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Barca title bid on rocks; Atletico upstages Messi’s 700th goal

BARCELONA — Barcelona gave up more ground to Real Madrid in LaLiga’s title race on Tuesday after being held to a 2-2 draw at home to third-placed Atletico Madrid as a late penalty from Saul Niguez cancelled out Lionel Messi’s 700th career goal.

The draw meant the Catalans stayed second in the standings on 70 points and leader Real Madrid, who has 71, will go four points clear at the top with five games left if they beat Getafe at home on Thursday.

Barca went ahead at an empty Camp Nou in the 11th minute when Atletico striker Diego Costa knocked Messi’s delivery from a corner into his own net.

Saul levelled soon after from the spot after the referee ordered a retake when Costa’s initial penalty was saved by Marc-Andre ter Stegen who had strayed from his line.

Barcelona then earned a penalty soon after the interval which Argentine Messi coolly converted for a remarkable 700th strike for club and country, only for Saul to strike again from the spot in the 62nd to earn a share of the points.

“It’s a real shame and the league title is looking much harder for us with each game,” said Barca coach Quique Setien, whose side has drawn three of their six games since the campaign resumed after the coronavirus stoppage.

“Dropping these points in reality pushes us further away from the title but we have to keep on working hard.”

The Catalans desperately needed to win after twice throwing away the lead to draw 2-2 with Celta Vigo on Saturday but history repeated itself as Quique Setien’s side failed to sparkle against a determined Atletico which is unbeaten since the season resumed.

“It’s very hard to try and fight for the title when you drop points two matches in a row but we’ll keep going until the end,” said Barca midfielder Sergio Busquets.

As well as defending with its usual steel, Diego Simeone’s side caused Barca plenty of problems down the wings due to the pace of Yannick Carrasco and its man-of-the-moment Marcos Llorente, who is enjoying a new lease on life as a forward.

Belgian winger Carrasco won both penalties for Atletico, outfoxing Arturo Vidal in the first half and then proving too quick for Nelson Semedo.

Saul had sent Ter Stegen the wrong way to score his first equalizer but the German guessed the right way in their second duel from the spot. The ball, however, squirmed through his hands and crept in off post.

Barca coach Setien left former Atletico forward Antoine Griezmann out of his starting team for the second game in a row and turned to the 120-million-euro man in stoppage time, but the Frenchman had barely any time to provide the desired reaction. — Reuters

Team Liyab signs strength and conditioning coach

WHILE there is no denying that having a sound mind to craft strategies goes a long way in succeeding in esports, still complementing it with proper physical fitness adds further dimension to one’s drive to excel in the sport.

And with that in mind, esports squad Team Liyab, co-owned by Globe and Mineski, saw it necessary to tap a strength and conditioning coach to help its athletes stay on top of their game both in mind and body.

Martin Alido, a noted health and wellness expert, recently came on board Liyab to oversee the physical wellbeing of team members, especially now that they spent much of their time at home with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic still a going concern in the country.

Under the partnership with Liyab, Mr. Alido developed a customized program centered on exercise, nutrition, and recovery after long hours of play.

With his expertise and experience, his programs are geared at addressing the pain points of an esports athlete and get the team physically and mentally fit, which is especially important in a time of a global health crisis like the one at hand.

“Unlike traditional sports, esports is largely sedentary. Long hours of sitting may increase the risk of high blood pressure, osteoporosis, depression, and anxiety. Encouraging athletes to be mindful of their health and wellness can help push the team to the top of their esports game,” said Mr. Alido, who is also the strength and conditioning coach of Batang Gilas, the men’s national under-17 basketball team.

In crafting the programs for the athletes, Mr. Alido turned to the knowledge he has acquired throughout the years, including the training and certifications for strength and conditioning he got in Australia.

“Our vision for Team Liyab and the esports industry in general is to be perceived as a truly legitimate sport that requires talent, skills, and passion; as well as physical and mental wellness,” said Jil Bausa-Go, Vice-President of Content Business Group at Globe, of having Mr. Alido be part of the team.

“Having Coach Alido onboard is a milestone for us in fulfilling this vision, and making sure that our athletes are safe, healthy and secure amid the ongoing pandemic,” she added.

Liyab Esports is composed of three game titles — League of Legends, Arena of Valor, and Starcraft II.

