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Nationwide round-up (01/18/21)

Ombudsman clears Acosta on anti-dengue vaccination funds case

THE Ombudsman has dismissed the charges against Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) Chief Persida V. Acosta and other officials on the alleged misuse of public funds related to the controversy on the government’s anti-dengue vaccination program.

The Ombudsman said there was no sufficient evidence against the PAO officials to pursue graft charges and grave misconduct in relation to the Dengvaxia controversy.

“(T)he criminal and administrative complaints against respondents are hereby dismissed, for insufficiency of evidence,” the Ombudsman said.

The resolution was dated October 23, 2019 but only released to the public on January 14.

In 2018, a case was filed against Ms. Acosta for allegedly being responsible over the public hysteria towards the Dengvaxia vaccine.

The PAO chief has campaigned against the vaccine, which she alleges caused the death of inoculated children, and led the filling of cases against health officials and the manufacturer.

Ms. Acosta was also charged for forming the PAO Forensic Laboratory without legal basis. The Ombudsman, however, said the PAO had the authority to create the facility. — Gillian M. Cortez

NTC summons internet service providers over child porn sites

THE National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has issued show cause orders against internet service providers for failure to stop access to sites hosting pornographic content featuring minors.

“Over the weekend, the NTC issued show cause orders to internet services providers for failing to install available technology, program or software that will block access or filter all websites carrying child pornography materials,” the commission said in an e-mailed statement.

It said the entities were required to explain in writing “why they should not be administratively sanctioned for such violation.”

“They were also required to attend hearings before the commission starting the second week of February 2021,” it added.

There are currently more than 500 internet service providers in the country. The country’s two biggest telecommunication companies have already reported steps taken to block child porn sites.

The PLDT Group said on January 13 that it took down 3,011 sites that hosted illicit content featuring children.

The group added it was also testing more technologies that could automatically block access to child pornographic content.

Globe Telecom, Inc. said on Jan. 14 that it blocked “2,521 sites that have been identified by law enforcement agencies, endorsed by the NTC for blocking, or identified through our own Security Operations Center intelligence.”

Globe said it invested $2.7 million in a content-filtering system “to support its ‘PlayItRight’ advocacy program, targeting illegal/pirated content and online child pornography.”

President Rodrigo R. Duterte had ordered the NTC to direct service providers to immediately install available technology or software that would block online sites engaged in child exploitation.

Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Travel restrictions slow down human trafficking, illegal recruitment

THE number of apprehended Filipinos who were suspected victims of trafficking and illegal recruitment dropped by 70% in 2020 due to travel restrictions implemented by the government, the Bureau of Immigration reported on Monday.

The bureau said about 11,706 Filipinos were stopped from leaving the country last year, mainly at the international airport in Manila, lower than the 38,522 recorded in 2019.

“Travel restrictions and international flight suspensions imposed due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic naturally caused a tremendous drop in the number of Filipinos who traveled abroad in 2020,” Commissioner Jaime H. Morente was quoted in the statement.

Fortunato S. Manahan, Jr., intelligence chief and head of the travel control and enforcement unit, reported that 295 passengers were turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking as possible trafficking victims.

Mr. Manahan said among the most common reasons for stopping the departure of a person are failure to present required documents, carrying fraudulent documents, and misrepresentation.

Mr. Morente reminded those who want to work abroad not to fall prey to illegal recruiters and human traffickers and coordinate with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) to ensure registered and legal work.

The inter-agency task force (IATF) on coronavirus lifted restriction of non-essential outbound travel of Filipinos last October 21. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

  

Regional Updates (01/18/21)

Bangsamoro head reiterates call for 3-year transition extension as region celebrates 2nd founding anniversary

THE Bangsamoro flag was hoisted for the first time alongside the Philippine flag on January 18 as the region kicked off its 2nd founding anniversary celebration — a symbolic ceremony for its tri-people that has been on a long journey for autonomy, peace, and development. Officials delivered messages hailing what have been achieved so far in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), created through the Republic Act (RA) No. 11054, the Bangsamoro Organic Law, and officially established on January 21, 2019. But at the same time, BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Al Haj Murad Ebrahim reiterated and stressed the need to extend the three-year transition period by postponing the scheduled elections in 2022. “We see that the two years we have spent and another year will still be very much lacking in order to achieve our objectives, our aspiration… to change, reform the system,” Mr. Ebrahim said in his speech at Monday’s ceremony held at the Bangsamoro government center in Cotabato City. “We can proudly say that we are successful in our next stage of struggle if we see a system built in moral governance,” he added. The Mindanao Peoples Caucus, following a mid-term review in October last year, recommended a three-year extension by moving the elections to 2025 to allow the interim government to complete its work of institutionalizing policies and procedures in line with RA 11054 and the terms of the peace agreement. “The first year of the transition in 2019 was poured into building the new bureaucracy, institutionalizing moral governance, and hiring of personnel. The second year of transition in 2020 has been ultimately halted by Covid-19 which forced the Bangsamoro Government to redirect its priorities,” said BARMM Attorney General Sha-Elijah Dumama-Alba in a statement following discussions with members of the House of Representatives last week. Five bills have been filed in the House for the extension, but none yet in the Senate. President Rodrigo R. Duterte has expressed support to extending the transition period. — MSJ

