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Senator joins call to lift deployment ban on nurses

A SENATOR on Thursday pushed for the lifting of the deployment ban imposed on healthcare workers during the coronavirus pandemic, which has mainly affected nurses who already have contracts for work overseas.

“The travel ban hostages their chance to have a decent work-life balance and give their families a better future,” Senator Maria Lourdes Nancy S. Binay, vice chairperson of the labor committee, said in a statement on Thursday.

The ban, ordered by the national task force handling the coronavirus response, was adopted by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) in April.

Ms. Binay said the restriction should be lifted unless the government can offer them a “competitive compensation.”

The task force imposed the ban to supposedly ensure the adequacy of health care workers as the country grapples with the pandemic.

The Department of Health (DoH) on Tuesday said they projected some 16,500 health workers are needed, but has so far approved only 10,468 slots for hiring.

As of Aug. 24, only 7,850 have been hired with DoH officials previously admitting that there has been a dearth of applicants.

Ms. Binay, citing a 2017 DoH data, said there are 750,000 licensed medical professionals in the country, including 204,437 who are active in the health sector. — Charmaine A. Tadalan 

Nationwide round-up

3,249 new COVID cases recorded, Metro Manila still highest

THE DEPARTMENT of Health reported 3,249 confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases on Thursday, bringing the country’s total to 205,581. The death toll increased by 97 to 3,234 while recoveries rose by 566 to 133,990. There were 68,357 active cases, 91.3% of which were mild, 6.6% did not show symptoms, 0.8% were severe, and 1.2% were critical. Of the new cases, 1,584 were from Metro Manila, 147 from Cavite, 143 from Laguna, 140 from Negros Occidental, and 123 from Batangas. Metro Manila also had the highest number of newly reported deaths with 63, followed by Calabarzon region with 15, Zamboanga Peninsula with seven, Central Visayas with five, Central Luzon with three, two were repatriates and one each were from Western Visayas and Davao regions. More than 2.2 million individuals have been tested for COVID-19. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

P3B set for ‘smart campuses’

A P3 billion fund has been allocated to establish “smart campuses” for state universities under the Bayanihan 2 bill, which only needs the signature of the President to become law. Commission on Higher Education Chairman Prospero E. De Vera III, in a briefing on Thursday, said the proposed budget will ensure that public universities have “connectivity” as flexible learning systems are implemented amid the continued coronavirus outbreak. There are over 100 state universities and colleges in the country. Mr. De vera further said P300 million was also set as assistance to part-time teachers and non-teaching staff who were not able to avail of aid during the first Bayanihan law. — Gillian M. Cortez

78 immigration staff COVID-positive

THE NUMBER of Bureau of Immigration employees who have tested positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has reached 78. In a statement on Thursday, Immigration Commissioner Jaime H. Morente said of the infected employees, 29 have recovered and only one was hospitalized. The others who have mild or did not show symptoms are in quarantine facilities, he said. “We are still fortunate that none of our workers have succumbed to this virus,” Mr. Morente said. Immigration Medical Section Chief Marites Ambray said 76 other employees have been ordered to isolate as they had exposure to confirmed patients. The bureau’s main office in Manila has launched an online appointment system to better implement health safety measures. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

ARTA finds most cellular tower applications to be incomplete

ONLY 122 out of over 1,500 applications for cellular towers had complete requirements and the resulting delays were not due to inaction by local government units (LGUs), according to the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA).

In a Laging Handa briefing Thursday, ARTA Director General Jeremiah B. Belgica said companies should be “fair” when accusing LGUs of sitting on their applications, when their own compliance may be lacking in terms of documentary requirements and payment.

“Nagbigay ng listahan ng telcos sa atin ng 1,571 applications na submissions according sa kanila. Noong ating ito sinuri, ang lumabas ay 122 lang sa mga list nila na pending na kumpleto na at bayad. Kaya kailangan maging fair sila minsan na mabagal ang mga LGUs (The telcos gave us a list of 1,571 applications that have been filed. When we evaluated them, what came out is only 122 on that pending list had complete documents and were paid up. We need to be fair sometimes with LGUs that are slow),” he said.

