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Gov’t told to waive 14-day quarantine for vaccinated tourists

A SENATOR wants the government to lift the 14-day quarantine rule for foreign travelers who have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.

“Why do fully vaccinated people have to still do the two-week quarantine when traveling to the Philippines?” Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III told reporters in a Viber group message. “It doesn’t make sense. It defeats the purpose of vaccinating so we can open the economy.”

The lawmaker said vaccinated investors and even Filipinos overseas would not come to the Philippines because of the strict quarantine requirements.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario S. Vergeire told an online briefing last month there is no guarantee that vaccinated people won’t get infected with the coronavirus

The Tourism department last month recommended that a green lane for vaccinated tourists bet set up.

The agency said it was studying protocols for the plan, noting that some countries have eased border restrictions and opened up major destinations to fully vaccinated foreign visitors. 

The Bureau of Immigration has said more international flights might resume in the next few months. — VMMV

Over 564,000 OFWs repatriated since start of pandemic

DFA

MORE than 564,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have been brought back to the country since the start of the coronavirus pandemic last year, according to the Labor department.

“Every day, we’re bringing in a minimum 1,000-1,500,” Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III told a televised news briefing.

He said there are about 130,000 more awaiting repatriation.

He said as many as 3,000 OFWs could be repatriated daily if not for the current policy limiting inbound passengers to 1,500 per day.

Mr. Bello said about 80,000 migrant Filipino workers, mostly in Europe, have chosen to stay in their host countries.

There were 2.2 million OFWs worldwide, based on a 2019 survey by the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Mr. Bello assured OFWs, including seafarers, who lost their jobs amid the global health emergency that they still have a high “chance for reemployment”

“It’s high time that we Filipinos realized na ‘yung ating (that our) Filipino seafarers are the most preferred seafarers in the world,” he said.

In a related development, Mr. Bello assured that the deployment of Filipinos to Israel will resume once the situation there improves.

More Filipinos are needed in Israel’s health and tourism sectors, he said. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

House OK’s bill taxing single-use plastics on 2nd reading 

PHILSTAR

THE HOUSE of Representatives passed on second reading a bill that will impose a P20 per kilogram excise tax on single-use plastic bags during its regular session on Wednesday.

Under House Bill 9171 or the Plastic Bag Tax Act, the excise tax will be imposed on plastic bags “removed from the place of production or released from the custody of the Bureau of Customs.”   

The bill aims to encourage the use of environment-friendly bags in place of plastic bags to mitigate the country’s problem on plastic waste.

During the House session on Tuesday, the bill’s sponsor, Nueva Ecija Rep. Estrellita B. Suansing cited a survey done in Dec. 2020 which showed the plastic pollution found in Pasig River.

She further said the bill could generate an annual revenue of P4.8 billion, which will be used for solid waste management projects of local governments. — Bianca Angelica D. Añago

Storm Dante leaves 4 dead, 7 missing; over P283M in agri and infra damage

PCG
PCG

THE DEATH toll from tropical storm Dante, with international name Choi-wan, reached four as of June 3, with seven others still missing and two injured, according to the national disaster management council.

More than 9,800 families composed of almost 45,000 individuals were affected by flooding and landslides following heavy rains dumped by the storm. Of the total, 3,090 families were still staying in evacuation centers as of Thursday morning.

Damage to agriculture was estimated at P14.6 million, mainly rice and corn in the regions of Caraga and Soccsksargen (South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, and General Santos City). The Agriculture department reported that 442 farmers with 723 hectares of land were affected.   

Damage to roads and other infrastructure were initially estimated at P268.52 million in two regions, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

Soccsksargen had the biggest cost at P162.32 million worth of destroyed flood-control structures.

Eastern Visayas reported P95 million in damaged roads and P11.2 million in flood-control structures.

As of June 3, DPWH said it was still clearing three impassable national road sections in the provinces of Cebu, Eastern Samar, and Agusan del Sur.

