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Government to add 200 more ICU beds before reopening

PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS

THE HEALTH department is in talks with an Austrian company for orders of about 200 more intensive care unit (ICU) beds as the country prepares for the reopening of the economy, according to the Presidential Palace.

Presidential spokesman Herminio “Harry” L. Roque, Jr. issued the statement on Tuesday after the Philippines reportedly missed its chance to secure hundreds of hospital beds last year, which supposedly resulted in a shouting match during a recent emergency Cabinet meeting.

“There was no shouting match because what the Philippines really needs now are ICU beds,” he told a televised news briefing in Filipino.

Mr. Roque said the government had not considered the Austrian company’s original offer because the deal was only for 15 ICU beds. He added that the foreign company was expected to submit its new proposal this week.

He said the company had identified the hospitals that would get the ICU beds for coronavirus patients.

He noted that the economy would only reopen if the country had enough beds for coronavirus patients.

The palace official earlier said the government had intended to put up more ICU beds for coronavirus patients with severe symptoms so quarantines could be relaxed by next month. The state wanted to add 200 more ICU beds on top of 176 beds pledged by hospitals in Metro Manila.

“If the country’s doesn’t run out of ICU beds and it’s obvious now that we won’t run out of isolation beds and temporary treatment and monitoring facilities, there is a reason to open up the economy,” Mr. Roque said in Filipino.

It’s cheaper to set up more ICU beds rather than lock the economy down, he said, citing government economic managers.

Mr. Roque said the government expects the use rate of ICU beds in Metro Manila to fall to 60% from 72% as of April 26.

Meanwhile, two more hospitals were given a compassionate special permit to use the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin as a treatment for coronavirus, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said.  

There were now five facilities allowed to use the drug against the COVID-19 virus under a special permit, FDA Director-General Rolando Enrique D. Domingo said in a mobile phone message.

A compassionate special permit is given in cases when doctors can’t give a patient anything else for treatment, he told the ABS-CBN News Channel. Ivermectin is being used by the hospitals mainly for patients with moderate symptoms, he added.

Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña last week said the Philippines would hold trials to determine whether ivermectin could be used to treat the coronavirus.

The Department of Health and FDA earlier said there was no evidence that ivermectin could cut deaths among patients with mild to severe COVID-19 cases.

Ivermectin did not also significantly reduce the duration of hospitalization based on some studies, they said. Health authorities also said the rate of hospitalization discharge “did not differ significantly” between those that were given the drug and the placebo group.

There was also no evidence that ivermectin could prevent coronavirus infections, they said, citing the World Health Organization.

The agencies said ivermectin products registered in the country were for veterinary use and were only allowed to treat animals suffering from parasites and heartworm.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte has ordered the FDA to lead the government’s campaign against the illegal sale of the veterinary drug ivermectin, which is being repackaged in the Philippines as a treatment against the coronavirus, Mr. Roque said last week. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza and Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Amend baseline law, Palace tells Congress

PHILSTAR FILE PHOTO

Congress should change the country’s 13-year old baseline law so the Philippines could better assert its rights in the South China Sea, according to the Presidential Palace.

The Archipelagic Baselines Law weakened Philippine claims to the waterway by redefining the country’s internal waters as “archipelagic waters,” presidential spokesman Herminio “Harry” L. Roque, Jr. told a televised news briefing on Tuesday.

The law declares the Philippines as an archipelagic state and uses the straight baseline method to set up sea boundaries with neighboring coastal states.

Mr. Roque has said the law, passed in 2009 to comply with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), cut the area of the country’s territorial sea.

He added that UNCLOS had not been effective in deterring Chinese presence in the South China Sea because it only covers territorial waters, not islands.

A new law should be created to adopt the principle of boundaries laid down in the 1898 Treaty of Paris, he said.

The treaty, through which Spain ceded the Philippines to the United States, defines the Philippine archipelago as having a rectangular shape, measuring about 600 miles in width and 1,200 miles in length, according to a study published by the University of Wollongong in Australia.

