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Manila lockdown eased as gov’t changes tack

PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS

By Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza, Reporter

METRO MANILA will be placed under a more relaxed quarantine level starting Sept. 8 even as the Philippines logged another record-breaking number of coronavirus infections on Monday.

The Health department recorded 22,415 coronavirus infections on Sept. 6, bringing the total to 2.1 million.

The death toll rose to 34,337 after 103 more patients died, while recoveries increased by 20,109 to 1,909,361 million, the Department of Health (DoH) said in a bulletin.

There were 159,633 active cases, 92.1% of which were mild, 3.3% were asymptomatic, 1.4% were severe, 2.48% were moderate and 0.6% were critical.

The agency said 68 duplicates were removed from the tally, 53 of which were recoveries. Seven recoveries were tagged as deaths. Eight laboratories did not submit data on Sept. 4.

The National Capital Region would be placed under a regular general community quarantine, the least restrictive lockdown level, from Sept. 8 to 30, Palace Spokesman Herminio L. Roque, Jr. told a televised news briefing.

Under a general lockdown, limited dine-in services and religious gatherings will be allowed again, Mr. Roque said.

LOCALIZED LOCKDOWN
He also said President Rodrigo R. Duterte has already approved “in principle” a plan to pilot-test localized lockdowns in the capital region.

An inter-agency task force has yet to adopt a resolution that will set the guidelines for the localized lockdowns, Mr. Roque said. “The guidelines will be released, at the latest, tomorrow.”

The localized lockdowns will cover specific streets, villages or other granular areas that will be decided upon by local governments.

The national government has said the new lockdown strategy will give Metro Manila mayors more flexibility to contain virus contagion.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario S. Vergeire, in a briefing on Monday, said localized lockdowns will help the national government focus its pandemic efforts on high-risk areas.

The new lockdown strategy would help the government boost its active case finding, intensify testing, and enhance isolation of cases, she said.

The Health agency will include the potential impact of granular lockdowns in its coronavirus analysis, she added.

The OCTA Research Group, which has been tracking the coronavirus data in the country, however, raised concern over the new lockdown system, saying it may affect the country’s pandemic control.

“We’re concerned that if this does not work, at a point when we’re actually seeing that the curve might plateau soon in two to three weeks,” OCTA fellow Fredugusto P. David told ABS-CBN News Channel. “There’s a chance that we might lose effective control of the pandemic and it will become much worse than it is.”

Mr. David said there is not yet enough evidence to prove that granular lockdowns can address a widespread community transmission.

On vaccination, more doses will be given to workers in the construction and manufacturing sectors starting Wednesday, according to Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III.

The initial rollout for those specific sectors will provide 2,000 jabs, which is part of the 452,000 doses allotted for the workers, Mr. Bello said in a news briefing on Monday.

The additional vaccines for workers in different industries is an initiative of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines, in coordination with the Labor department, under the 1 Million Jobs Project, which aims to create that many work opportunities by December 2021 as part of the economic recovery plan.

Meanwhile, the DoH on Monday reported 279 new cases of the Delta variant, bringing the total to 1,273. Of these, 245 were local cases, 21 were returning migrant Filipino workers, and 13 cases are still being verified.

On the other variants, the country’s record were: Alpha, 2,424, and Beta, 2,697. The DoH also reported that 13 more people have been infected with the P.3 variant first detected in the Philippines.

Ms. Vergeire also said a new peak in COVID-19 deaths was seen in the previous week.

“At the national level, deaths have been increasing since the last week of July and a new peak was seen during the previous week,” she told a virtual news briefing.

Ms. Vergeire warned of more fatalities ahead. “This number is still expected to increase.”

“The average deaths per day in August of 2021 is now at 131, nearing the deaths last April 2021,” Ms. Vergeire said. “Partial data for September data shows that we have an average of 40 deaths per day.”

Central Luzon, Calabarzon, and Central Visayas were among the regions that recorded the highest number of deaths, she said. — with a report from Bianca Angelica D. Añago

2 items in budget worth P38.1B are pork barrel in disguise — solons

DAVAO ORIENTAL PROVINCIAL GOVT FB PAGE

TWO ITEMS in the proposed 2022 budget have been questioned by lawmakers as potential pork barrel funds that could be used by the administration for its candidates in next year’s local and national elections.

