KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia’s medical glove makers face weeks of delays in delivering products to customers abroad due to a global shortage of shipping containers, hampering their ability to meet demand during the coronavirus crisis, industry officials said.
Supramaniam Shanmugam, president of the Malaysian Rubber Glove Manufacturers Association (MARGMA), told Reuters on Friday the container shortage had eased after year-end festivities but the situation had yet to return to normal, with exports by glove makers still facing delays of two to five weeks.
Malaysia, the world’s biggest producer of medical gloves, has been racing to meet skyrocketing demand due to the pandemic.
MARGMA said the lead time to deliver gloves to customers had increased by more than six months even as manufacturers ramped up production to cope with new orders.
Industry officials say the situation could return to normal by the end of February, after previously estimating export delays could continue until March.
“There are more empty containers available now. However, there may not be enough vessel space and we need to manage this till February,” Shanmugam said.
China saw a container crunch at the end of last year, sending cargo costs to record highs and hampering the ability of manufacturers to meet fast-recovering global goods orders.
The Malaysian National Shippers’ Council said its members faced severe container shortages in the second half of last year and were still scrambling to secure space on vessels. It does not see the situation easing this quarter.
The shortage drove up freight rates by 300%-400%. The council’s Chairman Andy Seo said higher rates were becoming the benchmark with exporters ready to pay a premium.
“Members have indicated that container booking requests get canceled by the shipping lines at the very last minute unless manufacturers were able to pay higher freight rates, he said. — Reuters
PHILIPPINE SHARES are expected to move sideways this week, with investors seen remaining cautious as they wait for more firm signs of economic recovery.
The bellwether Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) closed Friday’s session at 7,238.46, climbing by 34.69 points or 0.47% from the previous trading day.
Week on week, however, the benchmark index inched down 0.71% or 51 points.
The market’s average value turnover declined 1.22% week on week to P10.5 billion, while average net foreign selling dropped 85% to P40 million last week.
AAA Equities Head of Research Christopher John Mangun said in a market note that he expects local shares to move sideways this week.
“We are expecting the PSEi to continue moving sideways between its psychological support of 7,000 and resistance at 7,300 in the coming week. Investors are comfortable with current blue chip valuations, but are hesitant to buy any higher until more signs of economic recovery come to light,” Mr. Mangun said on Sunday.
He added that imports and exports are expected to continue declining after peaking in September, while gross domestic product (GDP) likely continued to contract by up to eight percent year on year for the fourth quarter.
“We are not seeing the surge in new COVID-19 (coronavirus disease) cases, which most expected after the holiday season. There is a slight uptick, specifically in Central Visayas. However, it is not significant enough to be a cause for alarm. This may be one of the reasons that the PSEi has remained above 7,000,” Mr. Mangun said.
Michael L. Ricafort, chief economist at Rizal Commercial Banking Corp., said in an e-mail that the market corrected on Jan. 15.
“Offsetting positive local major factors include new COVID-19 vaccine supply deals for the Philippines and the latest affirmation of the country’s credit ratings by Fitch despite the COVID-19 pandemic,” Mr. Ricafort said on Friday.
Meanwhile, online brokerage 2TradeAsia.com said in a market note that market sentiment remained weak due to uncertainty over the tightening of restrictions following news about the first local case of the new COVID-19 strain.
“This may reinforce range-bound sessions (strong resistance at 7,300-7,500) until clearer rules for February and March get announced, which will coincide with the fourth quarter earnings season,” the brokerage said on Friday.
“The lower visibility for stronger recovery stories might also explain extra attention on second and third liners, especially those with M&A (mergers and acquisitions), SRO (stock rights offering). and expansion angles,” 2TradeAsia.com added.
THE PESO is seen climbing further against the greenback this week, with the market likely to be bullish amid the leadership change in the United States.
The local unit finished trading at P48.065 against the dollar on Friday, inching up from its P48.07 close on Thursday, data from the Bankers Association of the Philippines showed.
Week on week, it also appreciated by 2.3 centavos from its P48.088-per-dollar close on Jan. 8.
The peso strengthened on the back of the record high gross international reserve (GIR) level seen at end-2020, Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. Chief Economist Michael L. Ricafort said in a text message.
The country’s GIR stood at $109.8 billion at end-December, up by 4.8% from the $104.8 billion as of November and by 20% from $87.839 billion a year earlier, data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas released Friday showed. This exceeded the BSP’s $105-billion projection.
For this week, the peso is likely to extend its gains with the upcoming inauguration of a Democrat-led US government that will likely help bring calm to the market, with prospects of bigger fiscal stimulus ahead, UnionBank of the Philippines, Inc. Chief Economist Ruben Carlo O. Asuncion said in a text message.
US President-elect Joseph R. Biden, Jr. and Vice-President-elect Kamala G. Harris will be sworn into office on Jan. 20. Mr. Biden last week announced a $1.9-trillion stimulus package meant to speed up the recovery of the world’s largest economy.
At home, the market will be monitoring progress on key legislation meant to provide relief to businesses amid the crisis, including the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises or CREATE bill as well as the Financial Institutions Strategic Transfer or FIST bill. Congress will resume its session today (Jan. 18).
For this week, Mr. Ricafort gave a forecast range of P48.02 to P48.12 per dollar, while Mr. Asuncion expects the peso to move within a slightly stronger range of P48 to P48.10. — L.W.T. Noble
Recovery, growth trajectories hinted in BusinessWorld One-on-One with Gov. Diokno
Economies around the world absorbed the deep impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) — with closed businesses, disrupted operations, and shifting consumer preferences, among others.
