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1M more CoronaVac doses from China arrive

NATIONAL TASK FORCE AGAINST COVID-19 FB PAGE

By Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza, Reporter

THE PHILIPPINES on Monday took delivery of a million more doses of CoronaVac from China, according to the presidential palace, bringing the total vaccines that have arrived to 17.4 million.

On Sunday, the government received its first shipment of Moderna, Inc.’s coronavirus vaccine containing 249,600 shots.

Of the total, about 150,000 doses would go to the government, while 99,600 doses would be given to International Container Terminal Services, Inc., according to the National Task Force Against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

The government has given out more than 10 million doses of as of June 27, 7.5 million of which were first doses, presidential spokesman Herminio L. Roque, Jr. told a televised news briefing.

He said 236,867 vaccine shots were given out in the past seven days, adding that the government would probably hit its goal of 500,000 daily vaccinations.

The Department of Health (DoH) reported 5,604 coronavirus infections on Monday, bringing the total to 1.4 million.

The death toll rose by 84 to 24,456, while recoveries increased by 6,154 to 1.3 million, it said in a bulletin.

There were 52,029 active cases, 1.4% of which were critical, 90.1% were mild, 5% did not show symptoms, 2.1% were severe and 1.49% were moderate.

The agency said eight duplicates had been removed from the tally, six of which were tagged as recoveries.

Fifty-seven recoveries were reclassified as active cases, while 38 cases tagged as recoveries were reclassified as deaths. Six laboratories failed to submit data on June 26, the agency said.

About 13.9 million Filipinos have been tested for the coronavirus as of June 26, according to DoH’s tracker website.

The coronavirus has sickened about 181.9 million and killed 3.9 million people worldwide, according to the Worldometers website, citing various sources including data from the World Health Organization.

About 166.4 million people have recovered, it said.

More than 1.1 million health workers have been fully vaccinated, according to the Health department’s vaccine statistics.

It said 672,602 seniors and 710,846 seriously ill people had also been fully vaccinated. About 12,340 essential workers have received their second dose.

The Philippines aims to inoculate at least 500,000 people daily in Metro Manila, Rizal, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Metro Cebu and Metro Davao to achieve herd immunity by Nov. 27.

But more cities outside the capital region, such as Bacolod, Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro, Baguio, Zamboanga, Dumaguete, Tuguegarao, General Santos, Naga and Legaspi, were earlier included in the government’s priority list after local officials complained. 

Meanwhile, Mr. Roque said the general lockdown enforced in Metro Manila was unlikely to be eased next month.

The recommendations of an inter-agency task force, which was set to meet on Monday afternoon to finalize the quarantine classifications for next month, may be appealed by local government units, he said.

The OCTA Research Group on Sunday said the government should brace itself for a potential surge in coronavirus infections because of the Delta variant from India. 

It noted that based on experience, cases multiply when new variants of the coronavirus arrive.

People should protect themselves from the more contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus from India after dealing with the Alpha and Gamma variants from the United Kingdom and Brazil, respectively, said molecular biologist Nicanor Austriaco, a member of the research group.

The variants from India and Brazil are swiftly overthrowing the variant from the UK, which used to be the most-dreaded, in the United States. Health experts are worried that outbreaks would continue in the US because of these variants, unless vaccination efforts could be boosted further.

More parts of Australia were locked down as authorities tried to locate workers from a remote gold mine linked to five coronavirus cases thought to be of the highly infectious Delta variant.

The city of Darwin and two nearby areas were locked down for 48 hours on Sunday after officials failed to locate 15 of 211 workers who flew into the city from the Granites Mine in central Australia.

The Northern Territory, which covers 548,000 square miles of mostly desert, reported four new coronavirus cases on Sunday, all linked to a worker who had tested positive.

The UK variant, which is 50% more transmissible than the version from Wuhan, China swept the US at the start of the year. It was also linked to a surge in infections in the UK last fall, accounting for more than 90% of cases there.

In the US, the UK variant became the predominant strain in a matter of months and accounted for about 70% of cases by end-April.

The Indian coronavirus variant is considered the most concerning because it is said to be 50% to 60% more infectious and may cause a more severe disease.

When the Indian variant first appeared in the UK at the start of April, it rapidly overcame the Alpha variant and now accounts for 90% of new cases.

