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Low vax uptake against common illnesses puts seniors at risk

PHILIPPINE STAR/MIGUEL DE GUZMAN

By Brontë H. Lacsamana, Reporter 

SENIOR CITIZENS, who are more prone to illnesses like influenza and pneumonia which may then worsen other comorbidities (or vice versa), must be vaccinated in order to keep them safe and healthy this rainy season.   

“Vaccination is an act of love,” said Dr. Lulu C. Bravo, founder and executive director of the Philippine Foundation for Vaccination, quoting Pope Francis at a June 6 roundtable hosted by Sanofi Philippines.   

She added that older Filipinos tend to be unaware that vaccination is necessary, even for influenza and pneumonia, two of the most common illnesses among elderly.  

“The elderly are not used to getting vaccines. … They never experienced this [in their youth] so they don’t know that vaccination is important,” Dr. Bravo said, who pointed out that the Expanded Program on Immunization was launched in 1976.  

In 2020, there were 9.4 million Filipinos aged 60 and above, putting the country’s aging population at about 8.6% of the total population. The World Population Prospects projected in 2019 that this number will grow to about 16.5% of the population by 2050.  

Dr. Remedios F. Coronel, former president of the Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, said that older adults are more vulnerable to influenza and pneumonia due to immunosenescence — aging-caused changes in the immune system.  

“This leads to increased hospitalization, reduced autonomy, and increased mortality,” she said. 

A 2021 survey of aging adults conducted by the University of the Philippines Population Institute and the Demographic Research and Development Foundation found that there’s an underuse of adult immunization in the country.  

The study also revealed how low awareness was among the aging population that government health programs for seniors provide vaccination — 70.4% were unaware they could get flu vaccines while 59% were unaware about pneumococcal vaccines.  

“Immunization for older Filipinos has not received much needed attention from physicians, policymakers, and the older population themselves,” said Dr. Coronel, citing the study. “This needs to change.”  

The Senior Citizens Act, which recommends flu and pneumococcal vaccines for the elderly, isn’t fully implemented either, according to Dr. Rontgene M. Solante, vice-president of the Philippine College of Physicians.  

“It usually depends on the funding of the LGU (local government unit). Meanwhile, vaccination campaigns for adults in the country are always private physician driven, meaning out of pocket coming from the patient,” said Dr. Solante.  

“As we move forward and the next focus of the new admin will be on UHC (universal health care), we hope this will also address the importance of vaccination,” he added.

CTA denies manpower firm’s appeal to cancel tax liabilities

THE Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) has denied the appeal of Service Resources, Inc. to cancel its deficiency income taxes worth P9.5 million for taxable years 2009, 2010, and 2011.

In a decision on June 3 and made public on June 7, the CTA Second Division ruled the manpower firm failed to comply with the 30-day prescribed period of filing assessment disputes provided by the Local Government Code of 1991.

“In sum, considering the petitioner failed to file a timely appeal with the court of competent jurisdiction within 30 days from the lapse of the respondent city treasurer to decide the protest, the first notice of assessment became conclusive and unappealable,” according to copy of the ruling penned by CTA Associate Justice Jean Marie A. Bacorro-Villena.

“Considering that the first notice already attained finality, the court finds no need to tackle the other arguments raised by the petitioner (Service Resources).”

The petitioner is an independent contractor registered with the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE), with its office based in Pasig City.

The respondent is the Pasig City treasurer, who issued a deficiency tax assessment to the company for under-declaring its gross sales for the years 2008 to 2010.

Under the Local Government Code, a taxpayer has 30-days to appeal a denial of protest or a dispute to a court of “competent jurisdiction,” otherwise the assessment will be rendered conclusive and unappealable.

The manpower firm argued the assessments were arbitrarily issued without properly examining its books of accounts and other records. It added that the assessment should have been canceled for the city treasurer’s blatant disregard of guidelines.

The Pasig City treasurer said that the tax assessments were made in good faith and the burden of proof is on the taxpayer to show it is not liable to pay deficiency taxes.

“It is noted that even if we are to consider the propriety of the petitioner’s filing of the prior petition, the outcome of the case would not be different since the petitioner also failed to comply with the provisions of Section 195 of the Local Government Code,” the tax court said.

