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Mabini agri cooperative receives solar irrigation system

DAR

A P1-MILLION solar-powered irrigation system has been turned over to the Barlo Agrarian Reform Cooperative in Mabini, Pangasinan, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) announced Monday.

The facility can irrigate three to five hectares of agricultural land, benefiting around 30 farmers in the area.

DAR Assistant Regional Director for Administration Maria B. Francisco said the irrigation system “will address the water problem” of the town’s rice farmers, both agrarian reform beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries. 

The department said farmers used to spend an average of P20,000 on irrigation, including rent, labor, and crude oil.

“With the help of the SPIS, the production cost of the farmers will be reduced,” it said.

Farmers, who used to plant only during the rainy season, would also now be able to more than once a year. — Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson

Unvaccinated banned from Dolomite Beach

DENR

ONLY fully-vaccinated individuals will be allowed entry at the Dolomite Beach along Manila Bay, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) announced Monday.  

The ban on unvaccinated individuals is part of the new guidelines for the reopening of the rehabilitated area.

Children up to 11 years old are also still not permitted to enter, DENR said in a press release.

Those intending to visit will have to pre-register online at least one day before the intended date. Walk-ins will be accommodated if there are available slots within the 300 persons per hour limit.

“We advise successful online registrants to come on time for their scheduled batch as everyone in a given batch will be required to leave the beach area upon the lapse of the one-hour period for the next batch,” DENR-Environmental Law Enforcement and Protection Service Director Reuel N. Sorilla said.

All visitors must present a vaccination card, wear face mask, and observe physical distancing.

Eating, drinking, and swimming at the beach are still prohibited.

During the Dec. 28 reopening, there were 1,245 visitors at the beach, of which 89% were walk-in guests while 11% were online registrants, according to the DENR. — Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson

Legal implications of ‘fiduciary duty of extraordinary diligence’

JCOMP-FREEPIK

(Part 2)

In its 2018 Resolution, Virata v. Ng Wee, affirmed in toto the foregoing rulings in dismissing the motions for reconsideration filed by the petitioning directors and officers of Wincorp, and thereby solidifying the doctrine that when it comes to corporations vested with public interests, such as financial intermediaries, directors, trustees, and officers do owe a fiduciary duty of diligence not only to the shareholders, but to creditors and other stakeholders, who rely upon the Board and its officers to exercise their fiduciary duty of diligence in the management of the corporate business enterprise to protect their legitimate interests in the corporate assets.

The Revised Corporation Code, although retaining the same language on the liability of directors, trustees, or officers under its Section 30, nevertheless instituted under Section 22 the special category of “corporations vested with public interests,” and thus imports the existing jurisprudence defining the obligation of such corporation to act with extraordinary diligence. In other words, all corporations classified as being vested with public interests pursuant to Section 22 of the Revised Corporation Code must necessarily come under the rule that they are expected to exercise the highest degree of diligence with the public they deal with or for whose interests they operate their business enterprise.

Under the fiduciary duty to exercise extraordinary diligence rule, an injured stakeholder need only to prove the amount of damages sustained from the acts, contracts, or business transactions or operations of a corporation vested with public interests, and the burden to show that it has exercised extraordinary diligence would be on the part of the said corporation.

The doctrine is taken from statutory and jurisprudential rules embodying another industry vested with public interest, namely common carriers. Under Article 1733 of the Civil Code, “Common carriers, from the nature of their business and for reasons of public policy, are bound to observe extraordinary diligence in the vigilance over the goods and for the safety of the passengers transported by them, according to all the circumstances of each case.”

In turn, Article 1755 defines “extraordinary diligence” as the obligation of the common carried to carry its passengers safely as far as human care and foresight can provide, using the utmost diligence of a very cautious person, with due regard for all the circumstances. By reason therefore, Article 1756 provides that “In case of death of or injuries to passengers, common carriers are presumed to have been at fault or to have negligently, unless they prove that they observed extraordinary diligence.”

