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House body OKs bill extending Duterte powers vs coronavirus

CONGRESSMEN acting as members of the Committee of the Whole approved on Wednesday evening a bill that will extend the special powers given to President Rodrigo R. Duterte to fight the coronavirus by three more months.

The committee barred any interpellations, saying these may be done during plenary debates instead.

The measure, which will extend the law expiring on June 24 until the end of September, combined three House bills and one resolution. House Majority Leader Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez presided over the body, while Bulacan Rep. Jose Antonio R. Sy-Alvarado sponsored the measure. A Committee of the Whole functions is composed of all the members of the House acting upon a measure.

The law enacted in March empowered the President to realign the national budget for anti-COVID-19 measures. Under the law, low-income households were supposed to get as much as P8,000 in monthly cash aid for two months.

The bill proposes a P162-billion standby fund for recovery and response. This includes P12 billion for the purchase of test kits, P18 billion for cash-for-work programs, P5 billion for people in crisis, P21 billion displaced workers and P50 billion for business loans.

It also allots P21 billion in direct cash subsidy and interest-free loans to agri-fishery enterprises, P21 billion for affected companies in the transportation industry, P10 billion for tourism and P4 billion for “smart campuses” that invest in information and communications technology.

The House still has to approve the bill on second and third readings. The Senate, which approved a counterpart bill on second reading on June 3, ended its Thursday session failed to pass it on third reading in the absence of a notice from the presidential palace certifying the measure as urgent.

Congress will adjourn sine die (with no set date for resumption) on Friday. — Genshen L. Espedido and Charmaine A. Tadalan

#COVID-19 Regional Updates (06/04/20)

Number coding for vehicles in Metro Manila back on June 8 with exemptions; Duterte orders opening of more bus routes

THE number coding scheme intended to reduce vehicles on Metro Manila roads will again be in effect starting June 8, but with exemptions in consideration of the coronavirus crisis.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), in a statement on Thursday, listed the following exemptions:

• All private vehicles with at least two passengers, including the driver, who must observe minimum the health safety protocols of physical distancing wearing of face mask;

• owner-driven or self-driven private vehicles transporting doctors, nurses, and other medical personnel; and

• vehicles transporting Authorized Persons Outside Residence (APOR) as identified in the latest guidelines of national task force.

Ride-hailing service cars must have a signage indicating that these are registered as transport network vehicle service (TNVS).

Meanwhile, President Rodrigo R. Duterte has ordered the opening of more bus routes to serve commuters, according to his spokesperson.

In a briefing on Tuesday, Palace Spokesperson Harry L. Roque said Mr. Duterte felt the anguish of workers over the longstanding problem of mobility.

Mr. Roque said the Transport department is opening additional routes Friday, and more on Monday.

The additional routes starting Friday are: between Monumento and Balagtas; Bulacan-EDSA and Montalban; and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Loop.

By Monday, the following will also operate: Monumento-Valenzuela Gateway Complex; Gilmore-Taytay; and Monumento-San Jose Del Monte.

Officials were scheduled to meet with bus operators Thursday afternoon to discuss the deployment of more units. — Gillian M. Cortez

Metro Manila pollution on steady rise as lockdown eases

AIR pollution levels in the capital have steadily increased since the beginning of May when government started to slowly ease quarantine restrictions, according to a report by Greenpeace and the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).

“Analysis of these two pollutants from March 15 to May 15, 2020 shows an initial and dramatic drop in air pollutant concentrations at the beginning of the lockdown, and the gradual rebound during the modified enhanced community quarantine,” says the report titled The Special Report on Managing Air Quality Beyond COVID-19.

Increasing air pollution levels were attributed to more vehicles traversing Metro Manila’s highways and industries resuming operations.

Greenpeace and CREA called for the immediate adoption of measures that protect the air quality in Metro Manila.

“Air pollution doesn’t have to be an inescapable reality. The enhanced community quarantine gave Filipino citizens a glimpse of what cities can be like with healthy, clean air. It also showed us that air pollution can be solved without sacrificing people’s access to mobility,” Greenpeace campaigner Rhea Jane Pescador-Mallari said.

“Moving forward, if the government is willing to use the opportunities and lessons learned from the pandemic and amplify it through policies and infrastructure, active mobility and micro mobility, as well as invest in efficient and safe mass public transport, then a return to the massive pollution levels before COVID-19 can be avoided.” she said.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives committee on climate change has consolidated and approved two House resolutions declaring a climate and environmental emergency.

The resolutions call for immediate action from government agencies to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change.

House Resolutions 724 and 761 are authored by Antique Rep. Lorna Regina B. Legarda and Bohol Rep. Edgardo M. Chatto, respectively.

