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Putin likely directed 2020 US election meddling, US intelligence finds

WASHINGTON — Russian President Vladimir Putin likely directed efforts to try to swing the 2020 US presidential election to Donald J. Trump, according to an American intelligence report released on Tuesday that sources said would likely trigger US sanctions on Moscow.

The 15-page report, released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, added heft to longstanding allegations that some of Mr. Trump’s top lieutenants were playing into Moscow’s hands by amplifying claims made against then-candidate Joseph R. Biden, Jr., by Russian-linked Ukrainian figures in the run-up to the Nov. 3 election. It also added new findings that Mr. Putin either oversaw or at least approved of the election meddling to benefit Mr. Trump.

Washington is expected to impose sanctions on Moscow as soon as next week because of the allegations, three sources said on condition of anonymity.

The findings about Mr. Putin’s role are likely to receive particular attention given the report’s conclusions that Russia-backed figures such as Ukrainian parliamentarian Andriy Derkach enlisted unnamed US political figures in their campaign to smear Mr. Biden and his son Hunter.

The report named Mr. Derkach, who met Mr. Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani in 2019, as someone whose movements were tracked, if not directed, by Mr. Putin.

“Putin had purview over the activities of Andriy Derkach,” the report said. “Other senior officials also participated in Russia’s election influence efforts—including senior national security and intelligence officials who we assess would not act without receiving at least Putin’s tacit approval.”

Mr. Biden, a Democrat, defeated Mr. Trump, a Republican, and became president in January.

US intelligence agencies and former Special Counsel Robert Mueller previously concluded that Russia also interfered in the 2016 US election to boost Mr. Trump’s candidacy with a campaign of propaganda aimed at harming his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton.

Mr. Mueller found extensive contacts between Mr. Trump’s campaign and Russia. Mr. Trump while president also faced questions about ties by his associates with Russia and Russia-linked figures in Ukraine. The US House of Representatives impeached Mr. Trump in 2019—the first of two times—on charges arising from his request that Ukraine investigate the Bidens.

The US intelligence report also found other foreign attempts to sway American voters in 2020 including a “multi-pronged covert influence campaign” by Iran intended to undercut Mr. Trump. As president, Mr. Trump pulled the United States out of a multilateral nuclear deal with Iran and imposed fresh sanctions.

CHINA COUNTER-NARRATIVE
The report also punctured a counter-narrative pushed by Mr. Trump’s allies that China was interfering on Mr. Biden’s behalf, concluding that Beijing “did not deploy interference efforts.”

“China sought stability in its relationship with the United States and did not view either election outcome as being advantageous enough for China to risk blowback if caught,” the report said.

US officials said they also saw efforts by Cuba, Venezuela, and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah to influence the election, although “in general, we assess that they were smaller in scale than those conducted by Russia and Iran.”

The Russian, Chinese, and Cuban Embassies in Washington did not immediately return messages seeking comment. The Iranian mission to the United Nations and the Venezuelan Ministry of Information also did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Moscow, Beijing, and Tehran routinely deny allegations of cyberespionage and election interference.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment on whether sanctions would be imposed on Russia as early as next week, which was first reported by CNN.

Asked about CNN’s report, a US official said Mr. Biden had “been clear” Washington would respond to destabilizing Russian actions and noted US steps to respond to Russia’s alleged use of a chemical weapon against Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.

“There will be more soon,” said the official on condition of anonymity.

Two sources told Reuters the sanctions could address the cyber hack blamed on Russia that used US company SolarWinds Corp. to penetrate US government networks as well as reports Russia offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants to kill coalition forces in Afghanistan.

Moscow has denied involvement in the hack and brushed off the bounties allegations.

The intelligence report assessed with high confidence that Russian leaders “preferred that former President Trump win re-election despite perceiving some of his administration’s policies as anti-Russia.”

A key role was played by another man with Russian intelligence ties, Konstantin Kilimnik, according to the report. It said Messrs. Kilimnik and Derkach met and gave materials to Trump-linked people to push for formal investigations, and Mr. Derkach released four audio recordings seeking to suggest Mr. Biden tried to protect his son Hunter from a corruption probe in Ukraine. Mr. Giuliani was among those promoting such claims.

Mr. Kilimnik was an associate of Paul Manafort, who served as Trump’s 2016 campaign chairman. Trump pardoned Manafort last year for a criminal conviction stemming from Mueller’s investigation.