The variant from Brazil is said to be not as transmissible but may slightly affect the effectiveness of vaccines. — with Vann Marlo M. Villegas

DoJ may seek help of Interpol for arrest of drug lord suspect

@DOJPHILIPPINES

THE PHILIPPINES might seek the help of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) about a suspected drug lord who may have left the country, according to the Department of Justice (DoJ).

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) had no record of convicted drug suspect Peter G. Lim’s departure from the Philippines, Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra told reporters in a Viber group message on Monday. “His last recorded foreign travel was in 2017,” he added.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo M. Año earlier said the suspect might have left the country.

Mr. Guevarra said the Philippines has a very extensive coastline and there are known backdoors in the nation’s south. “We cannot really be sure,” he said, adding that Mr. Lim’s Philippine passport expired in 2019.

Mr. Guevarra said the agency would intensify efforts to track down Mr. Lim, and might also “request the Interpol to assist if there are indeed indications that this fugitive has slipped out of our country.” 

BI spokesperson Dana Krizia M. Sandoval said Mr. Lim has several namesakes, with at least one having left the country recently. The real Mr. Lim, however, had no recent departure record, she added.

Government prosecutors earlier accused Mr. Lim of supplying at least 90 kilos of crystal meth to members of the widely known Espinosa drug group in Regions 7 and 8 in 2013 and 2015, and of conducting other separate drug transactions in 2014.

The government put out a P500,000 bounty for Mr. Lim’s arrest. — Bianca Angelica D. Añago

ICC asks victims of drug war to come forward, complain

INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT FB PAGE

THE INTERNATIONAL Criminal Court (ICC) has asked victims of President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s deadly war on drugs to come forward by filling out an online form on its website.

The court provides an online form that victims can fill out to inform it of their experiences in connection with the Philippines’ anti-illegal drug campaign.

Victims may also download the form and e-mail it to the international tribunal. The forms are available on the ICC’s website at www.icc-cpi.int/.

The court said the form, which is in English, would be translated into local languages and would be made available to the public soon.

The international court said the submission is “voluntary and free of charge.”

It added that submission of the form “is not an application process for participation in court proceedings against an accused person or for obtaining reparations before the ICC.” The deadline for submission is on Aug. 13.

On June 14, ICC Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda asked the Hague-based tribunal’s pre-trial chamber to allow her office to probe the killings committed in the Philippines from Nov. 1, 2011 to March 16, 2019 in connection with Mr. Duterte’s drug war. She said her office found sufficient evidence that local police had committed human rights violations by executing drug suspects who allegedly resisted arrest.

On June 22, Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra said “the cooperation of the victims’ families and their witnesses is crucial” as it would be easier for investigating agencies to build up cases against erring law enforcers if the victims come forward and testify.

“Nothing prevents the families of victims and their witnesses from filing their complaints directly with the DoJ (Department of Justice) or the OMB (Office of the Ombudsman),” he added.

He also said his agency would provide witness protection, if necessary.”

The DoJ is reviewing 52 case records of drug-related deaths from police and 107 cases from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency. — Bianca Angelica D.Añago

BFAR needs at least 6 more vessels to monitor waters, marine resources — advocacy group

BFAR.GOV.PH

THE BUREAU of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) should have more big vessels for patrolling Philippine waters, food advocacy group Tugon Kabuhayan said.   

Tugon Kabuhayan convener Asis G. Perez, a former BFAR national director, said in a virtual briefing on Monday that the agency currently has two specialized ships used in patrolling the country’s waters and for humanitarian missions.   

He said at least six more boats of similar specifications should be acquired by the government to strengthen monitoring and surveillance.

“The Philippines is an archipelagic nation. We need to increase the number of vessels, particularly the big ones, since BFAR only has two big ships, the BRP Francisco Dagohoy and the BRP Lapu-Lapu,” Mr. Perez said.   

“These vessels are classified as multi-mission vessels. They are also used to tend to Filipinos who are stranded as a result of typhoons,” he added.   

Further, Mr. Perez urged BFAR to also prioritize the hiring of additional personnel to monitor the country’s waters.

Mr. Perez served as BFAR national director from 2011 to 2016 under the term of former President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III who just passed away on June 24. “I think BFAR should hire around 500 new employees. During my term as BFAR national director, around 1,000 new employees were hired and given plantilla positions. But it is still not enough. The current leadership can add more since our country has many islands and has vast waters,” Mr. Perez said.   

“While law enforcement efforts are being continued, there is a need to upscale these efforts in light of the threat of foreign poachers,” he added.   