The Philippine Coast Guard, meanwhile, announced that shipping and fishing operations in all ports nationwide resumed as of 12 p.m. Thursday.

All storm signals were already lifted as of Thursday morning as Dante moved towards the West Philippine Sea, according to weather bureau PAGASA.

The typhoon, the fourth to hit the country this year, was expected to be 270 kilometers west of Batanes by Friday morning.

PAGASA said the storm is seen to weaken into a tropical depression by Friday. — with a report from Arjay L. Balinbin

Hospitals in major cities in Visayas, Mindanao overwhelmed by coronavirus surge

@EVRMCOFFICIAL

STATE-OWNED and private hospitals in the urban centers in the Philippine’s central and southern parts are overwhelmed by the surge in coronavirus patients, with regional health offices reporting record high daily cases.   

In Western Visayas, the regional center Iloilo City said on Wednesday that hospitals as well as quarantine facilities are full as it recorded an “all time high” of 124 new cases on June 2. There were 1,511 active cases.

Iloilo City Mayor Jerry P. Treñas announced that the local government is immediately hiring at least 25 nurses, 44 nursing aides and 22 utility workers who will be deployed in medical facilities “which are overwhelmed due to the number of positive cases in the region.”

Private hospital The Medical City Iloilo also announced that it has started operating its Out-of-Hospital Care Program, wherein coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients with mild symptoms stay in a partner hotel with nurses on site for monitoring.

“This is TMCI’s way of freeing up hospital beds for severe cases of COVID-19,” the hospital said.

As of June 2, Western Visayas, with a population of about eight million, had 7,772 active cases out of the 48,071 recorded since the start of the pandemic. There were 39,130 recoveries and 1,152 deaths.

In Eastern Visayas, the regional Health department has been reporting record high daily cases, with the latest at 276 on June 3.

The region, with a population of about 4.5 million, had total of 21,176 COVID-19 cases, with 1145 active, 19,707 recoveries, and 324 deaths.

Four samples from May 31 have been tested to be positive for the variant Alpha, previously referred to as the UK variant.

“Please bear in mind that there’s a big probability that variants of concern are here because we are seeing the easy transmissibility of the virus. With the limitation of genome sequencing, it’s difficult for us to bombard the Philippine Genome Center for our samples to be tested and sequenced for us to know if there are variants of concern in a particular local government unit or in a particular place. So my message and plea to everyone, let us act as if we have the variant of concern here,” said Marc Steven Capungcol, head of the Regional Epidemiology Units-Health Emergency Management Staff.

The Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center in Tacloban City “is now overwhelmed with this staggering spike of cases and can no longer accommodate COVID-19 patients,” the local Health office said. “In fact, as of June 1, 2021, there are… 40 individuals who currently need medical attention but cannot be given aid yet, due to limited resources.”

In Mindanao in the south, the cities of Zamboanga and Cagayan de Oro were already under the second strictest lockdown level from June 1 to 15 to avert transmissions and free up hospital beds as well as isolation facilities.

Davao City, meanwhile, is awaiting approval from the national task force to implement the same quarantine category from June 5 to 30 “to allow a circuit breaker in the surge of patients inside hospitals.”

The city recorded increasing cases towards the end of May with more than 1,000 in the last week of the month and the highest daily count posted on the 29th at 198 new positive results. — MSJ

P11.81-B Central Luzon expressway 94% done, DPWH says

DPWH

THE P11.81-BILLION Central Luzon Link Expressway (CLLEX), which connects the cities of Tarlac and Cabanatuan, is now 94% finished, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said Thursday.

In a statement, DPWH Secretary Mark A. Villar said the first 18-kilometer section of the 30-kilometer expressway project will “soon” be accessible to motorists.

The project is funded through a loan agreement with the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

“Partial opening of CLLEX had to be moved from May to July after work suspension were issued for the on-going contract packages in compliance to the construction safety guidelines to mitigate and suppress transmission of COVID-19 infection,” the department said. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Tunnel boring for Kaliwa Dam expected to start in Dec. 

