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The Last Dance

For hoops fans, and especially for those who followed the National Basketball Association through the Bulls’ Dynasty in the nineties, ESPN’s decision to move up the release of The Last Dance two months to April 19 is a welcome one. With the new coronavirus pandemic forcing most countries in the world to implement quarantine measures, the broadcast giant will most certainly be serving the 10-part documentary to a captive audience. As the Lakers’ LeBron James argued on The Road Trippin’ podcast of former teammates Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye last week, “if I’m Michael Jordan, I’m going in there and I’m making a conference call and I’m like, ‘Okay, what’s the reason that we’re going to hold onto it until June now? Compared to now when everybody is at home?’”

To be sure, all and sundry would have tuned in even if The Last Dance stuck to its June playdate. Jordan’s status as the best of the best in NBA annals, his continued influence as owner of the Bobcats, and his contributions to the Jordan Brand make him a compelling figure on whom to hang the limited series. And, make no mistake; while the project purports to be about the Bulls’ 1997–98 season, it makes no bones about its focus on the lead character. It’s why the initial teaser, posted via a 30 for 30 tweet way back in May 2018, carried a #MichaelJordan hashtag and used up just about all of its minute-long runtime on footage of him, and with him doing the voiceover.

In this regard, Jordan’s teeming followers will be pleased to note that he cooperated fully with the production bankrolled by Netflix and ESPN Films. In fact, Jump 23, his company, is a partner along with NBA Entertainment, which owns the 500-hours-plus worth of footage of the championship campaign acclaimed director Jason Hehir and his staff pored through. They then complemented their three-year effort with the conduct of over a hundred interviews to present, in his words, “the definitive story of an era-defining dynasty.”

All things considered, The Last Dance looks to be a certified blockbuster. There’s already a lot of hype, fuelled in no small measure by anticipation. James couldn’t help but tweet to his 45.7 million followers “April 19th can’t come fast enough. I CAN NOT WAIT!! Yessir!#LastDance” as soon as he heard the news yesterday. Yet, in the steady hands of Emmy Award-winning Hehir, it seems to be destined to live up to outsized expectations. Which is just as well. After all, its subject did, and more. Jordan ruled the nineties without equivocation, and, as the appetite for the foretaste shows, he rules still.

 

Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.

alcuaycong@bworldonline.com

Duterte told to extend lockdown as cases reach more than 2,300

By Genshen L. Espedido

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte should extend the month-long lockdown of the entire Luzon island by another month to contain coronavirus disease 2019 that has infected more than 2,300 people, a congressman said on Wednesday.

“Science, the experience of other countries and common sense would dictate that the Philippine government should extend the enhanced community quarantine for another 30 days,” Caloocan Rep. Edgar R. Erice said in a statement.

The lawmaker, who is vice chairman of the House committee on Metro Manila development, said the gains of the 30-day lockdown would be wasted if the President lets it expire on April 13.

“I have been to more than a hundred villages in my city in the past two weeks and I am afraid that if COVID-19 reaches these areas, all hell will break loose,” Mr Erice said.

He said the government should mobilize all resources to ensure enough food for the poor and lower middle class.

Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III earlier said it was still too early to say whether the lockdown should be extended.

The Department of Health (DoH) yesterday reported 227 new cases, bringing the total to 2,311.

Eight more patients aged 65 to 84 died, raising the death toll to 96, it said in a bulletin. One more patient recovered, bringing the total of those who have gotten well to 50, it added.

Meanwhile, the government seeks to open large quarantine facilities in 10 days, Carlito G. Galvez, Jr., chief enforcer of the country’s anti-COVID-19 measures, told radio DZBB.

He said that the Department of Interior and Local Government has ordered cities to convert their gymnasiums, convention centers and sports arenas into quarantine facilities.

“Our target is within 10 days,” Mr. Galvez said in Filipino.“Local governments must act now. Time is off the essence.”

He said the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila and the World Trade Center in Pasay City will be the first to be turned into quarantine areas. These can house 200 to 700 patients combined, he added.

The government is also preparing the Philippine International Convention Center and Cultural Center of the Philippines in Pasay, PhilSports Arena in Pasig City and Philippine Arena in Bulacan to house COVID-19 patients.

The Department of Public Works and Highways is coordinating with regional directors to prepare quarantine facilities in areas outside Metro Manila, Mr. Galvez said. — with Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Airlines to suspend flights out of Clark starting April 3

CLARK International Airport terminal. — JOSEPH MARC SALAS

AIRLINES flying out of Clark International Airport in Pampanga province will stop commercial flights starting April 3, airport management said in an advisory on Tuesday.

“Due to continuing travel restrictions being implemented in our country and abroad as a measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19, air carriers flying out of Clark International Airport have announced the temporary suspension of all commercial flights effective April 3,” it said.

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) recorded 16 commercial flights at the airport on March 29.

The airport said P2P bus services will also be suspended. Commercial flights will resume as travel restrictions ease. The airport would remain open to essential cargo flights, it added.