“Maybe we need to create a new archipelagic laws where we can assert the Treaty of Paris boundaries and the additional territories as part of our sovereign rights based on UNCLOS,” Mr. Roque said in Filipino. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

SolGen: PHL needs anti-terror law to avoid FATF blacklist

PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS

THE government’s top lawyer stressed the country’s need for the anti-terror law to avoid getting blacklisted by the Paris-based anti-money laundering watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) for non-compliance or just partial compliance with its international obligations to fight terrorism.

In Tuesday’s Supreme Court hearing on the 37 cases filed against the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, Solicitor General Jose C. Calida reiterated earlier pronouncements that being blacklisted will give the Philippines limited access to international banking and financial services as well as increase the cost of business operations, remittances, and loan interests.

Mr. Calida cited that “the Philippines is the only Southeast Asian country in the list of the 10 countries most impacted by terrorism” based on the 2020 Global Terrorism Index.

As such, he said a “stronger and more responsive law” is needed.

He added that the Philippines’ status has already been upgraded partly because of the passage of the anti-terror law last year, and the government is now waiting for the FATF’s confirmation.

Anti-Money Laundering Council Secretariat Executive Director Mel Georgie B. Racela said last year that the Philippines should “demonstrate effective implementation of the Anti-Terror Act before the observation period ends in Feb. 2021” to avoid being blacklisted.

The FATF’s website states that countries included in the blacklist are “high-risk jurisdictions (that) have significant strategic deficiencies in their regimes to counter money laundering, terrorist financing, and financing of proliferation.”

The 37 petitions filed by various sectors against the anti-terror law question the constitutionality of certain provisions and vagueness of the expanded definition of terrorism, among other issues. — Bianca Angelica D. Añago

Labor alliance presses for inclusion of COVID-19 in compensable disease list

PHILIPPINE STAR/EDD GUMBAN

THE COUNTRY’S largest labor union is pressing for the declaration of coronavirus as a compensable disease, citing the risk faced by workers amid the continued rise in cases.

In a statement Tuesday, the Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) said it sent a letter to the Employers Compensation Commission (ECC) stressing the importance of adding coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) to the list of 32 occupational and work-related compensable diseases.

“More than a year into the declaration of the national state of emergency amid the onslaught of COVID-19, thousands of ECC members in private and public sectors have succumbed to the fury of COVID-19 following their exposure to the virus at the workplace and while performing their work,” the group’s National Executive Vice President Gerard Seno said.

The letter was sent jointly with the Building and Woodworkers International.

ALU-TUCP said survivors of the virus have experienced added financial burden due to medical costs and loss of income.

WAGE SUBSIDY
Another labor group, meanwhile, called on the government to grant a P100 daily wage subsidy to workers in Metro Manila affected by the ongoing stricter quarantine rules.

In a statement in Filipino on Tuesday, Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) Secretary General Jerome Adonis said the value of wages has eroded due to the increasing prices of basic goods.

The National Capital Region last had a wage increase in 2018, the KMU noted. The current daily minimum wage is P537 for private sector workers.

Lawmakers belonging to the Makabayan bloc has filed House Bill 9262, which will provide an emergency daily wage subsidy of P100 to 23 million workers.

Bayan Muna Rep. Ferdinand R. Gaite said the current minimum wage rate is below its actual value, citing a study of IBON Foundation.

“The government must take action to increase the unjust wages that workers receive. Amid the continuing rise in prices of basic goods and the worsening situation of the workers, this P100 daily subsidy will be a big help,” he said in a statement in Filipino. — Gillian M. Cortez

Two Filipinos in India die of COVID-19 

PHILSTAR

ABOUT 20 Filipinos in India have been infected with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) amid a second wave of infections in the Southeast Asian country triggered by a double-mutant variant, Manila’s ambassador to Delhi said on Tuesday.

Of the total cases, two have already died within less than a week, Ambassador Ramon S. Bagatsing, Jr. told a televised news briefing. “It is really bad here,” he said.

Mr. Bagatsing said the migrant Filipinos tested positive for COVID-19 on April 23 and died three days later.

“Parang traydor talaga itong virus na ito. Ang buong India ay naghihirap (This virus is really like a traitor. The whole of India is suffering),” he said.