Dumpsite in Tanza, Cavite shut down

THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on Friday shut down a six-hectare open dumpsite in Tanza, Cavite, which was operating in violation of Republic Act (RA) 9003 or the Solid Waste Management Act of 2000. A report from the department’s Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office showed that the privately-owned dumpsite has accumulated 180,000-cubic meters or a three-meter high mix of solid waste. DENR, in a press statement, said it sealed the entry points of the wasteyard in Barangay Sahud-Ulan in coordination with its Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). DENR Undersecretary Benny D. Antiporda, who led the operations, said that the government “will not hesitate to apprehend operators of illegal waste disposal sites and go after all open dumpsite operators in the country.” Under RA 9003, all dumpsites should have been closed or converted into sanitary landfills by 2006. As the DENR waits for the results of the investigation, Mr. Antiporda said they would talk to the local officials of Tanza to explain the dumpsite’s existence. He has also instructed the local environment office to prepare a rehabilitation plan for the site. — Angelica Y. Yang

The Great Reset: Leading for the Common Good

(This article, with some light editing, was lifted from the Inaugural Speech delivered by the author as the President of the Management Association of the Philippines for 2021.)

First, a look back at 2020.

The year 2020 was unexpectedly a year of severe and multiple crises.

We had and have a Health Crisis.

The COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic hit the world and the Philippines like a giant sledgehammer. Global statistics show over 94 million COVID-19 cases, over 2 million deaths everywhere, comparisons with the 1918 Spanish Flu, and fears of a deadlier second wave.

End December Philippines Department of Health indicators report 439,796 cases, a 92.77% recovery rate, a 5.28% active rate (25,024 cases), and a 1.95% Death Rate (9,244 deaths).

Sadly, an ASEAN Post graph shows the Philippines as second worst in Asia, with the dubious distinction of having the longest lockdown in the world.

Who would have thought that “Staying Alive” would be the Best Option in 2020?

We had and have an Economic Crisis.

Global Source Partners reports a 10% drop in GDP in the first three quarters of 2020, and Oxford and Haver point to our worst recession ever. ASEAN Analysts GDP growth expectations for the Philippines went from one of the highest at the start of the year to the lowest in ASEAN by year end.

Worse, the Economist, in its Dec. 15 issue, opined that the Philippine economy will be “the most vulnerable to COVID-19’s long-term effects from 2019 to 2025.”

Fortunately, thanks to the able stewardship of Secretary Sonny Dominguez and Bangko Sentral Governor Ben Diokno, we remain financially strong as a country. In fact, Fitch Ratings reaffirmed today the Philippines BBB Investment Grade rating with Stable outlook. Who would have thought that EBITDAC (Earnings before Interest, Depreciation, and Coronavirus) would become an appropriate accounting measurement in 2020?

We had and have an Environmental Crisis.

Cries for Climate Change have been upgraded to Climate Crisis and even Climate Emergency, as we enter a critical decade to reverse carbon emission deterioration or face an unlivable planet. Unfortunately, the Philippines is ranked third worldwide in Disaster Vulnerability, and the year end floods of typhoons Rolly and Ulysses were living testaments of the effects of climate change on our country.

Appropriately, the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) selected Federico “Piki” Lopez as its Management Man of the Year 2020 for his role as a Clean Energy champion.

We had and have an Education Crisis.

We are facing a Learning Crisis that threatens the growth trajectory of the nation. Pre-pandemic, our students were already falling behind in reading, math, science, and 21st century skills. Three outside international assessors ranked us last (PISA 2018, 78 economies; and TIMSS 2019, 64 economies) or bottom half (SEA-PLM 2019, six participating ASEAN countries). What more under pandemic 2020, when schools were downgraded to remote learning, unequal Wi-Fi, and 2.7 million unenrolled students?

We had and have a Social Justice Crisis.

The Social Weather Stations (SWS) reported that in a nationwide poll conducted from Nov. 21 to 25, 2020, 48%, or 12 MILLION FAMILIES rated themselves as “Poor,” and another 36% “Borderline Poor.”

Unfortunately, inequality reigns, as the poor and the small businessmen have been hit hardest by the Health, Economic, Environmental, Education and Social Justice Crises described earlier.

LOOKING FORWARD TO 2021
Fortunately, our silver lining is that we have a strong and smoothly functioning MAP Board, committee chairmen, and 1,000+ members.

MAP’s 2020 Board led by the dynamic and articulate lawyer Francis Lim had a superlative output-driven year: more activities, more members, more fundraising, more national issue statements, and more influence in the business and national community.

Your 2021 Board’s Mission and Vision is to take this to the next level with a main theme of “The Great Reset: Leading for the Common Good.”

In keeping with the five crises mentioned earlier, our main thrusts will be to: safely reopen the economy;  ESG (environmental, social justice, and governance); and member benefits via best practice sharing.

We have organized ourselves with nine capable and dedicated Governors handling 26 Committees clustered into three main groups — Safely Reopen the Economy with 11 committees; Shared Prosperity and ESG with three committees; and, Internal/Member Benefits with 12 committees.

Our Committee Chairs are a carefully chosen mix of some experienced, some fresh thinking Chairpersons who will lead for the Common Good.

The activities in 2021 will revolve around:

• 12 monthly General Membership Meetings and three Major Conferences on Diversity, Annual CEO, and Next Generation themes;

• As needed, National Issue statements, coordinated with former Presidents Francis Lim and Riza Mantaring, and, where appropriate, co-signed with other Business Associations;

• Committee-initiated Education Webinars to share best practices; and,

• Membership and Fellowship events to encourage networking and camaraderie.