BusinessWorld Editor-in-Chief Wilfredo G. Reyes (left) virtually interviews Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin E. Diokno about his economic outlook for 2021 and other significant issues in BusinessWorld One-on-One held last January 13. Rewatch the whole interview here: https://bit.ly/3sr4z8S.To respond to such impacts, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), along with other economic institutions, tapped the tools within their reach to address the widespread issues caused by COVID-19.
Seeing how these measures have helped keep the economy afloat, the central bank’s governor, Benjamin E. Diokno, is optimistic about the Philippine economy steadily recovering and returning to pre-pandemic levels in two years.
In BusinessWorld‘s “One-On-One” online interview, Mr. Diokno told BusinessWorld Editor-in-Chief Wilfredo G. Reyes that amid the Philippine economy feeling the effects of the pandemic, it is in a much better position than in previous crises like the Asian Financial Crisis (AFC) in 1997.
“I’ve seen that whenever we have a crisis in the Philippines, we run out of dollars because we have a huge foreign debt; and because we do not want capital exiting the country, we raise interest rates,” Mr. Diokno said.
Yet, Mr. Diokno recognized, “the government has been fairly aggressive in making sure that there is enough liquidity to the system” as the battle against COVID-19 continues.
Reflecting this better position, BSP’s gross international reserves amount to more than USD 100 billion. He expects this to grow at USD 110 billion this year and at USD 120 billion the following year. “This is a major departure from previous crises when we had to scramble for dollars to pay for foreign debt,” he said.
The debt-to-GDP (gross domestic product) ratio, meanwhile, was at less than 40%, which Mr. Diokno finds as “a good number compared to other countries” and so has removed the need to increase interest rates to protect the peso.
The BSP governor added that the reforms the central bank has put in place amid the public health crisis have added about P2 trillion into the financial system or about 10% of the country’s GDP.
“This will carry us on to this year and next year; and, hopefully, by the middle of next year, we will be able to go back to where we were before in 2019,” Mr. Diokno said.
Economic growth by up to 7.5%
With the economy slowly recovering, Mr. Diokno is confident of economic growth this year albeit it remains contracted. The projected GDP growth, which indicates the value of final goods and services produced within a country during a specific period, is expected to be at 6.5% to 7.5% this 2021, rising from the expected contraction of 8.5% to 9.5% in 2020.
BW FILE PHOTO
While figures from the last quarter of the previous year are yet to be released, Mr. Diokno expects the performance in the fourth quarter (Q4) to be “much better than the first three quarters”.
Moreover, expecting COVID-19 vaccines to reach more people in the second quarter (Q2) this year, he shared that the economic growth will be sustained and increased by 8% to 10% in 2022.
“This revised projection is based on the assumption that the vaccine will be introduced on a massive scale by the first half of 2022. Anytime that it is introduced much earlier is a plus for the Philippine economy,” Mr. Diokno said.
In contrast to the slump in Q2 of 2020, this year’s Q2 will be strong and Q4 will even be stronger, according to the BSP governor.
“Knowing the pent-up demand of consumers, businesses, and the Philippines’ propensity to observe the Christmas season, I think we’re very confident that we’ll have a strong Q2 this year and an extremely stronger Q4 this year. That will add up to the 6.5%-7.5% [projected growth],” Mr. Diokno explained.
Aside from the factors aforementioned, he sees the ongoing “Build, Build, Build” program, the early approval of the 2021 national budget (which amounts to a total of P4.5 trillion), and even the expected mild La Niña season as key drivers in economic growth this year.
Last year, numerous projects were completed amid the pandemic, among them the final section of Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway Rosario, the Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3 Project, the Sorsogon City Coastal Road, the Laguna Lake Highway, Cagayan de Oro Port, and a new terminal in Mactan-Cebu International Airport.
“With the Build, Build, Build and the early approval of the 2021 budget, the government can frontload the disbursement of that budget. They can frontload the expenditures for infrastructure to coincide with the weather pattern. That would be a big boost,” Mr. Diokno suggested.
Remittances to add up
The BSP governor is also optimistic that the remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) will pick up this year and the next.
“We expect that as we send more Filipinos abroad… there would be higher remittances in the years to come. It will expand by 4% this year, and even by a higher percent next year,” Mr. Diokno shared.
He noted as well that contrary to the prediction that remittances would plunge by 20% last year, it shrunk by only 0.9%. For him, this “supports the view that remittances take the nature altruistic gestures by Filipinos working abroad to support families here”.
Employing a young population
Regarding employment, Mr. Diokno shared that the country’s employment rate is targeted to return to 2019 levels, which was within 5% to 7%.
Backing up this optimism in employment is his observation that the Philippines has a younger population compared to other countries. “Europe is aging, Japan is aging, China is aging; but we have a very young population,” he said.
In order to tap this young population, given the digital transformation accelerating since the pandemic’s onset, they should be adequately trained in a new digitalized economy, Mr. Diokno stressed. “I think we’ll be ahead if we train them, give them good education, take care of their health.”
Based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, the median age is 24.3 years old. The Commission on Population, meanwhile, expects Filipinos in their working age (15-64 years old) to increase by just over one million from 2020 and will reach more than 71 million this year, making up 64.15% of the entire Philippine population.
Rates, reserves to remain low
The BSP governor also sees benchmark interest rates to stay low in order to support economic recovery.
Photo by Miguel De Guzman
The central bank cut those rates by a total of 200 basis points (bps) last year, causing overnight reverse repurchase, lending, and deposit rates to go down to 2%, 2.5%, and 1.5%, respectively.
