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A balanced view of the Marcos Jr. SONA

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. delivered his first State of the Nation Address during the joint session of the 19th Congress at the House of Representatives, Batasan complex, Quezon City, July 25. — PHILIPPINE STAR/KRIZ JOHN ROZALES

Just before President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. presented his State of the Nation Address (SONA), I received a text message from my politically irreverent friend, Boom Buencamino. He said: “Even before [Marcos] delivers his SONA, I will already predict that his speech will live up to the expectations of both his supporters and critics.”

That was his usual self — dishing out ridicule and provoking people. But Boom was right. The behavior of Marcos Jr.’s supporters and critics was predictable. The supporters hailed his SONA; the critics disparaged it.

But Boom, comparing Marcos Jr.’s SONA to Rodrigo Duterte’s previous SONAs, was appreciative. “Thank God, ‘I will kill you’ was absent in Marcos’ SONA,” he said.

Marcos Jr.’s SONA likewise surprised the economists I know. Their threshold for a satisfactory SONA was low. In unison, they were relieved that Marcos Jr. didn’t mention the reversal of critical reforms. Prior to SONA and especially during the election campaign, Marcos Jr. said he favored the amendment of the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) and the suspension of fuel taxes. Those proposals, while having populist appeal, would only increase the prices of food (in case RTL is reversed) and would trigger a fiscal crisis (if fuel taxes were suspended).

With regard to what the SONA contained, the priorities for legislation will, at the very least, do no serious harm.  That’s reassuring.

We can dispute, for example, the urgency or appropriateness of the National Government rightsizing program and the mandatory ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) program, the favorite bills of President Marcos Jr. and Vice-President Sara Duterte, respectively. But these measures, even if debatable, will not result in causing more harm than good.

Marcos Jr. presented a laundry list for his first SONA. He enumerated a total of 19 bills. In truth, these 19 proposed measures are not on equal footing. For practical reasons, the administration must assign the proper weight and rank each according to preference. This prioritization can then guide Congress in making the timetable and sequencing the bills for deliberation.

Marcos Jr., too, wants to fund many programs and projects that encompass health and nutrition, agriculture, education, digital connectivity, infrastructure, social protection, and others. Some are questionable. Controversial is the idea of building specialty hospitals in places outside Metro Manila (the most applauded in Marcos’ speech!). The risk of serious harm is perhaps manageable, although one can argue that the opportunity cost for such undertakings is huge.

The emphasis given to specialty hospitals suggests a bias of Marcos Jr. to carry on his father’s legacy of establishing the Philippine Heart Center, the National Kidney and Transplant Institute, and the Lung Center. But in light of limited resources, creating more specialty hospitals will deprive much-needed resources for the pillar of universal healthcare coverage, which is primary healthcare. New resources will likewise be needed for pandemic resiliency like the creation of the Virology Institute, the National Disease Prevention Management Authority, and the Medical Reserve Corps.

The main challenge then is how his administration will fund all the programs and projects, including new ones, given a narrowing fiscal space. The fiscal space is further threatened by the hostile global environment characterized by a persistent pandemic, geopolitical conflicts, economic slowdown, higher interest rates, and supply shortages. While the Philippine’s debt remains manageable, further government borrowing can only be credible upon the administration showing it will significantly raise tax revenues.

The Marcos Jr. administration has included important parts of the fiscal consolidation program drafted by the Department of Finance (DoF) during the term of Sonny Dominguez. This is laudable. This shows policy continuity.

In particular, the Marcos Jr. administration will pursue at the outset the remaining packages of the Duterte tax reform, namely real property valuation reform and passive income and financial intermediary taxation. It must be clarified nevertheless that these revenue packages, designed to enhance equity and efficiency, are revenue neutral in the short run.

To augment the fiscal consolidation program, the administration wants to ensure that digital transactions are subject to the value-added tax (VAT). This is welcome because digital services remain under the radar of indirect taxes. However, per the estimate of government, the tax on digital transactions can yield P11.7 billion, an inadequate amount to support the increasing budget for old and new programs.