Russian agents also tried to hack subsidiaries of the Ukrainian energy company Burisma, “likely in an attempt to gather information related to President Biden’s family,” it said. Hunter Biden had served on Burisma’s board. — Christopher Bing, Joseph Menn, and Raphael Satter/Reuters

Biden administration looking for ‘deeds not words’ from China

WASHINGTON — The United States believes it will go into talks with China this week with an “increasingly strong hand” and will lay out deep concerns about Chinese behavior on a wide range of issues, including human rights, senior US officials said on Tuesday.

Briefing journalists ahead of the talks scheduled for Thursday in Alaska, the officials said Washington would want to see “deeds, not words” from Beijing if it wants to improve ties.

The talks in Anchorage will be the Biden administration’s first face-to-face meetings with senior officials from China, a country it has identified as its most formidable challenge.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan will meet China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi and State Councilor Wang Yi fresh from visits to stalwart allies Japan and South Korea aimed at emphasizing the US commitment to the Indo-Pacific in the face of Beijing’s rise.

“We are coming in with what we feel like is an increasingly strong hand,” one US official told reporters.

“Beijing has been talking about its desire to change the tone of the relationship. And of course, we’re going to be looking at deeds, not words, on that front,” a second official said.

The US side would make clear its “deep concerns” about China’s treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang and pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong, as well as its economic coercion of US allies and partners and aggressive moves towards Taiwan, the first official said.

Washington was not expecting specific negotiated deliverables from the meeting, but would lay down specific areas where it believes Beijing needs to change its course, the official said.

The second official said Beijing had a “pretty poor track record of keeping its promises” and Washington had realistic expectations about the possibilities for change.

At the same time, it did not want China “to be operating under illusions about our tough-minded approach to their very problematic behavior,” the official said.

“We’re looking to have a nice, robust, and very frank conversation with a power that is going to be a big competitor of ours,” he said.

The first official said China’s actions, including its “malicious cyber activity,” fell short of acceptable behavior and Washington would ask China to abide by international rules.

The official stressed that the Biden administration was unified in its approach on China and would not let Beijing pit different parts of the US government against each other—an apparent reference to differences within the previous Trump administration about how to deal with Beijing. — Reuters

TPB Philippines spearheads Tourism and Technology Forum (TTF)

The Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines, the marketing and promotions arm of the Department of Tourism (DOT), kicked off the first hybrid Tourism & Technology Forum (TTF) on Wednesday at Okada, Manila with the theme “Accelerating Digital Technologies for Sustainable and SMARTourism”.

The two-day hybrid event aims to provide a learning platform for industry stakeholders to take advantage of recent developments and innovations in technology through a series of informative sessions and open discussions from distinguished guests and speakers.

Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat and TPB COO Maria Anthonette Velasco-Allones led the hybrid opening ceremony attended by more than 900 registered participants, most of whom are attending virtually with limited participants on site, and from various tourism industry sectors. Also gracing the event were Tourism Congress Philippines President, Mr. Jojo Clemente, and Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) CEO, Mr. Mario Hardy, both of whom gave solidarity messages.

“One of the Department of Tourism’s strategic objectives is the pivot to SMARTourism. We want to strengthen digital platforms, ensure data-driven planning, and expand other tools for promotions and marketing,” said Secretary Puyat during her keynote message.

“Smart tourism is defined according to technological capabilities of a particular destination, attraction or the tourists themselves. Just like any other destination, the ultimate aim of smart tourism is to improve the efficiency of resource management, upgrade the level of our competitiveness, and to enhance sustainability through the use of technological innovations and practices,” she added.

Plenary sessions will feature tech industry giants including former DICT Commissioner and CEO of IdeaCorp., Prof. Emmanuel Lallana, who will discuss “Digital Transformation in PH Tourism”; and Singapore-based Global Chief Public Services Industry Scientist of Huawei Technologies, Mr. Hong-Eng Koh, who will take on “The Imperative for Digital Public Services towards SMARTourism”, to name a few.

De La Salle University Professor Dr. Francisco Magno, Deputy Director of the International Centre for Tourism and Hospitality Research and Bournemouth University Professor, DimitriosBuhalis, and Baguio City Tourism Officer Mr. Alec Mapalo, whose VISITA app is one of the first local tourism contact tracing platforms, will also discuss frameworks and trends in a panel entitled “Sustaining Smart Tourism within Smart Cities”.

“Our tourism stakeholders continuously improve their operations to thrive in the competitive market and craft strategies to keep tourism alive amidst the challenging times.  The forum hopes to expand the discourse not only to generate best practices and new ideas in response to the current situation but also to foster good relationships and strengthen collaboration within the sector to plan future projects relative to the promotion of Smart Tourism in the Philippines.