Mr. Diokno also said that reserve requirements for banks are likewise aimed to be reduced further to encourage lending and boost economic activity.
Reserve requirements, which is the amount of money banks have to deposit to the central bank, were slashed to 200 bps, half of what was authorized to the BSP chief last year.
Adding to these reduced requirements, the BSP allowed banks to include new loans to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) as part of their compliance with the required reserve ratio.
While some economists found the cuts in benchmark rates to be ‘too much, too soon’, Mr. Diokno believes that it has never been too early to make such decisions since the pandemic is not yet over. “Our policy stance is that we will keep this policy for long until such time we have seen [the economy] growing at the same pace as before,” he said.
Mr. Diokno aims to reduce reserve requirements from 18% to a single digit by 2023, when his term ends. So far, this was cut by 600 basis points to 12%.
“Whether we will cut further will depend on whether there is still need for more liquidity. But, at the moment, there is ample liquidity; so I don’t see any need for additional cuts at this time,” the BSP chief said. “Maybe things will change once the economy starts recovering; and with the speed of recovery, we may consider an additional cut in reserve requirements.”
Banking system to remain stable
Mr. Diokno sees the Philippine banking system to remain stable, capable enough of weathering the pandemic since it has learned its lessons from the AFC. “Our banking industry is sound, well-capitalized,” he said.
He shared that the system’s capital adequacy ratio hovers around 15% to 16%, which is higher than the central bank’s prescribed rate of 10% and the international standard of 8%.
Its non-performing loans (NPL), meanwhile, is at 3% to 4%, which Mr. Diokno said is manageable and significantly lower than the peak during the AFC.
Moreover, Mr. Diokno does not see any emerging risks in the system. In fact, he finds the Financial Institutions Strategic Transfer (FIST) bill to help banks further by reducing NPLs.
“[FIST is] just a fallback position. But we don’t see any situation worsening at this time. Even without the FIST bill, the banking industry can handle the current crisis,” Mr. Diokno said.
Pending on the Office of the President after it was approved by the bicameral conference committee in December, FIST will allow lenders to offload bad loans to asset management corporations.
Going cash-lite, maybe coinless
Prior to the pandemic, Mr. Diokno envisioned a cash-lite society in the country, with 50% of transactions projected to be in digital form and 70% of Filipino adults targeted to have a bank account.
The pandemic has seen these targets being accelerated, and such move is bound to continue, although Mr. Diokno said it will not be fully cashless in his lifetime.
Yet, he said a coinless society is possible by 2025 as this will be replaced by the QR Ph, or the national QR code standard, which is intended to be put into the national ID.
With electronic payments further used since the country went on lockdown, the BSP chief sees the need to invest further in telecommunications.
“It’s now more convenient for people to transact with the banks just at the comfort of their homes… but that means we have to ramp up our investment in telcos,” Mr. Diokno said. “That’s also one of the reasons why we’re optimistic that the heavier investment now on telcos will also help economic activity.”
A look back at economic upsets during lockdown and initial rebound upon relaxed quarantine
The year that passed can be described as disruptive and tumultuous for the Philippine economy due to the widespread effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19.
Stranded commuters are seen at Commonwealth Ave. in Quezon City during the implementation of modified Enhanced Community Quarantine on Aug. 4, 2020. — Photo by Michael Varcas
Sandwiched into the pandemic’s impact are the effects brought by the Taal Volcano eruption back in January 2020 and the typhoons that struck the country in the last quarter of that year, with Typhoon Ulysses causing the biggest damage.
With the pandemic forcing the government to implement an enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) last March, many shops were closed, open businesses were limited to essentials, and a lot of professionals had to adjust to working from home. Seventy-five percent of the economy was brought to a halt.
As the pandemic made a broad impact that has been felt across industries, businesses, employees, and households, it called for economic deciders to quickly address the issues that emerged. On the other hand, it pushed businesses to adapt to accelerated disruptions, although many were forced to cut operations and manpower or, worse, close down.
COVID-19’s impact on the economy has been initially confirmed and reflected by the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) in the first quarter of 2020, which according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) fell by 0.7%. The first contraction of GDP since the fourth quarter of 1998, the drop was even faster than the initially reported 0.2%.
The services sector dropped to 0.6%, while the industry sector dropped to 3.4%. A 0.3% decline was recorded in the agriculture, hunting, forestry, and fishing sector.
A further decline was recorded in the second quarter (Q2) when the GDP slumped by 16.9%, confirming a recession in the country since 1991. While this figure was revised in November after the initial 16.5% four months earlier, this is the biggest contraction based on PSA’s data, compared to the 10.7% decline tallied in the third quarter of 1984.
The drop in the services sector is at 17%, while contraction in the industry sector was at 21.8%. Agriculture, forestry, and fishing was the only sector that posted growth, with 1.55%.
Aside from the GDP, other indicators also reflected COVID-19’s impact on the economy.
Employment woes
The pandemic gravely hit unemployment levels as many jobs were lost and work opportunities turned apparently scarce. On April 2020, PSA’s Labor Force Survey posted the unemployment rate at a record-high 17.7%. This equates to around 7.25 million jobless Filipinos, 4.98 million more than those who were jobless in April 2019.
People line up at a remittance center in Marikina on Aug. 9, 2020 as they wait they turn to get their financial aid through Social Amelioration Program of the government amid the pandemic. — Photo by Michael Varcas
Also worth noting, the labor force participation rate was at 55.6%, translating to approximately 41.02 million out of 73.7 million Filipinos aged 15 years old and up. This rate was the lowest in the history of the country’s labor market, according to the PSA.