Meanwhile, Mr. Perez noted that it was under the Aquino administration when the Philippine fisheries resource management and law enforcement were given further importance with the passage of Republic Act (RA) No. 10654, which amended RA 8550 or the Philippine Fisheries Code and the acquisition of patrol vessels, among others.   

“The objective of these efforts is to rehabilitate and protect the resource base in order to increase and ensure sustainable production and food security, which is one of the primary reasons for the enactment of the Fisheries Code,” Mr. Perez said. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave   

Duterte hasn’t dropped idea of arming civilian anti-crime volunteers

PCOO.GOV.PH

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte has not dropped his idea of arming members of civilian anti-crime groups, the Palace said on Monday, amid warnings by government officials and various sectors that the move could lead to human rights abuses.

Mr. Duterte made the recommendation last week during the launch of a civilian anti-crime coalition, which is composed of organizations that would partner with the police in promoting peace and order.

Presidential Spokesperson Herminio L. Roque, Jr., in a televised news briefing on Monday, clarified that the recommendation is not yet final and would probably be subject to full staff work.

“If that becomes policy,” he said in Filipino, “I’m sure there will be corresponding training.”

The Palace official echoed Police chief Guillermo T. Eleazar’s statement that the civilian volunteers should be armed to protect themselves against criminals.

Mr. Eleazar earlier said the idea is meant to encourage volunteerism, not vigilantism.

The Philippine Commission on Human Rights earlier said “arming civilians without proper training, qualification, and clear lines of accountabilities may lead to lawlessness and proliferation of arms,” which could worsen the country’s human rights situation. “The Philippine National Police is more than enough,” it said.

Senators on Monday also expressed opposition to the proposal, citing the potential for abuse of powers.

In a statement, Senator Risa N. Hontiveros-Baraquel called on the police chief to review the plan of the administration, nothing that crime rate during the previous administration was low without the need for more police powers.

Instead of arming citizens, communities should be helped. Police should not “outsource” their duty to maintain peace and should be involved with the citizens to understand their needs, she said.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon, in a separate statement, said more guns will not make a country safe and will not help address other issues such as poverty, hunger and unemployment.

“More guns will not bring back investor’s confidence,” he said. “What the government needs to do is to bring back good governance to address the causes of criminality which are poverty, hunger and joblessness. These are the main factors that drive people to commit crimes.” — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza and Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Duterte leaves BTA fate to Congress 

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte has taken a neutral position on the proposed extension of the transition body handling the new Bangsamoro region in southern Philippines, according to the presidential palace.

“The President po decided to become neutral and will let Congress to fully discuss the matter and to decide accordingly, respecting the plenary powers and wisdom of Congress,” Presidential Spokesperson Herminio L. Roque, Jr. told a televised news briefing Monday.

Mr. Duterte values opposing views on the proposal, he added.

Mr. Roque noted that the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) has yet to pass an election code that would serve as basis and guideline for voting parliamentary members in the autonomous region in 2022 as provided under the Bangsamoro Organic Law.   

Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Chief Minister Ahod B. Ebrahim — among those pushing for the BTA’s extension by another three years to 2025 — on June 15 told members of the BTA who currently make up the parliament that the electoral code being drafted by the Cabinet will be transmitted “as soon as possible.”

Various groups have been urging the President to certify as urgent proposed measures extending the term of the BTA. The 18th Congress opens its third and last regular session on July 26.

At the same briefing, Sulu Governor Abdusakur Mahail Tan expressed opposition to the extension of the BTA’s term, saying the proposal is unlawful.

“We are opposing that because the law provides that the term of the BTA will only be three years,” he said in a mix of Filipino and English. “That will end in 2022, and that the elections will be synchronized with the national polls.”

If the BTA extension does not get approval, the BARMM will vote not just for local government and national officials in 2022 along with the rest of the country, but also at least 80 members of the region’s parliament.

Mr. Tan said he would challenge the postponement of BARMM elections before the Supreme Court. “It will be very awkward for BARMM officials to be governing without any mandate.”

Meanwhile, Mr. Ebrahim said a three-year period to reform the region is not enough.

“We have been requesting this extension. Very short ang three years in order to restructure the Bangsamoro government,” he said at the same briefing. He also cited that the coronavirus pandemic has distracted the BTA from its outline tasks.