We would like to start on time, and keep all activities at two hours maximum. We foresee a first semester of mostly Zoom meetings, but hope to return to limited face to face events, particularly for the Major Conferences in the second half of the year.

INITIAL 2021 MAP POLICY DIRECTIONS
Here are a few initial thoughts on some policy prescriptions that we will push.

Health is wealth, and we thank Secretary Dominguez and the Government for significantly funding vaccinations for our frontliners and the less fortunate.

To help our members safely reopen their businesses and the economy, MAP itself will focus on how best to secure vaccines for its (smaller) member companies who are not included in the current government priority lists.

We will also advocate for public transportation that provides mobility that is essential for the economy and society to function properly and be productive.

For the Economic front, our main immediate goal is to push for the passage of the CREATE Bill which will reduce Corporate Income Taxes to 20% for smaller businesses, establish 10-year sunset periods for specific incentive industries, and provide a much needed P250-billion stimulus to safely reopen the economy.

MAP is joining at least 30 business organizations in signing within this week the Joint Statement of Support for CREATE and the Joint Letters to House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco and Senate President Vicente Sotto urging them to act quickly on the enactment of CREATE.

For the medium term, we will push certain policy recommendations of a MAP-UA&P (University of Asia and the Pacific) study commissioned in 2020. In particular, we wish to promote ease-of-doing-business government digitization efforts and improved public information communications and technology (ICT) connectivity.

For the Environmental front, we will work towards an appropriate policy prescription. MAP supports the development of a natural capital accounting bill to measure physical units of terrestrial and marine resources of the country, as well as three environmental projects in Occidental Mindoro, Laguna, and Batangas. We shall also balance these with data-based analysis of our energy security and water security situation.

For Education, we will collaborate with Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) to highlight the learning crisis that the Philippines is in today, particularly at a time of unequal access among our learners, and the lack of a clear plan to bring our students back to school safely.  If not urgently addressed, we may end with a South African university message that closes with the sobering words, “The collapse of education is the collapse of a nation.”

But most of all, we should push out of our comfort zone, and pay equal attention to Social Justice issues, and to “Lead for the Common Good.”

We need jobs — wholesale and retail trade, agriculture and fisheries, and construction make up 50% of total jobs, and we have to reopen and revive these sectors to alleviate poverty.

We need food — particularly for the 48% self-perceived poor families, either through public sector Bayanihan Act stimulus programs for the poor, or private sector revival of business, economic, and payroll activities.

We need values formation — We need to work on changing attitudes and behaviors of the Filipino youth and the common man on the street, in order to achieve a meaningful and sustainable change in society.

CONCLUSION
In closing, I would like to appeal to the 1,000 + strong MAP membership to support your Board, and to share member best practices to help each other and our national community.

We are a vibrant, purposeful, and well-meaning national private sector association, and together, we can make a significant impact on the Health, Economic, Environmental, Education, and Social Justice fronts. We are also a constructive partner of government, and a helpful supporter of value-adding non-governmental organization causes.

 

Aurelio “Gigi” R. Montinola III is the Chairperson of the Far Eastern University.

aumontinola@feu.edu.ph

map@map.org.ph

http://map.org.ph

Trump did irreparable damage to America’s image

On Sept. 18, 1986, President Cory Aquino addressed the members of the US Congress during their joint session. Said she: “Three years ago, I said thank you, America, for the haven from oppression… you gave Ninoy, myself and our children. Today, I say, join us, America, as we build a new home for democracy, another haven for the oppressed, so it may stand as a shining testament of our two nation’s commitment to freedom.”

Never again will a Filipino do the Cory Aquino act of asking America to join us in restoring democracy in our country. The citadel of democracy that America was for 240 years has imploded. The American brand of democracy has become the laughing stock of the free world. China, the object of President Donald Trump’s insults, has called America, which hailed the protest rallies in Hong Kong, a hypocrite.

Prior to the elections of 2020, America was universally considered the stronghold of the institution of democracy and a sanctuary of the democratic process and its values. Trump’s post-election antics made the world see America as an authoritarian state ruled by an egotistical but incompetent and boorish man.

The day after Trump’s inauguration as president, Peter Wehner of The New York Times wrote in his column, “He is unlikely to be contained by norms and customs, or even by laws and the Constitution.” In the four years he has been president, Trump proved Wehner right.

He has shown himself as a norm-busting president without parallel in American history.

He has told many lies in public; contradicted Cabinet officials many times; attacked the courts, the press, his predecessor, his former electoral opponent, members of his party, the intelligence community, and even his own attorney general; shown indifference to codes of ethics; interjected a political element into apolitical events; monetized the presidency by linking it to his personal business interests; failed to release his tax returns; and engaged in crude behavior in public.

Early into his presidency, an ABC News/Washington Post poll asked 1,002 respondents this question: “What ONE WORD best describes your impression of Trump?” Some of the words given most often were: incompetent, arrogant, strong, idiot, egotistical, ignorant, great, racist, “a—,” and narcissistic.

In the months leading up to the November 2020 election, Trump repeatedly said that he could only lose to Joe Biden if the election was rigged. He told reporters: “We want to make sure the election is honest, and I’m not sure that it can be.” He also declared, “Either I win the election or I delegitimize the election.” That he has been trying hard to accomplish to this day. He has refused to accept defeat and continues to undermine the legitimacy of the electoral process, shattering yet another norm. He has spent the past months claiming electoral fraud but he has failed to back up his claim. Ironically, Trump himself likened the United States to Third World countries where electoral fraud comes with the territory, alleging without presenting evidence that the recent US election was rigged.