“Likewise, the petitioner’s posturing appears a mere afterthought following the denial of its prior petition for lack of jurisdiction.” — John Victor D. Ordoñez

Philippine Azkals face Yemen in AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers

GOALKEEPER Neil Etheridge of the Philippine Azkals — PFF.ORG.PH

THE Philippine Azkals are in high spirits as they kick off their bid in the final round of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup Qualifiers against Yemen on Wednesday in Mongolia.

The Filipino booters hit the field of the MFF Stadium in Ulaanbaatar at 12:30 p.m. with intense desire to get a winning start in Group B.

“Preparation is going well. We have good access to the field where we play. The weather is perfect football weather. There’s nothing to complain about the preparations,” Azkals coach Thomas Dooley said on the eve of the opener.

“The mood is good. Players are focused and know what a difficult challenge we are facing. That is very important and therefore very positive. It looks like we got something going in such a short time,” he added.

Mr. Dooley assembled a 24-man team led by veteran Neil Etheridge, naturalized player Bienve Maranon and touted Bundesliga player Gerrit Holtmann for the June 8 to 14 qualifiers, where the Azkals will also face host Mongolia on Saturday and Palestine on Tuesday.

To clinch a second trip to the Continental showpiece, Mr. Dooley’s charges should top their bracket or finish among the five best runners-up across the six groups.

Mr. Dooley, who is on his second tour of duty, is hoping to work his magic again after previously steering the team to its breakthrough Asian Cup qualification in 2018.

“I’m excited and love working with these players. I’m very pleased to see how committed they are to their training, how willing they are to learn and above all, want to be successful,” he said. “We’ll see what magic we can do in Mongolia.” — Olmin Leyba

Italy’s La Scala will open new season with Russian opera

PHOTO FROM TEATROALLASCALA.ORG

MILAN — Italy’s La Scala will open its 2022-23 season with a performance of Boris Godunov, a Russian-composed opera performed by Russian artists, with no plans for a cultural boycott despite the invasion of Ukraine.

“I’m not for a witch hunt nor for the cancellation of Russian works,” Dominique Meyer, artistic director of the theater, told reporters. “I do not hide while reading [Russian writer Alexander] Pushkin.”

The original choice of the opera was made a few years ago, he added.

Written by Modest Mussorgsky, Russian bass and soprano Ildar Abdrazakov and Anna Denisova will play the main roles in Boris Godunov. The start of the new season at La Scala in early December is one of the highlights of the Italian cultural calendar.

Immediately after the invasion of Ukraine in February, the Milan-based theater said Russian conductor Valery Gergiev would not perform at La Scala after he failed to condemn the war.

Responding to journalists asking what the difference was compared with the Gergiev issue, Mr. Meyer said La Scala regarded the Russian conductor almost as a politician.

“He is a sort of Russian Minister of Culture. Other artists are in a different position: they receive prizes and awards but that does not make them war supporters,” he added.

La Scala will perform over 200 shows in the 2022-23 season which will start on Dec. 7. —  Reuters

Apollo Hospitals completes 100 liver transplants for PHL children

Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals. — WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

DELHI-BASED Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals recently completed 100 liver transplants on children from the Philippines, 53 of which were done in the last two and a half years despite travel restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic.   

The fully recovered children, aged four months to 15 years, celebrated the milestone at Hilton Manila, where they put on a fashion show and performed dance numbers.  

“[A liver transplant] allows you to get back to a normal quality of life. It’s really a lifesaving intervention and when you need it because there’s no other option, it changes lives for the child and for the family as well,” said Dr. Anupam Sibal, Apollo Hospitals group medical director and senior pediatric gastroenterologist, at the May 31 event.  

For families of afflicted children, the advocacy of Apollo Hospitals has been essential, along with charities and nongovernment organizations that fund the procedure which costs up to P5 million, excluding follow-up medication.  

Biliary atresia is a condition in babies where the bile ducts within and surrounding the liver are scarred or blocked, which can damage the organ to the point of liver failure. It’s usually characterized by jaundice, or the yellowing of an infant’s skin.  

“We’d be really happy if no one ever needed a transplant, but the reality is that 1 in 10,000 to 12,000 children are born with biliary atresia, which is the commonest condition, and for that a transplant is needed,” said Dr. Sibal. 

“So, in the foreseeable future, there will always be babies who will need a liver transplant,” he said.  

