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Political economy and public policy

The Economist described the current US riots, violence, and looting as a “fury of polarization.” It is inauspicious that these lawless outbreaks are happening at the same time as the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.

The Economist observed that both American and French Revolutions began in the hot months of June and July. Police brutality and consequent protest rallies also peaked in the summer of 1967. This being so, we are not logically inclined to blame violence on summer heat.

In the past, racial inequality and governance were rallying points. Today, in the US, political polarization and partisan rage are drivers as well.

Whoever is the real George Floyd, his murder by a policeman who mercilessly kneeled on his neck as he gasped for breath fueled the mass protests. Protesters of different races and colors supported the “Black Lives Matter” rallies. But more than their original cause, underlying their discontent is frustration over the Federal Government’s inept handling of the pandemic and its implications on international trade and the US macroeconomy. The US is facing its worst economic decline of the century signaled by, among others, business giants filing for bankruptcy and by thousands of grounded aircrafts.

In the midst of all this, the US is divided against itself. The Federal Government is divided against itself.

There is a great lesson to be learned from the US experience: the political economy of governance cannot be ignored. One cannot ignore how interactions and relationships between and among individuals, groups, government agencies, and nations affect reactions to and the shaping of, public policy. History, culture, perceptions, even customs can impact the economic system.

Even here in the Philippines, the political economy of governance shapes critical public policy and the public’s response. As we enter the third month of community quarantine, several lessons have become clear and are proven by evidence.

In an IMF study, “How the Great Lockdown Saved Lives” written by Dragyan Deb, Davide Furceri, Jonathan D. Ostry and Nour Tawk, the experiences of 129 economies were examined. The study covered 30 observation days after a significant outbreak of 100 cases.

The Fund study is very credible. Robustness checks were conducted on empirical results. Extreme cases such as China’s early pandemic curve flattening and the US’ high COVID-19 cases and deaths were excluded as control factors. Other variables were included as additional controls in the regressions.

To shock the system to handle variations, dummy variables replaced containment measures. The study also considered the effect of announcements on mobility even before actual implementation. Finally, lag structure of regressions was used and other scenarios were considered to cover all possibilities. According to the Fund, the tests for robustness yielded similar conclusions not statistically different from the baseline.

In its sample of both developed and emerging nations, it was found that first, containment measures such as stay-at-home orders; school, office closures; limitation of public transport and cancellation of public events significantly reduced the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths. In Wuhan and New Zealand, infections and mortalities were reduced by around 200% relative to a no-containment baseline scenario.

The Philippines was one of the first to implement a strong lockdown even as containment was delayed because of diplomatic considerations. This delay was political. Moreover, credibility issues continue to taint quarantine measures as “justice” and punishments are perceived to be dispensed with selectively.

Second, the IMF study also concluded that early intervention and containment measures bring down infections and deaths.

The study used “public health response time” (PHRT) as a metric. The PHRT counts the number of days that containment measures were imposed after an outbreak of 100 confirmed cases. Countries with low PHRT recorded a lower average number of infections and deaths by 300% and 400%, respectively. Vietnam is a prime success story. With strong leadership and a monolithic hierarchy, Vietnam wasted no time in debating public policy. It exercised a complete think through complemented by high civic spirit.

In the Philippines, the PHRT is challenged by coordination issues between the national and local governments. This has resulted in a lack of transparency and in a constant flip-flopping of policies.

Third, according to the Fund, country characteristics and health infrastructure are also factors in fighting the pandemic. These include temperature, demographics, population density, and health preparedness.

In the Philippines, health preparedness is our Achilles heel. Testing kits were in limited supply. Testing facilities became available outside RITM weeks after the start of the lockdown. Contact tracing could have benefited from digital assistance from the two telcos. What happened to decades of budgetary allocation to the health sector? Good governance could have produced general hospitals and testing facilities in all cities and provinces.

The broad picture is that prompt viral containment serves as the foundation for medium-term economic growth. To the Fund, “The course of the global health crisis and the fate of the global economy are inseparably intertwined — fighting the pandemic is a necessity for the economy to rebound.”