Meanwhile, the envoy urged the Philippine government to impose a ban on the entry of travellers from India.

“We cannot underestimate this virus. Definitely, if other countries are stopping the travel of Indians to their countries, that is something our government should seriously consider,” he said.

The proposed travel ban on India would be discussed in the meeting of the government’s pandemic task force on April 27, Presidential spokesperson Herminio “Harry” L. Roque, Jr. said. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

Justice chief says law needed to define, criminalize ‘red-tagging’

PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS

JUSTICE Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra urged Congress to enact a law that will clearly define and penalize the act of “red-tagging” or hastily labeling a person or a group as communists.

“If Congress is minded to criminalize red-tagging, it should enact the appropriate legislation,” Mr. Guevarra told reporters on Tuesday.

He added that currently, “complaints may revolve around defamation, harassment, coercion, unjust vexation, or violation of privacy laws, but not for an offense called ‘red-tagging’.”

Mr. Guevarra said further that having a law on red-tagging “may help reduce the problem of reckless endangerment,” therefore “it’s really something for the congress to ponder on.”

Meanwhile, human rights group Karapatan filed a manifestation on Monday asking the Supreme Court (SC) to reverse the Court of Appeals’ decision to dismiss their 2019 petition for writs of amparo and habeas data to protect human rights defenders.

The writs of amparo and habeas data are remedies “available to any person whose right to privacy in life, liberty or security is violated or threatened by an unlawful act,” according to the SC.

Karapatan said in a press statement on Monday that the high court must “act swiftly to protect the rights of human rights defenders in the Philippines.”

The group cited the statements of Gen. Antonio G. Parlade Jr., spokesperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), among the “alarming developments” as to why the Supreme Court must “revisit its view of red-tagging and terrorist-labeling and to see the same for what they truly are: imminent and actual threats to the people’s right to life, liberty and security.”

SENATE RESOLUTION
Several senators on Tuesday filed a resolution seeking to censure Mr. Parlade over his “disrespectful” remark against legislators after they criticized the red-tagging of community pantry organizers.

The senators who signed Senate Resolution No. 709 were Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III, Senate Pro-Tempore Ralph G. Recto, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel F. Zubiri, and Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon.

Senators Maria Lourdes Nancy S. Binay, Pia S. Cayetano, Leila M. De Lima, Sherwin T. Gatchalian, Richard J. Gordon, Risa N. Hontiveros-Baraquel, Panfilo M. Lacson, Francis N. Pangilinan, Aquilino L. Pimentel III, Grace S. Poe-Llamanzares and Emmanuel Joel J. Villanueva also signed the resolution.

They cited the “disrespectful and demeaning” statement of the military officer over a television interview where he called the senators “stupid” after they sought to defund the NTF-ELCAC.

“Instead of engaging in a constructive debate, Lt. Gen. Parlade has chosen to demean and disparage the Senators, through statements that display his limited grasp of Congress’ role in the budget process and show his lack of respect not just for the Senators as duly-elected representatives of the people but also for the Senate as an institution,” the resolution read.

The 15 senators noted that the P19-billion budget of NTF-ELCAC is intended to fund the delivery of basic services to 822 barangays cleared of communist insurgency, adding that Congress has budget oversight functions.

Another resolution was filed by five senators on Monday calling for an inquiry on the task force’s performance and budget utilization. — Bianca Angelica D. Añago and Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Davao City acquires bomb-detection robot, beefs up vehicle fleet

DAVAOBOT, a newly-acquired bomb-detection robot for the Davao City police’s Explosive Ordnance Division, is demonstrated at the city hall on April 26. — DAVAO CIO

THE DAVAO City police now has a robot for bomb detection, part of the transportation and equipment turned over to its Explosive Ordnance Division on Monday by the local government.

The DavaoBot can be controlled through a system within a new customized van that is also fitted with a ramp for the robot’s easy deployment.

In a statement on Tuesday, the city government said several other new vehicles were also launched, including a 30-seater bus for local athletes that was purchased using the cash incentive received from the 2018 Philippine National Games where the Davao delegation ranked 4th.

