lanes.

“Our suggestion is for two out of the four northbound lanes to be used as southbound lanes, so there would be no congestion going to South Superhighway,” the truckers’ group President Maria B. Zapata said in a phone interview last month.

She said the planned road closure is worrisome because many operators who use the road could be affected.

To such proposals, Mr. Abalos replied: “Sabi ko pwede bang kalahati ng kalye? Sabi nila (DPWH), ‘Chairman baka habang sinisemento mag-crack, because of the pounding at ma-compromise ang (structural) integrity… (When we explored the possibility of using half the road, the DPWH replied that the newly-paved road work will crack, compromising the structural integrity of the project) For the meantime, we should brace ourselves for secondary or tertiary roads.”

DPWH South Manila district engineer Mikunug D. Macud said previously that the department is hoping to start work by the first week of January.

Total closure at that time would mean the completion of rehabilitation works by the first week of March, he said in a phone interview last month. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Coal supply instability seen adding to urgency of energy transition

January 5, 2022 | 10:51 pm

air-pollution-climate-change — PEXELS-PIXABAY

A CONSUMER rights and energy advocacy group on Wednesday said the Department of Energy (DoE) must press ahead with the renewable energy transition, citing risks to the imported coal supply.

“Consumers keep getting caught in a web of power stability woes and volatile prices all because we depend on a finite and largely imported energy source,” Gerry C. Arances, convenor of the Power for People (P4P) coalition, said.

The concern was raised after Indonesia, one of the world’s top exporters of thermal coal, which is the type used by power plants, imposed a temporary ban on coal exports on Saturday to ensure adequate supply for its own power generators.

P4P said the effects of the ban will eventually show up in consumers’ monthly bills.

“We can be sure that more of (these incidents) will happen in the future for as long as we insist on using fossil fuels, even as our country’s vast indigenous renewable energy capacity waits to be harnessed,” Mr. Arances added.

Coal accounts for more than half of the power generated in the Philippines in 2020, with imported coal having an 86% share of thermal coal used in the country. Of the coal imports, 96.88% is sourced from Indonesia, the DoE estimated in 2020.

The export ban imposed by Indonesia, which is also China’s largest overseas supplier of coal, has driven up global coal prices. Indonesian coal miners were due to meet with their government on Wednesday to review the export freeze.

“We need to get off reliance on global fossil fuel supply — coal or otherwise — fast. We have repeatedly told the DoE this, and we hope Indonesia’s predicament is now making the message clear. We must begin by putting a stop to any new coal plant still in our pipeline,” Mr. Arances said.

BusinessWorld has contacted Energy Undersecretary Felix William B. Fuentebella on Wednesday, seeking comments on the call for tightening the ban in the country and the possible effects of the Indonesia coal export ban on the country’s energy security, but has not received a response immediately.

Mr. Arances added that exemptions and limitations in the ban on new coal-fired plants have cleared the way for additional coal capacity of about 9 gigawatts — one of the largest plants being in Atimonan, Quezon.

In October 2020, the DoE announced it is not approving new coal-fired power plant projects to facilitate a shift to a more flexible power supply mix. — Marielle C. Lucenio

DoE considering intermediate upgrade of biodiesel mix to 3%

January 5, 2022 | 10:50 pm

THE Department of Energy (DoE) said on Wednesday that Typhoon Odette (international name: Rai) will not delay plans to increase biodiesel blend to 5% (B5) biofuel content, but added that it is considering an intermediate increase to 3% (B3) first.

“We see no delay on the implementation of the B5 plan due to Typhoon Odette, although Energy Undersecretary Donato D. Marcos is calling for a meeting with the National Biofuels Board (NBB) to discuss increasing the current biodiesel mix of B2 to B3 first before we proceed to B5,” Energy Undersecretary Felix William B. Fuentebella said at a media conference.

The NBB is a cabinet-level body tasked with ensuring that biofuel policy is consistent with economic growth targets.

The Biofuels Act of 2006 (RA 9367) requires the use of biofuels and an increase in their share of the energy mix to help reduce dependency on imported fuel.