MWSS.GOV.PH

TUNNEL excavation work on the controversial Kaliwa Dam project is expected to start by December with the arrival next month of a boring machine, according to the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS).

“The machine is expected to arrive in the Port of Manila in July 2021 and will be transported to the outlet portal in Teresa, Rizal, for re-assembly. The 21.7-kilometer tunnel excavation using the tunnel boring machine is scheduled to begin in Dec. 2021,” MWSS said in a statement.   

MWSS Chairman Reynaldo V. Velasco said technical hazards are expected during the tunnelling operations, but assured that the country has experienced personnel for the task.   

“When I consider the magnitude of the required infrastructure, and knowing that to operate a tunnel boring machine, 200 to 500 meters below the Sierra Madre mountains, crossing population centers in Rizal, technical hazards are likely to be present,” Mr. Velasco said.   

The project is a joint venture of MWSS and China Energy Engineering Corp. (CEEC) as design and build contractor.

The China-funded project has been opposed by indigenous communities, religious groups, and environmental groups.

The dam, expected to be completed by 2025, will provide an estimated 600 million liters of water daily to Metro Manila, which currently sources most of its water supply from Angat Dam in Bulacan. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave   

Kiefer Ravena playing in Japan B.League remains uncertain

KIEFER RAVENA’S planned stint in the Japan league has been rendered uncertain as his existing contract in the Philippine Basketball Association prevents him from pushing ahead. — FIBA

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo, Senior Reporter

KIEFER Ravena’s planned stint in the Japan league has been rendered uncertain as his existing contract in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) prevents him from pushing ahead.

No sooner after the Shiga Lakestars announced on Wednesday that they have signed the versatile guard to play for them in the Japan B.League for the 2021-22 season, the PBA came out and said it is not going to be possible.

The league cited that Mr. Ravena is bound by the Uniform Players’ Contract (UPC) he signed with his mother ball club the NLEX Road Warriors and the PBA which he must honor and adhere to.

“Kiefer has a UPC which he has to abide by. It’s the player’s contract. So he’s not allowed to play in other leagues,” PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial told the media on the matter.

The NLEX guard signed a three-year extension with the Road Warriors last year following a solid outing in the league’s “bubble” tournament where he averaged 19.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and a steal throughout their run.

Earlier this year, however, news of Mr. Ravena getting a “good offer” to play in Japan broke out.

No less than NLEX coach Yeng Guiao confirmed the news. The coach said they support Mr. Ravena’s desire to pursue the opportunity presented to him, but admitted it was going to be easier said than done as a number of requirements had to be met for it to be a reality.

In signing Mr. Ravena, the Lakestars took note of his showing in FIBA-sanctioned tournaments as well as the large following the player has as a player.

With Shiga, Mr. Ravena will join a team which finished last season with a 23-36 record in the West region of the B.League. He will play in the same region as his brother Thirdy, who made his Japan league debut last season with San En NeoPhoenix.

Shiga said it will formally introduce Mr. Ravena in a press conference on Monday.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding his Japan league stint, Mr. Ravena posted on Facebook on Wednesday a statement expressing his excitement over playing in Japan and thanking his team, the league and his supporters.

“In light of today’s announcement, I would like to thank my team, Shiga Lakestars, for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Mr. Ravena wrote.

He then thanked his NLEX family and management, which include Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. officials Manny V. Pangilinan and Rod Franco, Road Warriors official.

Ronald Ularte and coach Yeng Guiao, saying, “Thank you for giving me your blessing and backing me in this next stage of my career.”

In a separate statement, while it said it supports Mr. Ravena in his pursuit, NLEX underscored how the UPC figures prominently in any decision to be made on it just as it was leaving it to the league board on how to go about the matter.

“We understand and support Kiefer’s desire for personal advancement. However, as a member of the PBA, we are duty bound to abide by the rules and regulations that govern the league,” said the Road Warriors.