Its line up includes Southeast Asian Games 2019 gold medalist, Caviar “Enderr” Acampado for Starcraft II, Edrian “DoeDoii” Brancia, Ren “Kanji” Motomitsu, Kim “Rex” Taeyeon, Kyle “Dawn” Somera, Kim “Mocha” Taegyeom for League of Legends.

The team is managed by a renowned coaching staff led by Gerald “Tgee” Gelacio, Akarawat “Cabbage” Wangsawat, and SEA Games 2019 national athletes for Arena of Valor Lawrence “Rubixx” Gatmaitan, Kevin “Gambit” Dizon, and Miguel “Miggie” Banaag, along with new members Allen Dean “Don” Viola and Edriane “Zeus” Balbalosa.

Liyab Esports recently rallied behind medical frontliners in the fight against COVID-19 by way of Starforge, an online charity streaming event which raised P523,000 for the Philippine Heart Center. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

US virus cases up by 47,000, biggest 1-day spike

WASHINGTON — New US COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) cases rose by more than 47,000 on Tuesday according to a Reuters tally, the biggest one-day spike since the start of the pandemic, as the government’s top infectious disease expert warned that number could soon double.

California, Texas and Arizona have emerged as new US epicenters of the pandemic, reporting record increases in COVID-19 cases.

“Clearly we are not in total control right now,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told a US Senate committee. “I am very concerned because it could get very bad.”

Dr. Fauci said the daily increase in new cases could reach 100,000 unless a nationwide push was made to tamp down the resurgent virus.

“We can’t just focus on those areas that are having the surge. It puts the entire country at risk,” he said.

Dr. Fauci said there was no guarantee of a vaccine, although early data had been promising: “Hopefully there will be doses available by the beginning of next year,” he said.

COVID-19 cases more than doubled in June in at least 10 states, including Texas and Florida, a Reuters tally showed. In parts of Texas and Arizona, hospital intensive care beds for COVID-19 patients are in short supply.

More than 126,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 and millions have lost their jobs as states and major cities ordered residents to stay home and businesses closed. The economy contracted sharply in the first quarter and is expected to crater in the second.

The European Union has excluded Americans from its “safe list” of countries from which the bloc will allow non-essential travel beginning on Wednesday.

The fresh rise in cases and hospitalizations has dimmed hopes that the worst of the human and economic pain had passed, prompting renewed criticism of US President Donald Trump as he seeks re-election on Nov. 3.

His rival, Democrat Joe Biden, on Tuesday said that Mr. Trump’s “historic mismanagement” of the pandemic cost lives and inflicted more damage than necessary to the US economy.

“It didn’t have to be this way. Donald Trump failed us,” the 77-year-old former vice-president said in a speech in Delaware, where he unveiled an updated plan to tackle the pandemic calling for more testing and the hiring of 100,000 contract tracers.

In the past week California, Texas and Florida have moved to close recently reopened bars, which public health officials believe are likely one of the larger contributors to the recent spikes.

On Tuesday, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut added travelers from California and seven other states to those who must self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival. Texas and Florida were named last week.

South Carolina also has also emerged as a hotspot, reporting a record single-day increase of 1,755 cases on Tuesday.

In Texas, where the number of new cases jumped to a one-day record of 6,975 on Tuesday, Houston hospitals said beds were quickly filling up with COVID-19 patients.

Dr. Marc Boom, chief executive of Houston Methodist Hospital, told CNN on Tuesday that his hospital beds have seen a “very significant” increase in COVID-19 patients, although the death rate has lowered.

Dr. Boom said he was worried about Independence Day celebrations this weekend, when Americans traditionally flock to beaches and campgrounds to watch fireworks displays.

“Frankly it scares me,” he said. — Reuters

Japan could reimpose state of emergency in worst-case scenario

TOKYO — Japan is not in a situation now where it needs to declare another state of emergency over the coronavirus but could do so in a worst-case scenario, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Wednesday.

The capital Tokyo has sought to keep new cases below 20 a day since Japan lifted a state of emergency on May 25, but has had five straight days of more than 50 new cases as of Tuesday, when 54 infections were reported.

Still, Tokyo along with the rest of Japan has had a lower rate of infection than many countries. Japan has had nearly 19,000 diagnosed with 974 deaths.