The underlying statutory rules imposing the duty to exercise extraordinary diligence on the part of common carriers have given rise to the rule of liability of common carriers well-expressed in Tiu v. Arriesgado, 437 SCRA 426 (2004), thus:

“Upon happening of the accident, presumption of negligence arises at once, and it becomes the duty of a common carrier to prove that he observed extraordinary diligence in the case of his passengers. To overcome such presumption of negligence, the carrier must show: (a) The utmost diligence of very cautious persons as far as human care and foresight can provide; or (b) That the accident was caused by fortuitous event.

“The negligence of employee gives rise to the presumption of negligence on the part of employer, the purpose of which is primarily intended to provide compensation for the death or bodily injuries suffered by innocent third parties or passengers as a result of negligent operation and use of motor vehicles.”

The Supreme Court has defined “extraordinary diligence” as that extreme measure of care and caution which persons of unusual prudence and circumspection observe for securing or preserving their own property or rights. This exacting standard imposed is intended to tilt the scales in favor of the shipper who is at the mercy of the common carrier once the goods have been lodged for shipment. When employee’s negligence causes damage or injury, there arises presumption juris tantum that employer failed to exercise diligentissimi patris families in selection or supervision of employees.

Presumption of Negligence When Passengers Die or Injured — In carriage of passengers, by reason that the common carrier is bound by duty to observe extraordinary diligence in pursuit of its business, it is presumed that common carrier was at fault/negligent if passenger dies or is injured. Unless presumption is rebutted, courts need not make an express finding of fault or negligence on the part of the common carrier.

It should then follow that for all corporation vested with public interests under or pursuant to Section 22 of the Revised Corporation Code, they are deemed to be bound to exercise extraordinary diligence in considering and protecting the interests of stakeholders who are affected directly by the nature of their business enterprise; and the moment they suffer any injury due to the act, contract, or pursuit of such business enterprise, then the corporation is ipso jure deemed negligent and liable unless it can prove that it has exercised extraordinary diligence in the selection and supervision of its employees and representatives. In the same manner, the Board of Directors, as the repository of all corporate powers is deemed to have failed to exercise extraordinary diligence in pursuing the affairs of the corporation and in the selection and supervision of its acting officers and employees, become solidarily liable with the corporation for the damages sustained by the injured stakeholders.

This article reflects the personal opinion of the author and does not reflect the official stand of the Management Association of the Philippines or the MAP.

 

Atty. Cesar L. Villanueva is chair of MAP Corporate Governance Committee, trustee of the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD), the first chair of the Governance Commission for GOCCs (GCG — August 2011 to June 2016), dean of the Ateneo Law School (April 2004 to September 2011), and founding partner of Villanueva Gabionza & Dy Law Offices.

map@map.org.ph

cvillanueva@vgslaw.com

http://map.org.ph

It ain’t over ’til it’s over

PIKISUPERSTAR-FREEPIK

When Bongbong Marcos and Sara Duterte teamed up as the presidential and vice-presidential running mates for the 2022 elections, their rabid followers cockily said, “Race is over,” implying the tandem will be sure winners in the 2022 elections. After all, Pulse Asia surveys prior to the formal filing of certificates of candidacies in October last year showed the two as the most preferred among the probable candidates for president.

When the results of the Pulse Asia survey conducted in the first week of December showed that presidential candidate Marcos and vice-presidential aspirant Duterte are the top choices, their followers crowed, “We told you so.” The results showed Marcos as the preferred candidate of 53% of the 2,500 respondents. Leni Robredo came in a poor second with only 20% preferring her. Isko Moreno Domagoso, Manny Pacquiao, and Panfilo Lacson scored less than 10% each.

Among the vice-presidential candidates, Duterte is preferred by 45% while Lacson’s running mate Tito Sotto is the preference of 31%. Robredo’s running mate Kiko Pangilinan, Moreno’s Willie Ong, and Pacquiao’s Lito Atienza garnered less than 15% each.

The rankings reflect the sentiments of the voters at the time the survey was conducted. The question Pulse Asia asked the respondents between Dec. 1 and 6 was: “If elections were held today, who would you vote for?” As Bongbong’s spokesperson, Vic Rodriguez, said, “It is clear for Bongbong that we have not won anything yet, because the election is on May 9, 2022.” Bongbong’s own sister Imee Marcos acknowledged the fact that the early frontrunner in the polls has not always emerged as the eventual winning candidate.