Changes in the travel and technology landscape go beyond improving our processes or the tourist experience; it entails transforming the entire tourism system itself.

“I do hope that the Tourism & Technology Forum will encourage everyone to continue to rethink travel by building a dynamic Philippine tourism; enhancing our destinations’ product offerings, and meeting the demands of our increasingly tech-savvy international and domestic travelers,” Secretary Puyat concluded.

Powering a regenerative and decarbonized future

The global COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced one of the most important lessons from climate change, in that any and all actions of human beings have corresponding consequences on the environment. More so, adverse impacts circle back to threaten and devastate human existence itself.

That is why in recent years, the call for sustainability in all sectors of society has been louder than ever in order to address climate threats. In business, the question posed in particular has been how to redefine value for stakeholders. This has led to the often-repeated mantra of “people, planet and profit,” emphasizing the goal of doing less harm or avoiding harm, to the environment,

However, the pandemic as a public health crisis has seemingly disproved the notion that such measures suffice in ensuring the welfare of future generations. Whereas doing no harm to the environment and making prudent use of scarce resources may be part of the solution, clearly, these may not be enough to ensure the survival of humankind.

Today, the challenge lies in not only minimizing the bad but growing the good. From an enterprise mindset of leaving things as one had found them, the greater mission is to leave things in a better state than before—to grow, nurture and elevate everything that a business touches across all aspects of its operations, to produce more positive outcomes..

This is the spirit of regenerative development that pioneering renewable energy company and geothermal energy producer Energy Development Corporation (EDC) has undertaken as its revitalized mission. Coupled with its relentless pursuit toward a decarbonized environment, it sees these approaches as part of an effective framework to mitigate this century’s single most defining issue of climate change.

Committing to this mission could not have come at a better time than in the wake of recent worldwide catastrophic events and also as the company marks 45 historic years of shaping the energy agenda of the country. What began as a response to cope with the geopolitical oil crisis in the 1970s sparked lifelong advocacy of a cleaner energy mix for the Philippines.

EDC’s regenerative mission touches five key stakeholder groups. With employees comprising the lifeblood of daily operations that deliver power to consumers, elevating them means treating them with “malasakit” or a deep concern for their welfare. This is a core value of the Lopez Group that EDC is part of. At the start of the pandemic and up to this day, “malasakit” has been the touchstone of management directives to work from home, disburse financial assistance, and repurpose benefits to keep team members and their families comfortable and safe.

“Malasakit” extends as well to EDC’s communities of operations, where the health and safety of residents are top priority. More than that, elevating them means building their capacity through livelihood and educational opportunities. The SIKAT scholarship program, for instance, has been providing not only scholarships to underserved youth but career opportunities and long-term professional development. With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as well as perennial natural disasters and climate threats, the resilience of these communities is fortified through partnerships with local government units and assistance to various public healthcare and other needs.

With geothermal energy relying on the natural steam beneath the earth’s surface, the environment is a key impact area that EDC elevates primarily through its flagship BINHI greening program. For more than a decade, BINHI has been increasing forest cover across the country by focusing on native tree species, which enjoy long-term survival and resiliency. The program has successfully identified 96 threatened Philippine native tree species as a priority and continuously elevating them from extinction through propagation.

The ongoing success of BINHI is in no small part due to another stakeholder, which is EDC’s strategic multi-sectoral partners. The company elevates these partnerships through the exchange of knowledge and information dissemination that seeks to enrich the science behind environmental conservation. Among EDC’s most notable partnerships are with the Global Tree Assessment program of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) through its secretariat, Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI), with the University of the Philippines Institute of Biology for EDC’s biodiversity and conservation monitoring program, and with the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) for the protection and propagation of the endangered national bird.

Healthy watersheds through BINHI recharge EDC’s geothermal reservoirs

Last but not the least, all that EDC does is for the ultimate benefit and welfare of its energy consumers. Baseload geothermal or what the company refers to as “Geo 24/7”, as well as wind, solar, and hydropower provide an alternative choice for renewable and eco-friendly power for all Filipinos—increasingly so as modern technologies continue to make them more cost-efficient as well.

Renewable energy elevates the entire nation from the destructive consequences of fossil fuel-based power and its attendant negative impact on the planet. Making a choice for such alternative energy sources is the least that citizens and enterprises can do so that the difficulties of the devastating pandemic may not be in vain. EDC’s unrelenting commitment to a regenerative and decarbonized energy future through collaborative partnerships seeks to illuminate this path for the entire planet to follow. This is our hope. This is our mission.