The BTA took over the new Bangsamoro region in mid-2019, replacing the former Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

DENR questions study saying Pasig River is top plastic polluter

Pasig river — PHILSTAR

THE DEPARTMENT of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) questioned the results of a global study that claimed that 28% of rivers responsible for global plastic pollution are in the Philippines, with the Pasig River being the top contributor of ocean plastic waste.

The DENR was referring to an April study published by the peer-reviewed Science Advances journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Citing the study, the Philippine Climate Change Commission previously said the “world’s most polluting river when it comes to plastic is the 27-kilometer Pasig River which run through Metro Manila, making up 63,000 tons of plastic entering oceans from rivers per year.”

Speaking to reporters in a virtual briefing on Monday, DENR Undersecretary Benny D. Antiporda refuted the research’s conclusion.

“There are some aspects (in the study) which are correct, but when it comes to the conclusion, I can categorically say that it’s wrong… It’s very clear that the major action of the government in coming up with mitigation (efforts) on the plastic (problem) was not considered in the research,” he said.

Mr. Antiporda said that an in-depth review, assessment of data based on government efforts and subsequent consultations with the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies and UN Habitat showed a different conclusion.

“The method used did not reflect the actual condition on the site. Plastic wastes which came from lands going to these rivers may have huge variations during the summer (bringing in) a low discharge rate and rainy (drawing in a) high discharge rate,” he explained.

The study pointed out the Philippines had 466 out of 1,656 rivers across the globe, dumping over 356,371 metric tons of plastic waste per year or around 9% of the total generated mismanaged plastic waste (MPW) in the country.

Mr. Antiporda said the parameters used in getting the MPW were based on “secondary studies,” adding that data reflecting this should ideally come from a national government report. He added that the study used a probabilistic approach, referring to models and calculations instead of data.

The DENR official noted that some of the sources used in the research were from 2016, which he said are not up-to-date.

There are various efforts to rehabilitate Pasig River involving both government and the private sector.

Among these are San Miguel Corp., which earlier said it is allotting P2 billion for its five-year plan to extract 50,000 metric tons of silt and solid waste monthly from the river. International Container Terminal Services, Inc. Group (ICTSI) Foundation also said it has allocated $1 million to build a sustainable river waste collection system along the river, in partnership with Finnish company Riverrecycle Oy. — Angelica Y. Yang

Maynilad partners with MetraWeather for data analysis 

MAYNILAD Water Services, Inc. has tapped international weather intelligence provider MetraWeather to improve its climate data analysis and forecasting, which will allow quicker interventions on weather disturbances that affect the delivery of water service. 

The west zone water concessionaire said Metraweather has mounted automated weather stations in several locations at the Angat, Ipo, La Mesa, and Laguna Lake watersheds for constant calibration and validation of weather models to improve accuracy of weather forecasts.   

“The site-specific forecasts of Metraweather on rainfall patterns, wind direction, and temperature in vital watersheds will yield valuable advance information on weather trends that could impact Maynilad operations, such as sudden increases in the turbidity level of raw water at Ipo Dam,” the water provider said in a statement.   

Maynilad Chief Operating Officer Randolph T. Estrellado said the partnership with MetraWeather is part of the company’s response to the impact of climate change.

“Given this, we have to keep stepping up our interventions so that water service can be sustained despite inclement weather. It all starts with getting more in-depth data on the status of our watersheds,” he said.   

Meanwhile, Maynilad also commissioned MetraWeather to re-examine weather data since 2010 and provide a climate outlook that will help the water provider to craft immediate, short-term, and long-term initiatives to address changing water demands.   

Maynilad provides water to customers in Caloocan, Pasay, Parañaque, Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, Valenzuela, Navotas, Malabon, Manila, Makati, and Quezon City, as well as parts of Cavite province including Bacoor, Imus, Kawit, Noveleta, and Rosario.

Metro Pacific Investments Corp., which has a majority stake in Maynilad, is one of three Philippine units of Hong Kong-based First Pacific Co. Ltd., the others being Philex Mining Corp. and PLDT, Inc.

Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has an interest in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave 

The future in the present tense

PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS

The past 15 months have brought unprecedented chaos and life changes for the generations alive today. We battled and continue the big fight with a corona of thorns that already bled us with grim stories of lives disrupted, jobs lost, businesses closing, and loved ones forever gone without a chance for their families to say goodbye.