“The NLEX Road Warriors stand by the tripartite agreement between our organization, the PBA, and the individual player, which is enshrined in the UPC. The Japan engagement of Kiefer will need to conform to the terms of the UPC as well as the rules and policies of the PBA,” it added.

BusinessWorld reached out to Mr. Marcial on whether the league board would discuss the matter and he said that it has yet to be put on the table. He went on to reiterate that the UPC is binding.

The Japan B.League usually starts its season in October where competing teams play a set of home and away matches in the regular season.

Olympic-bound Obiena wins gold in Sweden 

Olympic-bound pole-vaulter EJ Obiena of the Philippines won the gold medal in the Folksam Grand Prix in Gothenburg, Sweden, on Thursday (Manila time).

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo, Senior Reporter

Olympic-bound pole-vaulter EJ Obiena got further momentum in the lead-up to the Summer Games after winning the gold medal in the Folksam Grand Prix in Gothenburg, Sweden, on Thursday (Manila time). 

Mr. Obiena, 25, the number 10-ranked pole vaulter in the world, cleared 5.70 meters in his first attempt to win the men’s event. 

The clearance bested that of world No. 6 and Rio Olympics champion Thiago Braz of Brazil (5.65m) and Pal Haugen Lillefosse of Norway (5.6m). 

The Filipino gold medal winner tried to clear 5.80 meters after but failed thrice. 

Messrs. Braz and Lillefosse, meanwhile, attempted to hurdle 5.75 and 5.70 meters, respectively, but also fell short. 

The win provided a boost to Mr. Obiena’s push with the Tokyo Olympics less than 60 days away. 

Mr. Obiena was the first Filipino athlete to qualify for the rescheduled Olympic Games, earning a spot in a tournament in Chiara, Italy, in September 2019. 

Since then, eight other athletes have qualified, namely, gymnast Caloy Yulo, boxers Eumir Felix Marcial, Irish Magno, Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam, weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, rower Cris Nievarez and taekwondo jin Kurt Barbosa. 

The Olympic Games happens from July 23 to Aug. 8.

Antipolo, Pasig venues eyed for PBA’s opening conference

THE Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo City, Rizal, is one of the venues being eyed for the PBA’s Season 46. — RAMON VELASQUEZ

THE Philippine Basketball Association’s (PBA) push to open its Season 46 continues to take form as the league said it was eyeing the cities of Antipolo and Pasig as possible hosts for its season-opening All-Filipino tournament.

League commissioner Willie Marcial shared that the Ynares gymnasia in Antipolo, Rizal, and Pasig have been short-listed for their new season, which is targeted to begin late this month or early July under a closed-circuit setup where player movements are restricted to home-gym-home.

The venues may not be the usual big arenas that typically host the PBA, but Mr. Marcial said these will do for now considering the prevailing conditions with the pandemic.

“Right now, we don’t need the bigger venues to host us. We still cannot have fans because of the pandemic,” the PBA chief said in a television interview on Thursday.

“I have talked to Mayor Junjun Ynares about the possibility of using the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo for the All-Filipino tournament. We are also considering the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig and we need to talk to Mayor Vico Sotto about it.”

Mr. Marcial shared that nothing is definite yet as they are still awaiting the next announcement of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) on the quarantine classification for “NCR Plus,” which includes the National Capital Region and the province of Rizal.

NCR Plus is under General Community Quarantine (GCQ) with “heightened restrictions” until June 15, leaving the PBA unavailable to fully take its preparation in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

Currently, PBA teams are doing workouts and scrimmages in Batangas, Ilocos Norte and Pampanga, areas under MGCQ or with lower quarantine restrictions.

The PBA is hoping to stage two conferences this season to give fans more basketball action. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Azkals to take on China first in joint qualifier return

THE Philippine Azkals resume their joint FIFA World Cup and AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers campaign next week, taking on China first on June 8 at the Sharjah Stadium in the United Arab Emirates. — CEDELF TUPAS FB PAGE

THE Philippine Azkals resume their joint 2022 International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) World Cup and the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup Qualifiers campaign next week, taking on China first at the Sharjah Stadium in the United Arab Emirates.