In this light, the DoF itself — echoed by prominent economists (see for example the columns of Diwa Guinigundo) — has recommended the increase in tax rates for sin products like alcohol, cigarettes, and electronic nicotine devices. The sin taxes are a reliable source of increasing revenues. These taxes also discourage the consumption of harmful goods. And they are efficient taxes, for they internalize the full social costs of products harmful to health.

To summarize, even as Marcos Jr.’s SONA contains the right elements, the essentials that will squarely tackle the binding constraints are lacking. On health, the overarching framework that is primary healthcare needs elaboration. On agriculture, we cannot discern a coherent plan that will provide access to affordable food and that will boost productivity. And on financing growth and development, we expect a bolder strategy to generate much higher revenues.

In closing, I share another friend’s insight. Preferring to remain anonymous, he said: “At best, his agenda struck me as motherhood statements with no clear strategies mentioned. I pray that he will be enlightened by the Holy Spirit to nevertheless do the right things for the people.”

 

Filomeno S. Sta. Ana III coordinates the Action for Economic Reforms.

www.aer.ph

The SONA I did not expect

PRESIDENT FERDINAND R. MARCOS JR. delivered his first State of the Nation Address during the joint session of the 19th Congress at the Batasan complex in Quezon City, July 25. — PHILIPPINE STAR/KRIZ JOHN ROSALES

It was a good SONA. President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s first State of the Nation Address (SONA) was the least populist I’ve heard in a very long time. Save for one instance where he proposed to condone unpaid amortization owed by agrarian reform beneficiaries, the President did not pander to any other sector or constituency throughout his speech. In fact, he even proposed certain laws that railroad the interest of his closest allies. These laws include the enactment of the National Land Use Law, the amendment of the EPIRA Law (Electric Power Industry Reform Act), the Internet Transaction Act, and Tax Valuation Reform Bill. The SONA inspired cautioned confidence, especially for those who thought that crony capitalism will be making a comeback.

The President’s assessment of the country’s state of affairs was fairly accurate. On the economy, he recognized the need to raise national revenues and rationalize expenses to better manage the budget deficit and heavy debt load. To this, he proposed to raise funds by imposing VAT on the digital economy, and outlaw the under-declaration of taxable transactions and smuggling. On the expense side, he proposed right-sizing the bureaucracy and spending prioritization. All these, I concur with.

The President clearly defined his quantitative goals for the next six years. By 2028, he aspires to reduce the poverty rate to 9%; to ease inflation to 3%; to trim the budget deficit to 3% of GDP; and to maintain the peso to dollar rate at P55 to $1. He further aims to expand the economy by 6.5% to 8% from 2022 to 2028. All these I find realistic except for the exchange rate which is tied to external forces, not the least of which are the defensive policies of the US Federal Reserve.

He proposed the establishment of a Medium-Term Fiscal Strategy which spans six years. Said strategy is envisaged to be the basis for future budget appropriations by congress. It promotes transparency while ensuring the continuity of projects and spending efficiency. I concur with this too.

What I found lacking, however, is the aspiration to stage a manufacturing resurgence and to make the Philippines a prime investment destination and manufacturing hub to match Vietnam. While he did mention, in passing, that we must attract more foreign direct investments (FDIs), he failed to stress its importance nor elaborate on how it will be accomplished.

There is no getting away from it — we must increase our intake of foreign direct investments to accelerate our industrialization, decrease import dependence, and generate more export revenues. We must wean ourselves from being a predominantly consumer-lead economy to one balanced by production. It is through FDI’s that we can establish our supremacy not only in manufacturing but also in artificial intelligence, robotics, virtual and augmented reality, and nano-technology. Only then can we generate real wealth and realize the President’s quantitative goals.

That said, ease in doing business and lowering the cost of manufacturing must be high priority areas. We should also put teeth to the Inter-Agency Investment Promotional and Coordination Committee to focus on outward investment promotions.

On infrastructure, I laud his commitment not to suspend any of the projects that are in the pipeline and to sustain infrastructure spending at 5-6% of GDP. It is a wise decision too to harness private capital through Public-Private Partnerships.

The President spoke extensively about the importance of railways and his commitment to their development. He failed, however, to tackle the issue of airports, specifically NAIA’s congestion. How are we supposed to cope with the acute congestion when the Bulacan airport is still seven years away? And if the Caticlan airport is any indication of how San Miguel builds airports, I think we will find ourselves with a festering problem of operating with badly built, barebones edifices. It seems sensible for the government to pursue its plan to privatize NAIA and modernize it.