Having failed to get Republican state commissioners of election to overturn the results of the election in their state, he sent thousands of thugs to the Capitol on Jan. 6 to intimidate members of both houses of Congress to object to the confirmation of Joe Biden as the duly elected president. January 6, 2021 will go down in American history as DDD, the Day Democracy Died.

The framers of the Constitution of the United States of American didn’t want their supreme leader to be called King after having revolted against one. At the same time, they wanted their leader to have power much like a king has. So, they created the position of President and vested it with executive power without defining the term.

What has happened is that the position of President, which really means “one who presides over people,” is defined largely by the competence and the character of the person holding the office.

In the Foreword of the 12th edition of the book The Presidents of the United States of America, President George H.W. Bush wrote: “Until that ceremony (swearing in of George Washington as president on April 30, 1789), the American Presidency had been only a concept developed by the new Nation’s Founding Fathers at the Constitutional Convention that was held in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787. It remained for George Washington to define the role of the chief executive of the new Nation, not simply in legal but also in symbolic terms.

“From our modern perspective, this task might not seem to be so difficult. Article II of the Constitution spelled out the President’s powers and responsibilities; but beyond that, the concept of the Presidency was so vague.

“George Washington helped define the office of President of the United States. It was a task that has been taken on by each of his successors. Every man taking the oath Washington took in New York 200 years ago has understood, as historian Bruce Catton wrote, that ‘he was acting for something much bigger’ than personal ambition.”

John Adams, the second president of the United States, arrived in Washington DC, the newly created capital of the new nation, on Nov. 1, 1800, just before the election, to take up residence in the still unfinished White House. According to a biographical sketch of Adams, he wrote his wife on his second evening in the presidential residence: “I pray Heaven to bestow the best of Blessings on this House and all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise Men ever rule under this roof.” Trump is the antithesis of what Adams prayed for.

Adams lost by only a few electoral votes to Thomas Jefferson. He transferred power to Jefferson and vacated the White House without any fuss. Other men, much greater than Trump, abided by the electoral process.

In the presidential election of 1824, Andrew Jackson, a national hero having defeated the British in New Orleans during the War of 1812 against the British, was ahead of John Quincy Adams (son of the second president) and Henry Clay in both the popular and electoral votes. But since no candidate had a majority of electoral votes, the election was decided among the three by the House of Representatives. Clay, a member of the House, threw his support to Adams. Upon becoming president, Adams appointed Clay as Secretary of State. Jackson accused his two adversaries of entering into a “corrupt bargain.” Instead of ranting that the election was stolen, Jackson immediately launched his campaign to wrest the presidency from Adams in the next election.

New York Governor Samuel J. Tilden ran as the Democrats’ candidate for president in 1876. He won over Ohio Governor Rutherford B. Hayes, the Republican candidate, in the popular vote by over 250,000 votes. But Hayes’ supporters contested the electoral votes in three states. Congress created a commission of eight Republicans and seven Democrats to decide the dispute. All commissioners voted according to party line. Tilden accepted the decision.

President Grover Cleveland ran for re-election in 1888. Although he won in the popular vote, he lost to Benjamin Harrison in the Electoral College. Instead of holding on to the presidency, he willingly transferred power to Harrison. He ran again in 1892 and got back the presidency.

In 2000, Vice-President Al Gore ran as the Democrats’ candidate for president. He won the popular vote but lost the electoral vote, 271-266, to Texas Governor George W. Bush, the Republican standard bearer. Gore contested the automated ballots cast in Florida. The US Supreme Court, voting 5-4, rejected a manual recount of the ballots with errors, giving Bush the margin in the electoral votes. The Supreme Court decision was considered biased in favor of the Republican candidate Bush. The governor of Florida was Jeb Bush, George’s brother. The head of the Florida electoral commission was a Cabinet member appointed by Jeb Bush. The five justices who voted to reject the manual recount were appointees of Republican presidents.

Just the same, Gore accepted the decision. The manual recount would have taken many months. Neither Gore nor Bush would have been sworn in as president on Jan. 20, 2000. The United States would have had no president for months. To Gore, the survival of the nation’s democratic institutions was more important than his personal ambition.

In 2016, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won over Donald J. Trump by a little less than three million votes in the popular vote but lost in the Electoral College to Trump, 232-306. Trump boasted he won by a landslide in the electoral vote. Clinton conceded defeat the day after election, ominously asking Trump to hold fast to American values. In his re-election bid last year, Trump lost to former Vice-President Joe Biden in both the popular vote and electoral vote. Biden beat him by more than seven million votes in the popular vote and garnered 306 votes to Trump’s 232 in the Electoral College. To use Trump’s own word, Biden scored a landslide victory.

But Trump’s personal interests are greater than the survival of the nation’s democratic institutions. The 6th of January will be remembered not by Americans alone but by the whole world as the 4th of July is remembered by the whole world. Or will the 20th of January be more memorable?

 

Oscar P. Lagman, Jr. is a retired corporate executive, business consultant, and management professor. He has been a politicized citizen since his college days in the late 1950s.

The US and world economy these past four years

On Jan. 20, outgoing US President Donald J. Trump will leave office and new US President Joe R. Biden will be inaugurated. We can review the US economic performance under Mr. Trump in the last four years and compare this with other countries, as well as US performance during the second four-year term of former President Barack H. Obama with Joe Biden as his Vice-President.