Back in action after a 17-month layoff because of the pandemic, the national men’s football team looks to finish strong in the joint qualifiers and book its spot in the prestigious FIFA and AFC tournaments.

The Philippines is currently at third place in Group A of the qualifiers with seven points from a 2-1-2 record, behind Syria (5-0-0) with 15 points, and China (3-1-1) with 10.

Maldives (2-0-3) and Guam (0-0-5) round out the group.

The Azkals last played in the qualifiers in November 2019, losing to Syria (1-0) in Dubai.

Scheduled qualifying matches of the team in 2020 failed to push through because of the pandemic.

China will be the first for the Azkals in their joint qualifier return set for June 8 at 1 a.m. (Manila time).

The two teams fought to a goalless draw in their first encounter on Oct. 15, 2019 at the Pana-ad Park and Football Stadium in Bacolod.

The Chinese, however, are coming off a huge 7-0 victory last May 30 in Suzhou entering their match against the Azkals.

Suzhou, China, incidentally was the original venue for the Group A matches until local authorities decided to pull out from hosting at the last minute over coronavirus concerns.

The UAE then stepped in to accommodate the matches.

The Azkals, too, were supposed to face Guam first on June 3 had the competition proceeded as scheduled in Suzhou.

For the qualifiers, the Azkals have brought in some 25 players as part of the player pool, led by veteran Stephan Schröck, who was named captain.

Also part of the pool are Patrick Reichelt, Martin Steuble, Jarvey Gayoso, Mark Hartmann, Angel Guirado, Mike Ott, Luke Woodland, Kenshiro Daniels and Alvaro Silva.

The team, however, was also hit by player pullouts, notably top goalkeeper Neil Etheridge, who had to undergo surgery.

The Azkals think tank admitted that the team’s buildup was not without hiccups but that they are exploring every possibility to further strengthen the squad that they have now.

After the China contest, the Philippines takes on Guam at 10 p.m. on June 11 and Maldives at 10 p.m. on June 15.

All the Azkals matches in the qualifiers at the Sharjah Stadium can be seen on One Sports and One Sports+. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Serena through to French Open 3rd round after second-set blip

PARIS — Former world number one Serena Williams, chasing a record-tying 24th Grand Slam singles title, overcame a second-set blip to reach the French Open third round with a (6-3, 5-7, 6-1) win against Romania’s Mihaela Buzărnescu on Wednesday.

Three-time Roland Garros champion Williams, who has been stuck on 23 major titles since 2017, one behind Margaret Court’s all-time record, went through the gears in the opening set before letting her guard down.

The 39-year-old, who is seeded seventh in Paris but has not been past the fourth round here since reaching the final in 2016, fell 4-2 behind in the second set as Buzărnescu broke for the first time.

But the American was back to her dominant self as she stole her opponent’s serve in the next game and set up two break points in the 11th game.

Buzărnescu kept her composure to stave them off and level for 5-5 before sealing the second set on Williams’s serve.

“I had some really good chances in the second set to win that if I would have won just one point here or there, like four or five times it would have been a different second set,” Williams told reporters after the match.

“Going into the third, I just had to zero in on those one important points. If I could just take those, it would be an easier time for me.”

Williams was 4-0 up after breaking twice in the decider, but the scoreline did not reflect the fight the Romanian put up to stay in the contest.

Williams’s experience, however, prevailed in the key moments as she set up a meeting with fellow American Danielle Collins.

Williams has come agonizingly close to matching Court’s record since winning the 2017 Australian Open.

She has fallen in four Grand Slam finals and earlier this year lost in the semi-finals at the Australian Open.

Following that she underwent oral surgery and played only three Tour-level matches heading into the French Open, winning one. — Reuters

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