The 122 completed applications are from across 44 LGUs. He said that the ARTA has sent 55 orders to the LGUs to submit compliance reports, receiving 21 reports so far. The submitted reports cover 47 applications in total, with seven applications deemed qualified for automatic approval, based on the processing times prescribed by the Ease of Doing Business Law.

Mr. Beligica said starting next week, ARTA will be holding a summary hearing to address the claims and counter-claims of LGUs and the telecommunication companies regarding these applications before issuing certificates of automatic approval.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte warned LGUs earlier this month over delays in the application process for cell towers and ordered the streamlining of the application process. He also called on telecommunication companies to improve signal and connection especially when reliance on their services is high during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. — Gillian M. Cortez

PHL download speeds improve during pandemic

OPENSIGNAL, a UK-based wireless coverage mapping company, said Wednesday that download speeds and the availability of fourth-generation (4G) network services in the Philippines improved in the first half of the year despite greater reliance on the system during the pandemic.

The average download speed experienced by Filipinos in the first three months rose 21.43% to 8.5 megabits per second (Mbps), from 7 Mbps a year earlier.

The download speed for the second quarter increased 2.67% to 7.7 Mbps.

“Operators in countries with high GDP (gross domestic product) per capita find it easier to invest in the latest network equipment and the cost of rolling out networks in countries with low population densities is higher in those where the population lives only in dense urban areas,” it noted.

“We previously found that when a user’s download speed experience is compared with GDP per capita, the Philippines is in the middle of the pack,” it added.

OpenSignal said that between the last quarter of 2017 and the first quarter of 2020, the average download speeds observed by users of Globe Telecom, Inc. and Smart Communications, Inc. increased by “3.5 Mbps (84.2%) and 4.3 Mbps (78.1%), respectively.”

“Smart has consistently been in the lead for this measure of the mobile network experience,” OpenSignal noted.

OpenSignal said an important contributing factor was the improvement in the availability of 4G.

“4G availability rises as operators invest in their 4G networks and it is very sensitive in this regard, as the most common dead zones users struggle with occur indoors and this is where most of our availability data is collected. Given that 4G speeds far exceed those typically seen on 3G, an increase in 4G availability is typically associated with a rise in average download speeds,” it explained.

“Between Q4 2017 and Q2 2020, the 4G availability seen by our Filipino users rose by 19.5 percentage points and pushed past the 80% mark. Our users in the Philippines have also seen at least 10 consecutive quarters of improvement in the proportion of time that they spend connected to 4G,” it added.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte in his recent State of the Nation Address threatened to shut down telecommunications companies if they fail to improve their service by December. A subsequent meeting with industry officials identified local governments as the bottleneck.

“As we’ve seen, the mobile network experience of our users in the Philippines has improved significantly in terms of both download speed experience and 4G availability since the start of 2018. However, should the Philippines wish to accelerate this trend then one possible approach would be to draw on some of the actions taken by regulators from around the world to ensure that speeds remained resilient despite the increased load on telecommunications networks that was triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic — such as increasing the availability of spectrum and cutting red tape,” OpenSignal said.

The Anti-Red Tape Authority recently ordered local governments to release pending permits for telecommunications towers, applying the rules of the Ease of Doing Business Law to remove bottlenecks in the tower permit process.

Smart is the wireless unit of PLDT, Inc. 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

Grant Thornton launches advisory services for retailers expanding in ASEAN

GRANT THORNTON said it has launched a service to help retail businesses relocate or expand to Southeast Asia in the wake of the pandemic and continued trade tensions between the United States and China.

The professional services company is offering advisory services to medium and large enterprises looking to invest in ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries.

In a statement Thursday, Grant Thornton said its experts in various countries can offer business insights on risk and cost management, investment returns, and cultural differences.

“We offer seamless cross-border services to all the medium to large enterprises looking for opportunities to expand their retail businesses across the ASEAN region,” P&A Grant Thornton Chief Executive Officer and Chairperson Marivic Espano said.

The company offers auditing, tax, and advisory services with member firms in Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia.

Ms. Espano said that companies must focus on liquidity, cost management, and debt and restructuring to restore value for their businesses as lockdown restrictions are eased.

The company recently produced “Retail: Navigating the Impact of COVID-19, in which it concluded that the pandemic could have effects beyond a shift to online retail.

“If a significant number of businesses decide to retain homeworking as an operating model, the number of commuters could reduce as well,” the report said.