Philippines to bar entry of foreigners, some nationals as COVID-19 cases climb

MANILA – The Philippines’ coronavirus task force said it will suspend the arrival of foreigners and some returning citizens as the Southeast Asian country battles a renewed surge in COVID-19 cases and increasing infections of new variants.

Foreign citizens and returning nationals who had not been working overseas will not be able to enter the country from March 20 until April 19, the coronavirus task force said in a statement issued late on Tuesday.

The exemptions to the rule include accredited officials of foreign governments, Filipino workers returning from overseas and cases that are considered to be an emergency.

The Philippines’ Civil Aeronautics Board on Tuesday capped passenger arrivals at Manila’s international airport to a maximum of 1,500 per day from March 18 to April 19 to help contain the spread of COVID-19, which has infected 631,320 people and killed 12,848 in the country. — Reuters

Meralco power rates down again in March

Lowest Since August 2017

The Manila Electric Company (MERALCO) announced today a second straight month of downward adjustment for power rates as the overall rate for a typical household decreased by P0.3598 per kWh, from last month’s P8.6793 to P8.3195 per kWh this March. This is equivalent to a decrease of around P72 in the total bill of residential customers consuming 200 kWh.

This month’s rate is the lowest since August 2017.

Distribution Rate True-Up refund to begin this March

MERALCO will start implementing the Distribution Rate True-Up refund this month, which is the primary reason for this month’s rate reduction.  The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) provisionally approved MERALCO’s proposal to refund around P13.9 billion over a period of 24 months or until the amount is fully refunded. This amount represents the difference between the Actual Weighted Average Tariff and the ERC-approved Interim Average Rate for distribution-related charges for the period July 2015 to November 2020.  For residential customers, the refund rate is P0.2761 per kWh and will appear in customer bills as a line item called “Dist True-Up”.

This month’s rate also still includes the ERC-approved adjustments for pass-through over/under-recoveries for the period January 2017 to December 2019.  In an Order released 29 December 2020, ERC directed MERALCO to refund over-recoveries in transmission and other charges over a period of approximately three months and to collect an under-recovery in the generation rate for approximately 24 months.  MERALCO implemented the ERC-approved adjustments starting January 2021.  The impact to residential customers, from the months of January to March 2021, is a net refund of around P0.1150 per kWh.

Lower generation charge contributed to the overall power rate decrease

March 2021 generation charge is P4.3749 per kWh, P0.0403 lower than February’s P4.4152 per kWh.

The reduction was due to the higher share of supply from the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM), which registered the lowest charge among suppliers. Despite an increase in Luzon peak demand from 9,162 MW to 9,574 MW, charges from the WESM remained relatively stable at P2.4609 per kWh. WESM share was up from 7.1 % last month to 11.7% this month.

The low WESM charges offset increases in costs from Power Supply Agreements (PSA) and Independent Power Producers (IPPs) of P0.0175 per kWh and P0.1338 per kWh, respectively.  The higher PSA and IPP charges were the result of the Peso’s depreciation and lower average plant dispatch. The shares of PSAs and IPPs went down this month to 52.5% and 35.8%, respectively, from 53.4% and 39.5%, respectively, last month.

Movements in Other Charges

Transmission charge for residential customers inched up by P0.0022 per kWh, while taxes and other charges registered a net decrease of P0.0456 per kWh.

Meanwhile, collection of the Universal Charge-Environmental Charge amounting to P0.0025 per kWh remains suspended, as directed by the ERC.

MERALCO’s distribution, supply, and metering charges, meanwhile, have remained unchanged for 68 months, after these registered reductions in July 2015. MERALCO reiterated that it does not earn from the pass-through charges, such as the generation and transmission charges. Payment for the generation charge goes to the power suppliers, while payment for the transmission charge goes to the NGCP. Taxes and other public policy charges like the Universal Charges and the FIT-All are remitted to the government.

Meralco provides energy efficiency tips for customers 

Historically, the summer season may bring an increase in residential electricity consumption by 10% to 40% versus average consumption during the cool months of January and February. As temperature increases, appliances that have compressors, like air conditioners or refrigerators, will have to work harder. Electric fans are also used longer than usual, and often at “high” setting to beat the summer heat.

According to Meralco FVP and Chief Commercial Officer Ferdinand O. Geluz, “this summer, you have the power, as Meralco encourages its customers to continue practicing energy efficiency initiatives at home to be ready in managing their consumption.”