In the Philippines, our economic managers eagerly wait for Congress to approve funding for economic recovery efforts. It has remained a work in progress. Assurance is also needed that a second wave of the disease will not force another lockdown, depressing demand. Only a flatter pandemic curve will inspire higher growth, higher purchasing manager’s index, and higher business and consumer expectations. This is the wish list of our economic managers. This is also our wish list.

On what else can business anchor its confidence? We can rely on our success in sustaining 20 years of uninterrupted economic growth. There is expertise there. Behavioral economics would advise us to rely on “whatever available anchors” there are. Our track record provides some assurance.

But there are clear obstacles. A reality check would dissuade us from now relying on OFW remittances as hundreds of thousands have been sent back home. BPO revenues are likely to drop with businesses in the US and Europe closing shop. With resuscitation of air travel, tourism may provide hope. Public spending especially on infra and social amelioration could also soften the blow to output. In any case, private investment is key to supporting growth and keeping jobs.

A moral anchor can also give us stability. Psychologically, people are motivated by narratives and not by quantitative guideposts. Election candidates are voted for rarely on their platforms, but based on their life stories. Stock market picks are rarely valued because of PE ratios but because of stories from the grapevine that expansion plans are afoot.

In this regard, there is moral suasion offered by the Philippine economic story. Decades have demonstrated its fundamental soundness. Our current economic managers are doing well even as they are now revising the playbook to adjust for new challenges. For indeed, the challenges are formidable. Markets and events can shift and shift considerably. We must avoid non-consequentialist reasoning. As if in a game of chess, we should anticipate several future possibilities and develop appropriate counter moves. This is the political economy of governance in action. It is fluid and dynamic. It is the active identification of very specific policies and concrete programs to improve service delivery that is more responsive to citizens’ needs.

Perhaps this is what was ignored in the US to fuel the protests. It is also key, even here at home, as we bounce back.

 

Diwa C. Guinigundo is the former Deputy Governor for the Monetary and Economics Sector, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). He served the BSP for 41 years. In 2001-2003, he was Alternate Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund in Washington, DC. He is the senior pastor of the Fullness of Christ International Ministries in Mandaluyong.

A new attitude

The period of prolonged isolation has been a time for reflection, grace, and transformation. A counselor explained that one’s attitude and lifestyle would change. We cannot go back to the old normal.

The focus is survival. It has been a very difficult and uncertain time for all of us on various levels.

On the practical side, there are financial issues — business matters and job security, and the major economic downturn, recession.

We have to adjust our way of thinking and doing things to a new, impersonal lifestyle. We all have to learn about computers for Zoom meetings, online classes, banking, and e-commerce. The personal touch is now absent — at least for the next six months.

How can people cope with the crisis?

Through nutritious food, vitamins, sunlight, and exercise for one’s physical well being. There are books, culture and art, music, poetry, prayer and meditation for the mental and spiritual side.

Among the art forms relevant to this particular time of liminal space is the mandala, “circle” in Sanskrit. Mandala art is a process of self-expression for personal growth and spiritual transformation. The art has symbols that are sketched or painted within a circular frame.

Living in a stressful environment requires a coping mechanism. There are survival patterns that keep us afloat during normal days and there are subroutines for critical times.

We often carry photos of family and friends on our mobile phones. We display special framed pictures at home and the office. The photos remind us of our loved ones and how we feel when they are around us. This practice gives us a sense of connection, “rootedness” and support during times of uncertainty and distress. Especially when one is alone and isolated from the family. We can feel a sense of security that inspires us to do acts of generosity, good will, and kindness. Our essential values and the priorities become clear.

Mirrors allow us to peek at our appearance and assure us that we look ready to face the world when we go out.

Photos and mirrors are reflections of what usually remain outside our field of awareness. Mandala art is, in a way, similar to these familiar objects. It gives us reflections of the inner world — our heart and soul.

The mandala connects us to our real self — in basic ways. It helps us understand the meaning of certain life experiences. We can learn to create and interpret them.

Native or indigenous people, for example, use the medicine wheel to connect to “earth energies and the wisdom of nature.”