By contrast, the United States saw new infections rise by more than 47,000 on Tuesday alone, the biggest one-day spike since the start of the pandemic. — Reuters

Hong Kong wakes up to new national security law on handover anniversary

HONG KONG — Security was tight near the heart of Hong Kong’s government district on Wednesday only hours after new security laws came into force and as the city marked the 23rd anniversary of the former British colony’s handover to China.

The contentious law will punish crimes of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison, heralding a more authoritarian era for the Asian financial hub.

Among the details certain to unnerve democracy and rights activists in the city is a ban on violators of the law standing for election and greater oversight of non-governmental organizations and newsgroups.

Speaking at a flag-raising ceremony to mark the anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover in 1997, the city’s embattled leader Carrie Lam said the law was the most important development since the city’s return to Beijing.

“It is a historical step to perfect Hong Kong safeguarding national security, territorial integrity and a secure system,” Ms. Lam said at the same harbor-front venue where 23 years ago the last colonial governor, Chris Patten, a staunch critic of the security law, tearfully handed back Hong Kong to Chinese rule.

“It is also an inevitable and prompt decision to restore stability in the society.”

Authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong have repeatedly said the legislation is aimed at a few “troublemakers” and will not affect rights and freedoms, nor investor interests.

Critics fear the legislation will crush wide-ranging freedoms in Hong Kong denied to people in mainland China that are seen as key to its success as a global financial center.

“With the release of the full detail of the law, it should be clear to those in any doubt that this is not the Hong Kong they grew up in,” said Hasnain Malik, head of equity research, Tellimer in Dubai.

“But this tighter security environment has been on the way for many years now. The difference is that US and China relations are far worse and this could be used as a pretext to impede the role of Hong Kong as a finance hub.”

HONG KONG’S ‘SECOND RETURN’
Some pro-Beijing officials and political commentators say the law is aimed at sealing Hong Kong’s “second return” to the motherland after the first failed to bring residents of the restive city to heel.

Luo Huining, the head of Beijing’s top representative office in Hong Kong, said at the flag-raising ceremony the law was a “common aspiration” of Hong Kong citizens.

Critics of the legislation blasted the lack of transparency surrounding its details up until it was unveiled, with even Beijing-backed Ms. Lam saying she was not privy to the draft despite her insisting most people had no reason to worry.

The complex legislation came into force at 11 p.m. (1500 GMT) on June 30, giving Hong Kong’s 7.5 million people no time to digest it. Some pro-democracy activists quit their posts only hours before the law came into force, calling on the campaign for democracy to continue offshore.

Neighboring Taiwan, which Beijing regards as part of China and has said it would use force to reclaim it, said it had opened an office on Wednesday to help people fleeing Hong Kong.

About a dozen demonstrators rallied to protest against the new law, which critics fear will crush wide-ranging freedoms promised to Hong Kong for 50 years when it returned to Beijing under a “one country, two systems” style of governance.

Authorities barred an annual handover anniversary march due to be held on Wednesday, citing a ban on gatherings of more than 50 people in a bid to curb coronavirus, but many activists pledged to defy the order and march later in the afternoon.

The annual rally is traditionally held to air grievances over everything from sky-high home prices to what many see as Beijing’s increasing encroachment on the city’s freedoms.

“We march every year, every July 1, every October 1 and we will keep on marching,” said pro-democracy activist Leung Kwok-hung.

Local media has reported up to 4,000 police officers would be deployed to stamp out any protests on Wednesday.

On July 1 last year, hundreds of protesters stormed the city’s legislature to protest against a now-scrapped bill that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China, trashing the building in a direct challenge to authorities in Beijing.

Those protests evolved into calls for greater democracy, paralyzing parts of the city and paving the way for Beijing to directly impose national security law on Hong Kong, a move that has drawn condemnation from some Western governments. — Reuters

More wealthy families want to make a positive impact through their fortune

By Mariel Alison L. Aguinaldo

According to experts from advisory firms, wealthy families are no longer content with just preserving and growing their assets.

Alexandre Monnier, senior vice-president and managing director of Wealth Sustainability and president of The Hawthorn Institute for Family Success, has been keeping in touch with their clients during this pandemic. During their conversations, he said that many wealthy families have been contemplating how they can use their riches for good.

“[They’re] going away from the traditional wealth preservation model where a first generation would create wealth and the other family members would try to preserve it. [There’s] the desire to put the wealth to work, have an impact,” he said during “Wealthy Families and Individuals in a Time of Turbulence and Transition,” a webinar organized by the Luxury Institute.