The pandemic exposed the weaknesses, not just of physical bodies, but of the structures we all thought wore cloaks of invincibility — in institutions, in governance, in societal norms. It brought to the forefront issues that had been simmering all the time under a veneer of democratic and progressive society — racial discrimination, gender inequality, domestic violence, human rights violations.

It magnified what was glossed over and brushed aside because they would impact the bottom lines — climate change, the protection of the environment, a planet decayed by misuse. It shone the spotlight on inequity and inequality, the widening wealth gap, the exclusive benefits and growth that only a few can enjoy. Finally, it exposed to global derision and applause those that abuse power and those that rise to the call for accountable leadership.

Battling with the biggest challenge in our lifetime took a toll — and the biggest casualty is the economy. It is imperative to train our sights on what lies ahead, to forge a shared future, albeit in the present tense. The domain expertise of management is planning and execution; and while the end is not yet in sight, it is too costly to keep leaving everything to chance.

To paraphrase what a contestant from 2021’s edition of America’s Got Talent, Jane “Nightbird,” said during her audition, “We cannot wait until life becomes less difficult to start planning.” The future stretches ahead and the longer we keep ourselves imprisoned in the moment, we end up sacrificing the ones that are yet to come.

Planning for the future in these present times will require reflection from three perspectives:

HINDSIGHT. What could have been done differently? The pandemic placed everyone in a reactive, even panic mode that elicited knee-jerk responses. When facing a common enemy, most countries looked inwards and adopted a national instead of global response to a global threat. It was a singular moment that needed unity and cooperation, when strengths should have been capitalized, and weaknesses minimized by extending helping hands so that those who have more can help lift those with resource constraints. This generation is writing its history on how this pandemic war is fought. Maybe the call was to restore humanity in a world that has lost it. The future will judge if we “seized the day,” or if we squandered that moment.

INSIGHTS. What have we learned from these pandemic challenges? The global crisis showed that people can rise to the challenge to fight for survival, proving conclusively that what we do individually, how we respond, how we act, can make the difference to the collective whole. Organizations became followers rather than leaders — and that triggered introspection about purpose, accountability, and the responsibility for inclusive development. Trust became the driver for consumer patronage and where actions are deemed wanting in terms of social responsibility, business is taken away.

As we start to pick up the threads of recovery, we can build on these new perspectives and take advantage of the chance to right the balance. We need to reflect on the lessons that we hopefully learned from our months of enforced hibernation. There is no going back to what was, but there is also a huge opportunity to change what will be.

FORESIGHT. What should we change? What stopped the world can change the world. Building on the hindsight and insights, the future will be an opportunity to do better. It is accepting that we all must adapt to a different world and our past experiences may just be reference footnotes in a new chapter of our life book. We can choose what to do with this experience — expand our ingenuity and creativity, and help find solutions to the past and present problems in our spaces, and thus change the narrative of our future. If we keep chipping, the rock will eventually be shaped into a beautiful sculpture.

It is difficult to plan when the time horizon appears to be nailed to the here and now, but it is possible because the alternative is to live in a vacuum. What will we do with the gift of second chance?

CIRCUMSTANCES, CHANCES AND CHOICES. These are three words that come to mind. We go through life’s circumstances — many times unexpected, quite a number we bring about deliberately, others caused by our actions, inactions, and conscious decisions. Always, they will be accompanied by chances, by opportunities to do what we must to make life a little better — not just for ourselves but for others, especially those that need them the most.

We do have to make those choices though — to seize these chances and rise to the call, or to let these chances slip by because we prioritize power, position, prestige, popularity, and profit. It is the eternal clash between self-love and greater good. In the end, those choices will always be on us. Even if it comes down to the devil or the deep blue sea, we always will have to make that choice.

The 2021 International CEO Conference of the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) is taking place on Sept. 14 this year. Its goal is to be the springboard for taking the present pandemic discussion to the next level — The Future. It is about saying enough of “what is” and “what ifs”; it is way past time for “what will be.”

The theme chosen for this year is timely: Hindsights, Insights, Foresights: The Future In The Present Tense. It is time to move forward and get out of this pandemic vacuum that COVID-19 has “imprisoned” us in. It will say let us accept that COVID-19 will need to be factored into our reality, and configure our steps in managing its risks, its after-effects, and how to live in a future where this will be part of it. The MAP CEO Conference aims to be a call to action, with the participants invited to:

• Be part of a community that will plan for and transition to a new future;

• Look beyond information, and identify directions, beyond ideas to thought leadership; and,

• Be one of those who will help shape the changing world order.