The central point of focus is within. Mandala art starts with a symbol — a flower or the sun or a star — from which radiates a symmetrical design. It is the center within each of us and to which everything else is related. The round shape brings us to wholeness. In psychology, it is called the “Higher Self.”

We use the imagination to see the inner self. We play with symbols and images as we move away from a cognitive, intellectual frame. Thus, we enter an expanded sense of awareness.

The imagination helps us see our inner energies. The rational self cannot perceive this part. We have multiple drives, desires, hopes, fears, latent or hidden abilities and psychic wounds. All feelings should be acknowledged and consciously worked on. It is the way to synthesize our physical, personal and spiritual needs for growth.

We cannot see the unconscious. The mandala provides a psychic mirror to show the complex collections of elements and dynamic forces within. “Psychosynthesis” is a psychological and educational approach to human development.” In the last century, Italian psychologist Dr. Roberto Assagioli explained how we could heal and develop. The human unconscious has three levels that mandala art can explore.

Creating a mandala is simple. The first step is to draw a circle on a sheet of paper. Fill the circle spontaneously, intuitively. The drawing or doodle will emerge in an unpredictable way. We can fill the circle with special images after deep relaxation. We can capture some important scenes or fascinating objects from nature.

The mandala is a basic tool of integration. The symbols represent part of ourselves. The mental patterns are in the forms. Feelings are in the colors. The body is involved in the act of drawing.

The complete mandala is always interesting and beautiful. It is a holistic snapshot of what is happening in our reality.

This art form is valuable when we shift from our concerns and worries to connect with our inner space. The process is relaxing, refreshing, energizing, surprising.

The mandala art is a private process of self-confrontation. It helps us connect, accept and love from the center of our being known as the Higher Self. It reveals the blocked energies and celebrates the inspired successes and events that have touched us deeply.

We should discover the source and nourish our inner wisdom. It is the part that often struggles to live freely and create self-expression.

We search for the meaning of our own experiences and try to understand what it all means.

These artworks are powerful images to share with others.

It is one of the most creative ways to connect directly within, to heal our wounds, to nurture our potential.

Finally, it can transform our attitude about life and how we can move forward into the unchartered waters.

 

Maria Victoria Rufino is an artist, writer and businesswoman. She is president and executive producer of Maverick Productions.

mavrufino @gmail.com

Pandemic degrees of separation

Alienation may have begun as early as the Walkman. That portable cassette player of the 1980s freed teens from being stuck beside their parents’ radios. Now, the music moved with them. With school bags stocked with cassettes, favorite songs could be played whenever, wherever, desired and even repeatedly, albeit with a bit of rewind time wait. And just like that, the days of godlike DJs were numbered.

But it was 2001, with the creation of the iPod, that really launched people onto the road of self-isolation. Now, not only could anyone select preferred songs but even choose musical genres or different genres or even of mixed genres. The songs were playable on demand in any order or even “shuffled.” Finally, being in digital form, music could be downloaded (or uploaded) from any number of sources.

There were some unanticipated consequences: the death (or perhaps enforced hibernation) of CD and LPs, of music radio, and many an iconic music store went bankrupt. “Shuffle” did away with the artistry and thematic nature of album line-ups.

Then there are the unapparent losses: the tactile and visual joy of the covers, the LP record itself, of reading write-ups about the artists on the jacket sleeves.

But the most significant of all losses was the need to wait for the songs to come and the commonality all felt with that waiting.

Music has now become an impersonal commodity of instant gratification, playable whenever and wherever one wants. And with the disappearance of waiting is also the need to appreciate other music, to at least hear what songs other people listened to. Just put on earphones and you’re now enveloped in a musical cocoon of your design.

Perhaps it’s no coincidence the iPod came out in 2001, the year that supposedly “changed everything.” And the most significant change was the loss of that sense of unity, of belonging, and that to belong was fine.

9/11 and the iPod, of course, did not do all that. But they might well have been the harbingers of an alienation taking root.

In the Philippines, the 1990s and 2000s saw unprecedented rise in property development and with it the proliferation of gated communities and high rise condominiums. In a society already internally divided by 7,100 islands and eight major dialects, these walled-off communities inadvertently aggravated the distance between Filipinos.