The company recommended that retailers grow their online presence and nurture a loyal customer base.

The Philippine Retailers Association said that it is seeing some improvement in demand as Metro Manila restrictions are eased, but still expects consumption to be below pre-pandemic levels due to a lack of public transport and customer reluctance to go shopping. — Jenina P. Ibañez

Surveying for 2020 census to start in September

AFTER a four-month delay due to the pandemic, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said it will start conducting the census on Sept. 1, with results set to be published in the early second quarter of next year.

“Kami ay nakipag-coordinate sa mga local executives… kung may mga areas or households na medyo high risk, ito po ay aming iiwasan muna. Babalik na lamang ang aming mga enumerators kapag okay na, (We have held discussions with local executives… If there are areas or households that are deemed high risk, those will be avoided in the meantime. Our enumerators will get back to them once it is safe,” National Statistician Claire Dennis S. Mapa said during an online press briefing Thursday.

The census, according to Mr. Mapa, will run from Sept. 1-30. The census was originally scheduled for May 4 to June 1, but had to be delayed due to the pandemic.

PSA will report the results of the census, formally known as the Census of Population and Housing (CPH) in April or May next year, Mr. Mapa said.

Data collection will be carried out through face-to-face interviews; self-administered questionnaires; over the phone or paper-assisted telephone interviews; and computer-aided web interviews.

More than 100,000 enumerators and Census supervisors will conduct the census and will follow health and safety protocols by wearing face masks and observing physical distancing, among others. Census interviews are expected to take 15 to 30 minutes per household.

Among the data to be gathered are sex, age, marital status, education, religion, ethnicity, disability, occupation, and births and deaths. Information on the main sources of water, electricity, fuel resources, garbage disposal, toilet facility, ICT devices, vehicles, and internet access will also be collected.

The 2020 CPH is the 15th census of population and the seventh census of housing to be undertaken since the first one in 1903.

The last census was performed in 2015, showing a population of 100.98 million, against 92.34 million tallied in 2010.

The population was last estimated at 108.77 million as of July, according to the Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM), which issued its tally on Dec. 27, up 1.38% from a year earlier.

In the same report, POPCOM cited a moderating trend in population growth running for more than two decades. Growth is seen at 1.52% in the last half of the decade, against 1.73% between 2010 and 2015. — Jobo E. Hernandez

DA urges LGUs to add chicken in relief packs

LOCAL GOVERNMENT units (LGUs) were urged to include chicken in their relief packs for vulnerable communities to address the supply glut and normalize prices, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said.

Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar encouraged LGUs to help address appeals from members of the United Broiler Raisers Association for government support due to weak demand, which has increased the surplus of chicken meat during the pandemic.

“The inclusion of fresh chicken in the relief goods would raise demand and increase the farmgate prices of broilers. We need to explore new markets to prop up demand, after a great number of food establishments and restaurants have discontinued or reduced their operations,” Mr. Dar said.

In addition, Mr. Dar said the DA is in talks with the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) about possible markets for the surplus chicken.

Mr. Dar said that Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III is open to including chicken under the DoLE’s employment assistance program.

“We will also present the proposal to the DSWD to include chicken meat in their relief food packs,” Mr. Dar said.

According to the DA, the food packs distributed by the national government consist of mostly shelf-stable goods like rice, sardines, noodles, and sugar. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave

DA to promote crops harvestable in as little as one month

QUICK-TO-HARVEST crops that can generate income in as little as one month will be a focus of the Department of Agriculture (DA) to ensure the stability of the food supply, Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar said.

Mr. Dar said the DA will push for emergency or “short-gestating” food production with farmers’ cooperatives and associations, the private sector, and local government units.

“In addition to vegetable production, we will promote raising of native chicken, quail, and goat, including cattle feedlot fattening, and aquaculture, among other agri-livelihood projects that can be harvested, as early as one month,” Mr. Dar said.

Mr. Dar said such products can generate income in the shortest possible time for producers.

Mr. Dar said the pending Bayanihan to Recover As One Act (Bayanihan II) economic stimulus bill, which aims to kick-start the economy, will include projects for the agriculture sector.

Projects to be funded by the P165.5-billion stimulus package include agri-fishery productivity and income-enhancement projects, social protection and amelioration initiatives, and cash assistance for vulnerable communities.