The survey rankings change over the campaign period. That is because a lot of things can happen between now and Election Day, which is four months from now. Not only that, the campaign strategists of the different candidates will make things happen, either to boost their candidate’s political stock or to erode his opponents’ standing.

That is what crafty and experienced campaign managers and strategists do about voter preference surveys. They do not dismiss them. They react to them. They try to influence the sentiments of the voters (represented by the respondents of the survey) by making over the image of the party’s candidate to jibe with the persona preferred by the voters.

When Jejomar Binay ran for president in 2016, his campaign slogan was “Gaganda ang buhay kay Binay” (life will get better under Binay) citing his governance of the City of Makati, the financial capital of the Philippines, as the basis of that claim. The slogan worked for him as he topped the polls for a long time. But then the strategists of his political opponents twisted the slogan into something like “Gumanda ang buhay ng mga Binay nung namuno sila sa Makati” (the life of the Binays became better when they led Makati).

Grace Poe, campaigning with the slogan “Ipagpapatuloy ko ang nasimulan ni FPJ” (I will continue what FPJ [her adoptive father Fernando Poe, Jr.] had started) replaced Binay as the leading presidential candidate in the polls. But she slid from the top of the rankings when her slogan proved to be empty as she could not give a satisfactory answer to her detractors’ question of what exactly FPJ had started.

Mar Roxas never topped the polls in 2016. So, his rivals never bothered to give his slogan of “Following the Straight Path” a negative meaning. None of the other candidates could find fault in Rodrigo Duterte’s “Change is coming.”

Greg Macabenta, an icon in Philippine Advertising and elder of the many advertising consultants of politicians, wrote somewhere that “Babangon muli” may eventually work against Bongbong.

The message being delivered by the slogan “Babangon Muli” (Will rise again) seems to be that Bongbong’s father will be resurrected, reviving the reign of Ferdinand Marcos, Sr. Greg wrote that the slogan can also be twisted into “Ba-Balic Multo” (The ghost will return) or “Ba-Balic si Meldy” and “Ba-Balic si Ma’am” along with connotations of extravagance and splurging on the people’s money.

I discern the intention behind the slogan “Babangon Muli” is to imply the revival of the supposed Golden Age that the reign of Marcos Senior was. As political analysts say, the majority of voters now were born after the EDSA Event of 1986. They do not know what the Marcos reign was really like.

Maybe the acronym BBM can do Bongbong’s campaign more damage than good if it were made to mean “Balic Batas Militar” (Re-imposition of Martial Law). The young voters of today have acquired a pretty good idea of what martial law is like. President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war and his punitive reaction to detractors have given the youth an insight into it if not a foretaste of it. The specter of the revival of Martial Law could be scarier than “Ba-Balic Multo” or “Ba-Balic Meldy.”

Regarding Leni Robredo’s campaign, my friend Manolo Quezon wrote in his Dec. 15 column in the Inquirer that “the overarching heat and soul of her candidacy in the public mind still does not exist because it has not been communicated.”

The commercials of Moreno and Lacson do not set them apart from the lot of candidates, including those running for senator. Pacquiao must be waiting for the start of the official campaign season before he launches his commercial.

True, the race is far from over for presidential candidates Robredo, Moreno, Pacquiao, and Lacson and for their respective running mates. But they have to change their game plans if they want to surge ahead in the polls and emerge winner on May 9. They can take heart from a quote from Baseball Hall of Fame resident Lawrence “Yogi” Berra.

By the middle of the 1973 American baseball season, the New York Mets were in last place in the National League. A reporter asked the team’s manager, Yogi Berra, if the season was over for his team. He replied, “It ain’t over ’til it’s over.” Soon after, the Mets went on a long winning streak and rose rapidly in the league standings, and eventually won the National League championship. Yogi Berra’s “never-say-die” quote became an inspirational reminder to all those who enter any contest, be it sports or politics.

 

Oscar P. Lagman, Jr. is a retired corporate executive, business consultant, and management professor. He has been a politicized citizen since his college days in the late 1950s.