“Despite the enactment of landmark policies on the environment, climate change and disaster risk reduction and management, there is still continued decline of the state of the environment, and its ecological system is one of the greatest threats to the people’s well-being,” Ms. Legarda said in her resolution.

Mr. Chatto, in his resolution, said, “In declaring a climate emergency, a government admits that global warming exists and that the measures taken up to this point are not enough to limit the changes brought by it. The decision stresses the need for the government and administration to devise measures that try and stop human-caused global warming.” — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave and Genshen L. Espedido

Limited land transport holding back Davao airport reopening; City gov’t proposes no-test, no-fly policy

DAVAO CITY — Aviation authorities managing the international airport here want public land transport normalized first before reopening for commercial flights.

“DIA (Davao International Airport) is a transit point, meaning not all passengers who fly in and out are residents of Davao City but from neighboring regions. Given this, there is a possibility that non-Davao City residents will be stranded here,” Airport Manager Rex A. Obcena said in a virtual briefing.

He also noted that even provincial buses within the Davao Region are still on limited operations.

Most of Mindanao, excluding Davao and Zamboanga cities which have the highest coronavirus cases, is already on relaxed quarantine rules but most local governments are still implementing border restrictions.

Mr. Obcena said Davao Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio has sent a letter to Transport Secretary Arturo P. Tugade, through the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP)-Davao office, requesting for time to set up an airport pick-up system to avoid people getting stuck in the city.

The city government, in coordination with the Land Transport Franchising and Regulatory Board, is aiming to have the transport service organized by the end of this week.

Mr. Obcena said CAAP-Davao is aiming to gradually reopen the airport by June 8 for domestic commercial flights.

DIA has only been catering to sweeper and other special flights for stranded and returning travelers.

“We are ready and we are in close coordination with the city government of Davao to ensure that these measures implemented by the city are being supported by the airport operations vis-a-vis health departments,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ms. Carpio has also proposed to the transport department that all passengers flying out of the Davao airport be required to undergo PCR testing for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Those who are positive for the virus will not be allowed to fly.

The mayor, speaking over the city-run radio Monday, said contact-tracing becomes more broad and difficult if a person who later turns out positive has already taken a flight.

Under the proposal, people with flight bookings must undergo the screening a couple of days before the flight.

Davao City currently has two licensed COVID testing laboratories: the government-owned Southern Philippines Medical Center and the private One World Diagnostic Center, Inc. Another two — the Davao Doctors Hospital and the DOH Tuberculosis Center — are on the third of five stages of accreditation. Preparations are underway for the construction of 5th facility, to be funded by the city government. — Maya M. Padillo

Bohol plans mobile test labs for airport, various entry points

THE Bohol local government is planning to have mobile testing laboratories for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which will be used at the province’s various gateways when it reopens to tourists.

“We are trying to work on mobile PCR (polymerase chain reaction) laboratories, because right now, the Department of Tourism is working on travel corridors. For, me it is irrelevant when it would happen. What is important to me is we have the testing equipment,” Governor Arthur C. Yap said during a June 2 meeting with the provincial COVID-19 task force.

“If we want to be part of the new normal, we have the following gateways to take care of: Bohol Panglao International Airport, Tagbilaran, Tubigon, Talibon (that can take care of Buenavista, Getafe, Talibon areas). We have to put one in Jagna. Those are the main gateways,” he said.

The national inter-agency task force is eyeing Bohol as a model province for how the tourism sector can be revived with health safety protocols amid the continued COVID-19 risks.

“Without the testing equipment, we cannot be a model of anything. We also have to make sure that our equipment is properly interfaced with our contact tracing capacity,” Mr. Yap said.

A PCR laboratory is in the works at the Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital.

Mactan Cebu airport on-site lab under accreditation process

In Cebu, a PCR laboratory at the Mactan Cebu International Airport is also undergoing the government’s accreditation process. It will initially cater to returning overseas workers and locally-stranded people who are returning to their hometowns.

“Eventually the process will be extended to those outbound international passengers requiring a COVID-19 test certificate for entry to other countries,” airport operator GMR MEGAWIDE Cebu Airport Corp. (GMCAC) said in a statement.

The laboratory, to be operated by Prime Care, will be able to process up to 2,000 samples daily once fully operational.

“We believe this measure will give an important capacity boost to DOH (Department of Health) and at the same time help kick-start our local economy through the jobs that will be necessary to provide support for all these arriving OFW’s and Seafarers in sectors such as hotels, transportation, and catering in the immediate term, but most importantly pave the way for international arrivals to resume as the confidence to travel to Cebu from the tourists and foreigners starts to build,” GMCAC Chief Executive Advisor Andrew Acquaah-Harrison said in a statement.

Agri group SINAG takes Floridablanca village officials to court over lockdown rules

AGRICULTURAL group Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) has taken to court officials of Barangay Gutad, in the town of Floridablanca, Pampanga for preventing the delivery of animal feeds during the lockdown.