The DoE’s Biofuels Roadmap of 2018 to 2040 had hoped to increase the biodiesel mix to 5% in 2020, but such a move was hindered by the pandemic due to doubts about the reliability of the biodiesel supply during the lockdown.

The Philippine Biodiesel Association (TPBA) said in a statement on Wednesday a shift to B3 and eventually B5 is expected to take place without adverse market reactions.

TPBA said the supply of coco-biodiesel is sufficient to meet any surge in demand, adding that the association’s combined capacity is 877 million liters, which exceeds the demand to be created by any shift to B5 of 650 million liters per year.

The biodiesel mix currently uses crude coconut oil, which a study conducted by the University of the Philippines (UP) found could reduce the carbon dioxide footprint of fuel users by as much as 78% compared to diesel fuel.

The UP College of Engineering and Agro-Industrial Technology in Los Baños came to this conclusion after testing a sample provided by Chemrez Technologies. The finding is valid over a full lifecycle of use compared to diesel fuel.

House Committee on Energy Chairman Juan Miguel M. Arroyo has said that raising the blend to B5 to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions is both a responsibility and a patriotic duty that will benefit the economy and coconut farmers. — Marielle C. Lucenio

Power suppliers to Bohol capital drawing sufficient energy from grid — NGCP

January 5, 2022 | 10:49 pm

THE National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) said on Wednesday that distribution utilities in Bohol are now drawing power sufficient to sustain stable operations for the power bank that transmits electricity to the provincial capital Tagbilaran.

From the initial 4.8 megawatts (MW) of generated load Tuesday, Bohol 1 Electric Cooperative, Inc., Bohol 2 Electric Cooperative, Inc., and Bohol Light Comp., Inc. increased their load to 9 MW on Wednesday, partially energizing more parts of the province.

“This means that more people are now having their electricity reconnected,” Energy Undersecretary Felix William B. Fuentebella said at a news conference.

Bohol now has a capacity of 47% or 28 MW at peak demand. Actual peak demand before Typhoon Odette (international name: Rai) was 113 MW.

The grid operator has energized one of the three affected transmission lines.

Mr. Fuentebella said that though transmission lines have been repaired, energy actually transmitted is another matter. Lines will only be able to transmit power when distribution utilities and electric cooperatives are able to draw energy from them.

The NGCP hopes to fully restore all transmission lines in Bohol by Jan. 31. The timeline of full power restoration, including the rehabilitation of electric cooperatives and distribution utilities, will be the focus of the Energy department this week, he said.

The DoE said that most of the downstream oil industry will restored this week in the typhoon zone of the Visayas and Mindanao.

Mr. Fuentebella said that 42 retail stations in Cebu and eight retail stations in Palawan will be the focus of restoration efforts this week.

Mr. Fuentebella said some retail stations may have suffered severe damaged, and the DoE will look into whether they can be put back into operation. — Marielle C. Lucenio

Artificial Intelligence: FinTech’s innovation driver

January 5, 2022 | 10:49 pm

FinTech refers to any idea or innovation that improves or optimizes the way individuals or companies conduct financial activities. Early FinTech concentrated on developing add-on products to complement existing financial services.

This combination of finance and technology has spawned a slew of valuable goods and services that redefine financial services and make them more accessible to the general public. Some of these products and services include insurance aggregators, mobile wallets, AI investment management advisers, peer-to-peer (P2P) lending and crowdfunding tools, and platforms for trading financial assets. The cutting-edge solutions that contributed to such technologies include Blockchain, Deep Learning, and Artificial Intelligence (AI). FinTech allows financial services organizations to collect massive amounts of consumer data, determine usage patterns, and even replace human participation with automated algorithms.

The distinction between banks and FinTech is becoming increasingly hazy. It is crucial to understand that “banks” and “FinTech” are not necessarily mutually exclusive. In fact, many well-known banks have evolved from being mere prepaid card providers that link to applications. They have won the right to full-fledged banking licenses after demonstrating to the world that it is feasible to combine sophisticated technology with trustworthy financial services. FinTech can emerge from one of three sources: (1) a stand-alone company develops technologically advanced goods to address unique market concerns; (2) a company develops a full-fledged body to become a complete bank; or (3) a conventional bank incorporates technological advancement by acquiring a smaller FinTech to modernize its service.