On energy, the selection of Raphael Lotilla as secretary inspires confidence. We were even more encouraged when the President called for the rationalization of the EPIRA Law while instructing the Department of Energy to build more power plants using a mix of traditional and renewable sources. He also called for the improvement of our transmission and distribution network. All these, taken collectively, should reduce power costs once and for all.

The President spoke about the possibility of including nuclear energy in our power source mix. Perhaps this was more a political statement than anything else. As we are all aware, most economies are veering away from nuclear due to its cost, safety concerns, and its environmental impact.

Tourism was singled out by the President not only as a driver of national revenues but also as a chance to improve our country branding. The President correctly stated that branding translates to national pride and a strong national identity. Branding also redounds to soft power or the ability to influence global decisions not through coercion but by persuasion.

No one knows the power of branding better than the Marcoses. We hope that within the next six years, the Philippines can re-establish its global gravitas in the areas of culture and heritage, good governance, our positive reputation, our diplomatic alliances and global connections, our openness for business, our technology adoption, the strength of our diplomatic missions abroad, and the level of talent of our people.

On education, many were relieved when the President declared that face-to-face classes will resume this August. He spoke about improving classrooms and augmenting learning tools with internet connectivity and gadgets. We can only hope that the Department of Information and Communications Technology can accelerate broadband connectivity in far flung islands and the national budget can support the capital outlay for gadgets.

The president reiterated the need to maintain our children’s proficiency in English. I totally agree. He spoke fleetingly about the need to improve STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) learning which I consider critical for future competitiveness.

The problems of the education sector are complex. Suffice to say that all of the Department of Education’s programs need to be reviewed and rationalized. Among the problematic programs are the performance-based bonuses grated to teachers and auditors; curricula for primary and secondary levels; School-Based Management Program; Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education; (the lack of) High-Touch High-Tech learning; and teacher’s heavy administrative load, to name a few.

In foreign policy, the President declared, in no uncertain terms, that he will not allow even one inch of our sovereign territory to be subsumed by any foreign power. To this, I gave rousing applause, even if I was watching the SONA alone in my office.

President Marcos’ SONA exceeded my expectations. It was professional, comprehensive, and well-articulated. Above all, the 19 proposed priority bills were well considered. We hope for more of this style of governance. Marcos Jr. is off to a good start.

 

Andrew J. Masigan is an economist

andrew_rs6@yahoo.com

Facebook@AndrewJ. Masigan

Chile’s failed pensions are Neoliberalism’s badge of shame

IGNACIO AMENABAR-UNSPLASH

CHILE embraced neoliberalism more than almost any other nation, with its 1980 privatization of pensions a hallmark of its paradigm shift. The World Bank and International Monetary Fund were quick to laud General Augusto Pinochet’s government for the move, which more than two dozen nations copied, at least in part. Yet now the need for pension reform is one of the few issues on which Chile’s politicians and policymakers, whether right or left, agree. The system simply hasn’t delivered on its promises for retirees and taxpayers. And both as a symbol and a reality, this failure by a former economic star has fueled the widening rejection of neoliberalism and market-driven approaches in other policy areas.

Chile’s justification for eliminating public pay-as-you go programs (like Social Security in the US) and sending workers into a privately managed system of individual accounts was twofold: First, private funds would grow more and compound faster due to better management, meaning more money for retirement; second, the change would keep down public costs.

Four decades later, Chile’s system hasn’t worked as promised or expected. The creators anticipated that the average worker would save enough to earn 70% of their salary in retirement; the reality has been closer to one-third. They thought the new system would expand the number of workers with retirement funds; instead, nearly 40% of Chileans have nothing to fall back on.  Rather than improve the lives of Chile’s elderly, most pensioners live on less than the minimum wage, with women hit harder than men.

The private system hasn’t let the government off the financial hook either. The transition period was always going to be expensive as the government footed the bill for those retiring on the public dime without receiving payroll taxes (as these contributions all headed to private accounts). But the government has also had to backstop far more of the new system’s retirees than expected. Officials thought less than 10% of wage earners would rely on public largesse for a minimum pension. Today, more than 40% need the government to step in.