Top 10 economic news of 2021

This column is a list of the significant economic events of last year.

1. In the top 50 largest economies in the world by GDP size, the five worst performing and deepest GDP contractions in 2020 were: Spain with -10.8%, followed by Argentina -9.9%, the UK -9.8%, the Philippines -9.6%, and Italy -8.9%. Final 2020 data with projections for 2021-2025 were released by the IMF World Economic Outlook (WEO) in October 2021.

2. Of the top 50, only seven countries managed to grow and escape contraction in 2020, four of which are in South and East Asia: Bangladesh with 3.5%, Taiwan 3.1%, Vietnam 2.9%, and China 2.3%. The Philippines was the 34th largest economy in the world in 2020 but may have been the 32nd if it shrank only by around -8% or lower and not -9.6%.

3. There was GDP growth in the first to third quarters of 2021. Almost all countries managed to grow but largely due to “base effect” — their 2020 GDP levels were low so any marginal increase above that low base would translate to growth. The Philippines grew 5.1% in the first three quarters of 2021, but that would be equivalent only to the GDP level of 2018. It will reach the 2019 level around the second or third quarter of 2022.

4. Inflation in 2020. Most countries experienced lower consumer prices compared to 2019. The Philippines and Vietnam though experienced slight increases in inflation. Strict lockdowns in the Philippines resulted in some supply disruptions and delays (goods, repairs and spare parts for tractors, trucks, boats, etc.) due to the many checkpoints and barriers between provinces — even between cities of the same province — which contributed to higher inflation.

5. Inflation in 2021 was double or triple the 2020 levels for many countries — the US, the UK, Germany, France, Italy, etc. Free money from governments distributed to people who spent it even if they did not contribute to the production of goods and services, logistical delays in big seaports, later the spikes in energy prices, contributed to this. In East Asia, the Philippines has the highest inflation rate — this is not good.

6. Merchandise exports in 2020 declined in many countries except China, Taiwan, and Vietnam. These three Asians also escaped GDP contractions that year. All G7 member countries experienced significant declines in exports. Closure of many manufacturing plants for several weeks, and strict and slow inspections in ports contributed to this. Global exports data were released by the World Trade Organization (WTO) World Trade Statistical Review (WTSR) 2021 on July 30.

7. Philippine exports remain the smallest among emerging and developed East Asia at only $64 billion in 2020. Our neighbors — Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam — have about four times that level while Singapore has nearly six times that level (see Table 1).

8. Vaccine discrimination or implicit mandatory vaccination as a business and economic policy by many governments in rich countries went on a wild roll. By the end of the third quarter 2021, many of them have vaccination rates 65-86% of their total population already. By end-2021, this went up to 73-88% of their populations. The Philippines had a slow start but rushed towards 51% by end-2021.

9. Infections from the COVID-19 Omicron variant seemed to be higher in rich countries with high vaccination rates, their seven-days average cases per million population last week ranged from 2,300+ (Germany) to 16,800+ (France) but deaths from Omicron seem low, and seem even lower in countries with lower vaccination rates like the Philippines, Indonesia, and India.

10. Lockdowns and restrictions on the mobility of people continued until end-2021. Looking at the weekly Google Community Mobility Reports (GCMR) show how visitors to (or time spent in) categorized places change (in percent) compared to baseline days, using the median value from the five‑week period between Jan. 3 to Feb. 6, 2020. As of Dec. 30, 2021, mobility in Transit Stations (TS) and Work places (WP) remained high. The Philippines, for instance, has -48% in WP (see Table 2).

Anemic GDP growth and high inflation in 2021, plus high public debt, continued mobility restrictions and lockdowns, vaccine discrimination, all these point to a non-bright early 2022. We hope that governments, multilaterals, most NGOs and media, pharma, etc. will temper the scare and hysteria. Viruses will keep mutating and evolving 100%, and humans and other living creatures will also keep evolving 100% naturally. The sooner that we realize we need to live with evolving viruses, the better.