Such gated communities essentially served one function: to keep out those not belonging. And who “belonged” is identified primarily on the basis of economic class. No longer were the value differences being only between city and provincial folk; now, within the cities themselves, class divisions became emphasized: rich, middle class, the poor.

Walled mansions have always existed but at least in the past rich and poor generally lived on the same streets and walked, if only occasionally, amongst each other, and may even have patronized the same sari-sari store.

That has all but disappeared.

Richard Schneider, who co-authored the UN-HABITAT’s 2007 Global Report on Human Settlements, wrote that gated communities merely abandoned “public streets to the vulnerable poor, to street children and families, and to the offenders who prey on them. Such results also tend to broaden gaps between classes insomuch as wealthier citizens living in relatively homogeneous urban enclaves protected by private security forces have less need or opportunity to interact with poorer counterparts.”

And “grandchildren, or great-grandchildren,” bemoaned The Guardian’s architecture correspondent Jonathan Glancey, “of those who once lived facing on to bustling city streets where gates, security cameras, security guards and other forms of surveillance were unknown are now herded into gated compounds.”

Highly regrettably, this China coronavirus — or rather the panic surrounding it — will likely make this separation between people all the worse: the dehumanizing need to wear masks, the insistence of disallowing communal religious worship, checkpoints, of government monitoring and regulating every aspect of our personal lives, from eating out to commuting to going for groceries or merely getting a haircut.

Even our young are not being spared this alienation: at a time it’s crucial they physically interact with society, with their peers and teachers, to learn what constitutes good relationships and have good role models, our youth are being isolated from each other and instead face an impersonal computer screen.

All this lessens the nature of society, our society. There was always the need, through a continual series of compromises formed by dissent and exercise of freedoms, to arrive at a shared set of beliefs, aspirations, values, and concerns between and amongst us. That we share is what enables and justifies our sacrificing and working for the good of each other. That has been damaged.

We are not, as Roger Scruton puts it, “built on the idea of homo oeconomicus — the rational chooser who always acts to maximize his own utility, at whatever cost to the rest of us.” Unfortunately, the late lamented lockdown and its aftereffects are pushing us to be exactly that.

 

Jemy Gatdula is a Senior Fellow of the Philippine Council for Foreign Relations and a Philippine Judicial Academy law lecturer for constitutional philosophy and jurisprudence.

https://www.facebook.com/jigatdula/

Twitter @jemygatdula

NBA set to approve plan for 22-team return — reports

THE National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Board of Governors on Thursday was expected to approve the league’s plan for a 22-team return in Orlando, ESPN reported.

The conference call was slated to take place at 12:30 p.m. ET. The NBA’s Board of Governors require a three-fourths passage of the 30 teams on a plan.

The return of basketball would begin July 31 under the proposal, with the last possible date for Game Seven of the NBA Finals being Oct. 12, ESPN reported.

Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, each of the 22 teams will play eight regular-season games for seeding purposes for the playoffs. The 16 teams currently in postseason position will be joined by the New Orleans Pelicans, Portland Trail Blazers, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings and San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference and the Washington Wizards in the Eastern Conference.

The Pelicans (28-36), Kings (28-36) and Trail Blazers (29-37) sit 3 1/2 games behind the eighth-place Memphis Grizzlies (32-33) in the Western Conference. The Spurs (27-36) are four in back of the Grizzlies, while the Suns (26-39) are six back.

The Wizards (24-40) reside six games behind the seventh-place Brooklyn Nets (30-34) and 5 1/2 behind the eighth-place Orlando Magic (30-35).

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, “If the ninth seed is more than four games behind the eighth seed, the eighth seed earns the playoff spot; if the ninth seed is four or fewer games behind, then the eighth and ninth seed will enter a play-in tournament that is double-elimination for the eighth seed and single-elimination for ninth.”

The Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers, Nets and Magic currently occupy playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. The Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers join the Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks and Grizzlies in residing in playoff position in the Western Conference.