Join the MAP CEO Conference 2021. Hear it first-hand.

 

Alma Rita R. Jimenez is Chair of the MAP CEO Conference Committee, Vice-Chair of the MAP Health Committee, President and CEO of Health Solutions Corp. and former Undersecretary of the Department of Tourism.

map@map.org.ph

alma.almadrj@gmail.com.map.org.ph

President Aquino called the people his Boss; these laws show he meant it

AS A BUSINESS REPORTER during President Noynoy Aquino’s term, my colleagues and I talked a lot about rising revenue, narrowing deficits, and debt rating upgrades. Infrastructure too. But in government — as in life and in the Parable of the Talents — the goal is not to hoard cash but to use it for good. I believe history will judge President Aquino well not because he fixed our finances but because he supported three costly social programs: Pantawid Pamilya, K-12, and the Reproductive Health Law. And in a challenging time, they remind us to have faith in democracy and the Filipino people.

I did not vote for President Aquino. I didn’t think he had the management or leadership experience for the biggest job in the country. Even people who joined his administration and loved him told stories that suggested as much.

If he didn’t have the experience needed for the job, that was probably largely because he never wanted the job. Other pols mouth the cliché, “the presidency is destiny” while moving heaven and earth to bend it. But in his case it was true. He did not wish President Cory would pass away so there would be a groundswell for him, if anyone could even foresee that. If there is destiny, this is it. The fact that it happened twice for this family will forever be a powerful part of our democratic narrative.

Now, I don’t believe the other cliché: that the best man or woman for the job is he who does not want it. When you really want something, you will work hard at it for years, gaining experience, ability, credibility, and loyal and able connections, all of which serve you and your stakeholders well in your next job.

But the good side of not wanting something is you probably don’t think you need it. Uniquely, President Aquino didn’t need the power, the attention, or the opportunities for corruption that come with being president or even ex-president. He didn’t need epal or wangwang and, when his term was up, he returned to Times Street and his pre-presidential, even pre-Congress life. And to think he was just 56 when he stepped down, our youngest ex-president except for Diosdado Macapagal and Emilio Aguinaldo. (Of course, we didn’t know he had serious health issues by 2019.) To the frustration of some, he didn’t even feel the need to be heard much, at least publicly, on Leila de Lima, EJKs, and the administration’s China policy.

This indifference — to adapt a Jesuit term — to having and accumulating more worldly things is of course rare among politicians, even those who were born with it or have managed to acquire it. We all know businessmen and politicians for whom nothing is ever enough.

But it is not needing the power, attention, and opportunities for corruption that is ironically more empowering because it gives one the power to say “no.” No, I won’t break the law to get or keep power. No, I won’t lie. No, I won’t steal. No, I won’t cheat. No, I won’t put politics above the people. And the ability to say “no” ironically allows one to do great things.

Great things like vastly expanding Pantawid Pamilya, the conditional cash transfer program, even if it was started by a predecessor with whom there was no love lost. He even kept the name. Great things like pushing for the biggest education reform in generations despite opposition from teachers and school owners. Like supporting the Reproductive Health Bill despite opposition from the Catholic Church and influential conservatives.

We are lucky that the current and recent administrations have been fixing our finances. But the purpose of this has to be to spend on public works and services that allow more people to live decent lives, and, after that and as importantly, ensure their human and democratic right to try to get ahead.

These three programs do that. Pantawid Pamilya by giving millions of people money and trusting they will use it wisely, rather than goods and services decided by bureaucrats and technocrats. K-12 by getting them closer to all the knowledge and skills they need to get ahead here and, if they choose, abroad. The RH law by giving women and couples, especially those from the lower-income sectors, the power to determine if, when, and how many children to have so that they and their children can have the best possible opportunities.

All three embody what government is supposed to do — ensure decent lives and equal opportunities. But they also embody what government is supposed to believe — that, given the right information and opportunities, the people can be, as President Aquino said, the Boss. Not just of the government, but of their own lives. It’s an inspiring reminder for democrats around the world at a time when our cause is facing its toughest challenge in generations.

 

Coco Alcuaz is executive director of Makati Business Club.