This is the sixth in this column’s annual series “Top 10 news of the year,” the others being:

1. “Top 10 news of 2016,” https://www.bworldonline.com/are-the-people-satisfied-or-disappointed-with-more-government-the-top-10-news-of-2016/.

2. Trends in global and national trade (2017), https://www.bworldonline.com/trends-global-national-trade-prospects-near-future/.

3. Top 10 economic news of 2018, https://www.bworldonline.com/top-10-economic-news-of-2018/.

4. Top 10 economic news of 2019, https://www.bworldonline.com/top-10-economic-news-stories-of-2019/.

5. Top 10 economic news of 2020, https://funwithgovernment.blogspot.com/2020/12/bworld-468-top-10-economic-news-of-2020.html.

 

Bienvenido S. Oplas, Jr. is the president of Minimal Government Thinkers.

minimalgovernment@gmail.com

Christian achievers for God and country

UPKLYAK-FREEPIK

Religio, mores, cultura. These three values are fundamental to the Lasallian identity: the spirit of faith, zeal for service, and communion in mission. The university instills in its students the right values and attributes that follow the path of the Lord. Mores represent the proper ways of conduct in society. Culture asserts that a good Lasallian has great and deep love for the country.

These may appear as simple slogans but, in my career, I have been blessed to have had Lasallians as bosses and superiors who embodied these principles. Allow me to share my experience with Lasallian leaders who have made an impact on the lives of many.

Eduardo “Danding” Lucero was one of the appointees of former President Cory Aquino. He had a short stint in rehabilitating the Processing Center Authority and invigorating the then Guarantee Fund for Small and Medium Enterprises. He is one of only three individuals to have been given the DLSAA President’s Alumni Award. He was a tough boss, but a dedicated one. He served as the editor of the official English student newspaper, The La Sallian, and as DLSAA President for at least four years. When he passed away a few years ago, it was with little fanfare, despite his consistent, dedicated volunteer service for decades.

Dr. Philip Ella Juico was my dean at the then DLSU Professional Schools, which used to manage the MBA program. He was a strong leader and was relentless about improving the quality of cases used in the business school. Years ago, I assisted him in an ASEAN project that bore fruit because of his assiduous work. He has also served the country in various ways — Secretary of the Department of Agrarian Reform, Chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission, and, presently, President of the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association. A TOYM awardee for government service, Juico knows that advocating for good governance isn’t easy.

At the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), another Lasallian was my boss, Gil Buenaventura. From being as senior executive at BPI, he served the government as President and CEO of DBP, which he successfully steered from its treasury orientation to its real mandate of being a development financial institution. Another tough act followed as CEO of RCBC when it was recovering its footing from the Bangladesh fiasco. Buenaventura preferred to simply do his job without being in the limelight. He was results-oriented, and he was an empowering superior.

Another Lasallian took over DBP in the person of Emmanuel “Manny” Herbosa. His vision was to do more for Mindanao, for farmers, and for small entrepreneurs. Despite his private banking roots, he embraced the need to make sure DBP fulfilled its mission for God and country. Fittingly, the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP) presented the Outstanding CEO Award to him in 2021 for his “singular leadership, vision and achievement.”

I continue to meet Lasallians who are making a difference. The Bangko ng Kabuhayan (BNK) is a small rural bank based in Pasig. Its chairman is former Energy and then Finance Secretary, Jose Isidro “Lito” Camacho. While he serves as Vice-Chairman of Credit Suisse of Asia-Pacific and is its Singapore Country CEO, he also ensures that micro and small loans are extended to budding entrepreneurs.

At the Philippine Business Bank (PBB), serving as Vice-Chairman and CEO is Rolando Avante, who holds a marketing degree from DLSU. Avante is on top of one of the country’s busiest and most aggressive savings banks whose operations are already close to those of a regular commercial bank. PBB aims to be the bank of choice of the SME market segment, growing from two branches in 1997 to 165 branches today. Started by the visionary Chairman Emeritus Alfred Yao, PBB has just implement its new core banking system and is aiming to further its reach through both traditional and digital solutions for its target clientele.