More than 400 special flights have carried 693 stranded passengers since March 14, while 51 cargo flights were being completed, according to the Transportation department.

Local airlines have said more than 30,000 flights have been canceled — affecting almost five million passengers — after President Rodrigo R. Duterte ordered a lockdown of the entire Luzon island on March 16 to contain coronavirus disease 2019.

They have also appealed for government help as the “catastrophic impact” of the COVID-19 pandemic threatens their survival.

The International Air Transport Association last week said half of global airlines face bankruptcy in the coming weeks without government support, estimating revenue losses of more than $250 billion this year. — Arjay L. Balinbin

About 900 Filipino seamen come home from United States

A TOTAL of 881 Filipino seamen came home from the US on Wednesday amid the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic that has infected about 862,000 and killed at least 42,510 people worldwide, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

Of the total, 445 were crewmen from the Norwegian Cruises Dawn and Encore, while the remaining 436 were from the M/V Magica and M/V Favolosa, it said in a statement on Wednesday.

“The repatriated seafarers shall undergo a mandatory 14-day facility-based quarantine monitored by the Bureau of Quarantine,” DFA said.

The virus has killed more than 4,000 people in the US, surpassing China.

DFA is working on the return of at least 4,600 Filipinos in the next two weeks, according to a presidential palace report to Congress on March 30.

Earlier 370 crewmen on three cruise ships docked in Italy, where more than 12,000 people have died, arrived at the weekend.

DFA said it was also helping to send home foreign tourists stranded in the Philippines.

“Last German flight out planned for this weekend to take last tourists stranded in Palawan, Siargao, Dumaguete, Iloilo, Bohol, Caticlan, Surigao, Tacloban, Mindanao and Bacolod to Cebu and Manila,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. said in a social media post. — Charmaine A. Tadalan

NBI summons Pasig mayor for breaking lockdown rules

GOVERNMENT agents have summoned the mayor of Pasig City for allegedly violating a Luzon-wide lockdown when he allowed tricycles drivers to operate.

Ferdinand M. Lavin, spokesman of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), said on Wednesday Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto had been ordered to appear before its office on April 7.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte ordered a Luzon-wide lockdown on March 16, suspending classes, work and public transportation to contain a novel coronavirus outbreak.

Mr. Sotto earlier asked the National Government to exempt tricycles from the transportation ban so they could ferry health workers to and from work. The government denied his appeal on March 18.

“We complied with all directives,” he tweeted yesterday. “It’s not illegal to express an opinion,” he said, adding that the law giving Mr. Duterte special powers to deal with the outbreak took effect on March 24 and should not be applied retroactively.

The law also mandates local governments to obey the rules issued by the National Government. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Nationwide round-up

Gov’t economic team bats for COVID-19 mass testing

THE ADMINISTRATION’S economic team is in favor of mass testing to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the country and minimize the outbreak’s harm to the economy.

Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said mass testing “is a must” and the country should build up its capacity to conduct widespread testing to include people who have no symptoms but are under monitoring.

“It is a must. [But] if we don’t have it now, we shouldn’t despair but rather build up the capacity to do so,” Mr. Dominguez told reporters via Viber on Tuesday evening.

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) also supported widespread testing, citing that the improved recovery rate in dengue epidemic last year was largely due to early diagnosis.

“The key to a successful medical response is widespread testing. A patient who is diagnosed earlier could be given care to prevent secondary infections. Moreover, early diagnosis will lead to early initiation of quarantine procedures and, therefore, limit or prevent the spread of the virus,” NEDA said in its report on the impact of COVID-19 published last week.

The World Bank said countries like South Korea and Singapore adopted “less disruptive measures” to contain the virus such as mass testing, contact tracing and isolating cases, which effectively minimized the economic losses caused by other stringent measures such as lockdowns.

“The sooner other countries create such containment capacity, the sooner they can end the economic pain caused by stringent suppression measures. That could shorten the time to recovery, but could be a challenge particularly for the poorest countries in the region,” the Washington-based multilateral lender said in its report “East Asia and Pacific in the Time of COVID-19” published Tuesday.

The report said the government may have to subsidize or provide free testing and treatment for the poor.

“Governments should frame the issue as a broader, integrated, and intertemporal challenge: to maximize social welfare, which depends on health and income; and using a combination of containment policies (restrictions, health care/testing) and macroeconomic policies (fiscal, monetary, financial),” World Bank said.

However, the Department of Health (DoH) earlier said the country could not afford to implement mass testing for the meantime due to limited resources, including the number of available test kits, equipment and laboratories as well as experts who can conduct the test.

DoH has recently increased its testing capacity to 1,000 per day with the operation of subnational laboratories and receipt of more than 100,000 testing kits.

The department added that the capacity could further expand if the 49 laboratories that are currently seeking accreditation are given the approval to operate.

As of March 31, the health department has tested 3,938 individuals.