During the pandemic, the hospital group ensured that their procedures continued, with Indian Ambassador to the Philippines Shambhu S. Kumaran securing travel permissions.  

“India and the Philippines are deeply committed to have a relationship that benefits our people,” said Mr. Kumaran at the event.  

The Apollo Liver Transplant Program, established in 1998, has accomplished 458 liver transplants in children from 20 countries, including the Philippines. 

“We have no specific target. As long as there is a child out there who needs it, we will do as many procedures as we can,” said Dr. Sibal. — Brontë H. Lacsamana

Cebu Pacific, Cebgo domestic flights move to MCIA’s Terminal 1

CEBU PACIFIC

BUDGET carrier Cebu Pacific (CEB) announced that beginning June 16, all Cebu Pacific and Cebgo domestic flights will be relocated to Terminal 1 from Terminal 2 at the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA).

“Notifications have been sent to all affected passengers. Those who booked through a travel agent or any other third party are encouraged to update their contact details via CEB’s Manage Booking portal to receive e-mail notifications on flight reminders and updates,” Cebu Pacific said in an advisory on Tuesday.

The company also advised passengers to check travel requirements and safety protocols before going to the airport.

Last week, the carrier announced that it was adding more flights to Asian destinations as part of its international network expansion.

The airline, operated by Cebu Air, Inc., reported that its first quarter net loss widened to P7.61 billion from P7.30 billion in 2021.

Meanwhile, revenues increased by 148% to P6.71 billion from P2.71 billion, driven by a surge in passenger operations.

At the stock exchange on Tuesday, Cebu Air shares ended unchanged at P44.45 apiece.

Wesley So beats Aryan Tari for solo third in Norway Chess

WESLEY SO — LENNART OOTES

WESLEY SO sprang back to life with a scintillating victory over fast-rising Norwegian Aryan Tari in their Armageddon duel of the Norway Chess tournament in Stavanger on Tuesday.

After missing an outright win in their classical game that ended in a marathon 81-move draw, Mr. So made sure it won’t slip from his hands the second time around as he blew away Mr. Tari with a 43-move win that was highlighted by a magnificent queen sacrifice.

The win sent the world Fischer-Random king and two-time United States titlist back in the title race as he has hiked his total to 10 points after six rounds, which was good for solo third.

World champion Magnus Carlsen destroyed Azerbaijan’s Shakhriyar Mamedyarov in standard to jump back to the solo lead with 12.5 points while kicking former leader Vishwanathan Anand of India, an Armageddon winner over the Netherland’s Anish Giri, down to second with 11.5 points.

And it appeared like Mr. So was on his way to extracting the full three points as he was a pawn and position up against Mr. Tari in standard.

Mr. So, however, imploded and threw away his winning chances that arranged the deciding playoff game where he manhandled a listless Mr. Tari by giving up his queen for a pair of dangerous bishops, a rook and an unstoppable passed pawn on the b-file.

Mr. So hopes he could win all his last three games versus ex-world No. 1 Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria, nemesis Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France and Wang Hao of China for a chance at claiming his first title in this annual event that is now on its 10th edition. — Joey Villar

BTr makes partial award of reissued 7-year bonds

BW FILE PHOTO

THE GOVERNMENT partially awarded the reissued seven-year Treasury bonds (T-bonds) it offered on Tuesday as investors continued to ask for higher rates after inflation surged above 5% in May.

The Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) raised just P25.189 billion from its offer of the seven-year securities on Tuesday, below the programmed P35 billion, even as total tenders reached P48.80 billion.

The reissued bonds, which have a remaining life of three years and eight months, were awarded at an average rate of 5.514%. This is 78.2 basis points (bps) higher than the 4.732% quoted for the series when it was last offered on Jan. 21, 2020.

The average rate fetched for the debt papers was also 10.15 bps higher than the 5.4125% quoted for the four-year tenor — the closest benchmark to the remaining life of the reissued debt papers — in the secondary market prior to the auction, based on the PHP Bloomberg Valuation Service Reference Rates published on the Philippine Dealing System’s website.

Had the Treasury made a full award of its offer, the reissued bonds would have fetched an average yield of 5.579%.

National Treasurer Rosalia V. de Leon said in a Viber message to reporters that the partial award was due to higher rates after the release of May inflation data.

Ms. De Leon said markets remain watchful of policy hints from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and the US Federal Reserve, with hikes of 25 bps and 50 bps, respectively, expected from them.

