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Value of mineral resources down 4.7% from 2013

THE VALUE of Class-A nickel, copper, chromite, and gold resources dropped 4.7% to P296.28 billion compared with 2013, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

The PSA said in a report Thursday that Class-A nickel resources fell 17.9% by value to P136.61 billion in 2020, compared to 2013 levels. 

The value of Class-A copper resources fell 59.2% to P25.84 billion in 2020, also compared to the level recorded in 2013.

The value of Class-A chromite resources rose 69.9% to P1.11 billion, while the value of Class-A gold resources rose 39.4% to P132.72 billion.

“The total resource rent of the four mineral resources contributed 0.2% to the gross domestic product of the Philippines in 2020, amounting to P30.46 billion,” the PSA said.

“Class A resources are commercially-recoverable mineral resources which are confirmed to be economically viable by a defined development project or operation,” the PSA said. 

On April 14, President Rodrigo R. Duterte signed Executive Order No. 130, which removed the ban on new mineral agreements.  

The order is expected to raise P21 billion in revenue for the government with 100 mining projects in the pipeline as a result of the ban’s lifting. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave

SB Corp. plans loan program for small food firms in FMCG supply chain

PHILSTAR

SMALL BUSINESS Corp. (SB Corp.) said it plans to launch a financing program for food suppliers seeking partnerships with large fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies in a bid to support food security and accessibility.

The Sustaining Trade and Access to Primary Food and Link Enterprises (STAPLES) loan product is aimed at micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the food supply chain, the financing arm of the Department of Trade and Industry said in a statement Thursday.

SB Corp. said the program is geared for an August launch and should help such businesses retain or rehire employees.

“We invite large food manufacturers to work together with SB Corp. in implementing this new program and help foster the restart, strengthening, and growth of the MSMEs in the food supply chain,” SB Corp. President and Chief Executive Officer Ma. Luna E. Cacanando said.

Through the program, MSMEs participating the supply, production, distribution, and retailing chain of large FMCG food companies can replenish their working capital or fund other business needs, SB Corp. said.

The accredited FMCG partner will sign an agreement with SB Corp. to market the program to their distribution channels and share information to MSMEs in their supply chain.

FMCG accredited partners must be large FMCG food companies with a nationwide network of at least 20 distributors and 100,000 sari-sari stores, along with P5 billion in annual sales.

“We envision our MSMEs to be free from the burden of scurrying for affordable, easy-to-access loans for the sustenance of their livelihoods. The STAPLES program will allow them to access much-needed funds and keep the retail food businesses running through the help of our accredited FMCG partners,” Ms. Cacanando said.

SB Corp., which operates the loan program to help small businesses recover from the effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, has so far approved around 32,600 loan applications worth P4.98 billion under the program. — Jenina P. Ibañez

Tourism industry’s water, power use, carbon emissions plunge in 2020 

THE TOURISM industry’s water consumption, energy usage and carbon emissions declined sharply to record lows in 2020 due to the industry slowdown as a result of the pandemic, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported on Thursday.

Preliminary results from the agency’s inaugural Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism report showed the tourism industry’s total water consumption fell 84.6% to 110.62 million cubic meters last year. 

This represented a 2.5% share of total Philippine water consumption last year, the lowest reading since 2012.

The industry’s consumption of petroleum and other fuel products and electricity last year fell 80.9% to 3,533.24 kilotons of oil equivalent, equivalent to a record-low 4.6% share of national consumption. 

The industry’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from petroleum and electricity consumption were measured at 4,476.62 Gigagrams of CO2 last year, 79.1% less than in 2019. 

As a share of the country’s total CO2 emissions from petroleum and electricity use, the tourism industry accounted for 7.7%. 

John Paolo R. Rivera, associate director of the Dr. Andrew L. Tan Center for Tourism at the Asian Institute of Management, said these declines reflect the minimal activity of the tourism sector due to the lockdowns ordered to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“Tourism contribution will remain minimal because of the persistent restrictions,” he said in an e-mail.

Gross domestic product (GDP) fell by record 9.6% in 2020, reversing the 6.1% growth posted in 2019.

The industry’s direct gross value added accounted for a two-decade low of 5.4% of GDP last year.

Meanwhile, the industry faces more headwinds amid calls for another two-week hard lockdown to prevent the spread of the more contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus. 

As of July 29, the Department of Health reported 97 new cases of the Delta variant, bringing the total to 216.

“Tourism will definitely bounce back as soon as the pandemic is contained but this is conditioned on how soon can we achieve herd immunity and confidence in travel has been restored because safety protocols have been established and instituted,” Mr. Rivera said. 