Geluz added, “these simple everyday activities include cleaning your air-con filters every 2 weeks to ensure optimal performance, setting your aircon’s thermostat to 25oC to maximize efficiency, making sure you use the right aircon size for your room, making sure your refrigerator’s air vents are not blocked to keep its compressor from working harder, unplugging appliances when not in use to avoid phantom load, using a power strip to make it easier and more convenient to turn appliances off simultaneously with just one switch, and maximizing natural light during daytime.”

For more bright ideas and energy efficiency tips, customers may also visit www.meralco.com.ph/brightideas or follow Meralco on Facebook www.facebook.com/meralco and Instagram: meralcoph.

GDP targets achievable if vaccine rollout ramps up in 2nd half, says NEDA

PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS

THE PHILIPPINE ECONOMY will achieve its growth target of 6.5-7.5% this year if the government ramps up its coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination drive in the second half, a National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) official said.

However, the Philippines’ economic recovery is still the most sluggish among Asia-Pacific economies, with gross domestic product (GDP) seen exceeding its pre-pandemic level only by the third quarter of 2022, according to Moody’s Analytics.

“We’re more bullish (on achieving the) 6.5-7.5% (GDP target). We are hoping that by the second half, we will have a substantial rollout of vaccines and therefore there would be renewed confidence in the economy,” said NEDA Undersecretary Rosemarie G. Edillon in a webinar on Tuesday.

Under the government’s short-term plan towards new normal, Ms. Edillon said the country should expect localized and targeted lockdowns to be implemented and current health protocols to be observed as long as the threat of COVID-19 remains.

“In the short term, we know that it’s about how to transition to a new normal. Physical distancing will still be observed, face coverings required. Even as we ease restrictions on mobility, we’re hoping that people will continue to comply. There will still also be strict hygiene and sanitation protocols, more outdoor than indoor activities, there would still be sporadic lockdowns but we’re hoping that these are very localized and targeted,” she said.

The number of new COVID-19 cases continue to rise, prompting local government units to reimpose lockdowns in barangays with high infection rates and implement curfews.

The Health department recorded 4,437 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, bringing the total to 631,320 to date. The death toll stood at 12,848 so far.

Jonathan L. Ravelas, chief market strategist at BDO Unibank, Inc., said the full-year GDP growth may only settle around 6% this year even as the vaccination program gains traction in the second semester because of the prolonged lockdown. First-quarter GDP will remain in contraction.

The vaccine rollout will boost consumer confidence, drive demand and keep businesses afloat, Mr. Ravelas said, although the government is unlikely to hit its target to inoculate at least 70% of its population this year based on its performance in past vaccination efforts.

He estimated it will take 1-3 years to administer vaccines to 70 million Filipinos.

Malacañang said in an online news briefing on Tuesday that more than 216,000 vaccine doses have been administered as of March 14.

Mr. Ravelas said the economy will likely post an “uneven” recovery this year, with companies in the technology and retail sectors and those with larger capital base to benefit the most. Other sectors, especially in travel, entertainment, hospitality and food, will still be adversely affected.

He said a “timed fiscal response,” even in small amounts, should provide the much-needed boost to restart the economy if it is rolled out when mobility restrictions are loosened.

SLOWEST IN ASIA-PACIFIC
Meanwhile, Moody’s Analytics expects the Philippines’ GDP to grow by 6.3% this year, quicker than the 4-5% projection it gave in February mainly due to base effects.

“It [the Philippines] continues to struggle to contain COVID-19, its fiscal policy response was quite limited, it has not yet developed an effective delivery system for vaccinations across its archipelago, and rising food prices limit the role of consumer spending to support the local economy,” Moody’s Analytics Chief APAC Economist Steven Cochrane said in a note sent to reporters on Tuesday.

All these factors could weigh on recovery prospects, with the Philippines likely to exceed its pre-pandemic GDP by the third quarter of 2022 — the slowest among Asia-Pacific economies. China and Vietnam are seen to surpass their pre-pandemic GDP levels by the second and third quarter of this year.

The country’s slow pace of recovery comes following a record 9.5% contraction in 2020, the price to pay for having one of the world’s strictest and longest lockdowns.

For now, the containment of the virus spread remains the major downside risk for the Philippines, Mr. Cochrane said. The country and Thailand are the laggards in terms of vaccination across the region.

“We cannot be sure that the spread of COVID-19 can be curtailed until vaccinations are more widely available because the quarantines in Metro Manila have not been completely effective,” Mr. Cochrane said in an e-mail.