The K9 unit also a got a van along with the introduction of Bob, a newly-trained drug detection dog.

On the other hand, Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio formally received four units of electronic trikes donated by MOVEHer, a women-led movement by the Guevara Foundation, in partnership of EV Wealth, Inc.

The e-trikes are intended to benefit women’s groups in Paquibato District, a remote upland area in the city that used to be a communist rebel stronghold.

Prosecutor dismisses rape, homicide complaint in flight attendant’s death

INSTAGRAM/XTINEDACERA

THE MAKATI Prosecutor’s Office has dismissed the rape with homicide complaint filed against 11 respondents in the death of flight attendant Christine Angelica F. Dacera for lack of evidence.

In the 19-page resolution dated April 23 and made public on Tuesday, Makati Assistant City Prosecutor Joan G. Bolina-Santillan said “the evidence presented are insufficient to engender a well-founded belief that rape, homicide, or rape with homicide has been committed.”

The prosecutor, citing the autopsy report, said Ms. Dacera’s death was caused by ruptured aortic aneurysm with her heart enlarged and she had blood clots on the right side of her chest.

Ms. Dacera was found dead in a hotel room last New Year’s day.

The Dacera family’s lawyer, Roger Z. Reyes, told reporters on Tuesday that the Dacera family intends to pursue other legal options.

He said, “The Dacera family can go to the Department of Justice to appeal this dismissal or we can refile (these) cases, we can refile the drug case, we can refile the rape case.”

“We are not going to say amen to this dismissal because we are looking for truth and justice, not only for Christine Dacera,” he said. — Bianca Angelica D. Añago

Gov’t may expand role in power generation to build up reserves

LOMBARDI

THE DEPARTMENT of Energy (DoE) said Tuesday that the government is considering greater involvement in generating power to build up reserves, and has its eye on plants that are in the process of being privatized.

“There is a question which I have been raising before. Should the government start being involved in generation for the reserve? Will the government build the plant, operate it as a reserve and privatize it as we go along?” Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi said during the Joint Congressional Energy Commission Hearing Tuesday. He added that the country “needed the capacity.”

He was telling Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian, who chairs the Senate Committee on Energy, that this was one of the policy proposals under consideration.

“There are power plants that are being privatized like Casecnan (hydroelectric power plant or HEPP) that are being privatized… Maybe what we should do is for the government to take over that one and… operate it as a reserve,” Mr. Cusi said.

In January, the state-led Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM) said it is working with the Asian Development Bank to study privatization options for Casecnan, in Nueva Ecija.

BusinessWorld asked PSALM to comment on the status of the privatization but had not replied at deadline time.

Mr. Cusi also underscored the country’s need for reliable power supply during the pandemic.

“We need to provide this electricity. We cannot have an intermittent supply — whether this is (for) the poor or the rich or for business. We need to have that, that’s why… I think that the government should go back to the generation so that we can have that continuity,” he said.

During the hearing, Mr. Gatchalian said the committee needs more information on the DoE’s plans in light of the apparent “divergence” from the intent of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 (EPIRA), which encouraged greater private participation in the industry.

EPIRA requires the government to enhance the inflow of private capital and broaden the ownership base of the power generation, transmission and distribution sectors. — Angelica Y. Yang

NEDA sees need to renew focus on human dev’t, food security

PHILSTAR FILE PHOTO

THE National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said a renewed focus is needed on improving human capital development and ensuring food security during the global health crisis.

In his speech at the 54th Session of the United Nations (UN) Commission on Population and Development (CPD) last week, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua said population planning and ensuring food security are crucial in boosting economic growth and improving health and welfare.

“Our goal is to give every Filipino access to quality healthcare, nutrition services, and family planning,” Mr. Chua said.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the challenges we are facing in securing food, nutrition, and good health for all Filipinos. Overcoming this unprecedented crisis requires stronger collaboration. Let us continue to work hard together to ensure that our common goal of human capital development is fully realized,” he added.

The CPD is composed of 47 member states elected by the UN Economic and Social Council to four-year terms.