SIGNIFICANCE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN FINTECH
Artificial intelligence (AI) is gradually gaining a foothold in practically every business in the twenty-first century. FinTech is used mostly to improve and automate different financial operations. With the advent of knowledge engineering, financial institutions employ AI-based models in conjunction with their FinTech apps to maximize operations and revenue.

Some of the major significant uses of AI in FinTech are:

Large-scale wealth and finance management: Traditionally, the wealth management sector has catered to high-net-worth individuals. AI solutions are assisting to considerably expand this industry by allowing it to scale its ability to supply to a much larger segment of the population. In addition to specific financial advice, the AI may analyze spending habits to ensure that customers have adequate emergency money and provide continually updated net worth predictions for improved retirement planning.

Enhanced security: Many FinTech firms and conventional financial institutions are already using AI-based solutions for various fraud monitoring and prevention applications, but there is always room for improvement as fraudsters escalate their attacks.

Contract management: Contracts are an integral aspect of the financial business, as they are in many other sectors. Keeping track of all contracts, whether between institutions and clients or between enterprises, requires a significant amount of effort. AI can assist in speeding up this process by combining optical character recognition (OCR), machine learning (ML), and natural language processing (NLP).

Improved customer services: Through intelligent software bots, AI has been able to fill a need in this field. These bots suggest personalized products and services that better meet customers’ needs and demands. Financial institutions that employ chatbots have ample motivation to keep using and enhancing them, with worldwide savings from chatbot use anticipated to exceed $7 billion by 2023.

RISK FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN FINTECH
While the applications listed above demonstrate how technology is revolutionizing the financial industry, the deployment of AI is not without hazards. The primary factors that need to be understood are:

Embedded bias: The increasing use of AI in the financial sector, which is heavily regulated and where public confidence is critical, has sparked debate over the potential of inherent bias. Embedded bias is defined as computer systems that routinely and unjustly discriminate against some persons or groups of individuals in favor of others. Customer classification algorithms applied in AI/ML might lead to prejudice in the banking industry through price or service quality differentials. Biases in AI/ML judgments are frequently caused by biased training data derived from existing biased processes and data sets, which teach automation models to be prejudicial.

Explainability and complexity: The term ‘explainability’ refers to the concept that AI models and their outputs can be expounded to humans at an acceptable level. The explainability of AI results is critical, especially when utilized in the financial industry. Because they are not easily explainable by the user, AI is sometimes referred to as a “black box.” This trait may make detecting the appropriateness of AI conclusions difficult, exposing businesses to vulnerabilities such as skewed data, inappropriate modeling methodologies, or wrong decision making, thus undermining faith in their robustness.

Privacy factors associated with data: AI raises new and distinct privacy concerns. Big data privacy problems are well recognized and even precede the mainstreaming of automation. Tools have been created to aid in the preservation of data anonymity and data subjects’ privacy. Legal data policy frameworks are being implemented across the world to address these problems. However, the resilience of AI models in limiting data leakage from the training data set poses additional privacy problems.

Cognizant of the abounding risks, enterprises should leverage on the agile nature of technology and adapt to new work methods. This would reshape the organizations’ ways of doing things through the use of intelligent software bots, minimize manpower costs by utilizing AI and robotic process automation, and most importantly, enhance security, employee engagement, and client satisfaction. As the financial sector’s use of AI and ML continues to surge, it is becoming a must to have professionals who are very much capable of optimizing the usage of advances in processing power, data storage capacity, big data, and modeling.

The views or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Isla Lipana & Co. The content is for general information purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute for specific advice.

Jan Brian P. Despi is a senior associate at the DTS Department of Isla Lipana & Co., the Philippine member firm of the PwC network.

jan.brian.despi@pwc.com

Metro Manila at critical risk from coronavirus

January 5, 2022 | 10:41 pm

Commuters-Caloocan-PHILSTAR-MICHAELVARCAS- — PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS

By Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza, Reporter

THE PHILIPPINE capital and nearby cities were now at critical risk from the coronavirus, the country’s Health chief said, as the country struggles to contain a fresh surge in infections spurred by the highly mutated Omicron variant.