The underemployment rate, meanwhile, increased from the previous year’s 13.4% to 18.9%, an equivalent of 6.39 million underemployed Filipinos.
The employment rate, on the other hand, declined from 94.9% to 82.3%, amounting to approximately 33.76 million Filipinos.
Lows in stocks, trade
Furthermore, the local bourse experienced a ‘free fall’ upon the lockdown. On March 19, four days after the Luzon-wide lockdown took place, the Philippine Stock Exchange index sank 13.34% to close at 4,623.12, its lowest level since Jan. 26, 2012. This plunge in the index erased P1.16 trillion in market value.
Photo by Edd Gumban
Trade, both international and domestic, also showed plunges.
At international trade, a losing-streak in merchandise exports started in March, with a 24.7% decline. It further slipped by 50.8% to $2.78 billion in April.
From a 26.2% decline in March, merchandise imports further dropped by 65.3% to $3.28 billion in April.
Based on available PSA data, these declines both in exports and imports were the biggest year-on-year. Also, the figures were marked the lowest since the $2.51 billion worth of exports in February 2009 and $3.06 billion of imports in April 2009.
Domestic trade, on the other hand, experienced a sharp decline in the first quarter of 2020. The total value of domestic trade dropped by 42.7% to P125.31 billion, below the previous year’s P218.53 billion.
Grounded on fundamentals
These aforementioned numbers are just some of the indicators of the upsets in the Philippine economy brought by the pandemic. Yet, for the country’s economic planners, they find the economy strong enough to face the pandemic’s impacts.
Karl Kendrick T. Chua, Acting Secretary of National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), noted in last November’s BusinessWorld Virtual Economic Forum that the Philippine economy is grounded on positive macroeconomic fundamentals before the pandemic. Among these fundamentals are the average GDP growth of 6% achieved between 2016 and 2019 and the upgrading of credit rate from BBB+ to A-. Given these fundamentals, he stressed that “the economy is strong enough to recover if we enable it to do so”.
Also, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Benjamin E. Diokno finds reason for optimism on the economy’s prospects in spite of COVID-19’s gloom.
“The long reform agenda that the government has consistently pursued across administrations has allowed the country to achieve a more broad-based growth. The volatility of real GDP and inflation considerably declined over time. Aggregate demand in the post [Global Financial Crisis] period expanded at an average rate of 6.4% annually, comparable to the growth rates of China and India,” Mr. Diokno shared during a webinar of the Makati Business Club last May.
The governor added that the country has “ample FX buffer, low public sector debt, manageable external payments position, and a solid credit profile”. He also noted that while the pandemic caused gloomy signs in the economy, “the peso is the less depreciated currency” compared to regional currencies that “have depreciated significantly against the US dollar”.
Stimulus response
Among the several responses dealing with COVID-19’s impacts, several bills were passed to stimulate the economy amid the pandemic. On March, the President signed the P275 billion Republic Act No. 11469, more known as the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act (Bayanihan I). The legislation, which granted the President special powers to realign funds from within the 2020 national budget, provided for cash handouts between P5,000 to P8,000 a month over two months for 18 million low-income families.
Photo by Edd Gumban
Bayanihan I also grated special powers, among others, to ensure availability of credit to productive sectors of the economy and to provide a grace period on residential rents within the period of ECQ. It also called for direct banks and other financial institutions to implement a grace period for payments of loans and credit card bills.
Heeding the call for more stimulus, Bayanihan I was followed up by Bayanihan II, more known as the Bayanihan to Recover As One Act. Bayanihan II, technically known as Republic Act No. 11494, was signed into law last September. It provides a P165.5 billion fund to boost the country’s response to the pandemic while extending the special powers to deal with the health crisis. Composed of a P140 billion stimulus package and a P25.5 billion standby fund, Bayanihan II was expected to benefit industries and sectors affected by COVID-19.
Among other allocations, a total of P50 billion is intended as capital infusion to government financial institutions for supporting state-owned banks and funding credit guarantee program and lending programs to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
Initial recovery
After months of ECQ and modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) in Luzon, the National Capital Region has been placed under General Community Quarantine (GCQ) since June, and other areas soon transitioned to Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ).
These relaxed quarantine measures allowed the economy to slowly reopen as the so-called ‘new normal’ proceeds. More businesses reopened, including malls (beyond essential stores); and transportation gradually returned to service passengers.
While a slow and steady bounce back was temporarily paused when most of Luzon returned to MECQ for two weeks last August upon the request of medical frontliners, initial recovery has been seen.
While GDP remains contracted in the third quarter (Q3), it nonetheless has got up from Q2’s plunge, garnering an 11.5% contraction. The services sector recorded a 10.6% decline; while the industry sector tallied 17.2% decline. Both declines are slower than the Q2’s figures.
The unemployment rate started to ease in since July, which recorded a lower 10%, an equivalent of 4.571 million jobless Filipinos. In October, the rate went much lower at 8.7%, translating to 3.813 million jobless Filipinos.
For Mr. Chua of NEDA, these changes show the economy’s flexibility to whatever policies are set in place. “The economy is very flexibile and will respond to the policy we will put,” he stressed.
Underemployment, likewise, went down as restrictions ease. The underemployment rate went down by 17.3% in July, equivalent to 7.135 million underemployed Filipinos. It further decreased to 14.4% in October, translating to 5.747 million underemployed Filipinos.