The economic and energy legacy of PNoy Aquino

A beautiful piece here in BusinessWorld about former President Benigno “Noynoy” C. Aquino III (commonly known as PNoy) was written yesterday by my former teacher at UP School of Economics, Dr. Raul Fabella, “PNoy and inclusion.” Sir Raul observed that from 2010 to 2016, “poverty incidence had declined from 26.3% to 21.6%, an almost 5% difference in six years, a remarkable achievement in our neck of the woods and even elsewhere.”

I follow this up with additional data. In the table accompanying this piece, my sources are the following:

1. GDP growth, inflation rate, general government gross debt (GGGD) as percentage of GDP — IMF, World Economic Outlook database April 2021.

2. Installed capacity 2.5 to three years gap (IC3YG) in gigawatts (GW), and electricity generation 2.5 to three years gap (EG3YG) in terawatt-hours (TWH) — BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2020.

3. Installed capacity in GW of Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand — CIA, World FactBook.

I got the annual data from 1980 to 2020 and computed the averages by using these two assumptions:

For No. 1 above, GDP performance, inflation, and gross debt of the last year of a departing administration are credited to it, even if the new administration is inaugurated June 30, because the budget, taxes, deficit, borrowings for the full year were made by the departing administration.

For No. 2, it takes three to five years for big power plants to be constructed. So, a coal or gas plant commissioned and began operation, say, in 2012 (PNoy) was actually approved around 2009 or earlier by the previous Arroyo administration. Some small plants like solar or biomass take only about two years construction. So, a lag of 2.5 to three years is assumed as credit to the previous administration.

For comparison and additional context, I added the Philippines’ three neighbors with big populations — Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand.

The numbers in Table 1 show the following:

1. GDP change. The PNoy administration with 6.2% GDP growth was the best performer of the seven administrations. Another remarkable fact is that while Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand showed a decline in average growth in the period 2011-2016 vs. 2005-2010, the Philippines under PNoy showed increase in growth over the same period. Fantastic performance.

2. Inflation rate. The PNoy administration with 2.7% again was the best performer in price stability among the seven administrations. Almost half compared with the previous period, 2005-2010, and similar to the performance of Thailand.

3. Government gross debt as percent of GDP. PNoy’s was the second-best performer among the five administrations, next to Duterte’s. But here is the catch: it was 47.6% in 2010 and significantly reduced to only 37.3% in 2016, a 10.3 percentage points reduction in just six years. When the Duterte government came in, it stopped the decline and went on high borrowings, the ratio was flat at 37% from 2017-2019, and back to 47% in 2020.

4. Power installed capacity. PNoy expanded it by 8.2 GW in just six years, the biggest rise compared with five previous administrations. In a sense, PNoy corrected the mistake of his mother, President Cory, who killed the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (620 MW) with no alternative, resulting in large-scale blackouts nationwide in 1991-92.

5. Actual power generation. PNoy expanded power generation by 30 TWH in just six years, the biggest increase compared with the previous five administrations. This further proves that energy is development, more electricity is more growth, more poverty reduction.

Notice though that while the Philippines expanded electricity generation by 30 TWH from 2013 to 2019, Vietnam expanded theirs by 103 TWH, and Indonesia expanded by 63 TWH.

Last week, the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines (IEMOP) held a media briefing. Among the important data presented was that from May 30 to June 5 (including the blackouts of June 1, and yellow-red alerts days before and after that), the secondary price cap or ERC-imposed price control of P6.24/kwh was imposed 60 times.

Again, the main problem was lack of power supply — many old and ageing power plants, not enough new big reliable plants — the supply margin was only 1,658 MW vs. 3,114 MW from June 6-14. The usual government/ERC solution is price control, which actually discourages and kills investments in peaking plants.

The power generation mix from March to May 2021 was also discussed by IEMOP. I expand Table 2 by going way back to 2019 and it shows that the main workhorse, the backbone of Philippines power generation, is coal, the same power source that is heavily politicized and demonized by many political actors and activists. These groups’ beloved source, wind-solar, contribute an insignificant share of only 2.6% of total generation in 2019 and 2.8% in April-May 2021 (see Table 2).

The best recent energy policies were made by PNoy. They were technology-neutral and power-agnostic policies. Just approve and commission more power plants, have more electricity generation.

The worst recent energy policies were made by the Arroyo and Duterte administrations: Arroyo with the Renewable Energy (RE) Act of 2008 (RA 9513) that institutionalized all types of RE favoritism and cronyism (especially wind-solar) and contributed to expensive electricity; and Duterte’s higher energy taxes under the TRAIN law of 2017 (RA 10863), with an excise tax of an additional P6/liter in diesel and gasoline, a coal tax increase from P10/ton to P150/ton. Then there was the Energy Department’s no more greenfield, new coal plants order issued in October 2020 as the RE lobby, especially wind-solar, continue its blackout-friendly path.