SINAG said a temporary restraining order (TRO) for 72 hours has been granted by the Regional Trial Court in Guagua, Pampanga, allowing the delivery of feeds to a hog farm.

“There was already a TRO, but the barangay officials only granted the entry of feeds to the farm after the police escorts arrived,” SINAG chairman Rosendo O. So said in a statement on Thursday.

“This is a clear violation of Republic Act No. 11469 or the Animal Welfare Act. In the midst of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the barangay officials are focused on this instead,” he said.

SINAG plans to call for a congressional inquiry on the issue vis-a-vis the national government’s directive to strengthen food production in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“What these local government units are doing is to destroy, and not support, local food production. Especially hog production at a time when the Department of Agriculture has announced a decrease in our hog supply for the next quarters,” Mr. So said. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave

Nationwide round-up

Duterte may still revise Congress-approved anti-terrorism bill

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte will first review the Congress-approved bill that will expand the coverage of the current anti-terrorism law, his spokesperson said Thursday amid strong opposition from various sectors to some of the proposal’s provisions. Palace Spokesperson Harry L. Roque said despite the President’s certification of the bill as urgent, it does not mean it will be immediately signed. “That is still subject to final review by the President to ensure it is compliant with our Constitution,” Mr. Roque said in a briefing. The bill was passed by the Senate in February and certified as urgent on June 1. The House of Representatives adopted the Senate version and gave final approval to the bill on June 3. It now requires just the President’s signature to become law. Among the controversial provisions of the bill are the expanded definition of terrorism, which may include political opposition, and giving authority to the military to intercept private communications of suspects under surveillance and detain them for 14 days without warrant. House Deputy Speaker Mujiv S. Hataman, one of those who opposed the bill that will amend the Human Security Act of 2007, said the measure does not have safeguards for wrongful arrests. “This law is not meant to combat terrorism. It is meant to give the state the power to tag whomever they please as a terrorist,” Mr. Hataman, who represents Basilan and a former governor of the restive Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, said in his speech Wednesday at the House. — Gillian M. Cortez

Labor group slams gov’t for stranded OFWs

LABOR group Migrante International slammed the administration on Thursday after another group of over a hundred repatriated overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) were left stranded outside the airport in Manila as they waited for flights to their hometowns. “This is in stark contrast with how seamlessly (President Rodrigo R.) Duterte and his IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force) officials have flown to Davao City a few days ago,” Migrante International said in a statement. “Malacañang better stop fooling the public that OFWs are experiencing the same level of comfort and efficiency.” Thousands of overseas workers, both land-based and seafarers, have been displaced and forced to return to the Philippines due to the global crisis arising from the coronavirus pandemic. The Department of Foreign Affairs has so far assisted the repatriation of more than 33,000 OFWs. Latest government data show there are about 2.2 million OFWs. — Charmaine A. Tadalan

Religious gatherings expanded to 50% of venue

RELIGIOUS gatherings, initially limited to a maximum of 10 people, can now have a bigger crowd based on the venue’s capacity. Palace Spokesperson Harry L. Roque announced Thursday that under the revised guidelines for areas under the modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) category, religious groups can now hold activities with up to 50% of the capacity of the venue. The same rule applies to work-related gatherings, entertainment activities, sporting events, concerts, and movie screenings. However, the MGCQ rule allowing everyone to leave their homes has been revoked. The revised guideline again requires home quarantine to those below 21 years old, senior citizens or those at least 60 years old, and those who have underlying illnesses. — Gillian M. Cortez

More Balik Probinsya beneficiaries off to hometowns next week

MORE beneficiaries of the Balik Probinsya program are returning to their hometowns next week, National Housing Authority General Manager Marcelino P. Escalada, Jr. announced. Mr. Escalada said the next batch of returnees are from the provinces of Leyte and Camarines Sur. “We are confirming that our next batch of rollout will be on June 11 for Leyte… We will schedule it (Camarines Sur) on June 12, because we will also be experiencing congestion in our dispatch area. So there will be a minimum of five or six buses every day from June 11 and June 12,” he said. The first batch consisted of about 100 beneficiaries. Mr. Escalada also said they are preparing another schedule for returnees to Zamboanga Del Norte and Lanao Del Norte, both in Mindanao. He is currently coordinating with Secretary Emmanuel “Manny” F. Piñol, chair of the Mindanao Development Authority, which has already identified Balik Probinsya development sites in coordination with local governments. The Balik Probinsya program aims to decongest Metro Manila and other major urban areas by attracting local migrants and businesses to the countryside. — Gillian M. Cortez

House approves P1.3-trillion stimulus bill on 3rd reading

THE House of Representatives on Thursday approved on third and final reading a P1.3-trillion stimulus package called the ARISE (Accelerated Recovery and Investments Stimulus for the Economy) bill, the new name for what had been known as the proposed Philippine Economic Stimulus Act (PESA).