The biggest beneficiary turned out to be Chile’s capital markets. Pension fund managers invested tens of billions of dollars accumulated in individual accounts into local equities and bonds, expanding and deepening these markets. This helped domestic and international investors, as well as large corporations. It did less, at least directly, for the savers.

Why did Chile’s experiment fail? The low private payouts to retirees reflect in part low contributions. Unlike in the US, Europe, and other places, employers were not compelled to contribute. That was left to employees. At 10% of their salaries, the inflows often aren’t enough to retire on, even after compounding for years. Small sums in means small sums out.

Add to this the years many workers don’t contribute at all. With one in four jobs in Chile off the books, many workers will, at some or many points in their economically active lives, not contribute. The self-employed also could choose whether to join, and many didn’t. Sporadic contributions lowered retirement nest eggs too.

And particularly in the program’s early years, excessive fees cut the initial pot that could grow over workers’ lives. Chile’s pension funds charge on flows not assets. Many funds were initially taking 25 or even 30 pesos of every 100 off the top (rather than say one peso a year for 25-30 years). Commissions have fallen significantly since then. Still, many charge 10% or more of the initial payroll deposits as their fee. In contrast, the administrative fees for US Social Security are less than 2% (in part because there are no marketing costs). With fewer pesos invested and compounding over time, the non-wealthy have found it hard to accumulate enough for a decent pension, even with good returns.

Which gets to the biggest drawback of private accounts for social security: They don’t, and indeed can’t, pool risk across the population. Social insurance originated with European labor unions and mutual aid societies in the 19th century, with workers and participants contributing to support their own retirees. While the pooled funds benefited the poorest or unluckiest among them the most, the better off voluntarily paid in more than they got back for the peace of mind that, if their fortunes were to deteriorate, they too would rely on these excess contributions of the more well-to-do among the group. Public social security systems do this on a national scale, pooling risk across workers of all industries and redistributing the funds among all those that have retired (and met minimum requirements).

Private accounts, in contrast, only distribute risk over the lifetime of a particular individual. You save in your working years to fund your work-free ones. High income earners contribute more and get more, while minimum wage earners are often unable to save enough to avoid penury.

In the end, privately managed systems can’t help those who need more support in their final years. Pooling risk across the entire working population is more important in more unequal economies and societies, as income disparities are bigger and more consequential.

Previous governments in Chile have tried to fix these problems. In 2008 Michelle Bachelet’s government created public pensions for those whose savings didn’t amount to enough for a minimum pension, as well as those outside of the private system, expanding to nearly six in 10 wage earners. In 2021, President Sebastian Pinera, whose brother was one of the private system’s designers, expanded the public component even more to cover the bottom 80% of retirees.

Chile’s new president and congress look to go further. President Gabriel Boric will put forward a bill in August to raise the minimum pension from just under $200 to match Chile’s minimum wage of roughly $300 a month and make it available to all retirees. He would all but end the current private system by making a public pay-as-you-go system the main pillar of social security. Private accounts would be relegated to a more 401K-style option for voluntary retirement contributions.

But reforming the pension system is harder and more expensive today as Chileans are already quite old: There are just four workers for every retiree. This ratio looks to worsen in the years to come, surpassing that of the US by 2050. Boric wants employers to contribute too, increasing the amount of money set aside to fund retirement. He also is proposing specific non-payroll taxes to underwrite pensions and other social policies, including new mining royalties and a potential wealth tax.

Pensions were never a good fit for strictly private management, as basic building blocks of the welfare state are definitive public goods. Yet the failure of the system has reverberated beyond the retirees trying to make ends meet. Pensions became a leading cause for the millions of Chileans who took to the streets in protest in 2019, spurring the formation of a Constituent Assembly to write a new Constitution that will be voted on in September.

The best path for pensions would be a reform that ensures adequate retirements for more Chileans. This requires a more robust public system with dedicated funding to sustain it. If legislators can make this happen, they can reduce the financial hardship too many of Chile’s elderly now face. And, to the benefit of democracy in both Chile and its neighbors, they could also thereby restore at least some of the political legitimacy that the old system helped to put in doubt.