Thank you, PNoy, for your great economic and energy legacy. You clearly showed that less interventionist, less prohibitionist policies are pro-growth, pro-poor. Safe journey.

 

Bienvenido S. Oplas, Jr. is the president of Minimal Government Thinkers

minimalgovernment@gmail.com

US airstrikes on Iran-backed militias test Raisi

UNSPLASH

THE LATEST US airstrikes on Iranian-backed militia groups come at a delicate time for Washington and Tehran, with a conservative president-elect in Iran and talks expected to restart shortly on reviving a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

President Joseph R. Biden ordered strikes on “operational and weapons storage facilities at two locations in Syria and one location in Iraq” on Sunday evening Washington time to deter future attacks on US interests in Iraq, where the US is aiding government forces in efforts to defeat Islamic State, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.

Mr.Kirby’s statement made clear that Iran was the common denominator in the targets but also that the US move was meant to be defensive in nature.

“Given the ongoing series of attacks by Iran-backed groups targeting US interests in Iraq, the president directed further military action to disrupt and deter such attacks,” Mr. Kirby said. “The United States took necessary, appropriate and deliberate action designed to limit the risk of escalation — but also to send a clear and unambiguous deterrent message.”

The strikes could mark an early test for Iranian President-elect Ebrahim Raisi, who takes office in August and has been seen as a harder-line leader than departing President Hassan Rouhani. Yet the fact that the US hit Iranian proxies outside the country could give both sides plausible deniability to avoid escalating tensions.

Markets appeared to shrug off the latest military moves, with oil steady near a two-year high and traders more focused on a Thursday meeting of the OPEC+ bloc. Futures in New York traded near $74 a barrel after closing up 1% Friday.

Even before the military strikes, indirect talks in Vienna aimed at getting the US and Iran back into compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal — the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action — were already dragging past initial timetables. The negotiations took a pause for Iran’s elections earlier this month and weren’t expected to re-start until early July.

It wasn’t immediately clear if the airstrikes would force a postponement in those meetings, but it’s not the first time the Biden administration has carried out such a move. His first military action as president in February involved airstrikes in eastern Syria on sites connected to Iranian-backed groups after a series of rocket attacks on facilities in Iraq used by the US, including one that killed a contractor working with the US-led coalition in the country.

Whatever Mr. Raisi’s calculus as president-elect, the latest US strikes and the ones in February are likely to be far less provocative than then-President Donald Trump’s move to kill a top Iranian general, Qassem Soleimani, outside Baghdad’s airport in early 2020. That move sparked fears of a resurgence of Iranian-sponsored terrorist activities or even a broader war between Iran and the US.

Now the bigger risk may be to the timetable for the nuclear talks. Even before the latest military tensions, Iran had missed a deadline to renew its temporary atomic-monitoring pact with international inspectors, raising the prospect that it could delete sensitive enrichment information and complicating the broader negotiations in Vienna.

INSPECTIONS
The government in Tehran has yet to inform monitors whether it will renew the agreement after earlier saying it would make a decision following the pact’s expiration at midnight on Thursday. Iran let a previous deadline lapse by 24 hours last month before agreeing to extend the pact, which preserves video and enrichment data captured at Iranian nuclear installations.

Intrusive inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency were originally seen as the centerpiece of Iran’s landmark 2015 agreement with world powers, which verifiably rolled back its nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief. Though he is weeks from officially taking power, Mr. Raisi last week demanded an end to US sanctions on his country and Washington’s fully compliant return to the 2015 nuclear accord.

US officials say Iran, which has been enriching uranium beyond levels agreed to in the nuclear deal, should take the first step to return to compliance.

The US strikes could temporarily stifle criticism — mostly among Republicans — that the Biden administration’s efforts to reach a new agreement with Iran represent a capitulation to the Islamic Republic after years in which Mr. Trump ramped up pressure on Tehran.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Italy and will likely face questions about the US actions and potential repercussions following meetings with officials there. Over the weekend, Mr. Blinken met with Israel’s foreign minister, Yair Lapid, who said his country has “serious reservations” about the talks in Vienna. — Bloomberg

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