“It was a partial [award] as market players continue to seek higher rates given that there are too many bearish themes for bonds, [with] stubbornly high inflation on top of the list,” the first trader said in a Viber message.

“Yields will likely remain elevated over the medium term given that we are in the process of monetary tightening by most central banks globally, including our own BSP.”

The second trader said via Viber that the awarded yield was within market expectations, reflecting investors’ sentiment on rates.

Inflation quickened to its fastest pace in over three years in May due to higher food and transport costs, preliminary data from the Philippine Statistics Authority released on Tuesday showed.

Headline inflation in May surged by 5.4% year on year from 4.9% in April and 4.1% a year ago. This matched the 5.4% median estimate in a BusinessWorld poll conducted late last week, which was the midpoint of the 5-5.8% outlook range given by the BSP for that month.

May’s headline print was also the fastest since the 6.1% seen in November 2018.

Year to date, inflation has averaged 4.1%. This is lower than the central bank’s 4.6% forecast but above its 2-4% target for the year.

BSP Governor Benjamin E. Diokno last month said the central bank is likely to raise key interest rates by another 25 bps at its next policy review on June 23, following a hike of the same magnitude at its last May 19 meeting to curb growing inflationary pressures.

On Tuesday, Monetary Board member and incoming BSP chief Felipe M. Medalla said in a Bloomberg interview that they are “almost” sure to hike at their June 23 meeting and there is also a “90% chance” of another increase at their subsequent review on Aug. 18.

Mr. Medalla said the real question is if an August hike would be the last one for the year and noted decisions beyond this would be data dependent.

Increases worth 25 bps in the Monetary Board’s June and August meetings would bring the benchmark rate to 2.75% from 2.25% currently.

Meanwhile, as for the Fed, St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank President James Bullard last week said that while their rate hikes from the previous months seemed to help tame inflation, the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the China lockdown’s effects can still overturn the progress.

Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank President Loretta J. Mester also said last week that until she sees evidence of a drop in inflation, she would likely back another 50-bp hike in September, while Fed Governor Christopher J. Waller said he would support 50-bp increases at every meeting until inflation eases.

US inflation was at 8.3% in April, more than three times their target and among 40-year highs.

The BTr wants to raise P250 billion from the domestic market in June, or P75 billion through Treasury bills and P175 billion via T-bonds.

The government borrows from local and external sources to help fund a budget deficit capped at 7.7% of gross domestic product this year. — T.J. Tomas with Bloomberg

Top Gun heirs sue Paramount over Top Gun: Maverick

THE FAMILY of the author whose article inspired the 1986 Tom Cruise movie Top Gun on Monday sued Paramount Pictures for copyright infringement over this year’s blockbuster sequel Top Gun: Maverick.

According to a complaint filed in Los Angeles federal court, the Paramount Global unit failed to reacquire the rights to Ehud Yonay’s 1983 article Top Guns from the family before releasing the “derivative” sequel.

The lawsuit by Shosh Yonay and Yuval Yonay, who live in Israel and are respectively Ehud’s widow and son, seeks unspecified damages, including profits from Top Gun: Maverick, and to block distribution of the movie or further sequels.

Paramount said in a statement: “These claims are without merit, and we will defend ourselves vigorously.”

Top Gun: Maverick is this year’s biggest box office hit, generating $291 million in North America and $548.6 million globally in its first 10 days of release.

The high-flying action film directed by Joseph Kosinski has received strong reviews, and has Mr. Cruise reprising his role as US Navy test pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell.

It is already Mr. Cruise’s highest-grossing film domestically, surpassing 2005’s War of the Worlds.

According to Monday’s lawsuit, Paramount obtained exclusive movie rights to Top Guns, published in the May 1983 issue of California magazine, before making the 1986 original, and even gave credit.

But the Yonays said Paramount deliberately ignored how the copyright reverted to them in January 2020, “thumbing its nose” at federal copyright law.

The Yonays said they sent Paramount a cease-and-desist letter on May 11, and that in response Paramount denied that the sequel derived from the 1983 article.

They said Paramount also argued that the sequel was “sufficiently completed” by the time the copyright reverted, in a “disingenuous attempt” to qualify for an exception to their claim. The Yonays said the sequel was completed in May 2021.