BLOOMBERG OPINION

Russia invites UN, Red Cross to investigate Ukraine jail deaths

Army soldier figurines are displayed in front of the Ukrainian and Russian flag colors background in this illustration taken, Feb. 13, 2022. — REUTERS/DADO RUVIC/ILLUSTRATION

KYIV — Russia on Sunday invited United Nations and Red Cross experts to probe the deaths of dozens of Ukrainian prisoners held by Moscow-backed separatists, while Ukraine’s president ordered the evacuation of residents in the eastern region of Donetsk.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said hundreds of thousands of people were still exposed to fierce fighting in the Donbas region, which contains Donetsk and Luhansk province.

“Many refuse to leave but it still needs to be done,” Mr. Zelensky said in a televised address late on Saturday. “The more people leave the Donetsk region now, the fewer people the Russian army will have time to kill.”

Ukraine and Russia have traded accusations over a missile strike or explosion early on Friday that appeared to have killed dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war in the front-line town of Olenivka in eastern Donetsk.

Russia invited experts from the U.N. and Red Cross to probe the deaths “in the interests of conducting an objective investigation,” the defense ministry said on Sunday.

The ministry had published a list of 50 Ukrainian prisoners of war killed and 73 wounded in what it said was a Ukrainian military strike with a U.S.-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS).

Ukraine’s armed forces denied responsibility, saying Russian artillery had targeted the prison to hide mistreatment there. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Friday Russia had committed a war crime and called for international condemnation.

Reuters journalists confirmed some of the deaths at the prison, but could not immediately verify the differing versions of events.

The U.N. had said it was prepared to send experts to investigate if it obtained consent from both parties. The International Committee of the Red Cross said it was seeking access and had offered to help evacuate the wounded.

Ukraine has accused Russia of atrocities against civilians and identified more than 10,000 possible war crimes. Russia denies targeting civilians and war crimes in the invasion it calls a “special operation”.

UKRAINIAN COUNTEROFFENSIVE
Ukraine’s military said on Saturday more than 100 Russian soldiers had been killed and seven tanks destroyed in the south on Friday, including the Kherson region that is the focus of Kyiv’s counteroffensive in that part of the country and a key link in Moscow’s supply lines.

Rail traffic to Kherson over the Dnipro River had been cut, the military’s southern command said, potentially further isolating Russian forces west of the river from supplies in occupied Crimea and the east.

South of the town of Bakhmut, which Russia has cited as a prime target in Donetsk, the Ukrainian military said Russian forces had been “partially successful” in establishing control over the settlement of Semyhirya by storming it from three directions.

Defense and intelligence officials from Britain, which has been one of Ukraine’s staunchest allies since Moscow invaded its neighbor on Feb. 24, portrayed Russian forces as struggling to maintain momentum.

Ukraine has used Western-supplied long-range missile systems to badly damage three bridges across the Dnipro in recent weeks, cutting off Kherson city and — in the assessment of British defense officials — leaving Russia’s 49th Army highly vulnerable on the river’s west bank.

Reuters could not independently verify the battlefield reports.

Officials from the Russian-appointed administration running the Kherson region earlier this week rejected Western and Ukrainian assessments of the situation.

On Friday the British ministry described the Russian government as “growing desperate”, having lost tens of thousands of soldiers in the war. British MI6 foreign intelligence agency chief Richard Moore added on Twitter that Russia is “running out of steam.” — Reuters

China air force, referring to Taiwan, vows to safeguard its ‘territorial integrity’

CHESS PIECES are seen in front of displayed China and Taiwan’s flags in this illustration taken Jan. 25, 2022. — REUTERS

BEIJING — China will “resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” an air force spokesman said on Sunday, referring to Taiwan, as tensions rise over the self-ruled island.

Air force spokesman Shen Jinke was quoted by state media as saying at a military airshow that the air force has many types of fighter jets capable of circling “the precious island of our motherland”.

US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, number 3 in the line of presidential succession, signaled on Friday she was embarking on a trip to Asia. She did not mention Taiwan, but speculation of a visit there has intensified in recent days, fueling tensions beyond the Taiwan Strait.

Beijing claims democratically ruled Taiwan as a Chinese province.