The NBA saw play stopped on March 11 after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus. — Reuters

PBA crafts protocols as it looks to squeeze in some activities

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo, Senior Reporter

FOR THE FIRST TIME in a long while the Philippine Basketball Association Board of Governors met face to face to discuss safety protocols to be implemented as it prepares for a possible resumption of some league activities amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Held at the PBA office in Libis, Quezon City, on Wednesday, the league board convened and then approved the proposed protocols that would serve as guide for the league as it angles to ease its way back now that Metro Manila is under a more relaxed general community quarantine (GCQ) setting.

The PBA was set to send a letter accompanying the protocols to the Inter-Agency Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), the agency tasked to lead the response against COVID-19 in the country, for consideration, hoping that the league would be allowed to have its member teams at least conduct practices.

Despite the National Capital Region now under GCQ, sports-related mass gatherings are still not allowed.

“Hopefully the IATF would give us a chance to at least have team practices for now,” said the PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial after the board meeting.

As per the proposal, the league looks to start having practices in July under strict monitoring to ensure the safety of all participants.

During practices, only six people, including four players, are allowed per practice session. Temperatures of players will have to be taken before the practice, while sanitizers and alcohols will be put in strategic places for use by the teams. Practice facilities will also have to be disinfected before and after use.

Mr. Marcial underscored that no scrimmages would take place, only conditioning for players.

Players and staff members are also prohibited from taking showers after the workout.

Mr. Marcial also said the league is going to be strict in enforcing the “no test, no practice” policy, meaning players have to be tested for COVID-19 first for them to be allowed to participate in the practices.

Recently, players of teams San Miguel Corp. — San Miguel Beermen, Magnolia Hotshots Pambansang Manok and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings — were tested for COVID-19, and all were negative of the deadly virus.

HOPING
Meanwhile, PBA Chairman Ricky Vargas of the TNT KaTropa, who was present in the board meeting, shared that they are optimistic that they will finally be able to squeeze in some activities that would eventually pave the way for the resumption of league action.

“Everyone is upbeat. The situation is uncertain. It’s something we’re not in control of. But as we follow the improvement of the situation from ECQ (enhanced community quarantine) to MECQ (modified ECQ) to GCQ and with the businesses starting to reopen, it gives you hope,” said Mr. Vargas.

“One step at a time,” he added.

In another development, the PBA Board approved the transfer of the Columbian Dyip franchise from Columbian Autocar Corporation to sister company Terra Firma Development Corporation.

Team governor Bobby Formales made the formal request on behalf of owner and Palawan governor Jose Alvarez.

The board approved the move pending the fulfilment of certain requirements.

Mr. Rosales said despite the transfer of franchise, the team is inclined to retain its “Dyip” moniker.

Eduard Folayang speaks up against cyber-bullying

MOVED by what happened to a popular pro wrestler who allegedly died of suicide after being a victim of attacks online, ONE Championship star Eduard “Landslide” Folayang joined the many voices in condemning any form of cyber-bullying.

No stranger to adversities in making his journey from humble beginnings in Baguio City to becoming one of the top mixed martial arts fighters in the land in ONE Championship, including having his share of doubters, critics and bashers, Mr. Folayang, 35, said he feels for Japanese reality TV star and pro wrestler Hana Kimura and that what happened to her was just lamentable.

Last month, Ms. Kimura was found dead in her home, feared to have committed suicide. She left notes referencing several hate messages she received online in an apparent cyber-bullying act, following an incident with another cast member on popular Netflix series Terrace House.

“It’s always sad when we lose a member of the martial arts community. I didn’t know Hana Kimura personally, but I’m sure many people loved her. It’s just unfortunate that she had to go through what she had to go through. I don’t think anybody deserves that,” said Mr. Folayang, twice the world lightweight champion at ONE Championship.

The Team Lakay stalwart urged people to make good use of technology and the online platform, observing propriety in what one says and does.

“For me, technology is two-faced. It can help humanity, but at the same time, it can also give some people an outlet to hurt others without consequence. I believe there is no place in the world for cyber-bullying,” said Mr. Folayang, who is currently in Baguio in this time of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

“It’s very wrong because you’re essentially harassing someone despite not knowing anything about that person’s life or what they are going through. Depression is not something we should take lightly,” he added.