The bill went through with 216 affirmative votes, seven negatives, and zero abstentions.

“After not earning revenues for two months, businesses’ funds are running dry. The next few months will be crucial — on top of managing financial obligations, businesses must now figure out how to innovate to thrive in the new normal. ARISE provides ways to equip businesses through interest-free loans and grants for education, training, and technical assistance,” Marikina Rep. and Co-chair of the Defeat COVID-19 committee’s economic stimulus cluster Stella Luz A. Quimbo said in a statement Wednesday.

A total of P708 billion will be allocated in 2020 for mass testing (P10 billion); wage subsidies (P110 billion), a cash-for-work program (P30 billion); assistance to students (P15 billion); loans to micro, small and medium enterprises or MSMEs (P50 billion); zero-interest loans to be extended by the Land Bank of the Philippines and Development Bank of the Philippines (P50 billion) and loan guarantees (P40 billion).

This year’s allocation also includes assistance to various sectors such as MSMEs (P10 billion); tourism (P58 billion); industry and services (P44 billion); transportation (P70 billion); agri-fisheries (P66 billion); and funding for the National Emergency Investment Vehicle (P25 billion) to “minimize permanent damage to the economy.”

For 2021, P80 billion will be allocated for further mass testing (P10 billion), loans for MSMEs (P25 billion), loan guarantees (P20 billion) and additional funding for the National Emergency Investment Vehicle (P25 billion).

Meanwhile, a P650-billion budget for the “Build, Build, Build” program will be spread over three years starting 2020 covering infrastructure projects supporting universal health care, education, and food security. About P130 billion is allocated for 2020.

The bill also sets Overseas Filipino Workers’ Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (Philhealth) premiums at P300 in 2020, P375 in 2021, and P450 in 2022.

It also suspends principal loan payments for one year to encourage business and consumer liquidity. Regulatory agencies are also directed to suspend, reduce or waive fees & charges for licensing, registration, permits and inspection, and may suspend filing and payment deadlines for one year.

The measure also directs the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to establish a Credit Mediation and Restructuring Service for re-availment, renewals and new loans, through Negosyo Centers or local government units.

The bill also condones loans of agrarian reform beneficiaries worth about P58.62 billion.

The bill encourages infrastructure agencies to explore private-public partnership (PPP) arrangements including joint ventures to speed up implementation, use private-sector capital to reduce current deficits, and create alternative sources of revenue for the government.

It also directs the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) to submit to Congress a long-term plan for building economic resilience within six months after the lifting of the various forms of quarantine. It also creates an Economic Stimulus Board (ESB) to identify the components of the fiscal stimulus package, and monitor the delivery of each intervention.

A joint Congressional oversight committee will be created to monitor the implementation of the stimulus package. The committee will consist of the co-chairpersons of the House economic stimulus cluster, and chairpersons of the Senate committees of Economic Affairs, Ways and Means and Finance.

The President is authorized to reallocate and realign the General Appropriations Acts of 2019 and 2020, and allocate cash, funds and investments held by any government-owned or -controlled corporations or any national government agency to provide funding support.

The Secretary of Finance is also authorized to direct the National Treasurer to borrow in the form of bonds and loans to fund the provisions of the bill.

“In total, the package is expected to protect and assist up to 15.7 million workers, create 3 million short-term jobs, and 1.5 million infrastructure jobs over three years, and help up to 5.57 million micro, small, and medium enterprises, both formal and non-formal. The GDP impact, based on our staff estimates, is immense: if implementation is rapid within the year, we may see our GDP grow slightly by 0.2% from the current expected decline of -2.8% in 2020,” Albay Rep. and Co-chair of the Defeat COVID-19 committee’s economic stimulus cluster Jose Maria Clemente S. Salceda said in a statement Monday.

Gabriela Party-List Rep. Arlene D. Brosas, who voted to reject the bill, said that the stimulus package is a “mere pain reliever” to the economic problems brought about by the pandemic.

“Mr. Speaker, artipisyal at panandalian lamang ang maaring idulot na ginhawa ng stimulus program na ito dahil hindi naman nito nilulutas ang mga batayang suliranin kaugnay ng food insecurity, pag-asa sa agricultural imports, pagsandig sa remittances, pagsasapribado ng serbisyong kalusugan, kawalan ng lokal na batayang industriya at regresibong pagbubuwis. Mahinang pain reliever lang ito kung tutuusin, (The benefits of this bill are artificial and temporary as it does not address problems like food insecurity, reliance on agricultural imports, dependence on remittances, the privatization of health care, the absence of domestic industry, and regressive taxation)“ she told the plenary Thursday.