Chinese President Xi Jinping warned his US counterpart Joseph R. Biden on Thursday that Washington should abide by the one-China principle and “those who play with fire will perish by it.”

Shen said on Sunday: “The air force has the firm will, full confidence and sufficient capability to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said on Friday the United States has seen no evidence of looming Chinese military activity against Taiwan. — Reuters

The ‘Great Resignation’ worked: Most job-swappers got a raise

COLIN WATTS-UNSPLASH

FOR THE MAJORITY of people who quit their job in search of higher pay elsewhere, the wager paid off.

Even as inflation soared, 60% of those who quit between April 2021 and March 2022 realized real wage gains, according to a new report by the Pew Research Center. Less than half of workers who remained loyal to their employers can say the same.

The so-called Great Resignation has brought massive upheaval in the labor market, with quit rates at highs possibly not seen since the 1970s. An average of 4 million workers quit each month from January to March this year, for an annual turnover rate of nearly 50 million workers — about 30% of the workforce — according to Pew’s analysis, which assumes workers don’t change jobs more than once a year.

The report analyzed data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics and a survey of about 6,000 American adults conducted in June and July of this year.

As employers have struggled to cope with chronic staffing shortages brought on by rapid turnover, most workers who quit did not immediately jump into a new job. For those who quit this year from January to March, two-thirds were not with a new employer the following month. Instead, almost half left the labor force, while another 18% remained unemployed.

Women who quit were more likely than men to take a break from the labor force, according to the research. Men with children were the least likely to do the same.

The window of opportunity for potential job-switchers may be closing. With fears of recession mounting, many considering a change may stay put for fear that a new, higher-paying gig may be more difficult to get. According to the report, about 20% of workers say they’re likely to look for a new job in the next six months, though nearly 40% say they think landing one will be difficult.

Those with the least sense of stability are more inclined to move, according to Pew, with 45% of those with little job security likely to look for work elsewhere, relative to just 14% of workers who feel most secure. Almost 30% of workers who are financially insecure are likely to consider a change, nearly twice as many who are financially stable. — Bloomberg

British businesses are turning away from China due to political tensions

REUTERS

LONDON — British businesses are cutting ties with China due to concerns about political tensions, a shift that is likely to stoke inflationary pressures, the head of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said in an interview published on Saturday.

“Every company that I speak to at the moment is engaged in rethinking their supply chains … because they anticipate that our politicians will inevitably accelerate towards a decoupled world from China,” CBI Director-General Tony Danker was quoted as telling the Financial Times newspaper.

China was Britain’s biggest source of imported goods in 2021, accounting for 13% of the total, while it was the sixth-largest destination for goods exports, according to Britain’s official trade statistics.

However, British security concerns have risen in recent years, fueled by disagreements with China over Hong Kong and other issues. Last week, the head of Britain’s foreign intelligence service, Richard Moore, said China was now his top priority, ahead of counter-terrorism work.

Britain has also increasingly blocked Chinese takeovers of companies on national security grounds.

Both the remaining candidates in the Conservative Party leadership contest — Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and former finance minister Rishi Sunak — have said they intend to take a tougher line on China.

Mr. Danker said growing US concern about China had also made British companies more wary about being dependent on Chinese suppliers, and that going elsewhere would be “more expensive and thus inflationary”.

“It doesn’t take a genius to think cheap goods and cheaper goods may be a thing of the past,” he added.

British inflation hit a 40-year high of 9.4% last month, partly because of the surge in energy prices caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. — Reuters

Biden again tests positive for COVID-19, says he feels fine

PHOTO FROM JOE BIDEN FACEBOOK PAGE

WASHINGTON — US President Joseph R. Biden tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) again on Saturday in what the White House doctor described as a “rebound” case seen in a small percentage of patients who take the antiviral drug Paxlovid.

Mr. Biden, 79, who emerged from COVID isolation on Wednesday after testing positive on July 21, said he was feeling fine.

He will now return to strict isolation and will cancel planned trips to his home in Wilmington and work trip in Michigan, the White House said. Mr. Biden held public events on Wednesday and Thursday, but none on Friday.

The forced isolation comes as the White House was hoping to celebrate some recent legislative victories to help boost Mr. Biden’s slumping poll ratings.