The commission is currently focusing on population, food security, nutrition and sustainable development this year. It was established to monitor and assess the implementation of the Program of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development.

Mr. Chua committed the Philippine government to “protecting and advancing the gains” of the program.

He cited as part of the government’s efforts the Rice Tariffication Law, which liberalized rice imports and established a fund to support mechanization.

He said the government also institutionalized a national feeding program in public day care, kindergarten, and elementary schools to help eradicate malnutrition.

He said 28.8% of children below five years old or an estimated 3.2 million were stunted; 19% or 2.1 million were underweight; and 5.8% or 600,000 were underweight for their height.

The government also formed an inter-agency task force on zero hunger and is actively promoting sustainable food consumption and production, he added.

In March, the government sought a P9.7-billion loan from the World Bank to fund a program to address malnutrition.

The Philippines was 69th out of the 107 countries in the 2020 Global Hunger Index compiled by the Global Hunger Organization.

It said the Philippines’ level of hunger is considered “moderate” with a score of 19 on a scale in which a country that scores less than 10 is considered to have low hunger levels. — Beatrice M. Laforga

PHL asks Australia to lift anti-dumping duty on canned pineapple

THE TRADE department has asked Australia to lift anti-dumping duties on Philippine canned pineapples at the resumption of trade talks between the two countries.

Trade Undersecretary Ceferino S. Rodolfo met virtually with Australia’s Department of Foreign and Trade Deputy Secretary Christopher Langman on April 20, the second meeting of the Philippines-Australia Trade, Investment and Industry Dialogue after a six-year pause.

Philippine trade representatives during the meeting indicated interest in exporting Cavendish banana, dragon fruit, and durian products — Australia is reviewing for pest infestation risk.

The Philippine side also requested the removal of the anti-dumping duties on Philippine canned pineapples, a measure that has been in place since 2006. Anti-dumping measures are tariffs on imports judged to be priced below fair market value.

“Australia noted that it will closely work with the Philippine government and its exporters on addressing these requests,” the Department of Trade and Industry said in a statement Tuesday.

Australia lifted anti-dumping duties on canned pineapples from Thailand in 2019.

The meeting also included talks on trade and investment opportunities in personal protective equipment, vaccines, copper, electric vehicles, agriculture, defense, shipbuilding, renewable energy, and education, as well as development programs in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

The Philippines-Australia Ministerial Meeting chaired jointly by both countries’ trade ministers is set to take place in June. — Jenina P. Ibañez

Tech being enlisted to minimize migrant worker vulnerability

THE emerging field of migration technology is being enlisted to reduce the risks faced by migrant workers, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said.

Aiko Kikkawa, an ADB economist, said in a webinar Tuesday that the so-called “migtech” sector could serve to improve access to information and educate migrant workers on the risks and opportunities associated with their overseas workplaces.

Ms. Kikkawa said migtech could also help them better understand their rights in the event of abuse, enhance their ability to manage their transnational lives, and give them access to welfare and support services. She said such tools could also promote their social and economic empowerment.

Her remarks were based on a report, “Labor Migration in Asia: Impacts of the COVID-19 Crisis and the Post-Pandemic Future,” jointly launched by Asian Development Bank Institute, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the International Labour Organization earlier this month.

The report noted that labor migration in 2020 was disrupted by border closures and saw many workers laid off at the height of the pandemic.

In the Philippines, it noted the government’s restrictions on healthcare workers from going overseas, and the 504,862 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who were repatriated during the crisis.

Ms. Kikkawa, who was also among the authors of the report, said the OFW Watch mobile application was found to be a crucial tool for migrant workers by helping orient them on their host communities, and the agencies they can seek help from if they encounter abuse.

Aside from broadening access to information, Ms. Kikkawa said technology could also empower migrant workers financially via mobile banking and electronic wallets.

However, she noted that the advances in technology could also pose risks to data privacy and security.

“The digital divide remains severe for some subset of migrant workers, which is compounded by language barriers. And we also need to acknowledge that the wider spread and use of technology is also inviting greater risk of supporting irregular migration,” she added. — Beatrice M. Laforga

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