The P28.1 billion allocated for the barangay development program (BDP) of the task force to end communist insurgency is pork barrel, Gabriela Party-list Rep. Arlene D. Brosas said in Filipino during Monday’s budget hearing covering the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

On Sunday, Ms. Brosas said in a statement that a P10-billion allocation labeled as Growth Equity Fund for local governments is another “variant” of the pork barrel, or public money used for projects intended to influence voters.

“We’re hesitant because there is no list of (barangays) that would be given P20 million each under the BDP. There’s no breakdown for the P28.1 billion. This is lump sum, this is pork barrel,” Ms. Brosas said.

She questioned the lack of specific projects placed under these funds after Interior Secretary Eduardo M. Año said that 1,406 barangays would benefit from the program.

“How can we make sure that the projects from the (National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict) are implementation-ready? The project of some lawmakers was blocked because they were not implementation-ready, but there is already an allotted (budget) in the case of the BDP,” she said.

The barangay development program would provide at least P20 million each to villages that would be deemed cleared of alleged communist influence by the police, military, and local government units.

In this year’s budget, P16.44 billion was allocated under the BDP program for 822 barangays which were identified as former communist strongholds.

These funds, 99% of which were already released as of July, were used for infrastructure projects such as farm-to-market roads and schools, electrification, and livelihood and medical assistance, among others, according to a DILG statement.

Kabataan Party-list Rep. Sarah Jane I. Elago, however, said a special audit should be conducted on the implementation of the BDP, citing “discrepancies” in how barangays are deemed cleared by the task force.

Ms. Brosas also said BDP funds could be easily misused since the task force has discretionary power over which areas would become beneficiaries.

Mr. Año said they would provide lawmakers a list of the 1,406 beneficiary barangays for next year before plenary deliberations begin for the proposed 2022 national budget.

EQUITY FUND
Presidential Spokesman Herminio L. Roque, Jr., meanwhile, defended the insertion of a P10-billion assistance fund for local government units (LGUs) that Ms. Brosas said looks more like “Greater Election Fund.”

In a televised news briefing, Mr. Roque said Ms. Brosas’ claim is just an “imagination.”

Despite the start of implementation next year of a court ruling that increased the share of local governments from national taxes, Mr. Roque said an additional support fund is still needed because “not all LGUs are as wealthy as Makati City.”

“This is why there’s an equity fund, (which) will go to fourth, fifth and sixth class municipalities,” he said.

The Supreme Court ruling named after Batangas Governor Hermilando I. Mandanas clarified that the share from the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) of local governments does not exclude other national taxes. The World Bank in June said the IRA are programmed to increase by 55% in the 2022 budget.

Mr. Roque earlier defended the national government’s plan to continue subsidizing the development projects of villages that have cleared their territories of Maoist rebels.

The multibillion BDP of the government’s anti-communist task force is still needed for municipalities that don’t have enough funds for development projects even if they will get a higher IRA next year, he said. — Russell Louis C. Ku and Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

Tropical storm Jolina brings heavy rains as it heads over Luzon

TROPICAL STORM Jolina, the 10th typhoon to enter the country this year, brought strong winds and heavy rains over the central-eastern part of the country on Monday as it headed over mainland Luzon.

State weather agency Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), in its 5 p.m. bulletin on Monday, said Jolina was located 95 kilometers (km) east of Guiuan, Eastern Samar and moving northwestward with maximum sustained winds of 75 km per hour and gustiness of up to 90 km/h. Its tropical cyclone winds extend outwards up to 150 km from the center.

Storm signal #2 in a 5-level system was up in several parts of the Samar provinces. A lower signal #1 was up in southeastern portions of Luzon, parts of the Eastern Visayas Region, and the islands of Dinagat, Siargao, and Bucas Grande in Mindanao.

“In the next 24 hours, Tropical Storm Jolina may bring moderate to rough seas (1.2 to 2.8 meters) over the eastern seaboards of Visayas and Mindanao. Mariners of small seacrafts are advised to take precautionary measures when venturing out to sea. Inexperienced mariners should avoid navigating in these conditions,” PAGASA warned.

The tropical storm is forecasted to make landfall over the northern-central Luzon area by Thursday morning. However, PAGASA said a shift towards a more westward direction may move the landfall near Eastern or Northern Samar. — MSJ

Mussel, oyster farmers to lose livelihood in Manila Bay rehab

PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS

AQUACULTURE FARMS for mussels and oysters are among the structures that will be dismantled by the government as part of the Manila Bay rehabilitation program, which would affect the livelihood of some 15,000 fishers and coastal residents, according to a fishers group.