Some members of these wealthy families have also been making their voices heard through other means.

“We have third-generation or second-generation family members marching [and] protesting. They’re not just saying, ‘This is my opinion, see you next time.’ They’re actually using their actions to demonstrate to their families what their views are,” said Melina Spadone, senior counsel at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP, in the same webinar.

The wealthy are defined as individuals with a net worth of $100 million or more. Many of them are members of families which may either be first-generation or multigenerational.

Aside from social issues, wealthy families are thinking about their future, particularly the values and working mindset of the younger generations. They are also concerned about family leadership.

“During the initial part of the crisis, many families found that … [some of their members] don’t have the knowledge that they need, whether it’s the business acumen or whether it is the ability to lead the family and communicate in the right way to bring the family closer together,” said Stephen Prostano, partner and head of family advisory services at PKF O’Connor Davies, LLP and founder of The UHNW Institute, a non-profit think tank that addresses the needs of ultra-high-net-worth families.

These issues are on top of the business concerns that have cropped up during the pandemic, such as cash management issues, industry forecasts, and business continuity.

Advisory firms have been helping wealthy families handle these issues by providing financial services. Mr. Prostano, for instance, mentioned that PKF O’Connor Davies, LLP can outsource finance officers to family businesses.

For relational problems, advisory firms have been facilitating discussions among family members, broaching topics that may be considered taboo or uncomfortable. By regularly holding such discussions, Mr. Monnier hopes to normalize them to the same level as finance-oriented talks.

“We’re trying to create an environment of making those discussions possible, allowing our clients to realize that this is not a sign of failure that they’re discussing these issues, that it’s par for the course for most families with wealth, and that there’s help out there, that there are resources that can actually help address these issues with the same level of rigor and professionalism as you did with financial issues,” he said.

These discussions are also important given that business is heavily influenced by family relations within wealthy families.

“There is no clear division between family issues and business issues and legal issues … So uniquely in family wealth and private wealth, decisions are not based on just the bottomline. You don’t look at a decision and say, ‘Is that going to make me money or not make me money?’ It’s always filtered through the lens of family values or family goals,” said Ms. Spadone. “There’s no pure — at least in my experience — legal issue, because it feeds into the financial issue, it feeds into the family dynamic, it feeds into succession and lifestyle.”

SIDEBAR | HOW TO ADVISE THE WEALTHY
Advising the wealthy is a tricky task layered with business concerns and family dynamics. So what essential steps must advisory firms keep in mind? Experts share tips in the webinar “Wealthy Families and Individuals in a Time of Turbulence and Transition” by the Luxury Institute.

• “[Have] courage to talk about the elephant in the room that everybody is avoiding, including other family members [and] family office executives… [when you] build a relationship on the real issues that matter that nobody has the courage to bring up, you build a relationship that suddenly becomes at a much higher level.” — Alexandre Monnier, senior vice-president and managing director of Wealth Sustainability; and president, The Hawthorn Institute for Family Success

• “The skills in family dynamics and emotional intelligence are, I think, a priority in terms of any advisor to families of wealth. And the ability to integrate your understanding of the interpersonal issues of a family with the financial questions and issues that they have in order to then deliver the right advice and hopefully help them develop the right plans for the future is absolutely critical.” — Stephen Prostano, partner, head of family advisory services at PKF O’Connor Davies, LLP; and founder, The UHNW Institute

• “The relationship of trust [between you and your clients] has to be built up over time. But once you’ve built it up, with one particular family or multiple families, it starts to spread. So not only are they trusting you, but they’re trusting you that if there’s something you don’t know or something you need to find out, that you’re going to use someone that you trust. — Melina Spadone, senior counsel, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

Facing crisis, Cuba calls on citizens to grow more of their own food

HAVANA — In the courtyard of a temple belonging to the Abakua Afro-Cuban religious brotherhood in Havana, Nelson Piloto is pulling up the lawn to plant bell peppers and cassava in the face of Cuba’s looming food crisis.

Mr. Piloto, 40, says he is responding to the Communist government’s call for citizens to produce more of their own food, including in big cities, in whatever spaces they can find, from backyards to balconies.