“We can expect V-shaped growth in travel if these assumptions hold.” — Ana Olivia A. Tirona 

App developers urged to protect IP from outset

UNSPLASH

A DIGITAL commerce association is pushing for mobile application developers in the Philippines to seek intellectual property protections for their work to avoid costly legal disputes.

Maria Jesusa Viray, founding member of the board of the Philippine Association for Digital Commerce and Decentralized Industries, said 75% of developers in the US have registered their intellectual property (IP).

“Most of those who develop (in the Philippines) are not even registered. So they don’t register their logos, their names, their artworks and all. They think that when they’re bigger that’s when they have to do all of these things. So in the scheme of things, it is the last thing that they do,” she said.

She was speaking at a July 26 event organized by the lntellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), IPOPHL said in a statement Thursday.

Ms. Viray, who is also the chief executive officer of Medicare Plus, Inc., said she is hoping for stronger intellectual property rights education for app developers. Efforts should be focused, she added, on understanding which work can be protected to avoid legal pitfalls.

“With more education, people, our developers, our entrepreneurs, who are planning to get into the industry, will know that (IP protection) is part of their checklist when they start,” she said.

App Association Senior Global Policy Counsel Brian Scarpelli said rights holders must be proactive to avoid the risks of an IP infringement proceeding.

“I urge all of you to be proactive in protecting your own copyrights and getting informed,” he said. The event it part of a WIPO project to support the software sector and mobile application sector in the Philippines, Kenya, and Trinidad and Tobago. — Jenina P. Ibañez

Crisis tested extractive industries’ resiliency, official says

Image via Photographic Services, Shell International Limited/Stuart Conway

THE EXTRACTIVE industries were tested by the sharp decline in demand caused by the pandemic, which put the sector’s traditional resiliency to the test, a finance department official said.

During the eighth National Conference of the Philippine Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative Thursday, Finance Assistant Secretary Maria Teresa S. Habitan said the shock was so great that the industry could not resort to its usual coping mechanisms.

She said in previous downturns, metallic and non-metallic mines were still able to meet their earnings targets by volume and price adjustments and adopting a cautious hedging policy.

Nevertheless, she said the sector is still well-positioned for growth.

“The extractive industry in the Philippines is poised to grow in the long term (until 2027) at an annual rate of 10.3% from 2020. This will mainly be driven by the oil and gas sector’s 20-year compound annual growth rate of 26% on the back of the Philippines’ relatively slow transition to decarbonization,” she said.

Non-metallic mining, meanwhile, will grow 10% annually, with growth rates for coal and metals mining estimated at 9.7% and 7.7%, respectively.

“The growth of the extractive industries was stymied by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. There was a huge slump in consumer demand and a consequent slowdown of the global economy,” she added.

Non-metallic mines were the hardest hit after seeing their production volume and sales drop by 50% last year, while majority of metallic mine operators said the crisis barely affected them.

The government’s move to lift the suspension of new mining agreements should provide a boost to the sector, Ms. Habitan said.

“Economic developments are also beneficial for metallic mines in terms of export revenue as import needs of Hong Kong, China, and Japan will drive greater demand for extractive commodities from the Philippines,” she said.

Increasing demand for gold and electric vehicles should also give a boost to the sector.

At the forum, Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III asked extractive industries to remain transparent with their monitoring and reporting of activities as better access to data can help the industry improve.

“With full transparency, we can better assess the costs and benefits of the extractive industries. Increased accountability will improve governance of the sector and management of natural resources,” he said. — Beatrice M. Laforga

Philippines reports 97 more Delta infections

REUTERS

By Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza and Jenina P. Ibañez, Reporters

PHILIPPINE health authorities on Thursday said 97 more people had been infected with the more contagious Delta coronavirus variant, pushing the total to 216.

Of the 97, 88 got the virus locally, six were returning migrant Filipinos, while officials were still verifying how the three got the virus that was first detected in India, the Department of Health (DoH) said in a statement.

Of the six migrant workers, two were seafarers of MT Clyde and Barge Claudia, now anchored in Albay, while four were crew members of MV Vega that arrived from Indonesia, the agency said.

Ninety-four people have recovered, while three died, DoH said.

Meanwhile, 83 more people have been infected with the Alpha variant from the United Kingdom. It added that 127 more people have gotten the Beta variant from South Africa and 22 more got the Philippine coronavirus variant.

“It is imperative for local government units to immediately crush clusters of infection and observed increases in cases in their respective jurisdictions to reduce transmission,” the Health department said.