“Rehabilitating Manila Bay should be to restore its marine resources for the benefit of small fisherfolk. But the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ (DENR) thrust says otherwise,” said the head of the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ang Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA) group.

“The government’s rehabilitation program has brought fear among the fishing and coastal population because its aim is to actually destroy our livelihood and displace us from communities,” PAMALAKAYA National Chairperson Fernando L. Hicap said during a protest held at the DENR office in Quezon City on Monday.

The Cavite Task Force Group for Manila Bay previously announced that the dismantling of illegal fishing structures in the areas of Noveleta, Kawit, Cavite City, and Bacoor City will start on Sept. 7.

The task force said the dismantling is intended to regulate illegal fishing structures along Manila Bay and address the high number of bamboo poles from fish pens, fish cages, and baklads/sapras that were washed ashore during the southwest monsoon rains.

Mr. Hicap argued that the fishing structures established in Manila Bay do not pose any pollution or harm to marine biodiversity.

“The oyster and mussel aquaculture structures that will be dismantled contribute a lot to the country’s food security and fisheries production. Compared to the buildings established at reclaimed areas in Manila Bay, the mussel and oyster structures provided livelihood and supplied food to thousands of fishers,” Mr. Hicap said.

PAMALAKAYA also said the dismantling activities is but a prelude to the reclamation plan in Cavite.

“Truth be told, the government’s Manila Bay rehabilitation program is a sham and a sellout in disguise.” — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave

SMC draws up plans to protect birds visiting Manila Bay in line with airport project

PHILIPPINE STAR/KRIZ JOHN ROSALES

LISTED CONGLOMERATE San Miguel Corp. (SMC) said on Monday that it is coming up with plans to protect local and migratory bird populations that often visit Manila Bay as the firm gears up to build the New Manila International Airport project in Bulacan.

In an e-mailed statement, SMC said it has tapped Singapore-based avian researcher Frank E. Rheindt who suggested the development of new and protected coastal areas, which resemble mudflats and can provide food to migratory birds throughout the year.

Mudflats are areas covered during high tide.

Of the dozens of bird species visiting the area, few are deemed “critical” from a conservation standpoint, he noted. These critical species fall under the migratory shorebirds or waterbird category. They are attracted to tidal mudflats or coastal wetlands, which serve as their feeding ground.

“We are definitely committed to protecting bird species and supporting this advocacy. We’re considering and studying all [Mr. Rheindt’s] recommendations and will put together a plan that will align with the whole airport master plan,” SMC President Ramon S. Ang.

“Birds are always a safety concern for airports around the world. But our goal here is to protect them, and there are several ways we can do that, while also ensuring safety at the airport,” he added.

SMC’s airport project in Bulacan has yet to break ground, but Transportation Secretary Arthur P. Tugade said in June that work is already progressing. — Angelica Y. Yang

Bill prohibiting child marriage hurdles House on third and final reading

PHILSTAR

THE HOUSE of Representatives approved on Monday a bill that would prohibit child marriage in the Philippines.

In a vote of 197-0 with 2 abstentions, the congressional representatives approved House Bill 9943 that would protect children from abuse and other forms of exploitation.

Under the measure, people who arrange a child marriage will be jailed for up to 10 years, be fined at least P40,000, and lose parental authority if the person is an ascendant, parent, adoptive parent, stepparent, or guardian of the child.

Those who officiate a child marriage will also be jailed for 10 years, pay a fine of at least P50,000, and be disqualified from public office if the person works in government.

Those caught cohabiting with a child out of wedlock will also be jailed for 10 years, be fined at least P50,000, and will be disqualified from appointive or elective office.

The measure was approved by the House Committee on Women and Gender Equality on Aug. 7 and was approved on second reading on Aug. 31.

A counterpart measure was approved in the Senate on Nov. 9, 2020. — Russell Louis C. Ku

DoJ backs higher compensation for victims of wrong conviction, heinous crimes

BW FILE PHOTO

JUSTICE SECRETARY Menardo I. Guevarra on Monday said his department fully supports the proposed amendment to the law on claims that would increase the amount of compensation for those wrongfully convicted and for victims of heinous crimes.

“The DoJ (Department of Justice) will give its full support for the amendment of (Republic Act) 7309,” Mr. Guevarra told reporters in a group message on Viber.