Mr. Biden had planned the Michigan trip to tout Thursday’s passage of legislation to boost the US semiconductor chips industry.

Mr. Biden’s positive test is believed to be a “rebound” experienced by some COVID patients who take the anti-viral drug Paxlovid, according to White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor. Paxlovid is an antiviral medication from Pfizer. Inc. PFE.N that is used to treat high-risk patients, such as older patients.

A small but significant percentage of people who take Paxlovid will suffer a relapse or a rebound that occurs days after the five-day treatment course has ended, studies have shown.

White House officials had previously suggested a rebound case of COVID was unlikely, based on reports of cases around the country. However, Mr. Biden continued to be tested and monitored.

Mr. Biden tweeted about his positive case, saying it can happen to a “small minority of folks.” He later posted a video on Twitter where he said he was “feeling fine” and “everything’s good.”

A White House official said contact tracing efforts were underway Saturday after Biden’s positive COVID-19 test.

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci also experienced rebound COVID-19. His symptoms got worse when they returned after treatment, and his doctors prescribed another course of Paxlovid.

Mr. O’Connor said Mr. Biden tested negative for the last four days, and there is no plan to reinitiate treatment given his lack of symptoms. — Reuters

Frayna, Mendoza wins keep women’s squad in the lead

Men’s team suffer 3-1 defeat to Azerbaijan

JANELLE Mae Frayna and Shania Mae Mendoza delivered the wins when their team needed it most as the Philippines turned back an unheralded but fighting Nicaragua on Saturday night to firmly keep its stranglehold of the lead after two rounds of the 44th World Chess Olympiad in Chennai, India.

Mses. Frayna and Mendoza went for the kill early by employing strong opening lines to overpower Maria Esther Granados Diaz and Patricia Alvarez Gutierrez on boards one and three, respectively, that sealed the win and a place for the Filipinas in the 40-nation lead pack with four match points each.

Jan Jodilyn Fronda tried to do the same with Michelle Ferrifino on board two, but she made an opening misstep that allowed her lower-ranked rival to equalize and send the duel to an equal opposite-colored bishops ending before agreeing for a truce.

The triumph softened the impact of Marie Antoinette San Diego’s shock defeat to Maria Jose Granados Ortiz on the last board in a duel where the former was punished by her opening adventurism that resulted to the latter launching an unrelenting and unstoppable kingside onslaught.

The loss forced the hand of national women’s coach Grandmaster (GM) Jayson Gonzales to sit out San Diego and replace her with Woman Grandmaster-candidate Kylen Joy Mordido when the team, which is being bankrolled by the Philippine Sports Commission, collides with 18th seed Serbia in the third round at press time.

In the men’s side, GMs Mark Paragua and John Paul Gomez prevented a shutout by pulling off upset draws with Rauf Mamedov and Vasif Durarbayli on boards one and three, respectively, in a 3-1 win by sixth pick Azerbaijan.

GM Banjo Barcenilla and IM Paulo Bersamina lost to Gadir Guseinov and Nijat Abasov, on boards two and four, respectively.

It kicked the Filipinos spiraling down to a 65-country tie at 48th spot with two match points to show in this 11-round, 12-day tournament participated in by 184 teams from 180 nations in the men’s division alone.

GM Darwin Laylo was re-injected into the roster in Mr. Bersamina’s place when the country tackles lowly Cyprus next. — Joey Villar

Philippine campaign goes into overdrive in 11th ASEAN Para Games today

SURAKARTA, Indonesia — The Philippine campaign in the 11th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Para Games goes into overdrive on Monday with national para-athletes seeking to contest 32 gold medals in athletics, swimming, and powerlifting in separate venues here and in the neighboring city of Semarang.

Tokyo Paralympians Jerrold Mangliwan and Jeanette Aceveda spearhead the track and field challenge at the Manahan Stadium where 20 golds will be up for grabs in the first major international stint for the majority of these athletes since the 2017 Malaysia edition of the meet.