First among the indicators is growth of the gross domestic product (GDP). We use the average growth in Obama’s first term, 2009-2012, as the baseline, then his second term 2013-2016, and compare this with the first three years under Trump. We use the world’s top 12 largest economies in GDP size as they set the overall pace of global economic performance.

In 2019, the GDP sizes were as follows: USA, $21.43 trillion; China, $14.73 trillion; Japan, $5.08 trillion; South Korea, $1.65 trillion; the Philippines, $377 billion; and Vietnam, $330 billion. Data comes from the IMF World Economic Outlook (WEO) database.

Also in 2019, the per capita GDP were as follows: USA, $65,254; China, $10,287; Japan $40,256; South Korea, $31,846; the Philippines, $3,512; and Vietnam, $3,416. Because the Philippines had a deep GDP contraction in 2020 while Vietnam grew, Vietnam will overtake the Philippines in per capita GDP with projected $3,500 in 2020 vs the Philippines’ $3,370.

In terms of GDP growth, of the world’s top six largest economies, only the US has better performance in 2017 to 2019 than 2013 to 2016. For the top 12 economies, the US is joined by France, Brazil, Canada and Russia.

In terms of per capita GDP, only the US had a big expansion in 2017-2019 from the 2016 level, the last year of Obama’s presidency, with a $2,412 per year increase. Germany and France also had significant increases during that period, but they came from significant per capita income declines from 2008 to 2016. China and India had modest increases (see Table 1).

Next we check foreign direct investment (FDI) inward stock, which reflects net gains through the years in annual inflows less outflows. Again, the US gained a significant increase in 2017-2019 from the 2016 level, with a $960 billion/year increase. The UK’s Brexit plan (referendum victory in 2016) seems to have attracted more FDIs with $205 billion/year increase. China had a modest increase. Data comes from UNCTAD’s World Investment Report (WIR) database 2020.

In terms of merchandise trade, Trump challenged China in 2018 to lower its tariff for US exports, otherwise the US would raise its tariff for China exports. Many people lambasted this move as “Trump protectionism.” Until 2016, the most favored nation (MFN) mean tariff rates for manufactured goods were as follows: Japan, 2.5%; the USA 3.6%; EU, 4%; China, 9.4% (see https://www.bworldonline.com/austrian-thinkers-and-the-g7-zero-tariff-challenge/). So it is clear as China or Xi Jinping protectionism but people did not call it as such, only “Trump protectionism.”

In terms of merchandise exports, the US did not expand much in 2017-2019 from the 2016 level as other countries did not lower their tariff rates while non-tariff barriers (NTBs) continued to remain high if not increasing. US imports continued to remain high at $100+ billion/year increase (see Table 2).

Overall on the economic front — GDP growth, GDP per capita, FDI inflows — Trump delivered on his promise to “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) with a good economic legacy. Gains in US merchandise trade are not reflected for now but China was adversely affected and many US companies have left China and moved to Vietnam, Malaysia, and other ASEAN countries.

The Philippines still has to see a significant increase in FDI inflows. Proposals to amend the Philippine Constitution and remove economic restrictions are good and must be pursued. We also need to cut corporate income taxes via the CREATE law, and significantly expand power supply capacity from cheap and reliable energy sources and dispel fear of future blackouts.

 

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

minimalgovernment@gmail.com

Vaccine disparities raise alarm as COVID variants multiply

GLOBAL gaps in access to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines are raising concerns that the continued spread of the coronavirus will breed more dangerous versions of the pathogen, weakening medical weapons and further crippling economies.

In a race to catch up with emerging coronavirus variants, wealthy countries are already benefiting from potent vaccines. While the US, Britain and European Union (EU) have given citizens about 24 million doses so far — more than half of the shots administered globally — vast numbers of countries have yet to begin their campaigns.

Disparities in immunity pose a threat to both have and have-not states. Giving the coronavirus an opportunity to advance and generate new mutants would have significant economic and public-health consequences, adding to the pain as the death toll surpasses 2 million.

“We cannot leave parts of the world without access to vaccines because it’s just going to come back to us,” said Charlie Weller, head of vaccines at health research foundation Wellcome. “That puts everyone around the world at risk.”

Countries are relying on effective immunizations to save lives and revive businesses. The World Bank’s projection for 4% growth this year depends on widespread deployment of vaccines. Surging COVID cases and a delay to the delivery of inoculations, however, could limit expansion to just 1.6%.

High-income countries have secured 85% of Pfizer, Inc.’s vaccine and all of Moderna, Inc.’s, according to London-based research firm Airfinity Ltd. Much of the world will be counting on UK drug maker AstraZeneca Plc, whose vaccine is cheaper and easier to distribute, along with other manufacturers such as China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd.

Of 42 countries rolling out COVID vaccines as of Jan. 8, 36 were high-income countries and the rest were middle-income, according to World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. A growing number of countries are pursuing their own supply deals, in addition to participating in a global collaboration known as Covax.

Urgency is increasing as the pandemic extends into a second year. New variants that surfaced in the UK, South Africa and Brazil appear to spread significantly faster than earlier versions. Just in the past month, a “new dimension of risk has opened up for the world,” said Rajeev Venkayya, president of Takeda Pharmaceutical Co.’s vaccines business.

Reducing deaths and illnesses has been seen as the main driver of delivering vaccines rapidly, said Mr. Venkayya, who worked in the George W. Bush administration to develop a US pandemic flu plan and directed vaccine delivery for the Gates Foundation.