RA 7309 is titled An Act Creating a Board of Claims under the Department Of Justice for Victims of Unjust Imprisonment or Detention and Victims of Violent Crimes.

“The law was enacted in 1992 and the value of the award has not kept up with the changing times,” he said.

On Sunday, House Deputy Speakers Michael L. Romero and Evelina G. Escudero called for the immediate consolidation of five similar bills to amend Republic Act 7309.

The bills allow victims of unjust conviction and imprisonment to file civil action and claim up to P5,000 per month of incarceration from the current P1,000. — Bianca Angelica D. Añago

Prisoners call amnesty grant a ‘sham’

KAPATID PHOTO RELEASE

PRISONERS slammed Proclamation 1093 granting amnesty to 715 prisoners who are allegedly self-confessed members of the communist movement, saying its conditions are a further form of political oppression.

“It is totally unjust that those foisted with false charges will own up to crimes they did not commit just to be able to leave prison,” the prisoners said in a statement on Monday released through human rights group Kapatid.

“Proclamation 1093 is a sham. This cannot be the means for the release of political prisoners. This is a proclamation of continuing oppression of political prisoners,” they added.

They said the other provisions of the proclamation that makes it “fake” and a “trap” are: amnesty will only be given to those who surrendered, prisoners must prove that their crime was committed only to fight for their political beliefs, and prisoners must not have been proscribed and charged and convicted under the Human Security Act of 2007 and the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020.

Proclamation 1093 was signed by President Rodrigo R. Duterte on Feb. 16, 2021, along with three others granting amnesty to Moro rebel groups, and the Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa ng Pilipinas/Revolutionary Proletarian Army/Alex Boncayao Brigade.

The Philippine government has declared the Communist Party of the Philippines as a terrorist group. — Bianca Angelica D. Añago

Green power or coal power?

PIKISUPERSTAR-FREEPIK

The world has gone green. Tesla and even Porsche have electric cars. Yet, in a country like ours, green power is not getting enough of a push. Did you know it takes 200 permits to get a solar plant started? Now that’s real red tape.

We used to be number two in geothermal, now we slid to number three because Indonesia overtook us. This and other energy-related tidbits were shared with us by attorney Jay Layug, who used to work at the Department of Energy (DoE). I asked many questions related to shifting our little farm to solar power.

I asked a solar provider to give me a quotation to turn my coffee mill and cupping lab into a solar-powered facility. Alas, I need to spend AT COST almost P400,000, and it would take three years plus to recover the investment.

But I will still try to make a solar panel installation for my small house to at least provide for hot water and a few lights. Amadeo, Cavite is at a high elevation and we may not need air conditioning through most parts of the year. But we do need hot water and some lights. We need to run our electric water pump, etc.

The ideal scenario — given our green-related laws:

1. Use solar power if you consume at least 100 kilowatts (kW).

2. Sell your excess to government through Feed-in Tariff (FiT) which has been suspended for now. But which we hope will be reinstated in the next administration. Hello Mr. Secretary, what is the reason for suspending FiT?

3. We have the right and option to get power from green power providers. It’s supposed to be cheaper and better than coal, right?

(MAP had a general membership meeting on Aug. 10 where Mr. Layug was a guest and along with Sherwin Gatchalian and they explained to us the power situation.)

Now, what is happening to our green or renewable sector? Given that we already had a close brush with brownouts last summer, it’s time to prepare for next summer. Let’s use solar power whenever we can.

Besides being cost efficient and cheaper over the long haul, green power is something every household should consider. This is the future. Rommel, my nephew, turns on his air-conditioning which is powered by the sun. He installed solar panels and enjoys free aircon while conducting virtual meetings from his home. Rommel is also Mr. Electric Vehicle and started the EVs and electric jeeps many years ago.

So, where is this headed? Even Meralco has started its foray into green power. What about the other coal companies? When will you speed up towards going green?

The damage to the planet is being assessed as “irreversible,” but we are not losing hope. The first to go will be methane-producing cows and then, simultaneously, a conversion or transition to renewable energy.

Another investment will be solar plants or solar farms. We are looking for areas where the idle land can be converted into solar farms. Not every country has the gift of as much sun as ours —imagine the western countries who have the technology but do not have as much solar power as we have.

But again, 200 permits to put up a solar plant? Let’s think again. Where did we make a mistake? In any case, maybe this will be speeded up by the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) or, if enough netizens gave their opinion about it, maybe the DoE and other agencies will wake up to sun power, or wind power, or ocean power.