WHEELCHAIR RACERS
Wheelchair racers Mr. Mangliwan, who won two golds in the 2015 Singapore ASEAN Para Games, and teammate Rodrigo Podiotan, Jr. are vying in the men’s 100-meter T52 race inside the sprawling 20,000-seat arena. Ms. Aceveda, a triple gold medalist in the 2013 Naypyidaw, Myanmar Games, who is visually impaired, is scheduled in the women’s discus throw F11-13 in the overseas stint supported by the Philippine Sports Commission.

National para head coach Joel Deriada said that among the rookies to watch are Daniel Enderes, Jr., a silver medalist in the Asian Youth Para Games in Manama, Bahrain last December, and King James Reyes, who sees action in the men’s 800-meter T20 and T46 events, respectively.

Wheelchair racer Arman Dino will try to surpass his silver-medal finish in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur five years ago when he competes in the men’s 100-meter run T47 together with Arvie John Arreglado.

TOP PROSPECT
Tokyo Paralympic veteran Ernie Gawilan looms as a top gold prospect in the men’s 400-meter freestyle S7 class at the Jatidiri Sports Complex pool in Semarang, located 104.8 kilometers northwest of Surakarta. Also tipped to make a splash is newcomer Angel Otom, an Asian Youth Para Games bronze medalist, in the women’s 50-meter backstroke S7 event in the swimming competition where nine golds are at stake on opening day.

Flag-bearer and two-time Asian Para Games silver medalist Achelle Guion tries to contribute to the country’s medal production as she competes in the women’s 45-kilogram event of powerlifting at the Solo Paragon Hotel. Also eyeing medals are Marydol Pamati-an and Denesia Esnara in the women’s 41-kg and 50-kg categories, respectively.

In other action, the national men’s and women’s wheelchair squads kick off their bid in the five-a-side basketball tournament both against Cambodia at the GOR Sritex Arena.

President Marcos Jr. confident of Philippine para-athletes’ fruitful stint in 11th ASEAN Para Games

SURAKARTA, Indonesia – President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr. is looking forward to a fruitful campaign of Filipino para-athletes competing in the 11th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Para Games.

“Siguro naman mapapantayan ninyo ang mga success stories ng mga ibang atleta na lumaban sa mga international games kagaya nito,” Mr. Marcos said in a videotaped inspirational message released by the Philippine Sports Commission addressed to the country’s campaigners last Friday.

He cited the successes of Filipino athletes in international play such as karateka Junna Tsukii, who won the country’s second gold medal in The World Games in Birmingham, Alabama and the Filipinas capturing the AFF Women’s Championship trophy for the first time in front of a hometown crowd at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in July.

The most recent triumph came from pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena, who bagged a bronze medal in the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon with a new Asian and national record of 5.94 meters last week.

“Good luck sa inyong lahat at ako’y nakakasiguro na pasisikatin ninyong muli ang Pilipinas,” said Mr. Marcos in expressing his confidence that the national para-athletes would deliver and bring home the bacon from the 11-nation sportsfest.

Philippine Paralympic Committee was grateful to Mr. Marcos’ show of support for the country’s para-athletes in bringing pride and glory to the country during the ASEAN Para Games.

Núñez on target as Liverpool beats City in Community Shield

LEICESTER, England — Darwin Núñez scored a late goal on his debut as Liverpool drew first blood in this season’s rivalry with Manchester City with a 3-1 win in Saturday’s Community Shield.

Trent Alexander-Arnold opened the scoring, firing Jürgen Klopp’s side ahead in the 21st minute of the 100th edition of the annual clash between league champions and FA Cup winners.

City’s new Norwegian signing Erling Haaland, brought in from Borussia Dortmund, missed two chances to mark his debut for the champions with a goal but Pep Guardiola’s side were missing their usual fluency.

It was another new striking addition who brought City level though in the 70th minute when Phil Foden’s shot was parried by Adrian and with the ball spilling loose, Argentine substitute Julian Alvarez pounced to net his first goal for the club.

The effort was initially ruled out for offside, but a VAR review overturned the decision although the technology was soon to work against City.

Referee Craig Pawson went to the monitor before ruling that City defender Ruben Dias had handled at close range from a Núñez header and Mohamed Salah drilled home the penalty to restore Liverpool’s lead in the 83rd.

Núñez then capped an impactful appearance from the bench, scoring with an angled header after Andy Robertson had nodded the ball into his path. — Reuters

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