“Regardless of the presence of a variant of concern, the management and interventions for these positive COVID-19 cases remain the same,” it added.

The agency urged people to get vaccinated to prevent severe infection.

DoH reported 5,735 coronavirus cases on Thursday, bringing the total to 1.57 million.

The death toll rose to 27,577 after 176 more patients died, while recoveries increased by 4,069 to 1.48 million, it said in a bulletin.

There were 56,273 active cases, 93.5% of which were mild, 1.2% did not have symptoms, 2.3% were severe, 1.61% were moderate and 1.4% were critical.

The agency said 114 duplicates had been removed from the tally, 32 of which were tagged as recoveries. It added that 132 recoveries had been reclassified as deaths.

LOCKDOWN
Meanwhile, Manila, the capital and nearby cities would remain under a general lockdown with heightened restrictions until mid-August, the presidential palace said on Wednesday night.

This was despite the recommendation by health experts to put the capital region under a hard lockdown to contain a fresh spike in coronavirus infections. Metro Manila mayors have also been calling for the imposition of tighter quarantines in Metro Manila, which is home to more than 13 million Filipinos.

Nearby provinces such as Rizal, Bulacan, Cavite and Laguna would also be placed under a general quarantine with heightened restrictions, presidential spokesman Herminio L. Roque, Jr. said in a statement.

Also on Thursday, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) said it had not endorsed a strict lockdown in Metro Manila.

PCCI President Emeritus George T. Barcelon in a statement said he had only sought preparation time in case an enhanced community quarantine was imposed again.

“The economic downside to establishments and employees is not something we can afford,” he said in a separate Viber message. “My position was to wait and see if the healthcare sectors can cope with a surge, then decide the lockdown if necessary.”

The chamber recommends incentivizing people who have been fully vaccinated by allowing them to travel across provinces and enter malls and restaurants freely.

“The idea is to open the economy and allow greater mobility of people while taking stock of the basic health protocols to observe,” PCCI Acting President Edgardo G. Lacson said in the statement.

“The virus will be with us for months, maybe years, and we have no choice but to live with it. This is how other countries have fought the virus. Lockdowns will cause even greater hardships for our people,” he added.

Daily coronavirus infections could go up to 5,000 by late August if a two-week hard lockdown was not enforced in the capital region, according the OCTA Research Group.

The French government adopted a vaccine passport program banning the unvaccinated from restaurants and movie theaters. In the Philippines, Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez had opposed a proposal to restrict the movement of unvaccinated people while vaccine access was limited. 

Although the chamber released a statement against a hard lockdown, PCCI President Benedicto V. Yujuico said in an e-mail on Thursday the country has few choices because it needs to stop the spread of the Delta variant.

“Ideally, the most effective way is to accelerate vaccination,” he said. “If this is not possible, then I suppose the circuit breaker approach could be an alternative, but the government must help the poor for their basic livelihood.”

Meanwhile, the Health department said the Philippines was at “moderate risk” for the coronavirus amid an uptick in infections.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario S. Vergeire said an increase in coronavirus cases in Metro Manila was observed in mid-July. The region reported 1,151 cases on July 28, she told an online news briefing.

Central Luzon, Southern Tagalog and Central Visayas showed signs of increase,” she said.

OCTA Research earlier flagged a fresh surge in coronavirus infections in Metro Manila, saying about 1,000 cases were being reported daily.

Health authorities have debunked the claim, saying there was no evidence of a surge. “We don’t just consider the numbers, we also consider the healthcare capacity,” Ms. Vergeire said.

“Surge is not recognized in epidemiology so as much as possible, we do not want to use that. We don’t like to be an alarmist.”

“OCTA reaffirms its position that a surge has already started in the NCR and that tightening COVID-19 measures early as a precaution is the right thing to do at this time,” OCTA fellow Ranjit S. Rye told reporters in a Facebook Messenger chat.

1.5M more vaccines from China arrive; more shots coming

NATIONAL TASK FORCE AGAINST COVID19 FB PAGE

THE PHILIPPINES on Thursday took delivery of about 1.5 million doses of CoronaVac vaccines from China.

This brings to 18.5 million the total number of CoronaVac shots delivered to the country so far, including a million doses donated by China,” the National Task Force Against COVID-19 tweeted.

The country will receive a million more doses of CoronaVac on Friday, it added.

About 18.7 million vaccines have been given out as of July 28, 11.43 million of which were first doses, presidential spokesman Herminio L. Roque, Jr. told a televised news briefing.

The government gave out a record  659,000 vaccine shots on Tuesday, he said. He added that 534,612 shots were given out on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Mr. Roque said the budget for booster shots would be allotted in the 2022 national budget.

Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III earlier said the government would allot P45 billion for coronavirus vaccines next year.

“The government is one step ahead. We have included in the proposed 2022 budget a provision for a third vaccine dose for all Filipinos,” Mr. Roque said.

A study by Chinese researchers showed that antibodies triggered by CoronaVac decline below a key threshold from about  six months after the second dose for most recipients, Reuters reported.

A third shot could reverse the effect, the news wire said, citing the report that studied blood samples from healthy adults aged 18 to 59.

Metro Manila would get two million more vaccines amid a spike in coronavirus infections in the region, Mr. Roque said, citing vaccine czar Carlito G. Galvez, Jr.

Mr. Galvez had said 30% of the capital region’s target adult population had been fully vaccinated.

Mr. Roque also said President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s order to bar unvaccinated people from going out would not be enforced immediately.

Mr. Duterte on Wednesday night said Filipinos who refuse to get inoculated against the coronavirus would not be allowed to leave their homes.

The President told a televised Cabinet meeting he would ask police to enforce the policy. “You will be escorted back to your house because you are a walking spreader.”

“I think what the President was thinking was how to keep the economy going if we really need to go on a lockdown,” Mr. Roque said. “In which case, it will not be a complete lockdown. Maybe those vaccinated can be allowed to work.”

The President in June said he would order the arrest of people who refuse to take part in the government’s vaccination program. He said those who don’t want to get vaccinated may leave the country.

At the same meeting, Mr. Duterte said Congress should come up with a law punishing unvaccinated people who loiter.

“We do not have a law, a punitive action that can be taken against the person who does not have the vaccine and go around,” he said.

He said he would take responsibility for any complaints against his order. “There is no law, but the law of necessity is there.”

Mr. Duterte said the slots for people who don’t want to get vaccinated should be given to  others.

Critics have said vaccine shortage, not vaccine hesitancy, is the biggest problem in the government’s coronavirus immunization program. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

NAST calls for full transparency on Dumaguete reclamation, stresses impact on marine ecology 

DUMAGUETECITY.GOV.PH

THE NATIONAL Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), an advisory body to the government among other functions, warned proponents of the reclamation project for a “smart city” district in Dumaguete City against forging ahead without full transparency and public consultations.  

In a statement on Thursday, the agency under the Department of Science and Technology stressed the history of Dumaguete as a pioneering site for marine resource protection.   

“The proposed massive reclamation project to build a ‘smart city’ will negatively impact these biodiversity-rich MPAs (marine protected areas) directly or indirectly and will disturb the vertical connectivity between the shore/shallow to deeper species assemblage,” NAST said.   

“It is incumbent on the proponents of the project to reveal to the public the technical, legal, and due diligence reviews done on the sociology, ecology, and the economics of the project, and for the government to hold public consultations/fora for the open discussion/scrutiny, verification, and validation of the project documents,” it said.    

Last week, the Board of Trustees of Siliman University, a private institution based in the city, issued a statement reiterating the institution’s position against the project being pushed by the local government.  

Among the trustees is National Scientist Angel C. Alcala, known for his work on the protection of marine ecosystems.  

“For the past 40 years and up to the present, Silliman has been a leading institution in marine conservation in the Philippines. Studies made by Silliman scientists have determined that reclamation projects, such as the one being currently proposed by the City Government of Dumaguete, will cause damage and disruption of marine ecosystems not only in Dumaguete City, but also in adjoining areas,” the board said.  

“There are other scientific, technical, social, economic and ecological reasons that do not support the proposed reclamation project,” it said. — MSJ 

NEDA starts talks with JICA for help on Metro Davao development masterplan 

THE PROPOSED Metro Davao area under the House of Representatives’ approved bill covers 10 towns and cities (in green and orange). — SENATE COMMITTEE HEARING SCREEN CAPTURE

THE NATIONAL Economic and Development Authority’s (NEDA) Davao Region office has started discussions with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for assistance in finalizing the urban masterplan for the Metro Davao area.  

In a statement, NEDA-Davao said they are tapping the Japanese agency’s help as the metro plan aims to expand on an ongoing JICA-supported program for the regional center Davao City.  

The proposed Metro Davao area initially covers 10 local governments spanning Tagum City in Davao del Norte and Digos City in Davao del Sur with Davao City in the center and Samal off the mainland. There is a pending proposal to include four other towns in Davao del Sur.  

NEDA-Davao said JICA Philippines representatives, in a meeting last week,  deemed it “timely” to firm up the Metro Davao masterplan given progress on the proposed law creating the Metropolitan Davao Development Authority.  