Mr. Folayang went on to highlight that the situation with COVID-19 is not the time to turn against one another, instead as much as possible everybody must lift each other to get past these difficult times.

He also encouraged those experiencing depression to remain strong.

“It’s a tough situation now but I think sometimes we just need to remind ourselves that our identity is not formed from the opinion of others. I encourage others to be strong and understand that our mistakes do not define us. Hang in there and we will all get through this together,” said Mr. Folayang.

“I also want all the people out there suffering from depression to know that you are not alone, and that many people love you — your family, your friends. We should all help one another, especially during these difficult times.”

Just like any ONE Championship fighter, Mr. Folayang is awaiting word on when they can resume competing in events. But he is keeping himself busy with training, individually and with his team, while also lending a hand in his community amid COVID-19. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

PGA Tour coronavirus testing convoy ready to roll

TORONTO — The PGA Tour will roll out three mobile laboratories that will conduct on site testing at all tournaments as the sport returns from a nearly three-month coronavirus hiatus next week with the Charles Schwab Challenge in Texas.

The mobile testing units, each manned by a driver and three technicians, will arrive the Saturday before the tournament and test all players, caddies and essential personnel.

Each swab collection will take less than five minutes and test results returned in between two and four hours.

The PGA Tour said that approximately 400 individuals will be tested on-site each week.

“Not only will Sanford Health’s mobile laboratories enable us to deliver test results in a matter of hours so that our athletes can properly prepare for competition, but they will also allow us to implement our testing program without utilizing critical resources from the communities in which we play,” Andy Levinson, PGA Tour Senior Vice President Tournament Administration, said in a statement on Wednesday.

The PGA Tour, forced into a COVID-19 hiatus mid-March, released a revised schedule in April with the first four events to be played without spectators, starting with the June 11-14 Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas.

The other tournaments slated to be held without fans are the RBC Heritage (June 18–21) in Hilton Head, South Carolina, the Travelers Championship (June 25–28) in Cromwell, Connecticut, and the Rocket Mortgage Classic (July 2–5) in Detroit. — Reuters

Serve As One Variety Show for volleyball game day personnel on

THE COUNTRY’S volleyball idols are ready to put up a show on today and tomorrow.

But instead of trading spikes, the players will showcase their off-court talents online in the much-awaited Serve As One Variety Show.

A fundraising effort for volleyball personnel presented by Volleyball Community Gives Back PH, the show is scheduled at 7:30 p.m. on the ABS-CBN Sports Website, ABS-CBN Sports Facebook Page and ABS-CBN Sports Youtube Channel.

One of the best young open spikers in the country, Eya Laure is raring to display her talents — in singing.

“Ready na ba kayo marinig ang maganda kong boses? HAHAHA,” wrote Laure on her Twitter account.

Teaming up with Alina Bicar, Laure will pit against Gel Cayuna and Ced Domingo in a “complete the lyrics” challenge.

Other volleyball stars will also show their prowess like Kalei Mau, who is expected to sing with her guitar in tow, while Panpan Pantino, Beauty Denila and Bia General are also ready to jam for a cause.

Erstwhile collegiate rivals Alyssa Valdez and Ara Galang will reconnect through the “GaDez Reacts” segment where both of them will react to some of their most iconic plays during their UAAP days which will also highlight the first day.

It will be also an exciting second day.

Fans will find more about Jema Galanza and Deanna Wong in “Storytime with GaWong” where the duo will find out who is better at recalling their memorable moments together.

Beach volleyball standouts Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons and AJ Pareja and Pemie Bagalay will reunite online where they will know their teammate better in this segment.

For more fun challenges in the two-day event, please visit Volleyball Community Give Back on Facebook and @vcgbph on Instagram and Twitter.

Donations can be sent to Ryan Sordan through BPI bank account 8069 0632 77, GCash at 0917-5003390 and PayMaya at 0917-5003390.