Employment, on the other hand, jumped to 90% in July, translating to 41.306 million employed Filipinos, then inching up to 91.3% in October, representing 39.836 million.
The stock exchange, meanwhile, gradually bounced back with the resumption of business. Last December, it even rose to 7,200 level with investor optimism sparked with the impending rollout of a COVID-19 vaccine, which has been first approved and used in the United Kingdom.
In trade, exports snapped its losing streak last September with a revised 2.9% growth. The following month, though, recorded a decline of 2.2% year-on-year to $6.202 billion. Imports remain contracted, with a 19.5% decline in October.
Projections
While the remaining figures are yet to be released, estimates are hinting on the country’s overall economic performance.
The government, through the interagency Development Budget Coordination Committee, expects the economy to shrink between 4.5% and 6.6%, or an average of 5.5%, this year.
Asian Development Bank, meanwhile, expects Philippines’ GDP to contract by 8.5%, the sharpest among its Southeast Asian neighbors such as Thailand (-7.8%), Malaysia (-6%), and Indonesia (-2.2%). The multilateral lender cites declines in household consumption and investment as reasons for its estimate.
Likewise, the International Monetary Fund sees the country’s economy to slide the worst among the region with an 8.3% GDP decline.
The World Bank, on the other hand, forecasts the GDP to decline by 8.1%, considering the GDP slump in Q3 and the damage by the stream of strong typhoons last year.
CORONAVIRUS infections in the Philippines breached the 500,000 mark on Sunday, with deaths nearing 10,000, according to data from the Department of Health (DoH).
Health authorities reported 1,895 more coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases, bringing the total to 500,577. The death toll rose to 9,895 as 11 more patients died, while recoveries increased by 5,868 to 465,991, it said in a bulletin.
There were 24,691 active cases, 84.6% of which were mild, 6.6% did not show symptoms, 5.3% were critical, 3% were severe and 0.47% were moderate.
Davao City reported the highest number of cases at 107, followed by Quezon City at 106, Isabela at 65, Pampanga at 63 and Bulacan at 62.
The Health department said nine duplicates had been removed from the tally, while five recovered cases were reclassified as deaths. Five laboratories failed to submit their data on Jan. 16.
About 6.8 million Filipinos have been tested as of Jan. 15, according to DoH’s tracker website.
The coronavirus has sickened about 95 million and killed about two million people worldwide, according to the Worldometers website, citing various sources including data from the World Health Organization (WHO).
About 67.8 million people have recovered, it said. Also on Sunday, opposition Senator Franklin M. Drilon accused the government of President Rodrigo R. Duterte of concealing information about its coronavirus vaccination program, saying the Senate should hold more hearings on the matter.
“We will not get the whole picture of what lies ahead when important information is concealed from us and the public,” he said in a statement.
He added that the Executive branch had failed to sufficiently answer questions on vaccine pricing, their sources, delivery schedules and logistics. “We did not get any definite answers to these serious questions. I believe another round of hearing is in order.”
Mr. Drilon said he agreed with Senator Panfilo M. Lacson’s call for more hearings.
“These too many unanswered questions raise grave concerns, for the survival of the country largely depends on our ability to implement a successful vaccination program against COVID-19,” he added.
Vaccine czar Carlito G. Galvez, Jr. on Friday said the selection, procurement and administration of vaccines would adhere to government protocols to ensure transparency and accountability.
SENATE PROBE The Senate committee of the whole held two hearings attended by officials of the DoH and national task force against the coronavirus last week.
A Pulse Asia poll in November found that nearly 50% of Filipinos did not want to get vaccinated.
“The lack of access to information fuels doubts and confusion among the public,” Mr. Drilon said.
Senator Francis N. Pangilinan warned against using vaccines with a low efficacy, after the Chinese government pledged to donate 500,000 doses of its vaccines to the Philippines.
“While we appreciate the gesture, the donation should not pressure the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Health Technology Assessment Council to approve its use,” he said in a statement.
“Science, data and the results of clinical trials should be the basis and not political goodwill,” he added.
The government on Friday expanded its travel ban to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Hungary amid the spread of a more contagious coronavirus strain first detected in the United Kingdom (UK).
Presidential spokesman Harry L. Roque said the travel ban would start on Jan. 17 until Jan. 31. The travel ban on foreign passengers from 33 other countries had been extended until the end of the month.
These countries are the United Kingdom, United States, Singapore, Sweden, South Korea, South Africa, Canada, Spain, Austria, Portugal, India, Finland, Norway, Jordan, Brazil, Denmark, Ireland, Japan, China, Pakistan, Jamaica, Luxembourg, Oman, Australia, Israel, The Netherlands, Hong Kong, Switzerland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy and Lebanon.
Health authorities on Wednesday said a Filipino who arrived from the UAE had tested positive for the UK coronavirus strain..
President Rodrigo R. Duterte last week said mayors and governors would be free to choose which vaccines to use for their people.
Mr. Duterte had long shown a preference for the vaccines developed by China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd. and Russia’s Gamaleya National Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology.
Mr. Duterte defended the government’s decision to acquire the vaccine developed by Sinovac despite the uncertainty over its efficacy. Sinovac’s CoronaVac had been found to be 50.4% effective in Brazilian clinical trials, BBC News reported, citing the latest results released by researchers.
The President, known for his strong ties with the Chinese government, said the Sinovac vaccine is as good as the ones developed by European and American drug makers.
The FDA last week approved the emergency use of Pfizer, Inc. and BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine, the first in the country.
The benefits of the vaccine, which has a 95% efficacy and requires -80 to -60 degree Celsius storage before dilution, outweighs potential risks, it said.