Like Congresswoman Loren Legarda says: “We have good laws. We just need to implement them well.” So, what are we waiting for? If each company or each village produced their own power through solar, it can even be a money-making activity for each town.

Let’s keep learning. Because power is something we all need. But we can shift to renewables. We can slowly get rid of coal or fossil fuels. But it has to start from the top. So, we are calling on our corporate heads to start green projects and the general investing public to choose renewable energy investments.

Why is it taking so long for corporate leaders to realize that this is the way of the future? Is it just profit even if it is not green profit? If one has to adjust to today’s pandemic, the heat upon us, the unprecedented power shortages, and the dire situation of our power plants, we must act now. Be the one who looks to the future. Be the one who looks at a sustainable tomorrow for your company while you are in charge.

It can be done if we all do it. If we see it.

However, only visionaries are seeing it. Are you one?

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

 

Chit U. Juan is a member of the MAP Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and Chair of the Philippine Coffee Board.

map@map.org.ph

pujuan29@gmail.com

map.org.ph

Pandemic statistics and public welfare

DCSTUDIO-FREEPIK

On Aug. 3, Deputy Speakers Bernadette Herrera and Kristine Singson-Meehan, Deputy Minority Leader Stella Quimbo, AAMBIS-OWA Representative Sharon Garin, and Quezon City 4th District Representative Bong Suntay filed House Resolution No. 2075 “Urging the House Committee on Good Government to Conduct an Inquiry, in Aid of Legislation, on the Qualifications, Research Methodologies, Partnerships, and Composition of OCTA Research Philippines.” Among the justifications given for the resolution is “the need to ensure the safety and security of the population… and that information being distributed is correct and are not irresponsibly and erroneously published.”

Many objected to the move of the legislators. Typical among the objections was that of UP sociology professor and columnist Randy David, who considers an inquiry “a misuse of congressional time” and notes that it could be taken as “a form of harassment, a muzzling of independent voices.”

I understand where the concerns are coming from, given the political temper of the times, but I think that the congressional probe is not only proper, but also necessary. I don’t necessarily doubt the COVID-19 projections of OCTA Research. Prof. Guido David and Fr. Nicanor Austriaco, the analysts of the firm who are the most often quoted by the media, seem more than qualified to conduct these kinds of projections. But people have the right to know how a private research group comes up with projections related to the pandemic, especially when these are actively disseminated by the media such that they affect public perceptions and behavior. Besides, scientists and data analysts have been increasingly called upon worldwide to practice transparency and accountability in their research and reporting activities, especially when these activities have impacts on people.

I looked for the methodology of the group in the OCTA Research website, but could not find it there. I have requested members of OCTA Research to share their methodology and look forward to studying it closely. Meanwhile, media outfits continue to report OCTA Research projections, with a recent one being the possibility of 30,000 cases across the country by the end of September.

To be fair, the congressional probe should not be limited to OCTA Research, but should include the projections of the Department of Health (DoH) as well. What is the department’s projection methodology? Why do DoH projections sometimes differ from those of OCTA Research when they are supposedly using common data? Which projections are ultimately used by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF)? Why?

By knowing more about the methodologies behind COVD-19 projections, the public can be educated about the usefulness of such projections and understand the government’s basis for deciding to impose different levels of lockdowns.

The pandemic is literally a life and death matter. In addition, many among the poor think of the long lockdowns as a violation of their right to work and as a slow economic death. Hence, scientific analysis of the status and anticipated future of the pandemic is a matter of grave public interest. People should understand what terms like “reproduction number,” “surge,” “peak,” “positivity rates,” and “flattening the curve” mean for them in practical terms so that they can act responsibly to protect themselves and their communities.

While members of OCTA Research have welcomed the opportunity to explain their methodology to the legislators, Fr. Austriaco foresees the challenge of explaining the technical details of COVID-19 model-building to them. I wish them well in their presentations. I think their explanations on Pandemic Modeling 101 to the House representatives should be heard by all Filipinos in order to elevate scientific literacy in the country.

According to business history, the Japanese educated their managers and workers on statistical quality control after World War 2. Helped by the leading American statisticians of the day, such as W. Edwards Deming and Joseph Juran, Japan used the science of quality to achieve the most phenomenal post-war economic booms the world had ever seen.