There will be also a virtual after-party on the VCGB PH Facebook page featuring DJs Rammy Bitong, Sir Scratch and James on Friday, and Jon Tupaz, Ivan Constantino and Boyet Evangelista on Saturday.

New normal

For National Basketball Association fans, news that practically all players want to return to the court as soon as possible can’t but be deemed positive. Even with the Board of Governors expected to unanimously fall behind Commissioner Adam Silver in his plan to restart the 2019–20 campaign with a mishmash schedule that incorporates a truncated transition to the playoffs, genuine safety concerns still exist at a level that presents not insignificant risks to purveyors of the league’s principal product. Having them compete in a bubble and limiting their physical contact with extraneous quarters present a whole new set of complications.

The fact that players want to, well, play speaks volumes of their mindset. They feel they’ve already been cooped up much too long for comfort, and thus cannot wait to get reacquainted with the sport they’ve been part of practically their entire life. Which is why they’re willing to accept a reasonable measure of risk in so doing. Needless to say, trust weighs heavily in their decision. They’ve long known Silver to consider their interests in every big decision the NBA has made, and are happy to see union head Michele Roberts and representative Chris Paul strongly advance their cause as well.

The irony is that dismay from among the ranks, if any, has to do with the prospect of their continued inactivity. With the league bent on minimizing health issues by limiting the number of teams to be called to action, stalwarts wearing the colors of those left out are consigned to wonder when they can resume the practice of their profession. In this regard, choices for the immediate term inevitably affect the foreseeable future. When will the 2021–22 season begin? No, scratch that: When will preparations for the 2021–22 season begin? There are tolls exacted by the absence of physical and emotional well-being.

Nonetheless, there can be no denying the strides the league has been making in establishing a new normal. True, the Board of Governors’ vote is just the start of a long journey. There remains much to be done. In the wake of complicated and contentious deliberations between pencil pushers and practitioners in, say, Major League Baseball, however, the NBA is revealed to be far ahead of the curve. It’s all credit to Silver and to his enlightened constituency. Full transparency works, and, in this particular case, appears to pave the way to success.

 

Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.

Philippine stocks in best run since 2000 are Asia’s highlight

PHILIPPINE stocks climbed the most in Asia, heading for their best seven-day rally in two decades, on optimism that the economic fallout from the coronavirus outbreak won’t be as bad as feared after Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Benjamin E. Diokno said monetary-easing steps were appropriate.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index climbed as much as 3.6% as of 12:14 p.m. in Manila, taking its seven-day rebound to 18%. The peso advanced to 50 against the U.S. dollar for the first time since January 2018 as Mr. Diokno signaled a pause in interest-rate cuts.

The nation’s shares have joined a global rally on hopes of the economic recovery after the coronavirus outbreak will be quick. The Philippine index has rebounded 40% from a low in March, and foreign investors are back to pouring money in the country’s equity funds this month.

“It’s being driven by optimism from the reopening of economies around the world, not only the Philippines,” said Japhet Louis Tantiangco, an analyst at PhilStocks Financial Inc. “Momentum is building up. Investors are focused on the prospects of a recovery,” he said, adding that investors are shrugging off geopolitical risks between U.S. and China.

The Philippine peso gained 0.2% against the U.S. dollar, climbing the most among Asian currencies. The nation’s 10-year bond yield rose for a third day Wednesday, adding two basis points to 3.28%.

Expectations of a shorter contraction are building since lockdowns in Manila and neighboring areas have eased starting June 1. A sustained climb for the Philippine index above 6,100 is a signal that “the rally has still some gas to test the 6,500,” said Jonathan Ravelas, a strategist at BDO Unibank Inc.

Shares of retailer SM Investments Corp. contributed the most to Thursday’s rally, while GT Capital Holdings Inc., Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co., and Robinsons Land Corp. gained the most, rising more than 6.5%. A total of 23 of the benchmark gauge’s 30 members climbed.

“This reopening comes with risk that infections will further spread as we allow more movements,” Mr. Tantiangco said. “The longer this rally goes on the more susceptible it is to profit-taking.” — Bloomberg

‘Near impunity’ for drug war killings in the Philippines, U.N. report says

GENEVA — Tens of thousands of people in the Philippines may have been killed in the war on drugs since mid-2016, amid “near impunity” for police and incitement to violence by top officials, the United Nations said on Thursday.