Standing across from two giant ceiba trees that are considered sacred by many in Cuba, the temple usually resounds with ceremonies involving drumming, animal sacrifices and dance. But it sits empty now due to coronavirus lockdown restrictions on gatherings.

“I’m making the most of the earth,” said Mr. Piloto, leaning on his hoe.

Food security has lately risen to the top of the national agenda in Cuba, with countless news headlines and televised roundtable discussions dedicated to the topic.

“Cuba can and must develop its program of municipal self-sustainability definitively and with urgency, in the face of the obsessive and tightened US blockade and the food crisis COVID-19 will leave,” José Ramón Machado Ventura, 89, deputy leader of the Cuban Communist Party, was quoted as saying by state-run media on Monday.

The Caribbean island imports roughly two-thirds of the food it consumes at a cost of around $2 billion annually, in addition to key farming supplies like fertilizer, machinery and animal feed.

But imports have nosedived in recent years as aid from ally Venezuela shrank following its economic implosion and US President Donald Trump tightened the half century-old U.S. trade embargo.

That led first to shortages of imported food and then to drops in national agricultural production. Output of Cuban staples like rice, tomatoes and pork fell 18%, 13% and 8% respectively last year, according to data released this month.

The coronavirus pandemic, which has paralyzed the key tourism sector, has only exacerbated the situation.

“Today we Cubans have two big worries: COVID-19 and food. Both kill. We are flooded with scarcity,” said Yanet Montes, 51, leaving a popular Havana agricultural market with just a few mangoes.

She and others said the availability of produce at such markets was dwindling, with long lines for the most sought-after items like tarot root sometimes starting at dawn.

1990s SURVIVAL LESSONS
Leaders have appealed to Cubans to redeploy lessons learned during the so-called “Special Period,” the deep economic depression Cuba fell into after the 1991 collapse of former benefactor the Soviet Union.

Last year, they urged farmers to use oxen instead of tractors due to fuel scarcity.

The premium placed on fuel savings is one reason planning departments are now looking to expand organic farming in urban and suburban areas where goods can be sold directly.

Cuba became something of an organic farming pioneer in the 1990s, developing techniques like worm composting, soil conservation and the use of biopesticides, to replace imported supplies and large scale monoculture.

Havana now produces 18% of the agricultural produce it consumes, according to state run media.

Communist Party activists are signing up in some provinces to do voluntary work in the fields while authorities have distributed leaflets to neighborhood leaders in towns and cities on expanding family farming.

In a residential neighborhood in east Havana, Luis Ledesma asked his wife if he could tear up her flower beds so he could plant pumpkin, sweet potato, cassava, cucumber and chives.

“One of the things that is difficult to find these days is rice,” said the 61-year-old, who recently acquired five chickens and a cockerel and wants to install rabbit cages next. “But root vegetables can replace rice.”

REFORM
Some Cuba observers are cautiously hopeful the crisis will push the government to reform its agricultural model which, like the rest of the economy, remains heavily centralized.

“Nothing good can come from the combination of monopoly of supplies, monopoly of distribution and distorted prices,” said Cuban economist Pedro Monreal.

The government has hinted recently at a possible reform of the vast state network responsible for purchasing and distributing most farm output, which has come under fire for wasting crops and disincentiving production.

Another Cuban economist, Omar Everleny, said the government should free farmers altogether from this monopoly, allowing them to find their own ways to sell produce and import their own equipment.

“I have the impression in the next few months we will see new reforms,” he said.

Come what may, some Cubans like sustainable agriculture enthusiast Marnia Briones hope the country won’t lose the habits that have arisen from this and previous crises, which some have termed its “green revolution.” — Reuters

Google stymies media companies from chipping away at its data dominance

OAKLAND — Alphabet Inc.’s Google upended plans by European media companies to block it from harvesting data about their readers and slash some of its dominance in online advertising, seven people involved in the talks said this month.

Publishers had expected to use data privacy measures going into effect Aug. 15 to bar Google from storing insights about readers, sapping the data advantage that has enabled it to dominate a market filled with advertisers hungry for information to target potential customers.

But Google said it will cut off publishers from a lucrative flow of ads if they follow through with curbing its data collection. Negotiations continue, but Google holds greater leverage because it dominates in both advertising tools and access to advertisers within the $100 billion annual global banner ads market.

“You have to basically implement what (Google) expect from you or you’re out of the market — you can’t do without them,” said Thomas Adhumeau, general counsel at S4M, which competes with Google in software for advertisers.