Metro Manila has been among the top three regions with the most infections, Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III said in a taped Cabinet meeting aired on Tuesday night.

Coronavirus infections in the capital region have increased almost 15 times in the past two weeks, while the average daily attack rate stood at 8.79, he added.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte raised the virus alert in Metro Manila to Level 3 from Jan. 3 to 15 as the country logged thousands of infections daily from fewer than 500 before the fresh spike.

The Department of Health (DoH) reported 10,775 cases on Wednesday, the highest since Oct. 10 and almost double the 5,434 cases posted on Jan. 4. This brought the total to 2.87 million.

The death toll hit 51,662 after 58 more patients died, while recoveries increased by 605 to 2.78 million, the it said in a bulletin.

The agency said 31.7% of 44,643 samples on Jan 3 tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), way above the 5% benchmark set by the World Health Organization.

There were 39,974 active cases, 1,294 of which did not show symptoms, 33,866 were mild, 2,983 were moderate, 1,512 were severe and 319 were critical.

DoH said 99% of the cases occurred from Dec. 23 to Jan. 5. The top regions with new cases in the past two weeks were Metro Manila with 7,420, Calabarzon with 1,719 and Central Luzon with 798. It added that 14% of the deaths occurred in December, 14% in November and 41% in October.

The agency said 39 duplicates had been removed from the Friday tally, 35 of which were recoveries. It added that 110 patients had tested negative and were removed from the count. Fifty-seven recoveries were relisted as deaths. Nine laboratories failed to submit data.

The Health department said 27% of intensive care units in the Philippines were occupied, while the rate for Metro Manila was 37%.

The positivity rate in Metro Manila reached 40% on Tuesday, said Fredegusto P. David, a fellow from the University of the Philippines’ OCTA Research Group.

“It’s the highest that we have seen so far,” he told an online news briefing on Wednesday. “This is already straining our testing capacity, our testing laboratories. We have to augment this with antigen testing.”

Mr. David said Metro Manila had a “very high” reproduction rate of 5%, though healthcare use in the region was at low risk at 34%.

“The overall risk level is high for the National Capital Region and we can see the cases did spike,” he said. “It’s almost vertical and we are about essentially halfway through the effective peak of the previous surge.”

Meanwhile, Mr. Duque said the Calabarzon region was now at high risk from the coronavirus after infections increased almost six times in the past two weeks, with an attack rate of 1.6.

Central Luzon was now under moderate risk after infections rose more than four times. All the other regions were at low to minimal risk.

Bulacan province in Central Luzon and Rizal and Cavite in Calabarzon have been placed under Alert Level 3 from Jan. 5 to 15 amid rising infections.

The third alert level restricts more movements and lowers the operating capacity of some commercial establishments.

On Tuesday, the Calabarzon region posted 868 coronavirus infections, bringing the total to 501,023 with 5,816 deaths. The region had 4,488 active cases as of Jan. 4.

Coronavirus cases in Central Luzon reached 283,300 after it posted 339 new infections, with 2,256 active cases as of Jan. 4. It had 6,171 deaths.

In a related development, the city government of Iloilo confirmed its first case of the heavily mutated Omicron variant. The patient is a 46-year-old seaman who arrived in the country from Kenya on Dec. 16 and traveled to Iloilo City from Cebu on Dec. 24, it said in a statement.

The Omicron case in Iloilo City is “part of previously reported (Omicron cases),” Health director Beverly Lorraine C. Ho told reporters in a Viber message.

The government seeks to inject more coronavirus vaccines amid the threat of the Omicron variant, which has been driving surges worldwide. The government missed its goal of fully vaccinating 54 million people by the end of last year.

About 50.63 million people or 65.63% of the target population had been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus as of Jan. 4, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Alexei B. Nograles said. More than 2.2 million booster shots have been given out.