The senior management team of PBB is peppered with Lasallian talent. Consuelo Dantes, head of HR, took MBA units at DLSU. Jose Maria Valdes, who is overseeing the new core banking solution, has degrees in Behavioral Science and MFI. The head of the Corporate Banking Group, Eduardo Que, is an MFI graduate. Liza Jane Yao, head of General Services, is a BS Accountancy graduate. She is also a key board member of the AMY Foundation, which helps send to college deserving children from the underprivileged sector.

DLSU aims to develop technically competent, humanistic, and socially responsible managers and leaders. The country needs more of these as we recover from this pandemic.

 

Benel D. Lagua is former executive vice-president at the Development Bank of the Philippines. With AIM-MBM and Harvard-MPA degrees, he is a part-time faculty member of the Ramon V. Del Rosario College of Business of De La Salle University.

benellagua@alumni.ksg.harvard.edu

South Korea’s Moon promises final push for North Korea peace

SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT MOON JAE-IN — REUTERS

SEOUL — South Korean President Moon Jae-in vowed on Monday to use his last months in office to press for a diplomatic breakthrough with North Korea, despite public silence from Pyongyang over his attempts for a declaration of peace between the two sides.

“The government will pursue normalization of inter-Korean relations and an irreversible path to peace until the end,” Mr. Moon said in his final New Year’s address before his five-year term ends in May. “I hope efforts for dialogue will continue in the next administration too.”

In his own address on New Year’s Eve, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made no mention of Mr. Moon’s calls for a declaration officially ending the 1950-1953 Korean War, or of stalled denuclearization talks with the United States.

Mr. Moon held multiple summits with Mr. Kim, including once in Pyongyang, during a flurry of negotiations in 2018 and 2019, before talks stalled amid disagreements over international demands that the North surrender its arsenal of nuclear weapons, and Pyongyang’s call for Washington and Seoul to ease sanctions and drop other “hostile policies.”

Mr. Moon is pushing an “end of war declaration” as a way to jumpstart those stalled negotiations and his administration has hinted at backchannel discussions.

But North Korea has not publicly responded to the latest push, and the United States has said it supports the idea but may disagree with the South over its timing.

“It is true that there is still a long way to go,” Mr. Moon acknowledged, but argued that if inter-Korean relations improve, the international community will follow.

Mr. Moon said his outreach to North Korea had been enabled by a large military buildup that helped make South Korea safer. “Peace is possible on strong security,” he said.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic overshadowed the standoff with North Korea, as Pyongyang put the country into an unprecedented lockdown and Mr. Moon faced domestic pressure to tamp down the first major coronavirus outbreak outside of China in early 2020.

Since then, South Korea used aggressive tracking and tracing, as well as social distancing rules and a belated but thorough vaccination campaign to keep overall cases and deaths relatively low by global standards. — Reuters

Fauci warns of danger of hospitalization surge due to soaring coronavirus cases

REUTERS

TOP US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said there was still a danger of a surge in hospitalization due to a large number of coronavirus cases even as early data suggests the Omicron COVID-19 variant is less severe.

“The only difficulty is that if you have so many cases, even if the rate of hospitalization is lower with Omicron than it is with Delta, there is still the danger that you will have a surging of hospitalizations that might stress the healthcare system,” Mr. Fauci said in an interview on Sunday with CNN.

The Omicron variant was estimated to be 58.6% of the coronavirus variants circulating in the United States as of Dec. 25, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The sudden arrival of Omicron has brought record-setting case counts to countries around the world and dampened New Year festivities around the world.

“There will certainly be a lot more cases because this is a much more transmissible virus than Delta is,” Mr. Fauci said on CNN.

However, “It looks, in fact, that it (Omicron) might be less severe, at least from data that we’ve gathered from South Africa, from the UK and even some from preliminary data from here in the United States,” Mr. Fauci said.

Mr. Fauci added that the CDC will soon be coming out with a clarification on whether people with COVID-19 should test negative to leave isolation, after confusion last week over guidance that would let people leave after five days without symptoms.

The CDC had reduced the recommended isolation period for people with asymptomatic COVID to five days, down from 10. The policy does not require testing to confirm that a person is no longer infectious before they go back to work or socialize, causing some experts to raise questions.