The publishers’ strategy and the ongoing discussions have not been previously reported.

Google repeatedly has outmaneuvered website owners and its competitors over the last decade to ensure its dominance. In several cases, publishers circumvented Google to attract higher prices for ads, only to see Google reassert itself as an indispensable cog.

Rivals and publishers contend some of Google’s actions were unlawfully anticompetitive, and authorities in United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union and Australia this year are considering pursuing penalties, with some even mulling breaking up Google.

Media giant News Corp. this year publicly complained to Australian regulators about Google gaining an advantage over publishers by harvesting audience data. Other companies said they will complain if Google does cut off some ads in August.

Google describes the online ads industry as competitive and says its policies aim to square European Union privacy law with how its ad tools work.

PROTOCOL CHALLENGED
The EU’s two-year-old General Data Protection Regulation requires companies to get users’ permission or have a legitimate reason before handling their data. It prompted the Interactive Advertising Bureau of Europe (IAB), a consortium involving Google along with its clients and partners, to develop a technical protocol known as the Transparency and Consent Framework (TCF) for ensuring all of them had the appropriate approvals from consumers.

IAB Chief Executive Townsend Feehan said that pushed by major publishers, the consortium last year agreed to ask users for two separate permissions previously tied together: one to be shown personalized ads, the other to have their personal data collected in a profile.

Some websites and apps planned to omit the second permission. That would starve Google’s profile-building, while still allowing those properties to serve up personalized ads from Google’s clients.

But Google now says consumers must grant both permissions to get personalized ads when the new protocol launches Aug. 15.

“This is contrary to what was agreed” by the consortium, said Angela Mills Wade, executive director of the European Publishers’ Council.

Chetna Bindra, a senior product manager at Google, said its policy around TCF keeps the status quo.

It “doesn’t change any of our policies for publishers, including our consent policy, which helps ensure users have transparency into and control over how their data is being collected and used to serve personalized ads,” Bindra said.

Some Google rivals such as advertiser software maker MediaMath said they may split the data permissions, giving publishers another way to undercut Google. But they still would have to forgo its bountiful ad supply.

Media groups Axel Springer of Germany and Schibsted of Norway are among those frustrated with Google’s stance.

“We are concerned when big players seek to dictate the ways we should process data,” said Schibsted Chief Privacy Officer Ingvild Ness. “It’s concerning and problematic if we end up in a situation where certain companies become gatekeepers.”

Google uses software, which millions of partner websites rely on to display ads, to track readers’ location, characteristics and the pages and content they consume. These rich profiles allow marketers to target ads to particular users as they browse online.

Publishers, no matter how vast their own audiences, have struggled to compete with the breadth of Google’s profiles.

“When Google harvests that data and enriches their profiles, Google could be seen as bleeding publishers dry one drop at a time,” said Adrien Thil, chief privacy officer at Smart AdServer, which competes with Google in publisher software.

Sink or swim: Planning the future of your business

By Patricia B. Mirasol

The COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic is forcing businesses to adopt alternative ways to swim with the current. “The name of the game now is: It is the fast that eats the big,” said Aldrin Antivola, business efficiency advisor and organizational therapist of Dr. Aldrin Consulting.

In a virtual conference organized by the Department of Trade and Industry, Mr. Antivola shared practical tips and advice on aligning one’s business with society’s changing needs.

THE NECESSITY OF A BUSINESS PLAN
There are various reasons why businesses fail to grow. These include a lack of strong leadership, poor cash flow management, inefficient operations, and sloppy recordkeeping.

Of all the possible reasons for a business to fail, having no overarching plan has the potential of doing the most damage. Planning day by day won’t cut it, as it is akin to putting out one fire after the other.

Mr. Antivola said that there is a science behind doing business. Growing your business is all about strategy; you need the right combination of goals and methods to flourish. He shares the following questions to help guide entrepreneurs as they navigate their journey:

• Where are you now? Conduct a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis. Don’t make one just for the sake of doing so. Make it fact-based and have sources of data to validate and prove that your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats really are that.

• Where do you want to go? What do you want to become? It is important to know the whys and hows to define your business direction. Start by scanning your external and internal environments to know your opportunities and challenges. Do a sales and financial projection to have a better picture of your situation.