The proposed funding will also seek to create jobs and cash-for-work opportunities for the unemployed.

“All this will stimulate consumer spending, and that must be supported by sustained food production,” Mr. Dar said. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave

Palay farmgate price drops 0.1% in mid-August — PSA

THE AVERAGE farmgate price of palay, or unmilled rice, fell 0.1% week-on-week to P18.35 per kilogram in the second week of August, with the price climbing 4.1% from a year earlier, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said.

In its weekly update of palay, rice, and corn prices, the PSA said the average wholesale price of well-milled rice fell 0.03% to P38.97 while the average retail price fell 0.1% to P42.45.

The average wholesale price of regular-milled rice fell 0.03% to P35.41 while the retail price fell 0.1% to P38.16.

The farmgate price of yellow corn grain rose 0.4% week-on-week to P12.94.

The average wholesale price of yellow corn grain rose 1.4% to P21.38 while the retail price rose 0.4% to P25.79.

The farmgate price of white corn grain fell 0.1% to P14.27.

The average wholesale price of white corn grain rose 2.8% to P18.13 while the retail price was flat at P28.30

The PSA released two weeks’ worth of data in its latest report. During the first week of August, the average farmgate price of palay fell 1.2% week-on-week to P18.36 per kilogram – with prices up 3.6% year-on-year.

The farmgate price of yellow corn grain rose 0.3% to P12.89, while the price of white corn grain fell 0.1% to P14.29. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave

RCEP trade deal signing expected by November

MOST OF the outstanding issues in a 15-country regional trade deal including Asia’s largest economies have been resolved with a signing expected in November, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said in a statement.

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is a trade pact between all 10 ASEAN countries and major trading partners Australia, China, New Zealand, Japan, and South Korea. India has backed out of the agreement.

Participating countries resolved “almost all remaining outstanding issues of the trade deal” after a virtual meeting held on Thursday, the DTI said.

The trade ministers remained open to the participation of India in the deal. India had opted out due to concerns about the deal’s potential repercussions on vulnerable sectors like farmers and small businesses.

Without India, RCEP accounts for 30% of the world’s population or 28.2% of global GDP. Talks on the partnership began in 2012.

Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez said that the agreement is more comprehensive than other free trade agreements involving ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations).

“The conclusion of RCEP negotiations is a (sign) that notwithstanding the current pandemic, many great things can be accomplished, such as the affirmation of an international rules-based system for trade and investment in the region.”

In November, Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Le Yucheng said that the text-based negotiations and issues of market access have been concluded.

The Philippines’ lead negotiator and DTI Assistant Secretary Allan B. Gepty said that RCEP will enhance market access for trade and investment.

“This means that the Philippines can improve its export competitiveness in key products such as garments, automotive parts, and agricultural products like canned food and preserved fruits, while encouraging more investment in vital sectors such as research and development, financial services, game development, and IT-BPO,” he said. — Jenina P. Ibañez

NBA puts off games after Bucks boycott, other sports follow suit

THE NATIONAL Basketball Association (NBA) postponed all three playoff games on Wednesday after the Milwaukee Bucks boycotted Game 5 of their series against the Orlando Magic to protest racial injustice, triggering similar moves across other sports.

The action by the Wisconsin-based team follows the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in the city of Kenosha, also in Wisconsin, on Sunday.

Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer and the Women’s NBA also postponed games, while two-times tennis Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka joined the protests by pulling out of a tournament after reaching the semi-finals.

The Bucks players said in a statement they were unable to focus on basketball due to the events in Kenosha.

“Over the last few days in our home state of Wisconsin we have seen the horrendous video of Jacob Blake being shot in the back seven times by a police officer in Kenosha and the additional shooting of protesters,” they said.

“Despite the overwhelming plea for change there has been no action so our focus today cannot be on basketball.”

In addition to the Bucks-Magic game, the NBA said the Houston Rockets-Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers-Portland Trail Blazers games would be rescheduled.

“WE DEMAND CHANGE. SICK OF IT,” tweeted LeBron James, the four-times NBA Most Valuable Player.

Former US President Barack Obama praised the Bucks in a Twitter post that included a video clip of an emotional Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers talking about Blake.