“You’re right. There has been some concern about why we don’t ask people at that five-day period to get tested. That is something that is now under consideration,” Mr. Fauci told ABC News in a separate interview on Sunday. “I think we’re going to be hearing more about that in the next day or so from the CDC.”

US authorities registered at least 346,869 new coronavirus on Saturday, according to a Reuters tally. The US death toll from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) rose by at least 377 to 828,562. — Reuters

Israel to offer 4th COVID vaccine shot to seniors and medical staff

REUTERS

JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Sunday that Israel would offer a fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine to people over 60 and to medical staff as it faces a surge in Omicron variant infections.

Israel last week approved a fourth dose of the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, a second booster, for people who are immune-compromised and the elderly living in care homes.

“We now have a new layer of defense,” Mr. Bennett said in a televised news conference, adding that Israel’s top government medical official, whose approval is needed to expand the booster campaign, had signed off on the latest move.

“Israel will once again be pioneering the global vaccination effort,” Mr. Bennett said.

Earlier, the Health Ministry’s Director-General Nachman Ash said Israel could reach herd immunity as Omicron infections mounted and Merck & Co’s molnupiravir anti-viral pill was approved for use in COVID-19 patients over 18.

Herd immunity is the point at which a population is protected from a virus, either through vaccination or by people having developed antibodies by contracting the disease.

The highly transmissible Omicron variant has caused a wave of coronavirus cases, with worldwide infections hitting a record high, with an average of just over one million cases detected each day between Dec. 24 and 30, Reuters data showed.

Deaths, however, have not risen to the same degree, raising hopes that the new variant is less lethal, a view Mr. Bennett also echoed in describing the second booster as largely a bid to prevent serious illness among the elderly.

Daily cases in Israel are expected to reach record highs in the coming three weeks. Bennett said that up to 50,000 people might soon be infected each day, while eligibility for testing could be tightened to help relieve long lines at testing stations.

“The (infection) numbers will have to be very high in order to reach herd immunity,” Ash told 103 FM Radio earlier. “This is possible but we don’t want to reach it by means of infections, we want it to happen as a result of many people vaccinating.”

The head of the health ministry’s coronavirus task force, Salman Zarka, said herd immunity was far from guaranteed, because experience over the past two years showed that some COVID-19 patients who recovered were later reinfected.

Israel’s health ministry says around 60% of its 9.4 million population are fully vaccinated, almost all with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which means they have either received three doses or have recently had their second.

But hundreds of thousands of those eligible for a third inoculation have so far not taken it.

Over the past 10 days, daily infections have more than quadrupled. Severe cases have also climbed, but at a far lower rate, rising from about 80 to around 100. — Reuters

Chelsea battles back to draw 2-2 with Liverpool in a thrilling encounter of two title chasers

LONDON — Chelsea fought back from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Liverpool in a breathless encounter between the two title chasers at Stamford Bridge on Sunday but the stalemate left Manchester City 10 points clear at the top.

The draw meant Chelsea remained second on 43 points from 21 games, one point ahead of Liverpool, who have a game in hand, and leaders Manchester City who have 53 points from 21.

“It is a big gap (at the top),” Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk told Sky Sports. “They (City) have the title maybe to lose at the moment but anything can happen still. We have been there and gave it away, so anything is possible.

“We focus on ourselves, we just have to get results, play good football and win games.”

With both sides weakened by key absences — and Chelsea dropping striker Romelu Lukaku after he criticized the tactics of coach Thomas Tuchel — Liverpool quickly seemed to have the game in their grip after goals from Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah before they depart for the Africa Cup of Nations.

Mane capitalized on an error by Trevoh Chalobah to open the scoring in the ninth minute and Salah doubled the lead 17 minutes later when he ghosted past Marcos Alonso to lift the ball over goalkeeper Edouard Mendy from a tight angle.

But the Blues clawed their way back into the game in the 42nd minute when Mateo Kovačić majestically volleyed in off a post from the edge of the box after a punched clearance by Liverpool reserve keeper Caoimhin Kelleher.