Let’s face it. If there is one thing the pandemic has taught us, it is that we have to gear up as a nation to prove that we are collectively smarter than a virus. So far, we have not been doing so great. But if we can better understand the science and data analysis related to the pandemic, we will have a fighting chance.

In relation to the upcoming congressional probe, Ranjit Rye of OCTA Research said it well: “We will take the opportunity to explain our methodologies. … [Our] intent [is to] use science for public good. … This is the life of our nation. As citizens, we need to contribute.”

 

Dr. Benito “Ben” L. Teehankee is the Jose L. Cuisia, Sr. Professor of Business Ethics and Head of the Business for Human Development Network at De La Salle University.

benito.teehankee@dlsu.edu.ph

How gaming will change humanity as we know it

FREEPIK

THE ADVENT of gaming, especially computer gaming, marks a fundamental break in human affairs. Gaming is profoundly transforming two central aspects of the modern world: culture and regulation. There will be no turning back.

When it comes to culture, the West has been in a dialogue with itself for centuries, indeed millennia, stretching at least as far back as the Bible and the ancient Greeks. Literature, music, cinema, and the visual arts provide a common body of knowledge that intellectual elites are expected to be conversant with. Knowing one part of that canon usually helps you master the other parts; Verdi drew upon Shakespeare, who influenced Orson Welles, and so on. Culture has never been about self-contained worlds. Quite the contrary.

Games break that continuity. Typically, a game is a closed system that requires a lot of time and attention to achieve mastery, thereby encouraging specialized consumption. It is easy to become a world-class performer in a game without knowing much about the broader culture. By the same token, most of today’s cultural experts know very little about gaming, and they get on just fine. The worlds of culture and gaming are largely separate.*

This is not a criticism of gaming, which has enriched many millions of lives. It is simply to note that the mix of digitization and immersion — combined with the closed, world-building, proprietary structure of the gaming enterprise — has created something new. Games very often use interesting music and visual effects, and in this sense, they are cultural objects. But the fundamental appeal of gaming has more to do with performance and focus. Gaming is more like participating in an event than watching an event.

And make no mistake about it: As an avocation, gaming is winning out. The gaming sector produces about $179 billion in worldwide revenue, larger than that for global movies and North American sports combined. Gaming increased during the pandemic and has emerged robust.

Other cultural products, so to speak, seem to be on the wane. Are there many books today that get the attention and discussion that, say, the Harry Potter series did at the turn of the century? Even when the pandemic passes, will art exhibits have the same influence they once did?

The self-contained nature of games also means they will be breaking down government regulation. Plenty of trading already takes place in games — involving currencies, markets, prices, and contracts. Game creators and players set and enforce the rules, and it is harder for government regulators to play a central role.

The lesson is clear: If you wish to create a new economic institution, put it inside a game. Or how about an app that gamifies share trading? Do you wish to experiment with a new kind of stock exchange or security outside the purview of traditional government regulation? Try the world of gaming, perhaps combined with crypto, and eventually your “game” just might influence events in the real world.

To date the regulators have tried to be strict. It is currently difficult to build fully realized new worlds without creating something that is legally defined as an unregistered security. Those regulations don’t receive a lot of attention from the mainstream media, but they are rapidly becoming some of the most significant and restrictive rules on the books.

At the same time, regulators are already falling behind. Just as gaming has outraced the world of culture, so will gaming outrace US regulatory capabilities, for a variety of reasons: encryption, the use of cryptocurrency, the difficulties of policing virtual realities, varying rules in foreign jurisdictions and, not incidentally, a lack of expertise among US regulators. (At least the Chinese government’s attempt to restrict youth gaming to three hours a week, while foolhardy, reflects a perceptive cultural conservatism.)

Both the culture-weakening and the regulation-weakening features of games follow from their one basic characteristic: They are self-contained worlds. Until now, human institutions and structures have depended on relatively open and overlapping networks of ideas. Gaming is carving up and privatizing those spaces. This shift is the big trend that hardly anyone — outside of gaming and crypto — is noticing.

If the much-heralded “metaverse” ever arrives, gaming will swallow many more institutions, or create countervailing versions of them. Whether or not you belong to the world of gaming, it is coming for your worlds. I hope you are ready.

*It has been a common argument that the rise of the “postmodern” has meant the decline of central meta-narratives. But for decades the same people, in the same institutions, conducted the same debates about whether a particular kind of central cultural thread had vanished. Those debates themselves were a kind of central thread, well known to virtually everyone in the intellectual elite. The advent of gaming has brought about what postmodernism only promised.