Luzon is under lockdown until April 12 to contain the spread COVID-19, which has infected 2,084 people and killed 88 as of Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious announced that a field test on locally-made test kits is expected to roll out next week.

In a press briefing Thursday morning, the task force’s spokesperson, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Alexei B. Nograles, said P53.2 million has been allocated by the Department of Science and Technology (DoST) for the production of the GenAmplifyTM CoronaVirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) rRT-PCR Detection Kit.

These kits are developed by the University of the Philippines — National institute of Health and Manila HealthTek Inc.

“From April 4 to 25, we expect field implementation of the same in five facilities,” he said.

Prior to the rollout, a field validation is expected to finish on Thursday.

DoST will distribute 26,000 test kits to the Philippine General Hospital, Makati Medical Center, The Medical City, Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, Southern Philippines Medical Center, and Baguio General Hospital for the field implementation. — Beatrice M. Laforga and Gillian M. Cortez

OCD to lead management of donated medical supplies, equipment

THE PALACE on Thursday released an order for the management and distribution of donated medical supplies and equipment as the country battles the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Administrative Order No. 27 series of 2020, signed by President Rodrigo R. Duterte on March 31 and released on April 1, state that there is “an imperative need to properly consolidate and manage all donations of medicines, medical equipment, and supplies, and other health products to address COVID-19.”

The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) will be in charge of consolidating all donations and establish an inventory, with logistical support from the Department of National Defense.

All agencies are directed to coordinate with the OCD and local governments are requested to provide assistance. — Gillian M. Cortez

Senate, DSWD working out emergency subsidy program details

THE SENATE will coordinate with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to thresh out the details of the Emergency Subsidy Program’s implementation, including whether assistance packages will be distributed fully in cash or combined with basic commodities.

Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III said on Wednesday that he will need to clarify whether the P5,000-8,000 monthly assistance will be distributed in cash and in kind or fully in cash.

“Isa ‘yun sa mga itutuwid o pa-plantsahin muna… kailangan makausap (That’s one of the things that will have to be ironed out… we need to discuss),” Mr. Sotto said over DzMM Teleradyo.

He said the Senate as well as the House of Representatives prefer to distribute cash, but is open to discuss matters with the DSWD as well as Executive Secretary Salvador C. Medialdea.

He explained that cash assistance would be more convenient in terms of distribution. It will also allow household beneficiaries to budget according to their needs.

DSWD Spokesperson Irene B. Dumlao, on the other hand, said the Social Amelioration Program will consist of cash assistance and family food packs.

“In cash and in kind ‘yung Social Amelioration Program,” she said, also over DzMM.

Republic Act No. 11469, or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, provides that low income households will receive P5,000-P8,000 per month for two months, depending on the minimum wage rate in the region.

The computation for the subsidy will also take into consideration DSWD’s unconditional cash transfer program and rice subsidy. — Charmaine A. Tadalan

DTI clarifies special measures for senior citizens


THE DEPARTMENT of Trade and Industry (DTI) has clarified that their advisory for supermarkets and pharmacies to prioritize senior citizens is not intended to encourage the vulnerable sector to leave their homes amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak.

In a statement on Wednesday, DTI said the issuance requires establishments to assist senior citizens who do their own shopping because they live on their own. “There are senior citizens who are living alone and are given no choice but to secure personal provisions such as food, medicines, and other basic necessities and essential items for themselves,” the statement said.

“Through this policy issuance, we are requiring the business establishments to provide them with assistance and give due preference to ensure that they secure their needs quickly, thus making their stay outside their homes kept at the absolute minimum.”

Earlier this week, DTI called on supermarkets and pharmacies to adopt measures that will further ease the shopping process as well as improve health protection for senior citizens as the country deals with COVID-19.

Among the recommended measures are allocating a “seniors only” shopping hour, exclusive entry to avoid the queue when entering establishments, and an express lane in addition to the existing senior citizens lane for those buying 25 items or less.

Under Philippine law, senior citizens are those aged at least 60. — Jenina P. Ibañez

OFWs arriving in Japan to undergo 14-day quarantine

OVERSEAS Filipino Workers (OFWs) arriving in Japan will have to undergo a 14-day quarantine period and will not be allowed to use public transport upon entry, according to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).

In its Advisory No. 39 series of 2020 dated March 27, POEA said, “The Japanese government has included the Philippines in the list of countries subject to strengthened quarantine measures effective 12:00 AM, 28 March 2020.”

Upon arrival, OFWs must stay at places designated by the Chief of the Quarantine Station for 14 days.

OFWs must also pre-arrange their transfer to the quarantine site as public transportation will be off-limits.

OFWs will also be subjected to PCR test to determine if they carry the virus and a periodic health check by Public Health Centers. — Gillian M. Cortez

Employers allowed to defer holiday pay for April 9–11

EMPLOYERS are permitted to defer the holiday pay to their workers for April 9-11, which are declared non-working days in observance of the Catholic Holy Week, as the country is placed under a state of calamity due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

The Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) made the announcement through Advisory No. 13-A released on Thursday.