The Senate Committee on Local Government is currently consolidating several related bills, including the approved version of the House of Representatives. The consolidated version will be submitted to the House plenary for deliberation.   

The urban development masterplan for Metro Davao will cover land use planning, agri-ecotourism and urban greening, Davao Gulf coastal resource management, and joint delivery of urban facilities and services such as transport and solid waste and wastewater management, among others.   

The current JICA program for Davao covers projects relating to the city’s  urban infrastructure development plan, including capacity-building, transportation, road, drainage, and solid waste management. — MSJ 

Meralco unit energizes 1-MW solar farm in La Mesa pumping station  

SPECTRUM PHOTO HANDOUT

A SUBSIDIARY of Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) has recently energized a one-megawatt (MW) solar farm within Maynilad Water Services, Inc.’s La Mesa Pumping station in Quezon City.   

Meralco said in a statement on Thursday that its renewable energy unit, Spectrum, has energized the solar farm composed of 2,592 pieces of 390W Sunpower solar panels laid out across 8,250 square meters of land.   

The solar farm is projected to generate 1.32 million kilowatts hour (kWh) per annum while cutting the company’s carbon footprint by 943.32 tons, comparable to planting 1.94 million trees.   

“This enables the pumping station to generate clean energy for its own use via solar power. With this new solar farm, Spectrum helps Maynilad take a step further in their journey towards sustainability and eco-friendliness,” Meralco said.   

According to Meralco, the solar facility in La Mesa is one of Spectrum’s projects that has a capacity of at least 1 MW. Other projects are in the City of Dreams, International Rice Research Institute, and the Cagbalete solar farms.   

Meralco’s controlling stakeholder, Beacon Electric Asset Holdings, Inc., is partly owned by PLDT, Inc. Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has interest in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave   

Chinese involved in investment scam arrested at Manila airport 

PHILSTAR

THE BUREAU of Immigration has intercepted a Chinese fugitive allegedly involved in a big-time pyramid investment scheme in China at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Manila. 

The 56-year-old Chinese identified as Yao Kunmin is wanted by authorities in Beijing for his alleged operation of an online foreign exchange investment platform from May 2019 to April 2020.  

Records from Chinese officials and the Philippine Immigration agency showed that Mr. Yao entered the Philippines on Jan. 23, 2020. His arrest was only ordered by the public security bureau in Pei County, Jiangsu province eight months later.  

He was intercepted by immigration officers at NAIA on July 21 when he boarded a flight to Wuxi, China.  

“Upon interception, the BI Interpol operatives immediately coordinated with our counterparts in China to alert them of the arrival of the fugitive,” Immigration Port Operations chief Carlos B. Capulong said.  

Mr. Yao was immediately arrested by Chinese policemen upon arrival at the Wuxi airport. 

Through the investment platform, Mr. Yao allegedly lured people to put money in a pyramid investment scheme wherein he promised large profits.   

He was said to have collected over 12 million Renminbi or around P93.5 million from the scheme.  

“This interception shows our strong coordination and cooperation with our foreign counterparts,” Immigration Commissioner Jaime H. Morente said in a news release on Thursday. — Bianca Angelica D. Añago  

SC rules in favor of SET, Comelec in case filed by Tolentino   

Senator Francis N. Tolentino — PHILSTAR

THE COUNTRY’S Highest Court has affirmed the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) and the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) denial of the petition of Senator Francis N. Tolentino to refund a P3.3-million payment relating to his 2016 poll protest against another senator.  

In its decision dated May 11 and made public on July 25, the Supreme Court (SC) held that the SET acted within its authority “when it desisted to rule on the issue concerning the alleged invalidity or unconstitutionality of Section 6.9 of the AES (Automated Election System) Contracts.”  

In 2016, the SET asked Mr. Tolentino to pay Comelec P3.3 million to cover the cost for the retention of custody and possession of 151 vote counting machines, six laptops, Secure Digital cards, and other materials beyond Dec. 2016 for Mr. Tolentino’s electoral protest against Senator Leila M. de Lima.  

Mr. Tolentino eventually withdrew the protest he filed to focus on his new senatorial campaign in 2019.  

The equipment were rented by the Comelec from Smartmatic through an AES contract which states under Section 6.9 that “(a)ll Goods still in the possession of Comelec as of 01 December 2016 because of any election contest or audit requirement shall be considered sold to Comelec.”  

The SC also explained that the poll body cannot use its own funds to pay for the cost in question because under the Government Auditing Code of the Philippines, “(g)overnment funds or property shall be spent or used solely for public purposes.” — Bianca Angelica D. Añago  

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