“The lack of aggressive fiscal policy support means that a rebound in employment and small business operations from the long quarantines will be slow due to the need for small businesses to start up all over again and for workers to find employment,” he added. — Beatrice M. Laforga and Luz Wendy T. Noble

Skyway 3 stays open after San Miguel-TRB ‘misunderstanding’

By Arjay L. Balinbin, Senior Reporter

SAN MIGUEL CORP. (SMC) on Tuesday said the Skyway Stage 3 will remain open, after a “misunderstanding” with the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) over the latter’s supposed directive to close the expressway to motorists until it is completed.

“Skyway 3 will remain open,” SMC President and Chief Operating Officer Ramon S. Ang said in a statement.

This after the SMC unit, Skyway O&M Corp., on Monday evening said the Skyway 3 will be closed indefinitely until all ramps are completed “in accordance with the TRB directive.”

The TRB, which includes representatives from the departments of Transportation (DoTr), Finance, Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and National Economic and Development Authority, said in a joint statement on Tuesday that it “did not issue a decision or directive ordering the indefinite closure of the Skyway Stage 3.”

The regulator said its position is to keep the new expressway “open for the benefit of all motorists.”

Transportation Assistant Secretary Goddes Hope O. Libiran said the TRB would “definitely not” issue a directive for the Skyway 3’s closure.

“Basically, TRB is insisting that Skyway 3 cannot start full operations and collect toll until all ramps are 100% complete,” Mr. Ang said, as he criticized the TRB’s inaction on the issuance of a toll operation permit.

“Our supplemental toll operation agreement states that we can start collecting at 95% completion — we are now 97% complete,” he said.

Mr. Ang said the company needs to start collecting toll fees for daily maintenance and operations of Skyway 3, which are estimated at P10 billion a year.

“As Skyway 3’s losses have been mounting because TRB keeps delaying the start of toll collection, the quickest way for our infrastructure unit to speed up 100% completion of the ramps would have been to close Skyway 3,” he added.

Mr. Ang said he brought up the issue with Transportation Secretary Arthur P. Tugade, who “understands” the company’s predicament.

The company fully funded the P80-billion cost for Skyway 3, which has allowed motorists to use it for free since it opened on Dec. 29.

Skyway 3’s operator asked the TRB in January to allow it to start collecting fees ranging from P110 to P274.

It only expects to generate P4 billion in annual revenues based on its proposed toll rate and the 60,000 vehicle per day volume.

However, a source from the TRB said the DPWH wants Mr. Ang’s SMC to justify its proposed toll rate, and questioned SMC’s claim the project is already 97% complete.

A DPWH source said SMC was also asked to present a detailed breakdown of the project’s construction cost that would justify the proposed rate.

Skyway Stage 3 links the South Luzon Expressway in Alabang to North Luzon Expressway in Balintawak.

SMC shares closed 2.002% lower at P117.50 apiece on Tuesday.

COVID-19 ranks among leading causes of death in 2020 — PSA

CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019 (COVID-19) was among the leading causes of death in the Philippines last year, preliminary data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed.

Registered deaths due to COVID-19 accounted for 27,967 deaths, or 4.9% of the total 575,875 deaths tallied in 2020. This compares with other leading causes of death last year that include ischaemic heart diseases (99,680 deaths), neoplasms/cancer (62,289), cerebrosvascular diseases (59,736), diabetes (37,265), pneumonia (32,574), and hypertensive diseases (29,511).

Deaths associated with COVID-19 are classified into two: those with virus identified and not identified at the time of a person’s death.

COVID-19 with “virus not identified” accounted for 19,758 cases or 3.4% of the total deaths, making it the seventh leading cause of death in the country last year.

Meanwhile, COVID-19 cases “with virus identified” tallied 8,209 cases or 1.4% of the total, ranking 16th overall.

According to the PSA, figures on COVID-19 deaths were based on the descriptions written on the medical certificate portion of all death certificates received and certified by local health officers with a cut-off date of Feb. 26, 2021.

This is different from the Department of Health’s (DoH) figures wherein it collects data through a surveillance system and only includes confirmed cases.

Among the 17 regions, Metro Manila registered the most number of COVID-19 deaths with 12,582 or 45% of the total deaths attributed to the virus.

Broken down, Quezon City recorded the most number of COVID-19 deaths with 2,566 (20.4% of the total), followed by the City of Manila (1,810 or 14.4%), Pasig City (1,447 or 11.5%), Makati City (970 or 7.7%), and Caloocan City (906 or 7.2%).

Other regions that posted relatively high deaths were Calabarzon with 6,914 (with a 24.7% share), Central Luzon with 2,576 (9.2% share), Central Visayas with 1,863 (6.7% share), and Western Visayas with 1,080 (3.9% share).