Meanwhile, business organizations on Thursday expressed their support for the immediate passage of ARISE, saying that the measure will provide the “much-needed support and confidence” to COVID-19 frontliners, workers, and businesses.

“Unemployment funds and wage subsidies will help workers provide for their families, keep their children in school, and fuel the economy. Loans, grants, and guarantees will help businesses pay suppliers and banks, strengthening all of them for the challenging months and years ahead,” according to the joint statement of 44 groups.

They added that a “swift” and “substantial” intervention is needed, following the “lessons” that many countries have encountered during previous recessions.

“A law along the lines of ARISE would act on the lessons that many countries are heeding from previous recessions: that swift, substantial intervention is needed. The Administration’s fiscal management has provided the financial strength and fiscal space to do this. We can and should increase stimulus spending to approximate or exceed those of many of our neighbors,” the groups said. — Genshen L. Espedido

PHL, World Bank sign $500-M loan agreement

THE government on Wednesday signed a $500-million loan agreement with the World Bank, the proceeds of which will fund the coronavirus containment efforts and aid small-business workers and the vulnerable population.

In a statement Thursday, the Finance department said the Emergency COVID-19 Response Development Policy Loan (ECRDPL) is scheduled for disbursement by the third week of June.

The bank’s board approved the loan late last month.

“This is the third loan accord that we have signed with the World Bank that is designed to assist us in swiftly responding to the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 emergency. The World Bank has always been our reliable partner in strengthening our country’s economic resilience,” Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III was quoted as saying.

Mr. Dominguez and Achim Fock, World Bank acting country director for Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand, signed the agreement on Wednesday.

The loan matures in 29 years, inclusive of a grace period of 10 and a half years.

According to the Department of Finance, the loan will fund the government’s P200-billion emergency subsidy program for vulnerable members of the population as well as the P51-billion wage subsidy program directed at employees of small businesses.

Mr. Dominguez said ECRDPL replaces an earlier proposal for additional financing of a current project which strengthens the government’s financial resilience to natural disasters and climate change.

“The change is in view of World Bank’s advice to specifically come up with a new development policy loan on the country’s COVID-19 response instead of a supplemental financing package for the Promoting Competitiveness and Enhancing Resilience to Natural Disasters project,” he said.

The latest loan agreement follows the $100-million loan agreement for the COVID-19 Emergency Response Project which the government also entered into with the World Bank in late April.

The two parties also signed a $500-million Third Disaster Risk Management Development Policy Loan (DRM DPL3) agreement on April 9 which can also be used to fund efforts to contain the coronavirus outbreak.

So far, the government has obtained $1.7 billion of loans from the Asian Development Bank to finance its COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) response, and a $750-million co-financing facility from the Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

For 2020, economic managers expect the budget deficit to increase to the equivalent of 8.1-9% of gross domestic product (GDP) as government revenue is expected to decline as the economy worsens while spending increases due to the pandemic.

Outstanding debt is expected to hit P9.589 trillion this year, equivalent to 49.8% of GDP. — Beatrice M. Laforga

20-year extension sought for power subsidy for poor

A MEASURE extending for 20 years the lifeline rate subsidy granted to low-income households has been filed in the Senate.

The Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001, or Republic Act No. 9136, provided for a 10-year lifeline rate benefitting marginalized households or those consuming up to 100 kilowatt-hours monthly.

This was later extended for another 10 years, through RA 10150 in 2011, which will be expiring next year.

Under Senate Bill No. 1583, Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian proposed to extend the lifeline rate subsidy for 20 years or until 2041.

“The spirit of this measure is to really cushion the blow of power-rate increases to marginalized households who cannot afford to pay the full cost of their electricity bill,” Mr. Gatchalian said in the explanatory note of the bill.

“We made strides in breaking that barrier to access electricity through the lifeline-rate subsidies and there’s no turning back now.”

At present, consumers with an average of 21-50 kWh monthly consumption are entitled to a 50% discount.

Households with an average of 51-70 kWh consumption enjoy a 35% discount, while those consuming 71-100 kWh get 20%.

“The lifeline rate has benefitted numerous low-income households through the years,” Mr. Gatchalian, who chairs the Energy committee, also said.

In 2019, 2.4 million households availed the lifeline rate in 2019 from Meralco, resulting in a total of P3.8 billion saving.

Mr. Gatchalian said this also means each low-income household generated some P1,576 annual savings. — Charmaine A. Tadalan

More hotels allowed to reopen but guests limited

THE Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) expanded its definition of hotels allowed to resume operations but continued to limit their clientele to precious bookings, stranded persons, overseas workers observing quarantine, and health care workers.

In a briefing on Thursday, the President’s Spokesman Herminio L. Roque said the IATF-EID’s Resolution No. 43 clarified a previous order restricting the operations of “accommodation establishments.”