“On account of the existence of a national emergency as aforementioned, employers are allowed to defer payment of holiday pay on April 9, 10 and 11, 2020,” DoLE said.

April 9 is also a holiday in commemoration of Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor).

The entire Luzon island is under enhanced community quarantine from March 17 to April 12. — Gillian M. Cortez

The Great Isolation

First, there was the Great War, or the First World War, that ran from 1914 to 1918. Then, there was the Great Depression, or the worldwide economic recession that started in the United States in 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s. And prior to these, there was the Great Plague or the “Great Mortality” of 1347-1351, deemed the most devastating plague pandemic in history.

And now, we have the “Great Isolation” of 2020, a “lockdown” of billions of people around the world in an effort to “flatten the curve” and stem the rise of COVID-19 cases globally. And the impact, both positive and negative, of this “containment” effort will continue to affect all 7.8 billion people on our planet in the coming years.

There should be no big rush back to “business as usual.” It already seems that many of us will not be around to witness a return to some degree of “normal” by 2021 or 2022. We will survive this new “global terror,” that’s for sure. But there is no doubt in my mind that our planet and the people on it will never be the same after this pandemic. There is no going back to pre-2020.

Locally, we are now into our third week of the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine or ECQ. But for all intents and purposes, it is practically a national quarantine or a national lockdown. Some provinces and cities and towns in the Visayas and Mindanao have already implemented some form of quarantine or containment measure to quell the spread of COVID-19.

I do not expect the Luzon-wide ECQ to continue on, as it is, after the April 14 deadline. I am foreseeing modifications to the “lockdown” order. Worst case, particularly for Luzon, perhaps another two weeks of the same, or until end-April. In my opinion, that will be the ECQ limit. As it is, we are already fighting for national survival on two fronts: medical and economic.

At the individual level are the same two battle fronts. People grapple with avoiding or surviving the disease, and also surviving the quarantine. For some of us who are more fortunate to continue to have access to the necessities and the means to acquire them, then quarantine is manageable. Inconvenient, but tolerable. It is a matter of putting off things for later.

But to many others, it is a different story, especially when in their minds, they are desperately ready to risk disease just to avoid hunger. And this is where things can get dicey. And, I believe this is a major consideration for our leaders. Absolutely no one knows how and when this pandemic will end. But what is certain is that we will not go through it unscathed.

Quarantine measures may have to remain for areas with many cases, but the rest of Luzon should have some relief from ECQ. By this, I mean monitoring and isolation of people who are sick and those who have been in contact with the sick. Then, the widespread use of masks and the strict exercise of stringent hygiene measures. Forced quarantine for PUIs and isolation of PUMs. No foreign arrivals meantime.

As one associate noted, if, for instance, someone tests positive, then close the establishment and disinfect it. Then reopen it when feasible. Limit the disruption. Start contact tracing and then put PUMs and PUIs in isolation or quarantine. But, don’t prolong the suspension of operations via a general lockdown.

Also, give more support for medical services and health workers. It seems the Philippines is losing more doctors and health workers relative to the number of sick patients than other countries. Fact is, we will still need all if not more doctors and health workers after this Great Virus is over. Life will have to go on. And from birth to death, that thing most constant is medical service.

But allow businesses to operate, especially food production and services. Limit lockdowns to areas under strict quarantine, and only if absolutely necessary. Lockdowns should be very selective, moving forward. Allow public transportation to restart and remove restrictions on the movement of goods and people. But temporarily maintain restrictions on shopping malls, and other public places and gatherings. Schools may have to remain suspended.

I am sure none of this is lost on our leaders and decision makers. I am likewise certain they are monitoring practices in other countries that may be applicable to us. It is anticipated that the government will modify in particular checkpoint guidelines to allow the freer movement of food as well as agricultural and fishery products, perhaps even of farmers and factory workers involved in food production. This will necessarily entail some changes on guidelines for the transportation of goods and people.

Other than food, we need to restart manufacturing and exports. And, also services, whether B to B or B to C. By the end of the ECQ, many people will already need various forms of services, including financial, and access to consumer durables and other consumer goods. Retail will need to have some form of restart as well. The basic needs of people go beyond food.

A modified scheme may have to remain in place until June or July, and then maybe phased down again by the third quarter. It all depends on where we are by then in terms of limiting the spread of COVID-19. But physical distancing, wearing of masks, and strict hygiene measures will have to remain with us for the rest of the year, at least.

I dare put the period of “The Great Virus” at 2020-2024, and some respite for the Philippines perhaps by 2025. I also expect us to be back firmly on our feet by 2026, under a “new normal.” I have not lived through a world war, nor a global plague. I have no crystal ball, nor science nor mathematics, to back my claim. I cannot predict the future. All I have, at this point, is a gut feel of how and when this great crisis will end. God, for those of us who believe in Him, and Science will work together to save us from it.