On the other hand, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao recorded the least number of COVID-19 deaths with 37.

Statistics posted by the DoH as of March 15 showed a total of 1.125 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines are present in the Philippines, 96% of which are already distributed and 215,997 are already administered. Metro Manila has received the most vaccine doses so far with 278,870.

As of March 16, the DoH reported 631,320 confirmed cases with total deaths reaching 12,848 and recoveries tallying 560,736.

OTHER CAUSES OF DEATH
Despite the pandemic, the 575,875 deaths tallied last year were the lowest in five years or since 2015’s 560,605. It was also below the average registered deaths of 586,630 between 2015 and 2019.

The number of deaths attributed to ischaemic heart diseases — the top cause of death in the country — increased by 2.3% to 99,680 last year from 97,745 in 2019. On the other hand, deaths due to neoplasms/cancer (62,289) and cerebrovascular diseases (59,736) were lower in 2020 by 9.3% and 6%, respectively, compared with the previous year.

The PSA also noted that among the top 10 leading causes of death, the number of registered deaths due to ischaemic heart diseases (99,680) and diabetes (37,265) have exceeded their respective five-year averages of 82,547 and 32,991, respectively. — Ana Olivia A. Tirona

Bulacan airport groundbreaking eyed in Q2

THE TRANSPORTATION department is expecting the Bulacan airport project groundbreaking, which has been repeatedly postponed, to take place within the second quarter.

“Hopefully, we can do a formal inauguration by April or May of this year,” Transportation Secretary Arthur P. Tugade said during the virtual Asia CEO Forum on Tuesday.

San Miguel Corp.’s (SMC) P740-billion airport project is expected to be completed in four to six years. The airport is projected to accommodate 100 million to 200 million passengers annually, he noted.

Mr. Tugade added that “works are being done” even as the department and the company are “quiet.”

SMC had initially planned to break ground for the airport project in December 2019, but it was delayed after the government raised concerns about its contract.

In January last year, the DoTr announced another schedule for the groundbreaking ceremony set within that month.

Mr. Tugade said in June the groundbreaking was delayed anew due to “private issues” of SMC President and Chief Operating Officer Ramon S. Ang and the coronavirus pandemic.

SMC in October said the groundbreaking for the project would take place by December, but later announced the project would get off the ground within the first quarter of 2021, after it awarded global firm Boskalis a $1.73-billion contract to restore the land where it will be built.

The airport project has faced criticisms from various groups over its environmental impact.

On Monday, SMC said it has “laid out an extensive flood mitigation plan that includes planting close to 200,000 mangroves along the Bulacan coastlines, and cleaning, dredging, and widening of key Bulacan tributaries belonging to the Marilao-Meycauayan-Obando River System.”

SMC has tapped Groupe ADP (Aeroports de Paris), Meinhardt Group and Jacobs Engineering Group for the construction of the airport. These firms are behind Singapore’s Changi airport, France’s Charles de Gaulle airport, and the United States’ Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International airport. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Human side of economics

BUSINESSWORLD welcomes today economist Bernardo M. Villegas to its lineup of distinguished columnists. Mr. Villegas is a visiting professor of IESE Business School in Barcelona, professor at the University of Asia and the Pacific and research director at the Center for Research and Communication, Manila. He has a Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University (1963) and was a CPA board topnotcher. He obtained Bachelor’s degrees in Commerce and the Humanities (both summa cum laude) from De La Salle University. At Harvard, at the age of 21, he was one of the youngest teaching fellows in the College of Arts and Sciences. He is currently a member of the boards of directors or advisory boards of national and multinational firms like Benguet Corp., Alaska Corp., PHINMA Property Holdings Corp. and AES, and is a management development and strategic planning consultant for several leading firms operating in the Philippines and Asia-Pacific. He was a member of the Constitutional Commission that drafted the 1987 Philippine Constitution. His special fields of study are development economics, social economics, business economics and strategic management. (Read “Learning from and about China”)

Rediscovering wholeness

A YEAR ago the world broke. The familiar patterns of our lives shattered. Jobs have been lost. Lives ended. And while the arrival of vaccines has given a measure of hope, we have had to find other ways to mend ourselves. Some find solace in faith. Others in therapy. One man found it in putting broken pieces back together and in the process creating beauty.

In the quiet hours before dawn, singer/host Raymond Lauchengco gets out of bed to prepare for what he considers is his “most productive hours.” Instead of humming or recalling a tune, or reviewing the lines of a script, the early mornings are spent preparing his work station for restoring broken ceramics, and creating sculptures and furniture.