The drugs crackdown, launched by President Rodrigo Duterte after winning the election on a platform of crushing crime, has been marked by police orders and high-level rhetoric that may have been interpreted as “permission to kill,” it said.

Police, who do not need search or arrest warrants to conduct house raids, systematically force suspects to make self-incriminating statements or risk facing lethal force, the U.N. human rights office said in a report.

There has been only one conviction, for the 2017 murder of Kian delos Santos, a 17-year-old Manila student. Three police officers were convicted after CCTV footage led to public outrage.

“Despite credible allegations of widespread and systematic extrajudicial killings in the context of the campaign against illegal drugs, there has been near impunity for such violations,” the report said.

Police say their actions in the anti-drug campaign have been lawful and that deaths occur in shootouts with dealers resisting arrest.

According to the report, some statements from the highest levels of government had “risen to the level of incitement to violence” and “vilification of dissent is being increasingly institutionalized.”

“The human rights situation in the Philippines is marked by an overarching focus on public order and national security, including countering terrorism and illegal drugs,” it said.

But this was “often at the expense of human rights, due process rights, the rule of law and accountability.”

“The Government has also increasingly filed criminal charges, including by using COVID-19 special powers laws, against social media users posting content critical of Government policies and actions,” the report added.

It will be presented to the U.N. Human Rights Council later in June.

Lawyers and activists raised the alarm this week over a new anti-terrorism bill pushed by Duterte, warning of draconian and arbitrary provisions that could be abused to target his detractors.

DRUG-RELATED KILLINGS

Most victims in the drug war are young poor urban males, the U.N. report said. Their relatives described “numerous obstacles in documenting cases and pursuing justice.”

“The most conservative figure, based on Government data, suggests that since July 2016, 8,663 people have been killed – with other estimates of up to triple that number,” it said.

The U.N. cited reports of widespread drug-related killings perpetrated by unidentified “vigilantes” and a Philippine government report in 2017 that referred to 16,355 “homicide cases under investigations” as accomplishments in the drugs war.

A 2016 police circular launching the campaign uses the terms “negation” and “neutralization” of “drug personalities,” it said, calling for its repeal.

“Such ill-defined and ominous language, coupled with repeated verbal encouragement by the highest level of State officials to use lethal force, may have emboldened police to treat the circular as permission to kill,” it said.

Government figures show that 223,780 “drug personalities” were arrested from mid-July 2016 through 2019, but unclear charges and irregularities in due process raise concerns that “many of these cases may amount to arbitrary detentions.”

At least 248 land and environmental rights activists, lawyers, journalists, and trade unionists were killed from 2015 to 2019, the report said. So-called red-tagging, or labeling people and groups as communists or terrorists, had become rife. — Reuters

SteelAsia’s Ben Yao to vie for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year Award

SteelAsia Chairman, President and CEO Benjamin Yao, who was named the Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines (EOYP) in 2019, will represent the country in the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year (WEOY) Awards. The EY WEOY honors the trail-blazing business leaders of the world: the unstoppable visionaries who stop at nothing to achieve their ambition to make a difference.

EY WEOY is excited to collaborate with CNBC Catalyst, transforming EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year 2020 into a ground-breaking virtual experience unlike any before. The event will take place on June 4 at 19:00 BST (June 5 at 2:00 a.m. Manila Time). Everyone is invited and encouraged to attend.

EOYP Program Director Henry M. Tan says, “Mr. Benjamin Yao’s participation in the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards is a testament not only to his passion, ingenuity and dedication to the Philippine steel industry, but also to the competitiveness and world-class competence of all Filipino entrepreneurs.”

Mr. Yao joins some of our country’s most impressive and inspiring business leaders who have represented the Philippines in this prestigious annual event.

Register for the virtual event at https://www.cnbc.com/advertorial/weoy/ or visit the EY entrepreneurial hub at https://www.ey.com/en_gl/weoy.

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