Vaccine czar Carlito G. Galvez, Jr. earlier said the government might use the Pfizer vaccine in the early rollout under the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) facility of the World Health Organization (WHO).
About 40 million doses will come from the COVAX facility for 20 million to 30 million people, he said last week.
COVAX, co-led by GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and the World Health Organization, aims to ensure the availability of COVID-19 vaccines to all countries.
China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd. also submitted its application for emergency use on Wednesday.
Mr. Domingo said the vaccine, which China had authorized for emergency use, was still being assessed given incomplete clinical trial data.
UK-based drug maker AstraZeneca Plc and Russia’s Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology have also applied for emergency use. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas and Charmaine A. Tadalan
STRONGER ties between the Philippines and China would hasten their economic recovery amid a global coronavirus pandemic, President Rodrigo R. Duterte said at the weekend.
“The recovery of nations sits on the back of stronger economies,” the presidential palace said in a statement on Sunday, quoting the President during a meeting with Chinese State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi in Malacañang.
“China plays a key role in reviving our region’s economy. Let us do all we can to revive economic activities between the Philippines and China,” Mr. Duterte said.
The President has sought closer and investment ties with China during his almost five years in office, moving away from the United States, a treaty ally, as part of his “independent foreign policy.”
During the meeting, Mr. Wang said China would donate 500,000 doses of its coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine to the Philippines. China also approved a P3.72-billion grant for livelihood, infrastructure and other development projects.
Mr. Wang underlined China’s commitment under President Xi Jinping to work closely with the Philippines “to sustain the positive trajectory of the valued and special bilateral relations,” the Palace said.
“Any visit of a political power is good for the country, for stronger ties and cooperation,” Antonio Gabriel M.La Viña, a lawyer and former dean of the Ateneo de Manila University’s School of Government, said by telephone.
Terry L. Ridon, convenor of InfraWatch PH, said the government should clarify whether this constitutes new funding commitments for indicative infrastructure projects or merely a “follow through” of previous commitments.
“If it is the former, it is a tad too late into President Duterte’s term for new funding commitments to come into fruition by next year,” he said in a Facebook Messenger chat. “If it is the latter, why only now?”
Mr. Ridon said the development commitments should not be a “sweetener” for supply deals involving Chinese vaccines. “The development funding should have been released prior to the pandemic, and vaccine supply should be contingent on efficacy, safety and cost,” he said.
Meanwhile, Beijing might be closely monitoring congressional proceedings on constitutional amendments that seek to relax foreign ownership provisions, since that would benefit its state-owned and -controled agro-corporations, a political analyst said.
“We are aware that there are many Chinese investors interested to come in, which started during the administration of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo,” Maria Ela L. Atienza, a political science professor from the University of the Philippines, said by telephone.
“That can be an additional pressure for a push on revisions and amendments to the Constitution, particularly liberalizing the economic provisions,” she said, adding that lawmakers might seek to allow foreign ownership of land, which is limited to Filipinos now.
“It was clear that the presence of Chinese investors in the country had been considered by the Arroyo administration to pursue constitutional amendments,” Ms. Atienza said.
The Arroyo government signed almost 20 agribusiness agreements with Chinese corporations, with about a million hectares committed for export crop production, she said.
These, however, were frozen by former President Benigo S.C. Aquino III, who thought the deals could only be legitimized if the Philippine restriction on land ownership was lifted.
But Party-list Rep. Alfredo A. Garbin, Jr., who heads the House of Representatives committee on constitutional amendments, told BusinessWorld via Zoom Cloud Meetings at the weekend the panel might decide not to touch the Charter’s provisions on land ownership.
MORE than 410,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who have returned to the country due to the global economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic are back to their home provinces, the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) reported. In a statement on Sunday, DoLE said data from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) show that over 8,000 OFWs were sent home last week alone. “Total repatriates who have undergone quarantine and were cleared of COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) stood at 410,211 as of January 16,” the department said. DoLE started its program of assisting repatriated OFWs transit back to their home provinces last May 2020. The labor department said it expects more OFWs to fly back to the Philippines as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect economies worldwide. Around 60,000 to 80,000 are expected to be repatriated this year based on compiled data of its labor offices around the globe. “Those awaiting repatriation form part of the over 520,000 OFWs displaced by the COVID pandemic that continues to plague economies around the globe, the DoLE said. There are about 2.2 million OFWs, based on the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) 2019 survey. — Gillian M. Cortez
Housing sector group formed to strengthen drive vs scammers
A GROUP with representatives from both government and the private sector has been formed to review existing policies and recommend new guidelines to prevent scammers in the housing industry. Housing Secretary Eduardo D. Del Rosario, in a statement on Sunday, said the technical working group (TWG) led by Undersecretary Meynardo A. Sabili will “institutionalize the department’s intensified drive against real estate scammers through a Joint Memorandum Agreement on Anti-Illegal Real Estate Practices.” Industry stakeholders and other concerned government agencies will be part of the TWG. “We need to put a stop to these illegal activities through institutionalized pro-active efforts in collaboration with our stakeholders, national and local government units, law enforcement agencies, including legitimate developers, who are also victims of these scammers,” Mr. Del Rosario said. “We should be relentless in our campaign to protect home buyers and legitimate workers in the real estate industry,” he added. Under Presidential Decree 957, no real estate dealer, broker and salesperson are allowed to engage in the business of selling subdivision lots or condominium units without registration from the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD). — MSJ
A PHILIPPINE Eagle was rescued last week in the hinterlands of Maitum, Sarangani after a resident found it trapped in thorny rattan vines while on a hunt. It was the third eagle rescued in the area over the last four years, according to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources–Soccsksargen (DENR-12) regional office. The eagle has been turned over the Philippine Eagle Center in Davao City for documentation and rehabilitation. The bird was found near Mt. Busa, a declared key biodiversity.