“We now understand it’s also very, very important to control transmission,” he said, “not just to protect those most vulnerable populations, but also to reduce the evolutionary risk associated with this virus.”

While there’s no evidence to suggest the current crop of vaccines are ineffective against those variants, future mutants may be less responsive, Wellcome’s Mr. Weller said.

Drug makers say they could tweak their shots to counter new variants within weeks if needed. The likelihood that such adaptations will be necessary has increased, Mr. Venkayya said. 

“The longer the virus is allowed to continue in different parts of the world where we don’t have a vaccine,” said Anna Marriott, health policy adviser at the anti-poverty group Oxfam, “the greater the danger of new variants that could be more aggressive, more virulent or transmissible.”

COVID shots have been tested for their ability to prevent symptoms, not transmission. Still, their performance in clinical trials gives an indication of how effective they might be against spread.

EFFECTIVENESS GAP
The rollout of shots from Pfizer-BioNTech SE and Moderna that achieved efficacy levels of about 95% has raised questions about whether everyone will have access to such high levels of protection.

“The gap isn’t just about access to vaccines,” said Yanzhong Huang, senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations. “It’s also about access to effective vaccines.”

One of the shots lower- and middle-income countries are relying on, from AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, sparked worries in Australia that it may not be effective enough to generate herd immunity. Health authorities there, however, said they believe it will be comparable to the Pfizer and Moderna shots in preventing people from getting seriously ill.

The vaccine developed by the United Kingdom (UK) partners, introduced in the country earlier this month, delivered an average efficacy rate of 70%. That appeared to climb to 80% with a longer gap between doses, based on limited data available, according to regulators. Lengthening that period to as many as three months from one allows more people to get protected faster, while data show the level of antibodies also increases, an AstraZeneca spokesman said.

“An optimized regimen which allows the vaccination of many more people upfront, together with a robust supply chain, means we can have a real impact on the pandemic,” he said in an email.

Four vastly differing protection rates have been released on Sinovac’s shot, ranging from about 50% to more than 90%. The Chinese developer said the lower number seen in a trial in Brazil is due to participants being medical workers facing a high risk of contracting COVID.

“Despite the difference in efficacy rate, they all point to the vaccine’s ability for protection, especially against mid- and severe disease,” Sinovac said.

While the picture is still coming into focus, cleared vaccines are likely to be similarly effective in preventing serious sickness and death, said Takeda’s Mr. Venkayya. Where they could diverge is on side effects, the duration of protection and impact on transmission, an even more critical factor in light of new variants, he said.

Even shots with a lower efficacy level could have a considerable impact. US regulators set a 50% threshold for deeming a candidate effective. But they would require a higher percentage of people willing to get vaccinated to achieve herd immunity, Mr. Huang said.

If less-effective vaccines are distributed to emerging markets, it could have significant economic implications, too, and “sharpen differences in pandemic outcomes across countries,” Justin-Damien Guenette, a senior economist at the World Bank, wrote in an email.

Many countries are depending on Covax, which aims to deploy vaccines equitably to every corner of the planet. Yet not all lower- and middle-income nations are waiting for a lifeline. Countries such as South Africa and Malaysia are also pursuing their own supply deals through direct talks with manufacturers, and some regions are set to receive Pfizer’s vaccine as well.

‘LOSING PATIENCE’
“There seem to be indications that countries are losing patience,” said Mr. Huang of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Covax has secured access to almost 2 billion doses, with deliveries due to begin in the first quarter, and set a goal of vaccinating up to a fifth of countries’ populations by the end of the year. That’s far short of the levels of two-thirds or more that many nations are targeting. Some may not get vaccines until 2024, researchers estimate.

The mobilization is ramping up. India, a nation of more than 1.3 billion people, kicked off a massive inoculation drive on Saturday, an effort expected to encounter challenges as it extends into rural areas.

Vaccine advocates have called on rich countries to share while pushing companies to scale up manufacturing capacity. While it’s early, the trends are concerning, Mr. Venkayya said.

“Success is defined as getting vaccines to people everywhere,” he said, “and we’re not yet successful in that endeavor.” —  Bloomberg

Egypt unveils 3,000-year old coffins in latest archaeological discovery

CAIRO — Egypt has unveiled a significant new archaeological discovery at the Saqqara necropolis south of Cairo, including 54 wooden coffins, many of which can be traced back 3,000 years to the New Kingdom period.

The funerary temple of Queen Neit was also discovered near the pyramid of her husband, King Teti of Egypt’s 6th dynasty which dates back 4,200 years, said famed archaeologist Zahi Hawass, who headed the archaeological mission.

The coffins, or sarcophagi, include the first dating back to the New Kingdom to be found at Saqqara, a UNESCO world heritage site that is home to the Step Pyramid, the tourism and antiquities ministry said in a statement. Carved in human form and painted in bright colours, many of them are still intact.

Ancient games, statues, and masks were also found.

“All these discoveries will rewrite the history of Saqqara and the New Kingdom,” said Mr. Hawass.

Officials are keen to show off newly discovered artefacts as they try to revive visitor numbers after the tourism industry received a painful blow during the coronavirus pandemic. The number of tourists visiting the country dropped to 3.5 million last year from 13.1 million in 2019. — Reuters

Samsung’s Lee receives 30-month prison term in bribery trial

SEOUL — A South Korean court sentenced Samsung Electronics vice chairman Jay Y. Lee to two and a half years in prison, the court said on Monday, which will have major ramifications for his leadership of the tech giant as well as Korea’s views toward big business.