“I start by 4 or 5 [a.m.] and continue until about 3 p.m. to clean up the mess I made. Then, at around 5 p.m., I start to cook dinner for my family,” Mr. Lauchengco told BusinessWorld in an e-mail. He added that he works continuously except for quick breaks to check on his children, whom he and his wife are homeschooling.

It has been a year since Mar. 15, 2020 when the country was put under a strict lockdown due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

“When enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) was enforced a year ago, I turned to making things as a way of keeping myself busy (and sane). Art is what keeps me afloat during these very challenging times,” he said.

In his website, Mr. Lauchengco wrote of his wife falling ill and his father’s passing during the first quarter of last year. His calendar suddenly cleared as bookings for his many performances were canceled since the live events industry halted operations and has yet to resume.

It was then that “I began sawing, carving, sanding, hammering, smashing, and taking things apart…,” said Mr. Lauchengco in the description of his Ikigai collection.

Ikigai, according to Wikipedia, “is a Japanese concept that means ‘a reason for being.’ The word refers to having a direction or purpose in life, that which makes one’s life worthwhile, and towards which an individual takes spontaneous and willing actions giving them satisfaction and a sense of meaning to life.”

Ikigai is the perfect description for what the singer found amongst the tree trunks and branches he scavenged in his village.

“At first it was just to keep my mind occupied,” said Mr. Lauchengco of the reworked driftwood, glass globes, bottles, and ostrich eggs that he turned into lamps and candle holders, vases and tables. “But when people started seeing photos of my work on Facebook and Instagram, they started to cheer me on and encourage me to do an online exhibit which I eventually did last April.”

“The first 12 pieces I made sold out, and part of the proceeds were donated to displaced production workers in the live events industry to which I belong.”

After four online exhibits, Mr. Lauchengco added another art style to his repertoire —  he studied kintsugi-style restoration in December last year. It resulted in his fifth online exhibit, titled Unbroken.

Kintsugi is a more than 500-year-old art form in which broken ceramics are repaired with gold, silver, or platinum powder mixed with lacquer so that the cracks are not hidden but emphasized. Mr. Lauchengco clarified that his works are “kintsugi-inspired” since he uses modern materials that are more accessible. “I refer to my work as ‘Unbroken’, not kintsugi. ‘Unbroken’ is inspired by kintsugi, but different if you take into account the traditional materials the Japanese artisans use,” he said.

“I first heard about kintsugi — the art of precious scars, from my church many years ago. And although I found it fascinating, restoring something I’d normally discard without a second thought, highlighting it’s imperfections to make it extraordinary never appealed to me until I went through the year that was 2020,” Mr. Lauchengco said.

“…In my case, turning the broken into the unbroken could be a reflection of what it means to be human,” he said, citing how humans break, pick up the pieces, and deal with them to become whole again.

Mr. Lauchengco learned his craft through reading books, watching videos online, and practicing the proper strokes with the paintbrush to make the paint look like liquid gold. He uses broken modern ceramics to restore rather than precious ancient things.

His creations are very much his own.

“I started to experiment with different kinds of paint, all sorts of adhesives, and fillers.  When I wanted to add things like texture, I adapted wall surface treatments into my work. When I wanted to add more focal points, I took inspiration from modern architecture and incorporated ‘windows’ into the restored ceramics by deliberately not putting back a broken piece or two,” Mr. Lauchengco said. “If I wanted the window to be opaque, I’d fabricate the missing piece with clay. If I wanted it transparent, I’d use colored glass from broken bottles to fill in the space.”

In the last year, he has finished more than 56 pieces, ranging from functional art and furniture, to sculptures and his “unbroken” ceramics.

“You can have all the ideas you need, but ideas don’t come with an instruction manual. You have to figure that out yourself and make adjustments along the way,” Mr. Lauchengco said. “More often than not, it’s the material that you are working with that ultimately decides what it wants to become. You just have to be sensitive enough to realize that and cooperate.”

As the live events industry is yet to resume operations, Mr. Lauchengco admits that he misses singing terribly. But even if the curtains did start rising again, he will continue working on the art he creates with his hands —  since discovering “the fulfillment of making art and there simply is no turning back.”

Slots to Mr. Lauchengco’s first online kintsugi-style restoration workshop called “Unbroken” on March 20 have filled up. For more information on Mr. Lauchengco’s artworks, visit https://www.raymondlauchengco.com/. — Michelle Anne P. Soliman

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