Lawyers for the Yonays did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Reached by phone, a woman who identified herself as Shosh Yonay and said her son was Yuval declined to comment. — Reuters

US to get 36,000 more monkeypox vaccine doses this week, HHS says 

THE Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said on Monday it had instructed monkeypox vaccine manufacturer Bavarian Nordic to deliver an additional 36,000 doses this week as part of a drawdown from a US vaccine stockpile.  

In a statement, HHS said the doses will be added to the existing 36,000 in the US Strategic National Stockpile.  

Bavarian Nordic’s vaccine, called Jynneos, is approved to treat both monkeypox and smallpox.  

The Danish company, which developed the vaccine with the support of HHS’ Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, still has more than 1 million government-owned doses of the vaccine on hand. Another 16.4 million doses of vaccine could be finished if needed, HHS said.  

During a news briefing last week, HHS official Dawn O’Connell said Bavarian Nordic can store the vaccine at a lower temperature than is possible once in the stockpile, extending the vaccine’s shelf life by about two years.  

In addition to the Bavarian Nordic vaccine, the United States has more than 100 million doses of ACAM2000, a smallpox vaccine from Emergent BioSolutions, Inc., that is also effective against monkeypox.  

As of June 3, the government has delivered about 1,200 vaccines and 100 courses of treatment within the United States.  

The United States has so far 25 confirmed cases of monkeypox, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency on Friday urged US doctors to test for monkeypox if they suspect cases, saying there may be community-level spread but that the overall public health risk remained low.  

Around 30 countries where monkeypox is not endemic have reported outbreaks of the viral disease, with more than 911 confirmed or suspected cases mostly in Europe, according to the World Health Organization, Reuters reporting and local data. — Reuters

Republic Glass takes more shares in SPPI

REPUBLIC Glass Holdings Corp. has increased its stake in Science Park of the Philippines, Inc. (SPPI) to 12.88% after it acquired around 3.8 million shares in the industrial estate developer.

“The acquisition is expected to expand the profitability of the Company,” the listed company firm said on Tuesday.

It placed the purchase price at around P23.4 million, which was arrived on a negotiated basis. The transaction, forged on June 7, is between the company and two individual shareholders.

“The consideration for the acquisition was funded entirely from internally generated funds. The percentage of equity associated with shares purchased today are the equivalent to 0.61% of SPPI,” it said.

Republic Glass currently holds about 12.27% in equity holdings of SPPI. After the additional purchase, its holdings will increase to approximately 12.88%.

Established in 1989, SPPI has gained through the years “the reputation of being a cutting-edge developer of industrial estates through its Light Industry & Science Park projects,” Republic Glass said.

It described SPPI as one of the pioneers and leaders in private industrial estate development in the country. It said the developer “has the largest hectarage of industrial estates developed and being developed with almost 800 hectares of aggregate area.”

Harris-led Gilas youth squad tests its mettle in Asian U16

FILIPINO-American ace guard Caelum Harris spearheads a new batch of Gilas Pilipinas youth squad raring to test its mettle in the 2022 FIBA Under 16 (U16) Asian Championship on June 12-19 in Doha, Qatar.

Mr. Harris, the 16-year-old wunderkind from Nashville, Tennessee, is on top of the 12-man roster from the previous 18-strong pool announced by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas before the team’s departure last night.

Ateneo’s Lebron Nieto and Jared Bahay are also in the fray as captains of the squad that will slug it out against Japan and Kuwait in Pool C.

The first International Basketball Federation (FIBA) U16 event amid the pandemic is a qualifier to the 2022 FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup next month in Malaga, Spain.

Completing the squad are Jacob Bayla, Apl Mcandrei Gemao, Jayden Jones, Kristian Porter, Sebastian Reyes, Mikhail Romero, Zain Mahmood, Alexander Konov and Lorenzo Competente.

Joseph Pangilinan, Elijah Yusi and Francis Veejay Pre are listed as reserves for the Gilas youth under the watch of returning mentor Josh Reyes.

The new crop of Filipino teens faces a tall order of following up the success of the Gilas youth’s golden era led by the triple tower combo of Kai Sotto, AJ Edu and Carl Tamayo.

Behind the troika, Gilas youth soared to new heights highlighted by multiple FIBA Asia podium finishes and World Cup appearances. — John Bryan Ulanday

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