“Inaprubahan ang rekomendasyon ng IATF na baguhin ang depinisyon ng hotel at payagan na rin mag-operate ang mga sumusunod (The IATF approved the recommendation to change the definition of hotels and also allowed them to operate),” he said.

The new definition of accommodation establishments includes hotels, resorts, apartment hotels, tourist inns, motels, pension houses, private homes, ecolodges, serviced apartments, condotels, and bed and breakfast facilities.

The earlier Omnibus Guidelines still apply, restricting their ability to take in guests. The exceptions include guests who were booked as of March 17 in Luzon and bookings as of May 1 for others areas; guests with long-term bookings; distressed and stranded overseas and foreign workers; repatriated overseas workers; those required to undergo mandatory quarantine; and health care workers and other workers from exempted sectors.

IATF-EID Resolution No. 43 also indicated that hotels will only be allowed to operate if they have a Certificate of Authority to operate from the Department of Tourism.

Such establishments will still be restricted in their staffing levels, maintaining personnel sufficient only to service basic accommodations. Ancillary services remain prohibited while food service will be limited to take-out and delivery. — Gillian M. Cortez

Remittance decline due to COVID-19 seen much worse than in 2007-09 financial crisis

THE decline in remittances to developing countries will be much worse than the 5% drop recorded in the wake of the 2007-2009 global financial crisis, the Institute of International Finance (IIF) said.

In its Macro Notes report issued Wednesday, IIF, a trade group representing financial institutions, said remittances could drop by 20-30% this year due to the economic shocks caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

IIF, based in Washington, DC, said the current crisis is affecting more countries than in 2007-2009.

“During the global financial crisis (GFC), remittances fell by about 5%. As the COVID-19 recession affects even more countries simultaneously, especially host countries in the EM (emerging markets) universe, a drop of 20-30% seems possible,” IFF said Wednesday.

The IIF said pressure on remittances “will be particularly challenging for countries with high external funding pressure where remittances help reduce otherwise large current account deficits, including most of Central America, Caribbean nations, as well the Philippines and Egypt.”

It said remittances are usually countercyclical but many institutions are projecting a sharp decline in 2020 due to the economic shock from the pandemic.

“Remittances depend on migration, host- and home-country growth, exchange rate fluctuations, and the ability to transfer money across borders,” it said.

In host countries, lockdowns and business closures have “disproportionately” affected sectors where migrants are usually employed including services jobs in food and hospitality, retail and wholesale, tourism and transportation.

It said many migrants also work in sectors that were allowed to operate during the lockdown but were highly exposed to coronavirus such as in agriculture, food processing and health care.

“Furthermore, migrants’ ability to shift across sectors or gain access to government support is likely curtailed. Finally, while electronic cross-border flows can continue unabated (during) COVID-19 lockdowns, carrying cash is still the preferred method of remittance transfers in many cases,” it said.

According to IIF’s data, the US, the European Union and Gulf countries are some of “economies that account for the bulk of global remittances flows, (which) are among the most exposed to the COVID-19 and oil price shocks.”

It said these economies are among the important sources of remittances for home countries in Africa and Asia.

“Among key recipient countries, important emerging markets such as India, China, Mexico, the Philippines, Egypt, and Nigeria account for close to 40% of all remittances in dollar terms,” it said.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas in April projected that cash remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) could decline by 0.2-0.8 percentage points this year, after the original projection of 2% growth outlook issued earlier that month.

The labor department reported that over 300,000 OFWs have been displaced by the pandemic, with tens of thousands returning to the Philippines. Over 200,000, mostly in the US and Europe, have chosen not to return. — Beatrice M. Laforga

Agri dep’t offers farmers incentives to consolidate

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said it will structure its incentive and assistance programs to favor farms that consolidate in order to increase the harvest and lower costs.

In a statement Thursday, Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar said consolidated farms are more cost-efficient and promise scale not enjoyed by individual farmers.

“This will enable them to greatly reduce their cost of operations, attain bountiful harvests, and earn bigger incomes,” Mr. Dar said.

The DA said it will offer incentives to farm consolidation, on top of the regular technical and marketing assistance offered under its commodity programs.

Mr. Dar said the incentives will include farm machinery such as tractors, harvesters, mechanical dryers, processing equipment, and related infrastructure.

“We will also enhance what we have started under our National Corn Program (NCP),” Mr. Dar said.

NCP Director Lorenzo M. Caranguian said he will recommend a “no cluster, no assistance” policy as a way to encourage farmers to consolidate.

“We will classify corn and cassava clusters into five levels, each with corresponding interventions and assistance,” Mr. Caranguian said.

The DA said the five levels refer to clustered farms with a contiguous area of 200 to 1,000 hectares for corn, or 50 to 500 hectares for cassava, both with organized farmers cooperatives and associations (FCAs), a set of officers, and a professional manager.