Philippine eagle Mabuhay carries on legacy of father, Pag-asa
THE death on January 6 of 28-year old Philippine eagle Pag-asa, the first of his kind to be bred and hatched in captivity, was a sad blow to conservation efforts, but his legacy lives on through his first and only offspring, Mabuhay. “In practical terms, there is not much impact because (Pag-asa is) retired from breeding. His loss, however, will be felt more in our educational program where he played a crucial role in raising public awareness and pride for our natural heritage,” Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) Executive Director Dennis Joseph I. Salvador via text message. Mabuhay, however, “will carry the torch of hope,” Mr. Salvador said. That hope is about continuing to inspire workers and volunteers at the PEF’s Philippine Eagle Center in Davao City, on bringing back the Philippine eagle from the brink of extinction, and the “for the dreams and aspirations of millions of upland communities who rely on our forests to survive,” he said. Mabuhay, who is turning eight on February 9, “shows that captive breeding is a viable tool for helping augment the species’ population in the wild,” the PEF official said. Mabuhay is the daughter of Pag-asa and Kalinawan, a female eagle rescued in Zamboanga del Sur. — Maya M. Padillo
Digital redefines consumers’ transactions, but physical channels are expected to blend in
As an avid shopper, Queenie Boado, a third-year law student, used to shop in malls on a weekly basis before the pandemic. For her, shopping helps relieve the stress from both work and school.
Dreamstime
Then came the quarantine, and she swiftly turned to online shopping. “Not only it is convenient; it’s much safer than the usual mall shopping. It saves time and has better prices too,” Ms. Boado told BusinessWorld via online correspondence.
Since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) came into the country last year, consumers suddenly have shifted from physical means to online ones. As many stayed at their homes during the quarantine, they have turned to online platforms to shop for items. Online channels of banks and electronic wallets, likewise, have been further tapped to pay and transfer money.
Now, as the ‘new normal’ proceeds under less strict quarantine, going digital in terms of shopping and banking is being integrated into Filipinos’ lifestyles in the long term.
In the earlier periods of the quarantine, malls limited their operations to essential stores such as supermarkets and groceries, leaving most brick-and-mortar (B&M) stores closed. This left retail losing a vital channel of reach and revenue.
“The prolonged lockdown has shown up in the reduced revenues of almost all retailers. Sales have dropped between 50-80% from pre-pandemic levels,” Roberto S. Claudio, a vice-chairman of the Philippine Retailers Association (PRA), was quoted as saying in a year-ender report of BusinessWorld last December.
Mr. Claudio also stressed that while online sales increased from 100-500% from online capable retailers, it was not enough to cover for the lost sales in B&M stores.
Growth in e-commerce
Nonetheless, the e-commerce trend has visibly boomed as consumers shifted their shopping online.
Dreamstime
As Oxford Business Group (OBG) cited in their “Philippines 2021” report, a survey by creative agency We Are Social and social media management platform Hootsuite in July 2020 revealed that 78% of Filipino consumers had made an e-commerce purchase. This is 4% higher than the firms’ figures in January 2020, a few months before the March lockdown.
Also, Kantar Philippines’ most recent quarterly FMCG Monitor reports showed steady progress in using online channels in spending for fast-moving consumer goods.
While direct sales were found to be hard hit, the share of online channels thrived in June 2020, with 27% change in year-to-date (YTD) compared to 2019. Last September, this share grew to 48% significant growth in YTD compared to 2019.
Raymund Alimurung, chief executive officer of Lazada Philippines, observed that the pandemic has served as a tipping point for e-commerce.
“It’s a little bit morbid to say, but the pandemic has been the best advertising for e-commerce. It’s not something out of desire, but out of necessity,” Mr. Alimurung said during the BusinessWorld Virtual Economic Forum last November, adding that many who have been exposed to e-commerce during lockdown are now realizing its convenience.
For Ms. Boado, the pandemic has pushed her further from shopping in physical stores to shopping online. “Prior to the pandemic, I’ve already been an avid fan of shopping online since I can easily compare prices of products from different shops; read their reviews; [and] get cash backs, coins, and vouchers. Plus, the thought of waiting for the package to arrive right at my doorstep excites me,” she shared.
E-commerce’s potential, B&M’s return
Compared to its Asian neighbors, however, more room is still seen for e-commerce to grow in the Philippines and in Southeast Asia. A report by Kantar Worldpanel Division Asia shows that the adoption rate of e-commerce in the region is “still limited to 1 in 10 households”. Moreover, the penetration rate of e-commerce in the Philippines is 7.3% last September, way behind the numbers of its neighbors like China, Korea, and Taiwan.
On the bright side, about 70% of Filipinos surveyed said they shop online because of epidemic concern, and 50% claimed they will shop more online.
In addition, OBG’s report mentioned a survey by Visa indicating that “73% of Filipino consumers are likely to sustain or increase their pandemic level of online shopping once restrictions are eased”.
Online shopping, while continuing to break ground in the country, is bound to be permanent among consumers. Yet, hope is still seen for B&M stores and, especially, malls, which fully reopened since June.