“I commend the players on the @Bucks for standing up for what they believe in, coaches like @DocRivers, and the @NBA and @WNBA for setting an example. It’s going to take all our institutions to stand up for our values,” wrote Obama.

‘SHINE A LIGHT’
Major League Baseball postponed games in Milwaukee, San Diego and San Francisco scheduled for Wednesday while Major League Soccer decided to postpone the five remaining games on its schedule.

“Given the pain in the communities of Wisconsin and beyond following the shooting of Jacob Blake, we respect the decisions of a number of players not to play tonight,” MLB said in a statement.

The WNBA also postponed three games scheduled for Wednesday. Players on the reigning WNBA champion Washington Mystics wore T-shirts that depicted seven bloody bullet holes on their backs.

World number 10 tennis player Osaka withdrew from a U.S. Open tune-up tournament after she reached the semi-finals.

“As a Black woman I feel as though there are much more important matters at hand that need immediate attention, rather than watching me play tennis,” Osaka said.

Kenosha has been rocked by civil unrest and violence since Sunday, when police shot Blake, 29, in the back at close range in an incident captured on video. Blake is paralyzed and is being treated for his injuries.

A 17-year-old identified as Kyle Rittenhouse was arrested and charged with homicide on Wednesday in connection with gunfire that killed two people and wounded a third during a third night of protests on Tuesday.

The Magic, who trail 3-1 in the best-of-seven, first-round series, left the court when it was clear the Bucks were not going to play. Beyoncé’s song “Freedom” rang out in the empty Orlando arena as the clock counting down to the start of the game ran out.

The Bucks ownership said they were not aware ahead of time of what the players were planning but supported them.

“The only way to bring about change is to shine a light on racial injustices that are happening in front of us,” co-owners Marc Lasry, Wes Edens and Jamie Dinan said in a statement. Athletes from around the world have united behind anti-racism protests sparked by the death of George Floyd, a Black man in police custody in Minneapolis in May.

Since the NBA restarted its COVID-19 hit season in a bubble-like campus at Disney World in Florida, courts have the words “Black Lives Matter” painted on them and many players are wearing jerseys with social justice slogans. — Reuters

Return of workouts a big first step, says Ginebra Kings’ Cone

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo, Senior Reporter

THE PHILIPPINE Basketball Association (PBA) held team workouts for the first time this week after months of on-court inactivity and it was warmly welcomed by stakeholders.

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings coach Tim Cone, for one, viewed it as a “big step” in the pro league’s push to resume and save what is left of the currently suspended season.

“We had our first practice this week and it’s good to see players back on the court. It’s only by small groups but it’s still awesome. And that’s the first big step back into what we have done,” said Mr. Cone during “The Champion Within” webinar hosted by Manulife Philippines on Wednesday.

“It was the first practice we had since March and that’s amazing. In my 30 years in coaching in the PBA I never had more than a week or two off throughout my whole career. And now we have five to six months off. So we’re really excited to get back,” he added.

The Kings were looking to do well in the All-Filipino Cup until the coronavirus pandemic suspended tournament proceedings on March 11.

Mr. Cone has not won the All-Filipino title since the 2013-14 season with San Mig Coffee while the Kings last took home the crown in the 2006-07 season, adding further fuel for both coach and the team to end the drought.

The PBA has been very busy trying to have the season back, eyeing an October return to action.

It has been working and cooperating with pertinent government agencies and other groups to make the return push a success, including in possibly holding the matches in a bubble like what the National Basketball Association (NBA) is doing.  

The NBA resumed on July 31 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida, after suspending its own season for four months and is proving to be successful as not one case of the coronavirus has been reported to date.

For the planned PBA bubble, among the places being considered to host the teams and the games are the Smart-Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, Clark in Pampanga and the Inspire Sports Academy in Laguna. Also being considered as locations are Batangas and Subic, Zambales.

Mr. Cone said he would love to see the planned PBA bubble come to fruition but admits many things have to be considered.

“I think the bubble is a possibility. There are a lot of things that go into it, particularly financially. Teams have to get hold of it really and weigh things to make sense of it all,” said the winningest coach with 22 league titles.

“But there is no doubt we want to get back to work. It’s a game we have passion for and want to play. And I hope this bubble thing becomes a fruition wherever that may be. I hope it happens and we get back to work,” he added.

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