With this, Mr. Lee will be sidelined from major decision making at Samsung Electronics as it strives to overtake competitors, and from overseeing the process of inheritance from his father, who died in October, crucial to keeping control of Samsung.

Mr. Lee, 52, was convicted of bribing an associate of former President Park Geun-hye and jailed for five years in 2017. He denied wrongdoing, the sentence was reduced and suspended on appeal, and he was released after serving a year.

The Supreme Court then sent the case back to the Seoul High Court, which issued Monday’s ruling.

Under South Korean law, only a jail term of three years or fewer can be suspended. For longer sentences, the person must serve out the term barring a presidential pardon. With Mr. Lee returning to jail, the year he already served in detention is expected to count toward the sentence.

Monday’s sentencing can be appealed to the Supreme Court, but because the Supreme Court has already ruled on it once, chances are lower that is legal interpretation will change, legal experts said.

“In a case sent back by the Supreme Court, there is a narrower range of options for the judges’ bench… but it’s also true that the Supreme Court can’t really touch the final court’s sentencing,” said Rha Seung-chul, a lawyer not connected with the case. — Reuters

PBA ends historic ‘bubble’ season

Honoring players with outstanding performances

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo, Senior Reporter

THE Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) officially concluded its historic “bubble” season at the weekend with the handing out of special awards to standout performers across various categories.

In virtual ceremonies on Sunday, the league honored its players who it considers a big reason for the success of the lone PBA tournament — Philippine Cup — last year, done in extraordinary circumstances because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“The players did a lot of sacrifice and put a lot of hard work for the bubble to succeed and this is our way of repaying them for that,” said PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial of the special awards, which temporarily took the place of the traditional Leo Awards given at the start of every new season.

Philippine Cup champions Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings came away as the biggest winner in the special awards, with their players taking home the majority of the accolades.

Guard Stanley Pringle was adjudged best player of the conference and was named to the elite five roster of the bubble. Prince Caperal was the most improved player, with Scottie Thompson winning the sportsmanship award.

While he was outside of the top five in statistical points, Mr. Pringle made a strong case for himself for the top award by being a steady force for the Kings throughout the bubble at Clark City in Angeles, Pampanga, held from October till December.

In winning his first-ever BPC award, Mr. Pringle, 33, narrowly beat Matthew Wright of the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters, 1,640 total points to 1,578.

The Kings guard got a boost from the player (67) and PBA Office (300) votes, which combined accounted for 30% of the criteria, where he finished on top. He had 641 points from statistics (sixth) and second in media votes with 632.

Mr. Wright, however, joined Mr. Pringle in the elite five. Also part of the distinguished group are Japeth Aguilar of Barangay Ginebra, JP Erram of the TNT Tropang Giga, and Calvin Abueva of Phoenix Super LPG.

In accepting his award, Mr. Pringle said the honor given to him goes to his teammates as well.

“As far as awards, your teammates are going to put you in a position to win, so it’s just as much as their award as yours. So shout out to all my teammates. That’s it, it’s their award, too,” he said.

Mr. Caperal, meanwhile, also had it close in winning the most improved player award, edging out Phoenix Super LPG’s Justin Chua.

A journeyman early in his career, he played in the shadows of more established stars in Barangay Ginebra until he broke out in the PBA bubble.

With Greg Slaughter deciding to take a sabbatical from the game, Arellano University product Caperal was thrust to a more significant role and instantly made an impact.

He averaged just 1.2 points and 1.5 rebounds a game in the previous season, but went on to tally averages of 9.64 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 23 minutes of play per game in the elimination round of the Philippine Cup.

His ability to hit shots from the outside, including triples, gave the Kings’ attack added dimension as they eventually went on to bag the lone PBA title in 2020.

Mr. Caperal beat out Mr. Chua, 2,447 points to 2,096.

In winning the sportsmanship award, do-it-all Thompson gave honor to past winner Gabe Norwood of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters.

“I’m just following his (Norwood) footsteps to play the game the right way. I’m just happy and feel truly blessed,” he said.

Mr. Norwood was also up for the award, along with CJ Perez of the Terrafirma Dyip, Mr. Abueva and Kevin Alas of the NLEX Road Warriors.

Meanwhile, Aaron Black of the Meralco Bolts made history by being the lowest drafted player to win the top rookie award.

Picked 18th overall in the 2019 draft, Mr. Aaron, son of Meralco coach Norman Black, dislodged Larry Fonacier, who was Red Bull’s 14th pick when he won Rookie of the Year honors in 2005, for the distinction.

“It’s definitely a great feeling. This will definitely push me to work even harder for the next conference. Looking forward to what we have in store for Meralco,” said Mr. Black, who posted averages of 6.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 18 games in his rookie season.

The next season of the PBA is targeted to start in April. Whether it will be done in another bubble is still being determined.

Philippines Football League gearing up for new season

HAVING successfully survived a season greatly disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic last year, the Philippines Football League (PFL) is now gearing up to get back into action, conditions permitting, by April.

In the league’s recent virtual season kickoff, it was announced that the 2021 season of the PFL is targeted to start in the second quarter of the year with the Copa Paulino Alcantara — the league’s Cup competition.

This is to allow the teams to ease their way back into the competition and give them and the players flexibility to focus as well on several international tournaments also lined up for the year like the American Football Conference (AFC) Champions League, AFC Cup, and the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.

It is still being determined if just like season, the tournament will be conducted in a “bubble” setting since the coronavirus is still an ongoing concern.