• How do you get there? Flesh out your objectives, key results, and action plans. Practice monthly performance reviews. If you’re not meeting your objectives, change your strategies. “Define your destination. Then proceed with all of your resources to reach that destination,” Mr. Antivola said. “Whatever you want can be yours but it will take planning and resource dedication.”

Failing to adapt to change is one of the biggest mistakes a business can make. Businesses can and must develop strategic approaches to ensure quick and effective adaptation in this pandemic. They can start by doing the first step towards a successful enterprise: business planning.

“The crisis we are experiencing now is a form of change. It’s a matter of how you are responding to that change. You have to stop and think. You have to plan. Don’t give up,” said Mr. Antivola.

Philippine finance chief seeks to further reopen the economy

Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III seeks to further loosen movement curbs in the capital region to reignite an economy facing its deepest slump in three decades.

The greater Manila area and its neighboring regions, which account for about 70% of economic output, should be placed under the lowest level of restrictions, Mr. Dominguez said at a televised briefing on Wednesday. The capital was kept under a general community quarantine while the strict stay-at-home order in Cebu City was extended through July 15.

Mr. Dominguez is encouraging President Rodrigo R. Duterte who implemented one of Asia’s early and longest lockdowns amid the coronavirus pandemic to put Metro Manila under a modified general community quarantine “as quickly as possible because people have to start working.” Nearby regions have already been placed under the lowest quarantine level, where industries can operate at full capacity.

Since June 1 when Mr. Duterte allowed some businesses and transportation to resume, confirmed cases have doubled to 37,514 as of Tuesday while deaths stood at 1,266. While infections are rising faster in areas like Cebu City, the cases in Metro Manila and nearby provinces remain elevated.

Still, Mr. Dominguez told the President that “we really should begin opening” as millions of Filipinos have already lost their jobs. Lockdowns must be limited on a place-to-place, or even company-to-company basis, the finance chief said. “If a company has a big spike, close it down.”

The $331 billion economy may have slumped by as much as 6.7% in the second quarter when much of the country was under strict lockdown, according to the central bank. The government expects gross domestic product to contract by 2%–3.4% this year. Unemployment rate climbed to a record 17.7% in April as the number of jobless surged to 7.3 million. Labor force participation fell to an all-time low of 55.6%.

In Cebu, the number of critical cases and deaths are rising, Carlito G. Galvez, Jr., chief implementer of measures to stem the outbreak, said on Monday. The central Visayas region where Cebu is located had 21 COVID-related deaths in the past two weeks — the highest in the country. — Bloomberg

AllHome sets online stockholders’ meeting on July 22

Regional Updates (06/30/20)

PAL’s Manila-bound international flights diverted to Cebu due to limited quarantine processing

SOME MANILA-bound international flights of Philippine Airlines (PAL) are being diverted to Cebu due to “quarantine processing limitations” at the country’s main gateway in the capital. In a phone message to BusinessWorld on Tuesday, PAL Spokesperson Cielo C. Villaluna said several Manila-bound flights of the flag carrier have been landing in Cebu “since June 19.” In an advisory on June 29, PAL, operated by PAL Holdings, Inc., alerted its Manila-bound passengers from July 1 to July 5 that they will “undergo the required COVID testing in Cebu rather than in Manila, and quarantine at a Cebu hotel accredited by the Department of Health.” PAL said the rerouting was necessary to avoid a full cancellation of flights. “Once you receive a negative test result (usually within 24 to 48 hours of the test), PAL will fly you from Cebu to Manila at no extra charge. Please note that the cost for the COVID tests and the quarantine hotel will be borne by the traveler, whether the tests and quarantine take place in Cebu or Manila,” it added. The test and accommodation costs for returning overseas Filipino workers are covered by the government. The advisory was addressed to passengers departing from Los Angeles, London, San Francisco, Toronto, Vancouver, Tokyo Narita, Singapore, Nagoya, Osaka Kansai, Bangkok, Taipei, Hong Kong, Fukuoka, and Guam. Passengers were also advised to book their Cebu accommodation at an accredited hotel prior to their scheduled departure. “We suggest that you book your hotel for at least two (2) nights, in line with the expected 24 to 48 hours processing time to receive the COVID test results,” PAL said. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Cebu Pacific appeals for increased frequency to Davao to meet demand