Four minutes later, Chelsea was level when Christian Pulisic latched onto a pass by N’Golo Kante that beat Liverpool’s offside trap and the American forward coolly lifted the ball over Kelleher into the net. — Reuters

Chargers beat Broncos, stay in playoff chase

JUSTIN Herbert was 22-of-31 for 237 yards passing and two touchdowns, Austin Ekeler ran for a score, and the host Los Angeles Chargers beat the Denver Broncos (34-13) on Sunday.

Mike Williams and Keenan Allen had touchdown receptions to help Herbert set a franchise record for TD passes in a season with 35.

Drew Lock was 18-of-25 for 245 yards passing and a score, and Noah Fant had six catches for 92 yards and a touchdown for the Broncos (7-9), who were eliminated from postseason contention.

Ekeler got the Chargers — who remain in the playoff hunt at 9-7 — on the board with a 3-yard touchdown run just 3:11 into the game, making it 7-0.

Dustin Hopkins’ first field goal of the day, from 19 yards, made the score 10-0 early in the second quarter, and Los Angeles added to the lead with Herbert’s 8-yard touchdown pass to Allen with 14 seconds left in the first half.

The Broncos were able to cut into the lead later in the half. Lock hit Melvin Gordon for 24 yards on the first play to get to midfield, and then hit Kendall Hinton for another 8 yards at the Chargers’ 43-yard line.

Brandon McManus kicked a 61-yard field goal as time expired to make the score 17-3 at intermission.

On its first possession of the second half, Los Angeles drove to the Denver 5 but had to settle for a 23-yard field goal from Hopkins.

The Broncos went on a 12-play drive and went for it on fourth down from the Chargers’ 1, but Gordon’s touchdown run was nullified by a penalty. They settled for a 23-yard field goal from McManus to make it 20-6 just seconds into the fourth quarter.

Los Angeles broke it open when Roberts returned the ensuing kickoff 101 yards for a touchdown and a 27-6 lead.

Denver turned the ball over on downs on its next drive, and Herbert hit Williams with a 45-yard touchdown pass to make it 34-6 with 10:18 left.

The Broncos answered with Lock’s 5-yard scoring strike to Fant with 6:31 left, but the Chargers closed out the victory. — Reuters

Suns move past recent woes by crushing Hornets

DEVIN Booker scored 24 points as the Phoenix Suns got back on track with a 133-99 blasting of the host Charlotte Hornets on Sunday night.

The Phoenix Suns entered having lost three of their previous four games to drop out of the top spot in the Western Conference. On Friday, they were crushed by the Boston Celtics (123-108) to begin a three-game road swing.

Jalen Smith had 19 points for the Suns on Sunday, while reserve Landry Shamet pumped in 17 points and Mikal Bridges had 15. Cameron Johnson and Cameron Payne both had 14 points for Phoenix.

Ex-Hornet Bismark Biyombo provided 11 points and six rebounds for the Suns, while Chris Paul had 16 assists to go with seven points and six rebounds in a return to his home state.

With 9:37 to play, the Suns’ lead was 43 points at 119-76 following a Shamet dunk.

It was quite a show for a Phoenix team without Deandre Ayton, JaVale McGee and Jae Crowder because of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) protocol. Head coach Monty Williams also was in protocol, while Abdel Nader has a knee injury.

LaMelo Ball had 17 points for the Hornets, while and Kelly Oubre, Jr. had 15 and Ish Smith had 11 for Charlotte, which had a three-game winning streak snapped. Miles Bridges, who missed the previous two games while in COVID protocol, added 10 points.

Charlotte shot just 9 of 35 (25.7%) on 3-pointers. The Hornets also had 18 turnovers.

Shamet drained five 3-pointers for the Suns, while Booker, Johnson and Bridges all made three from distance.

Booker had 20 points by half time as the Suns led 73-47. Paul had only two points at the midway mark but made an impact with 10 assists.

The score was at 38-34 early in the second quarter before the Suns broke away. Smith scored five points in a 10-0 run.

Phoenix finished with a 52-35 rebounding edge.

The Suns defeated the Hornets 137-106 last month in Phoenix.

Charlotte forward PJ Washington remained sidelined by COVID protocols. — Reuters

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