 

Marvin Tort is a former managing editor of BusinessWorld, and a former chairman of the Philippines Press Council.

matort@yahoo.com

Rage killed the Cat — and other musings on COVID-19

We know the saying, “Curiosity killed the cat.” But recently, one cat wasn’t curious enough to understand why Filipinos thronged at a checkpoint despite the social distancing rule imposed during the COVID-19 lockdown.

A socialite/influencer was roasted over social media for her remarks on her Instagram page live. While watching the news on her 52-inch plasma TV at home, she raged against the longsuffering commuters clogging the checkpoint, and her outburst was recorded. A few hours after she had posted her video on March 17, she was lambasted on her Instagram account and was forced to take down the video. She became headline news on GMA online, Rappler, and ABS-CBN online, to name a few. Although she later apologized on her Twitter and Instagram accounts, netizens were unappeased.

From her privileged position, she did not realize that the commuters were trying to make a living because of their companies’ policy of no work, no pay — a crucial HR issue that has now become a cause of concern for our government.

As an HR professor, I stress to my students the importance of humanistic management — making sure that running a business is not just about profit, but also about the welfare of its most important asset: the employees.

Because of our month-long enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), I have been unable to meet my classes in person. In our last online discussions, my students felt bad that we would meet face-to-face (should the ban be lifted as declared) only on the last day of the term. I consoled them by saying that this crisis is the best time to see the importance of human resources. Work-from-home (WFH) arrangements, the early release of the 13th-month pay, consumption of leaves, and other safety nets that private enterprises can offer to alleviate the plight of their employees are all HR concerns that business students must understand.

During this nationwide health crisis, we salute our hardworking government officials and the frontliners in both the government and the essential services sector. We also salute HR personnel who process the WFH schemes, salaries, and logistics of the company for their skeleton forces. Other HR responsibilities are explaining to management the directives coming from the Department of Labor and Employment, and operationalizing these given the company’s resources. These tasks are not easy, for so many things are uncertain, including the quarantine period, which might be extended if the number of COVID-19 cases increase.

However, this health crisis is not just a governance or HR issue. It is personal. It requires being sensitive to the welfare of others. While a lot of people are busy making quarantine memes or jumping on the TikTok craze to entertain themselves at home, many more are stressing about how to walk, say, the 91 kilometers from Dau, Pampanga, to Basista, Pangasinan, because the Luzon-wide ECQ had been imposed without warning and public transportation had been suspended; about where their families’ next meals will come from; or even about whether they will still have jobs after a month of no profit by their SME employers.

Let us thus think twice, even thrice, before posting on social media. Let us research thoroughly to check the validity of what we see in our newsfeeds (remember the banana cure fake news?), and reflect on the effects of our posts and shares before clicking the button lest we cause more harm than good.

Check your privilege. As for your posts about being so bored that you’re counting the grains of your rice, or so frustrated that you can’t celebrate your birthday, all I can say is that other people wish they had your “problems.”

While staying indoors during this ECQ, let us engage in more productive pursuits such as praying for God’s mercy and healing for everyone affected by COVID-19, donating online to worthy causes, and, if we have stable internet connections, attending MOOCs that can increase our knowledge and develop our critical thinking and communication skills.

Above all, let us not be catty.

The views expressed above are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official position of De La Salle University and its faculty and administrators.

 

Alvin Neil A. Gutierrez is an Assistant Professor of the Management and Organization Department of the Ramon V. Del Rosario College of Business. He teaches Strategic Human Resources and Organizational Behavior to undergraduate students.

alvin.gutierrez@dlsu.edu.ph

Virus, bacteria, and pneumococcal diseases

MACROVECTOR/FREEPIK

Before the China virus — a.k.a. SARS-Cov-2 which causes Covid-19 — scare, pneumococcal diseases caused by a bacteria called Streptococcus pneumonia and their treatment were in the news. The bacteria can affect people of all ages, from babies to senior citizens, and pneumococcal diseases are a leading cause of death among children below five years old. When the bacteria invade the lungs, they can cause pneumonia and death. They can also invade the bloodstream and cause bacteremia, or invade the tissues and fluids surrounding the brain and spinal cord and cause meningitis.

The best way to combat the bacteria is pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV). The Department of Health (DoH) first procured PCV10 in 2012 — this vaccine protects against 10 strains of the bacteria. Then the DoH shifted to tridecavalent PVC13 in 2014, which protects against 13 strains of pneumococcal bacteria, after the World Health Organization (WHO) cost-effectiveness studies showed that PCV13 is more cost-effective than PCV10. PCV13 was then included in the Philippine National Formulary.

The three bacteria strains not covered by PCV10 are serotypes 3, 6A, and 19A. Serotype 19A in particular is more serious, can lead to meningitis, invasive diseases, and severe pneumonia. Pneumonia is estimated to kill over 50,000 people in the Philippines yearly, the third most deadly disease in the country.

An issue came out in late 2019 when some individuals or groups questioned why PCV procurement — a total of P4.9 billion for 2020 — specified only a single vaccine, PCV13.