“I personally do not see online retailing completely taking over from in-store retailing. Retailing as an industry will become omnichannel,” Mr. Claudio of PRA was quoted as saying, adding that developing digital infrastructure will be an agenda for retailers who do not have it yet and opening showrooms with digital hubs is a possibility for e-commerce shops.
Mr. Alimurung also expects consumers to return to malls as markets open up. With e-commerce gaining traction during its ‘trial period’ during the lockdown, nonetheless, the trend will continue in the months ahead.
“[W]e expect to see [e-commerce penetration] growing. We see that in the types of brands boarding [and] the daily users that are going on [our platform]. These trends will just don’t go any other way,” he said.
Meanwhile, Lorenzo C. Formoso, also a vice-chairman of PRA, believes that the future of retail will rely on the developing response to the pandemic. “[T]his ‘new normal’ is not really normal until the advent of the vaccines and quick tests,” Mr. Formoso said in the latest World Retail Congress report. “We must remain optimistic as new developments are already taking place.”
Acceleration in digital transactions
At the same time, shopping has gone further online for many consumers, digital channels have been further used by more individuals than before for transactions.
Ms. Boado shared that her online transactions increased since the pandemic. “I’ve transacted more, twice or even thrice than my usual transactions before the pandemic since most banks waived their convenience fees. This is really my preferred payment method not only for my purchases but also for paying bills and doing money transfers,” she said.
It has been stressed multiple times in the previous year that the country’s transition to cashless banking and electronic payments, or e-payments, has accelerated due to the pandemic.
In a fireside chat in the BusinessWorld Virtual Economic Forum, Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) President and CEO Cezar P. Consing observed firsthand the surge in digital transactions.
“The thesis that COVID accelerated cashless society is true,” Mr. Consing said. “It was all very slow at first, very gradual, incremental growth. All of a sudden, we saw daily digital enrollments from our customer base to the tune of 20,000 to 30,000 a day. Because of all of these enrollments, more than half of our 8-9 million customers are now enrolled digitally.”
The BPI president also noted that the bank’s transactions by volume done through ATMs, online, or mobile grew from about 70% pre-COVID to over 90% upon the start of the lockdown. Physical branches still account for the bank’s bulk of transactions in terms of value, he continued, but the volume of branch and ATM transactions remained lower than pre-COVID levels.
Data from Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), meanwhile, showed big increases in the value and volume of e-payments facilitators PESONet and InstaPay.
According to the central bank’s governor, Benjamin E. Diokno, the value of PESONet jumped 100% year-on-year, while the value of InstaPay increased to almost 400% for the first eight months of 2020. In terms of volume of transactions, PESONet increased by 130%, while InstaPay jumped by 624%.
“This is truly excellent news. As governor of the BSP, one of my personal goals is to have not less than 50% of transactions, by volume and value, to be done digitally by 2023. With the pandemic, I am optimistic that this goal will be met even sooner,” Mr. Diokno said during the Digital Banking Asia webinar last November.
Advancing the ‘cash-lite’ vision
Pushing further Mr. Diokno’s vision of a cash-lite economy in the country, BSP unveiled last October its Digital Payments Transformation Roadmap 2020-2023, which intends to set out initiatives and strategies for advancing an “efficient, inclusive, safe and secure digital payments ecosystem.”
The roadmap targets to strengthen preference for digital payments by digitizing half of the total volume of retail payments and by expanding the number of the financially included to 70% of Filipino adults. It also aims for BSP to improve access to more innovative digital financial products and services.
These objectives are intended to be met by developing digital payment streams to accelerate wider acceptance, establishing the necessary digital finance infrastructure to facilitate interoperability in the digital payments ecosystem, and implementing digital governance standards to safeguard the integrity and privacy of consumer data.
Alongside this roadmap, Mr. Diokno continued in his speech, BSP sets to pursue more digital payment initiatives in the near term. One of these initiatives is extending the QR Ph use case from only person-to-person (P2P) payments to person-to-merchant (P2M) payments.
“Since accepting payments via QR is simple and affordable, it is expected to benefit not only large business organizations but also the small unbanked vendors such as peddlers, sari-sari store owners, and other entrepreneurs,” Mr. Diokno said.
Other initiatives include simplifying bill payments through a “one bills payment facility”, streamlining payments between businesses and consumers through the “request to pay service”, and making recurring payments less hassled through a direct debit use case.
The central bank is also proactively building a conducive regulatory environment for digital innovations, primarily digital banks. Late November, BSP’s monetary board approved the recognition of digital bank as a new bank category that is separate and distinct from the existing bank classifications.
“Digital banks will play an important role in the digital financial ecosystem. We see these banks as additional partners in further promoting market efficiencies and expanding access of Filipinos to a broad range of financial services, bringing us closer to the realization of our target[s],” Mr. Diokno said in a separate statement.
Blended banking
For its conveniences and efficiencies, coupled with strong support from the BSP, digital banking and electronic payments are expected to be a permanent feature for consumers in the new normal.
For Ms. Boado, online transactions will be a permanent fixture in her routines. “In this time and age, almost everything is within reach and can be done with a single tap — even available 24/7,” she shared. “Convenience will always be my top priority, so doing transactions online will surely be my long-term option.”
For Mr. Consing, there is no going back to analog means of banking for many. Yet, he looks forward to a hybrid of analog and digital for banking moving forward.
“Come the vaccine, I think it will be a combination of high tech [and] low touch,” he said, stressing the term “phygital”, or physical and digital combined.
“The volume of digital transactions is high, but the bulk of the value is still being supplied by the branches. Over time, that value in digital transactions will also grow a lot, so [it] will create as much value, if not more, than the physical,” he added.