BLOOMBERG OPINION

Budget 2022, borrowings, and OCTA

There are five important and unprecedented trends in the proposed National Government budget for 2022 that were not present in 2021 and previous years.

One, the budget will reach P5 trillion. When there is fiscal responsibility, this should also require P5 trillion of taxes, fees, and other revenues without resorting to new borrowings.

Two, allocations to local government units (LGUs) will reach P1.1 trillion. The Mandanas ruling affirmed by the Supreme Court and to be implemented in 2022 mandates that the internal revenue allotment (IRA) of LGUs should be based on total tax revenues of the National Government and not just collections by the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

Three, the budgets of some departments keep rising even if they should devolve more functions to the LGUs. These include the Departments of Education, Health, and Social Welfare and Development.

Four, outstanding public debt will reach P13.4 trillion. This is due to high borrowings of P2+ trillion a year since 2020 and big decline in revenues due to prolonged indefinite lockdown. Interest payments alone for the huge government borrowings were P532 billion in 2021 and P513 billion in 2022.

Five, government personnel services and pensions are to reach P1.4 trillion. From 2021, the Pension and Gratuity Fund were created separately from personnel services and these pensions, separation benefits have reached P232 billion in 2022. Government salaries, allowances and bonuses including non-essential bureaus continued despite many business closures (see Table 1).

 

One seemingly minor but noticeable trend in the budget is that while the Office of the President has P5 billion to P8 billion a year budget despite having control and jurisdiction over all Departments, the Office of the Vice-President only gets P0.6-P0.9 billion a year. This despite the fact that the Vice-President is the second highest official of the country.

On Monday, Sept. 6, the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability was to discuss House Resolution (HR) No. 2075, “Urging the House Committee on Good Government to Conduct an Inquiry, in Aid of Legislation, on the Qualifications, Research Methodologies, Partnerships, and Composition of OCTA Research Philippines.” The HR was authored by Representatives Bernadette Herrera Dy, Kristine Singson-Meehan, Sharon Garin, Stella Luz Quimbo, and Bong Suntay.

I received a formal invitation to be one of the speakers from the Committee Chairman, Representative Michael Edgar Aglipay. Since Dr. Benigno “Iggy” Agbayani was also invited and we are both members of the Concerned Doctors and Citizens of the Philippines (CDC PH), I informed Mr. Aglipay that I would not present and I sent my input and research to Doc Iggy and he will present our joint paper.

Among the data that Doc Iggy and I submitted to the Committee were the economic damage of indefinite, hard, “circuit breaker” lockdowns that OCTA has been advocating and are music to the ears of Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) officials.

The actual GDP level, the flow of goods and services in a year or in a quarter — not just GDP percentage growth or contraction — are as follows:

The 2020 GDP level of P17.53 trillion was even lower than the 2018 level of P18.26 trillion, so three years of economic performance was erased. And this is only P351 billion higher than the 2017 level.

The first half 2021 GDP level of P8.89 trillion was even lower than the first half 2018 level of P8.94 trillion. And it was only P490 billion higher than the first half 2017 level (see Table 2).

OCTA has proposed “circuit breaker” hard lockdowns twice this year, on March 19 and July 27, both days with 7,000 cases each. Three weeks after March 19, there were 9,000 to 12,000 cases per day. Palpak sila OCTA and IATF (OCTA and IATF bungled) — their “circuit breaker 1” hard lockdown did not work and was based on false prediction.

In “circuit breaker 2” hard lockdown that OCTA announced on July 27 and implemented by the IATF in early August, the range of cases was 6,000 to 22,000 a day, an average of about 13,000 a day, twice the July 27 level of 7,000. Palpak na naman sila OCTA and IATF (OCTA and IATF bungled it again). More proof that hard lockdowns do not work and OCTA was using and announcing false predictions.

While OCTA may have good math models in computing the reproduction number R naught (R0) and related statistics, OCTA has a bad understanding about the virus. Viruses are not static and have properties of natural mutation into other variants.

OCTA and its followers in government should shut up about the false predictions and step back on hard lockdown policies. We have had lockdowns for 18 months straight already, have mass vaccination and vax discrimination policies, and still infection rates and daily cases are rising, not declining.

 

Bienvenido S. Oplas, Jr. is the Director for Communication and Corporate Affairs, Alas Oplas & Co. CPAs,

nonoyoplas@alasoplascpas.com

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