I got curious about the difference between the two vaccines, I made my own brief research and I found these four studies and report (see Table 1).

So from a technical and medical perspective, PCV13 is superior. From a financial and fiscal cost, PCV13 is more costly by about 105. An estimate of the fiscal cost if universal vaccination is done nationwide was made in 2015, the only study I have encountered so far (see Table 2).

From this 2015 study, it comes to a difference of P2 billion over five years, or P400 million/year for vaccines of PCV13. Updated to 2020 costs this comes to about P500 million/year — but PCV13 will protect thousands or millions of children from more virulent diseases. The DoH should be guided more by thousands of children’s lives that will be saved, than the extra cost of half a billion pesos that it can save.

 

Bienvenido S. Oplas, Jr. is the president of Minimal Government Thinkers.

minimalgovernment@gmail.com

Politics and Crisis: A Discussion SeriesGoverning the pandemic

By the Ateneo de Manila Department of Political Science

(Second of an eight-part series)

THE FIRST TWO WEEKS of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic have unraveled the fractures of an already fragile relationship between our national and local governments. This is notwithstanding the fact that the current administration’s response to the crisis has been framed as a whole-of-government approach, with the national government exercising general supervision, and the local government units (LGUs) implementing the stipulations and guidelines coming from the national, albeit with differing capacities in implementation. As such, understanding the government’s response to the COVID-19 situation could most fruitfully be pursued by parsing through this national-local divide; governing the pandemic would anyway necessitate the coordination between these two levels of government.

DECISION MAKING IN CRISIS SITUATIONS
In their book Public Choices and Policy Change (1991), Grindle and Thomas argue that a situation becomes a crisis when policy makers perceive it as one, and when consensus among policy elites is achieved to acknowledge the crisis, the pressure to not act on it immediately would lead to disastrous consequences. This explains why the time it takes for different countries and local governments to act on the pandemic is varied.

Aside from timing, the stakes of policy making is also different. Policy options are normally filtered through these four lenses: technical feasibility, the bureaucracy’s absorptive capacity, political support, and international pressure. During a crisis however, because the policy elite’s reputation is at stake, external factors weigh more than internal ones, particularly regime maintenance or political legitimation and international pressure.

A crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic, ironically, is a great equalizer. It threatens both the powerful and the weak, the wealthy and the marginalized. It is borderless and it does not care about ideologies. More importantly, it poses an opportunity to implement policies that would instigate radical and innovative reforms as opposed to incremental ones that would not have been possible in a politics-as-usual environment. Unfortunately, however, the content of this “radical” reform will depend highly on what policymakers believe that they can get away with, in the event that these fall short of the expected gains.

RECENTRALIZATION VERSUS DECENTRALIZATION
The policy of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) amplified what many of us already know: the stark divide between those who can afford to stay indoors with good enough space for each household member, and those whose living quarters are cramped with barely enough resources (most especially, food) to get by each day. The declaration of the ECQ caught many LGUs off-guard. Nevertheless, they did — and continually are doing — their best to respond to the social and economic consequences of such. The LGUs as such were also serving the frontlines, tasked with delivering localized solutions in the most effective and efficient manner as possible.

What we have been seeing lately, however, is an effort by the national government to maintain its relevance by centralizing control as much as it can. Doing so lessens or even stifles the ability of LGUs to decide what is best for their localities, given the unique conditions that they have. This runs counter to the principle and spirit behind devolution, enshrined in the Local Government Code (LGC) of 1991.

Devolution is unapologetically political. It is a critical part of deepening democracy since its primary goal is the increase of citizen participation in local decision making. Devolution as such makes the LGU more accountable and responsive to the needs of the people it serves.

What re-centralization of decision making does is that it takes away the power of local governments to deliver sound, prompt, and localized responses. Inadvertently, re-centralization makes the LGUs more dependent on whatever decisions are made by the agencies and elites at the national level. In doing so, LGUs are now evaluated based on their administrative performance and loyalty to the national elites (i.e., simply following orders from the top, regardless of whether these directives make sense in their own contexts) rather than their political acuity, entrepreneurial character, and responsiveness to the demands of the people they serve. Many of the LGUs who have received the brunt of the national government’s ire in the early stages of the ECQ are those who, ironically, found creative ways of doing their job based on what little resources they have.

STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE IN A PANDEMIC
The COVID-19 pandemic is a wicked problem that requires not just broader, but more importantly, deeper ways of understanding both the problem and the solutions. To be able to collaborate better and not compete against each other, both national and local governments must strategically find themselves in the complex web of the policy environment of crisis. They, too, must understand that they are not the only players in the policy process. There are other stakeholders that must be accounted for to ensure that the policies generated are inclusive.