Mr. Caranguian said the DA will provide the clustered FCAs with training such as mentorship on preparing a corn or cassava enterprise development plan.

“They will also be capacitated to venture in post-production activities such as processing, value-adding, and marketing, to further augment their incomes,” Mr. Caranguian said.

The NCP, DA regional field offices and local government units are currently identifying prospective cluster farms.

Mr. Dar said farm consolidation will also be applied to other crops like “rice, high-value crops, including coconut, sugarcane, banana, coffee, and vegetables.” — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave

OFW numbers decline to 2.2 million in 2019

FEWER FILIPINOS worked in overseas job markets last year, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

The PSA’s 2019 Survey on Overseas Filipinos counted 2.202 million working overseas last year from 2.299 million in 2018.

The 2019 survey also indicated that contract workers accounted for 96.8% of the total while the remaining 3.2% were working without a contract.

OFWs in elementary occupations made up 39.6% of the total, against 37.1% a year earlier. Service and sales workers followed with a 17.5% share, against 18.8% in 2018.

Declines were noted in the following segments: professionals (8.5% in 2019 from 9% in 2018); clerical support workers (3.4% from 3.8%); craft and related trade workers (8.1% from 9.2%); and plant and machine operators and assemblers (12.2% from 13.8%).

Bucking the trend was skilled agricultural forestry and fishery workers whose 0.8% share of the total in 2019 was bigger than the 0.2% recorded in 2018. The share of OFW managers also declined, to 1.07% from 1.1% earlier.

Remittances from OFWs fell to P211.89 billion from P235.86 billion a year earlier.

“Data on remittances in this report are based on the answers given by the survey respondents to the questions on how much cash remittance was received by the family during the period April to September 2019 from a family member who is an OFW and how much cash did this member bring home during the reference period, if any,” the PSA said.

“Further, if the family received during the reference period goods and products sent by this OFW, the imputed value of such goods was included in his/her total remittance.”

The survey was conducted on persons working overseas between April 1 and Sept. 30, 2019.

The largest proportion of OFWs came from Calabarzon at 20.7% of the total, followed by Central Luzon (13.3%), the National Capital Region (9.7%) and Western Visayas (9%).

Saudi Arabia continued to be the leading destination with around 22.4% of OFWs, followed by the United Arab Emirates (13.2%), Hong Kong (7.5%), and Taiwan (6.7%). — Jobo E. Hernandez

Luzon grid placed on ‘yellow alert’ due to outages, gas shortage

THE Department of Energy (DoE) said Luzon was under yellow alert Thursday between noon and 3 p.m. due to power plant outages and limited output received from the Malampaya gas field.

In an advisory, Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi said the Department of Energy (DoE) is seeking explanations from the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines, generating companies, and the Malampaya operator.

Forced and extended power outages were reported at coal-fired plants run by Team Energy in Pagbilao, Quezon , Southwest Luzon Power Generation Corp. in Calaca, Batangas; San Buenaventura Power Ltd. in Mauban, Quezon; and San Miguel Corp. subsidiary Masinloc Power Partners Co. Ltd. in Masinloc, Zambales.

Angat Hydropower Corp., First Gen Hydro Power Corp., and San Roque Power Corp., also reported limited power output due to low water levels.

The DoE said that based on its power forecast, the National Capital Region has sufficient supply to meet rising demand as it shifts to a more permissive general community quarantine.

“The energy industry must work together to ensure sufficient and stable power supply at all times. We also ask our industry players to approach us for any assistance the Department could provide to fast track the necessary restoration activities,” Mr. Cusi said. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave

Insensitive

Many described it as “insensitive,” which is just another word for callous, inconsiderate, indifferent, uncaring, thoughtless, and even heartless.

But Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa’s “life is good; let’s do this all the time (Sarap ng buhay. Ganito na lang tayo palagi, ha)” remark to his fellow senators on May 26 wasn’t referring to life during the COVID-19 crisis, only to his relief over the Senate’s concluding its hybrid sessions within two hours while he was online.

However, it was one more sign of much of officialdom’s alienation from those they claim to represent and serve. And as he himself implied in his own defense, the remark was also indicative of Dela Rosa’s antipathy to the kind of sustained, time consuming, and thoughtful work that being a senator of the Republic entails.

Not so long ago when senators took lawmaking seriously and were not indifferent to the needs of their constituents, they would spend hours poring over documents, doing research, holding hearings with experts and various stakeholders to get a sense of the pros and cons of the bills filed for their consideration, and delivering well-researched and meaningful privilege speeches on critical issues, among others.