But the league said it is committed to bringing the games, powered by Qatar Airways, to the fans despite the challenging situation.

For the competing PFL teams, the planned early start of the season is welcome news as it will allow them to be on the field more and play the game.

“We’re all one here in wanting to play sooner rather than later,” said Kaya FC-Iloilo general manager Paul Tolentino. “The right setup must be agreed by all the stakeholders and having the Cup will allow us more preparation and active competition.”

The teams have also decided to conduct joint tryouts in the coming weeks, gathering aspiring players together and for them to scout for fresh talent.

It is also hoped that through the tryouts, the league will be afforded the opportunity to be received better by more fans and stakeholders.

Last season proved to be a tough one for the PFL, with the league only managing to stage one tournament, done in a bubble setting at the Philippine Football Federation National Training Center in Carmona, Cavite, and participants adhering to strict health and safety protocols to guard against the spread of the coronavirus.

Official home of the team was the Seda Hotel Nuvali in Santa Rosa, Laguna.

Six teams competed in the bubble, namely, eventual champion United City Football Club (formerly Ceres-Negros FC), Kaya, Azkals Development Team, Maharlika Manila FC, Stallion Laguna FC, and Mendiola FC 1991.

The PFL is hoping to attract more teams to join the league this year. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Team Honda bares motorcycle activities and initiatives for 2021

HONDA Motor Co. recently announced its motorcycle activities and initiatives for 2021.

In a release, Honda said despite the challenges still presented by the coronavirus pandemic, it will continue with its push in sharing the fun and joy of riding a motorcycle and competing.

Among its planned activities is vying in the most prestigious motorcycle races in the world, including in various races in different categories in Japan and in other regions around the world. It said everyone involved in Honda motorsports like the riders, engineers, mechanics and other team members, is determined to work as “Team Honda” and compete collectively in full force.

In the 2020 season, Honda won the Dakar Rally for the first time in 31 years. Honda also achieved the 800th FIM*1 World Championship Grand Prix victory while winning championship titles in the premier classes of the International Motorcycling Federation (FIM) Motocross World Championship and the FIM Trial World Championship as well.

This year, the team had a good start, winning anew the Dakar Rally, which took place from Jan. 3 to 15.

It is also looking to do well at the FIM Superbike World Championship later this year.

In addition, Honda will compete in the FIM Endurance World Championship and the FIM World Championship of the AMA*4 Supercross Championship. Moreover, in Japan and many other countries and regions, teams formed by local Honda subsidiaries and dealers will participate and strive to win championship titles in the road race, motocross and trial categories.

INITIATIVES
As far as new initiatives, starting this year, Honda said it will begin the Honda Superbike Challenge Program, which is designed to support riders who compete in road race championships around the world to further advance themselves.

Under the program, Ryu Mizuno who competed in the JSB 1000 class of the MFJ*5 All-Japan Road Race Championship last year with MuSASHi RT HARC-PRO. Honda team, will begin competing in the British Superbike Championship this season.

Honda, too, will continue to push for the development of young riders. In the 2021 season, the group is still supporting Honda Team Asia, which will compete in the Moto2 and Moto3 classes of MotoGP.

In the Philippines, Honda is a strong supporter of motorcycle racing through Honda Pilipinas Dream Cup.

Unfortunately, last year the competition was cancelled because of the pandemic with a return eyed for this year.

The 2020 Honda Pilipinas Dream Cup was supposed to happen from May to October. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Jordan Clarkson, Utah Jazz fend off Denver Nuggets

IT didn’t follow the script from a memorable 2020 first-round series, but the visiting Utah Jazz earned a bit of revenge and their fifth win in a row by defeating the Denver Nuggets (109-105) in an entertaining rivalry showdown on Sunday night.

Jordan Clarkson, not Donovan Mitchell, led the Jazz with a team-high 23 points off the bench. Mitchell, who averaged 36.3 points against the Nuggets in their seven-game, first-round series last summer, finished with 18 points after a rough start.

Bojan Bogdanović, who couldn’t play against Denver in the playoffs because of a wrist injury, was a bright spot for Utah with 17 points.

Rudy Gobert contributed 15 points and 13 rebounds, Mike Conley added 14 points and eight assists, and Georges Niang provided valuable backup minutes and scored 11 as Utah won its seventh road game.

Nikola Jokić continued his torrid start to the season with 35 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists, but Denver fell behind early, finally took a lead, but couldn’t fend off the Jazz in the second half.

Jamal Murray picked up where he left off against the Jazz, whom the Nuggets beat three straight times to advance after falling behind 3-1. The Denver guard, who had a pair of 50-point games and averaged 31.6 points in the first round, scored 24 points in the opening half. His offensive explosion and a 9-0 run helped the Nuggets take a 58-53 halftime lead.

However, Murray didn’t score in the third quarter and finished with 30 points after the red-hot first half.

Denver pulled within 94-92 thanks to a Jokić basket, but Derrick Favors followed with a three-point play and Mitchell attacked the basket as Utah went ahead 103-94.

The Nuggets clawed back to within one with a late 7-0 run, but Mitchell hit a tough turnaround shot and then Royce O’Neale sank two free throws and made a game-clinching assist to Gobert in the final seconds.

The Jazz held a lead for most of the first half, going ahead by as many as 10 points, despite Murray’s blistering start and a quiet two quarters by Mitchell. The Jazz’s All-Star guard only scored two points before the break on 1-of-10 shooting and six misses beyond the arc. — Reuters

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