Not all LGUs are created equal — in terms of both the supply (i.e., bureaucratic capacities, ability to generate and to analyze data, communications strategy, etc.), and the demand (i.e., critical citizenry engaged in demanding transparency, accountability, and quality service from public officials) sides of governance. What makes a local government stand out compared to others is not how much resources it has at its disposal, but how its leadership is able to make strategic choices, even in the face of political opposition and uncertainty in the next round of elections. For this kind of leadership to thrive, it needs the backing of local institutions that are: strong — able to resist capture of local predatory powers; flexible — not afraid to innovate administrative routines to make it more responsive to the demands of the time; and modern — professional, well-trained local bureaucracy able to generate evidence-informed and proactive policies at all times.

Procedural policies have long-term substantive consequences. The National Action Plan (NAP) along with other national and local resolutions will continue to have an impact on the ways by which the national and local governments relate to one another beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. It will also affect how we will look at and appreciate public goods: health, education, housing, transportation, social security, just employment, and food sufficiency, to name just a few. The one good thing that this pandemic arguably has caused us is that it has flattened our curve of individualism and has forced us to think and behave collectively.

POWER TO THE PEOPLE
How the problem is initially defined critically shapes how solutions are designed.

In the short term, what we need is access to correct information based on verifiable and reliable data. The amount of misinformation and disinformation circulating impacts the way we behave as a community, which in turn affects how public policies are made and are being made. Moreso, disinformation fuels the unnecessary tension between national and local policy elites. It also has become an opportunity for local political elites to discredit one another for political gains.

In the long term, we need to rebuild and strengthen our national and more so our local institutions so that they will continue to supply effective public policies, even in the presence of strongmen and populist politics. Rebuilding institutions means that we, the people, must reclaim the power by demanding more from our government, and holding them accountable when they fall short of our collective expectations.

Beyond inputs, we would like to know exactly what activities are expected to be created (output) and, more importantly, whether these have improved the conditions of those affected by the crisis (outcomes). Hence, it is not enough to know that the government is allotting P200 billion in aid for poor families. What activities will this fund, for whom, and will these ameliorate the lives of those in the receiving end?

Unfortunately, the current articulated public policies concerning this pandemic fall short in terms of moving towards measuring what matters most. Beyond the presence of strategic leadership and strong local institutions, what will push the national and local governments to carry out their responsibility is how well-organized our engagements are as a collective. A fragmented and incoherent demand will never gain the attention of those who control the policy agenda.

For it is only when we have the power to determine what is true and what is false information, to decide how much power must be given to the government, to understand what makes policies effective, and to demand that all politicians should be made accountable without impunity, that lives can be saved — pandemic or not.

Food supply is the next virus headache

By Clara Ferreira Marques

IT’S NOT JUST MANUFACTURING that’s struggling with disrupted logistics. As more countries bring down the shutters to limit the spread of the coronavirus, risks are rising for the world’s complex food supply networks. Snarl-ups in processing and transport could result in painful price spikes for many fresh goods, even if farms in developed markets can keep working through the outbreak.

The picture isn’t all gloomy. On a global scale, stocks of corn, wheat, soybeans and rice are healthier than before previous periods of food inflation. While some prices have been heading higher, increases aren’t across the board. Sugar and corn have been held back by reduced demand from biofuels producers as oil plummets. Low fertilizer and crude prices, meanwhile, will help offset other rising costs for farmers.

Yet with infection rates rising there are worrying signs of fraying nerves, as countries engage in their own version of the toilet paper panic. Kazakhstan has banned exports of buckwheat and wheat flour to preserve domestic supplies. Russia, the world’s top wheat shipper, could limit some sales overseas, a threat that has already pushed up prices. Vietnam, meanwhile, is stockpiling rice and has suspended new export contracts. During the 2006-08 spike, such behavior accounted for 45% of the increase in rice prices, and almost a third for wheat, according to a study published by the World Bank.

For now, such protectionism isn’t the norm. Kazakhstan, after all, accounts for less than 5% of wheat exports. And cereal harvests are looking decent. The US Department of Agriculture expects global wheat production to rise almost 5% this year, while rice is seen as stable. Still, supply of key products is concentrated. With restrictions dragging on and more countries scrambling to contain the virus, the resilience of the world’s shopping basket will face further tests.

After years of low food inflation, several factors were already pushing up bills before the coronavirus pandemic: severe droughts in Southeast Asia and Australia; an African swine fever outbreak in China that decimated the world’s largest pork producer; and, more recently, swarms of locusts in Kenya, Pakistan, India and beyond. The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization said in January that, left unchecked, the number of crop-munching insects could increase 500 times by June. One desert locust can eat its own weight in a day — about 2 grams — and swarms contain hundreds of millions.

While prices are still well below 2008 or 2011, there are glimpses of how quickly the situation could change. Chinese food prices surged more than a fifth in January from a year earlier as the epidemic took hold, and pork prices more than doubled. Rice is already feeling the combined impact of drought, rising demand from stockpiling households, and export restrictions. Prices for standard Thai white rice have risen for six straight weeks, to more than $500 a metric ton, the highest level since 2013. Such gains encourage more beggar-my-neighbor economic policies, to the detriment of all.