This was true not only of the 1960s era of the Claro M. Rectos, Lorenzo Tanadas, and Jose W. Dioknos, but also of the post-EDSA 1986 likes of Joker Arroyo and Wigberto Tanada, whose speeches, statements, and other issuances were landmarks in the debate and discussions on such issues as the national debt, US military bases, land tenancy, industrial development, and foreign policy.

In addition to their intellectual depth and work ethic, they were also keenly aware of the plight of the poor and the concerns of women, indigenous people, professionals, students, farmers, workers and other folk. Because they had a sense of history, they were also defenders of human rights, protective of Philippine sovereignty and independence, and concerned for the country’s future.

Their time was hardly a few decades ago, but has since passed into history. Today even former President and previously senator Benigno Aquino III, whom his own political ally Joker Arroyo once described as “a lightweight,” looks and sounds like a college professor when compared to most of the current Senate occupants.

Among them are the real estate mogul who dismisses the need for agricultural research and is more focused on the conversion of rice lands into subdivisions; the fact-challenged spawn of the country’s first and unfortunately not its last brazenly fascist dictator; and the publicity hound and photo bomber who seems to think that speaking for the President, and reporting what he had for dinner and in which carinderia he ate it, is his primary task as senator.

Although in the company of such human rights defenders as Francisco Pangilinan, these senators of the Republic and their cohorts are indifferent to that issue, or, for that matter, to the critical question of what the future holds for a country in the clutches of bureaucrat capitalists whose first and last loyalty is to themselves, their families, their class, and their foreign overlords. And no one certainly expects any of that, least of all sensitivity to human rights issues, of former Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General dela Rosa either.

Despite being out of it, the agency Dela Rosa once headed has remained true to the heartless legacy of the Duterte regime’s so-called “war” on drugs. But it is not only his chosen senators and other lesser officials, but President Rodrigo Duterte himself who, through his words and deeds, is the source of the indifference to Filipino lives and fortunes, and the impunity that now drive much of the civilian and military bureaucracy.

If the high officials of the land are insensitive to the suffering of the millions who have lost their jobs and incomes, who do not know where the next meal is coming from, and who are even punished for complaining about their lot, it should not be difficult to understand why those other agents of government who interact daily with the people have internalized their and their fellow bureaucrats’ example.

It is thus not surprising for the police and military to be so insensitive to the pains and uncertainties of Filipino life during the COVID-19 crisis that they have not hesitated to add to them, and on often flimsy grounds.

Already widely criticized for its cold-blooded indifference to the travails of the people they are mandated to serve, in the middle of the pandemic the PNP has had the time and energy to continue restricting free expression by, among other acts, arresting — in some cases without a warrant and in violation of the right to due process — and filing charges against those who dare criticize the government and Mr. Duterte.

The latter has remained indifferent to the abuses that have further devastated the lives of his constituencies because of the immense problems the COVID-19 contagion has unleashed. What purpose other than to instill fear and mindless obedience to authority does arresting someone for a Facebook post serve? His silence in the face of these abuses suggests that Mr. Duterte knows and approves of the use of State coercion as a means of social control.

Rather than console his long suffering constituency, the President of the Republic has been indifferent to the suffering of those who have lost not only livelihoods but also husbands, sons, daughters, wives, and other loved ones to the COVID-19 contagion. On at least one occasion he has even threatened to declare martial law, and ordered the police to “shoot dead” protesters desperately asking for government assistance.

One of the tasks of a United States President, notes the British newspaper The Guardian, is to be “Consoler-in-Chief” in difficult times such as war and other threats to life and limb so as to assure his constituencies that he understands and shares their grief and fears for the future, and that something is being done to address their concerns. The same is demanded of the President of the Philippines — and more.

As the current President of this unhappy land, it is not too late for Mr. Duterte to abandon his habitual belligerence towards critics and dissenters and to forgive even those who, in their frustration, mistakenly think that invitations to violence are protected by the right to free expression. He can still assure the Filipino people that he truly cares for them by commiserating with them in their hour of need, and by reminding the entire bureaucracy and not only the police and military that there has never been any justification for the oppression, lawlessness, and State terrorism that over the last four years their insensitivity has inflicted on ordinary folk as well as critics, dissenters, reformers and political and social activists. More than Commander-in-Chief, he could thus begin his transformation into the true father of the nation his followers claim him to be, whose words of assurance and adoption of a policy of unity and reconciliation instead of division and ill will can help the Filipino people cope with and survive the adversities of life in these COVID-19-challenged times.

The skeptical may be forgiven for believing that to expect Mr. Duterte to make this grand gesture, or to even show the littlest sign of sensitivity to human suffering, is to expect the impossible. If they are right, Mr. Duterte will miss the opportunity to reinvent himself for the good of the citizenry and his claim to a place in this country’s troubled history.

 

Luis V. Teodoro is on Facebook and Twitter (@luisteodoro).

www.luisteodoro.com

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