GMR MEGAWIDE CEBU AIRPORT Corp., operator of the Mactan Cebu International Airport, has set up a COVID-19 testing laboratory at Terminal 2, which has been accredited and is now operational for arriving passengers. — @MACTANCEBUAIRPORT FB PAGE

BUDGET AIRLINE Cebu Pacific is appealing to the city government here to allow more regular commercial flights to the Davao International Airport, citing high demand from stranded individuals in Manila. “We are really appealing for the city government of Davao to allow us and we are ready to mount additional flights that we can announce in regularity so that the people know when they have to be at the airport,” Cebu Pacific Corporate Communications Director Charo Logarta Lagamon said in a phone interview. The airport serves as the regional hub for Davao and several neighboring provinces. Cebu Pacific currently flies twice a week to Davao, one directly from Manila and another with a Cebu stop. Ms. Lagamon said these flights are already fully booked until July. “The only other way to solve this dilemma of stranded individuals who have nowhere else to go in Manila in particular is to really add frequency,” she said. “We can even do once daily for Davao City or more because in places like Cagayan de Oro for instance, we are allowed twice a day already. Note that the demand for CDO is not as much as Davao,” she added.

CITY PROPOSAL
Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, meanwhile, said they have submitted a proposal to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) for additional flights to and from Manila and other domestic airports. These are: Manila-Davao every Monday via Cebu Pacific; Manila-Davao every Wednesday via AirAsia; Manila-Davao every Thursday via Philippine Airlines (PAL); Davao-Iloilo every Friday via PAL; and Davao-Clark, also every Friday via PAL. “We submitted a proposal for additional flights to CAAP and the new schedules came up during the inter-agency meeting conducted together with Davao International Airport and CAAP,” Ms. Carpio said over the city-run radio station on Thursday. The current limited flights are part of the management measures to avoid a surge in coronavirus cases in the city, where there were 84 active patients out of the total 411 confirmed cases as of June 28. — Maya M. Padillo

Military asks NBI to probe police shooting of 4 soldiers in Jolo

THE MILITARY commander in western Mindanao has asked the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to handle the probe of a shooting incident in Jolo, Sulu on June 29 where four soldiers were killed by police officers. “We also requested the NBI to investigate to ensure impartiality. We don’t want any escalation of hostilities out of the incident. Our interest is to know the facts and give justice,” Lt. Gen. Cirilito E. Sobejana, commander of the Western Mindanao Command, said in a statement issued late Monday night. “We appeal to the public not to sensationalize the incident through the social media or any other means. We will wait for the investigation to be completed,” he added. The four casualties, all members of the Philippine Army, were “hot on the trail of Abu Sayyaf members, bomb makers, and suicide bombers in Sulu province” when the incident happened, according to Army Commanding General Gilbert I. Gapay. In a statement on Tuesday, Mr. Gapay said the police officers at the checkpoint fired upon the military team “even after properly identifying themselves.” The fatalities were identified as Maj. Marvin Indamog, commanding officer of the 9th Intelligence Service Unit, Capt. Irwin Managuelod, Sgt. Eric Velasco, and Cpol Abdal Asula.

COPS UNDER CUSTODY
The nine cops involved in the shooting have been removed from their posts and placed under restrictive custody, according to Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo M. Año. He has also asked the NBI to undertake an investigation. “I want to know what happened and not stone be left unturned,” Mr. Año said in a statement sent through Viber. Sulu police director Col. Michael Bawayan said the involved cops are non-commissioned officers. — with a report from Emmanuel Tupas/PHILSTAR

10 detained foreigners deported

TEN FOREIGNERS detained at the Bureau of Immigration facility in Taguig City have been deported as part of efforts to decongest the facility amid the coronavirus crisis. In a statement Tuesday, Commissioner Jaime H. Morente reiterated his directive to the immigration’s legal division to expedite the resolution of deportation cases to immediately send back the foreigners to their home countries. “We are doing this to safeguard the health not only of the foreign detainees but also that of our personnel assigned to our warden facility,” the immigration chief said. Of the 10, eight were Chinese and two were Mongolians. Five of the Chinese were wanted for economic crimes relating to illegal online gaming operations and telecom fraud while the three others were reported to be overstaying and committed fraud and misrepresentation. The Mongolians were alleged female sex workers caught in one of the raids in Metro Manila last year. The bureau reported earlier that it deported seven Chinese nationals, four of whom were fugitives while three were illegal black sand miners. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

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