Then there are bottlenecks caused by virus restrictions. Deliveries and logistics have caused trouble since the outbreak began. Transpacific shipping troubles hampered exports to China from the US; in China, livestock producers struggled even within the country, finding themselves unable to get feed, and then blocked from sending poultry and eggs to market. It’s a problem that could easily repeat itself elsewhere. Coffee traders are already warning of disruptions: Closures in Brazil, El Salvador and Colombia, and missing stevedores, are driving the volatility.

Labor is an additional concern. Virus restrictions prevent workers such as distributors and pickers from moving across borders. Laborers migrating to farms in France, or heading to pick fruit in Australia, may find it harder unless they are already in place. France’s agriculture minister last week encouraged unemployed people to go to work on farms; it’s unclear how many can or will heed his call, and at what price.

Workers also face the risk of getting ill. That particularly threatens more labor-intensive corners of the industry, such as palm oil plantations or meat processing plants, as Aurelia Britsch, head of commodities research at Fitch Solutions, points out. In both, contaminated workers have already proved disruptive. Malaysia’s biggest palm-producing state, Sabah, has closed down operations in several districts until mid-April after some workers fell sick.

In much of the world, preemptive policies can keep things moving. China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, for example, brought in incentives for sowing and mechanization in early February, as well as support for livestock farming, and “green channels” to help the movement of feed, breeding animals, and produce. Governments can encourage trade, rather than nation-level hoarding. As the virus spreads, wealthier countries may also need to support developing ones, especially those hit by elevated import bills and weakened currencies.

Disruptions will be inevitable. A global food crisis doesn’t have to be.

 

BLOOMBERG OPINION

On-demand services platform MyKuya looking for enterprise partners

While much of the country is still unable to work due to the declaration of enhanced community quarantine in Luzon on March 16, businesses managing motorcycle-based services may consider partnering with on-demand services platform, MyKuya, as an Enterprise Partner.

MyKuya has seen a 300% rise in requests since the announcement of community quarantine in Metro Manila. These requests—mostly for personal shopping, grocery delivery, or an assistant on bike—are coming from users wary of checkpoints, long lines, and of course potential exposure to the COVID-19 virus.

Every user gets serviced by a polite, friendly kuya or ate—the on-demand service providers powering MyKuya—these are not the independent contractors you typically see in the gig economy. All kuyas and ates are employed by an Enterprise Partner. These partners provide the driver recruitment, training, and fleet management, while MyKuya brings the demand.

“It’s easy to talk about digital transformation, but the practical reality of doing so for an MSME is very difficult,” said Shahab Shabibi, founder of MyKuya. “By serving as their digital storefront, we can connect them with customers in desperate need of their services, providing them with a level of demand that helps them not only survive but thrive.”

Shahab says that the success of Enterprise Partners enables them to maintain and employ more workers, many of them recently laid off due to the lockdown

During this time of crisis, each partner also plays an important role in ensuring service continuity by keeping everyone safe. Enterprise Partners provide and regularly replenish the personal protective equipment (PPE) of kuyas and ates, while MyKuya assists them in case they have any trouble, such as difficulty passing through a checkpoint.

“On other platforms, you’re a driver or operator, and you’re that forever,” Shahab said. “There’s no chance to build something bigger. On MyKuya, we give them the tools and technology to not only be an individual operator, but to manage an entire fleet as an Enterprise Partner. In this way, we enable them to scale their business, the service to our users, and the number of jobs we create, effectively making the platform a growth engine for the Philippines.”

MyKuya’s roster of Enterprise Partners consists of companies that employ people with motorbikes who want to generate income and keep employees while core business is down, such as a restaurant chain with an in-house delivery fleet. Also included here are driver cooperatives, individuals or organizations that may not have a fleet but are willing to onboard and manage drivers (such as an influential community leader or local barangay), and even companies with an existing fleet of riders in need of a technology platform.

MyKuya serves as both demand aggregator and technology provider, offering robust enterprise-grade tools, such as real-time tracking of drivers, mechanisms for user reviews and ratings, and online payment, which is now not only a matter of convenience but of safety in the COVID-19 era.

“Before joining MyKuya, we used to only have 65 riders on our team. Now we have 200 riders,” said Lhen D. Dela Cruz, the co-owner of GoMoto Phils. “The demand and technologies provided by MyKuya has helped us grow, even amid this crisis. With remote tracking, the ability to chat with customers in real-time, and get access to ratings and reviews, we have been able to radically improve our service to our customers.”

Shahab says that new Enterprise Partners can go live with MyKuya in under 24 hours. “The time is now to collaborate with one another in the spirit of bayanihan,” he said. “Mobilizing more Enterprise Partners creates a virtuous cycle that benefits all Filipinos. With every new Enterprise Partner, we can help more Filipinos with their basic needs, create more jobs with additional kuyas and ates, and grow even more businesses,” he said.

Interested Enterprise Partners who want to learn more should visit https://www.mykuya.com/enterprise-partners or contact the MyKuya team directly at enterprise@mykuya.com or 0977-291-1496.

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