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In Tokyo’s lockdown, some drink on even after authorities call time

TOKYO — For Yuuki Hamazono, it was a relief to find bars and restaurants in Tokyo flouting the Japanese government’s request to close by 8 p.m.

The 30-year-old financial trader was one of many people out in the Shimbashi nightlife district during the first weekend of an expanded state of emergency, with the government pleading for residents to stay home to contain the coronavirus.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declared a state of emergency for Tokyo and surrounding prefectures this month. He expanded it to 11 prefectures accounting for 55% of the population on Wednesday. Unlike in many other countries with mandatory lockdowns, Japanese authorities legally can only urge people to stay at home and businesses to close.

While compliance has been high — most of Shimbashi’s karaoke bars and izakaya taverns were closed on Friday night — more people appear to be ignoring the state of emergency this time than one last year.

“There are people who can’t have dinner until after 8 p.m., including me,” Mr. Hamazono said, citing his working hours. He and a friend were looking for a place to duck into among a jumble of izakayas on Shimbashi’s narrow streets.

Nearby, touts called out on the street, advertising places that were still open.

Authorities have worried about the potential spread of infection at bars and restaurants. In Shimbashi, many drinking spots are cramped and with poor ventilation.

The government has offered subsidies to establishments that close on time, but some say it’s not enough, and worry about losing customers.

“Though there are subsidies, for restaurants and bars the relations of trust are important,” said Yuji Tobe, a 34-year-old barman in a standing-only drinking spot, where wooden tabletops rest on stacks of plastic crates.

“We have a bond with our customers.”

Mr. Tobe’s bar was nominally closed, although two regulars were still being served.

Some criticize what they call a half-hearted government response. Mr. Suga has been accused of being slow to act out of fear of damaging the economy. His support has plunged.

“It’s unclear whether getting the economy going or stopping corona comes first,” said a man who gave his name only as Kazumasa. He was queuing for one the restaurants under the train tracks serving yakitori, skewers of grilled chicken.

The government is considering an amendment to give authorities more power to enforce a lockdown, the minister in charge of administrative and regulatory reform, Taro Kono, told Reuters on Thursday.

Until then, it seems likely that many will keep drinking.

“There are many times we need to talk business over drinks. That kind of communication is necessary to do business,” said 48-year-old Motoki Mori, the owner of an event production company who was headed to a bar with his business partner.

“I don’t think you can put a cut-off time on that.” — Reuters

Charting the long road to recovery

In the wake of one of the most devastating global catastrophes in recent history, the world economy is struggling to pick up the pieces. The World Bank predicted that COVID-19 will plunge the world into the “worst recession since World War II”, owing to the total shutdown of countries in the effort to contain the virus. The International Monetary Fund called it “a crisis like no other”, pointing out that recovery will be gradual and uncertain.

Yet, prior to any wide-scale rollout of any of the approved and developed COVID-19 vaccines that hopefully will lead to the complete eradication of the virus, government leaders will have to live with that uncertainty in charting the path forward. Theirs is the unenviable task of balancing the risks of keeping economies in lockdown with the risks to public health should quarantine measures be lifted.

The Philippines is no exception to this. Yet, things might not be as dire as predicted.

According to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Philippine trade performance in November 2020 showed encouraging signs that the country is well-positioned to take advantage of improvements in external demand. Furthermore, the government’s efforts to reinvigorate businesses is gaining traction.

The Philippine Statistics Authority on January 9 reported that after eight consecutive months of contraction, exports grew by 3.0% in November 2020, the highest year-on-year growth recorded since March, when the country began imposing restrictions due to the pandemic.

NEDA further pointed out that this puts the country in good company, as the Philippines joins the ranks of other Asian economies that registered export expansions. Exports to East Asia, particularly China, and ASEAN remained positive.

On the other hand, the pall of consumer anxiety still weighs heavily on the economy, as low consumer demand contributed to an 18.9% decline in imports in November 2020 as inward shipments of raw materials, intermediate goods, and capital equipment continued to drop. Driven by the stronger exports, the contraction of the country’s merchandise trade performance eased to 10.6% in November 2020 from 11.9% in October 2020.

“The government’s response to sustain the developments in the Philippine trade sector is crucial as it sets the direction for the country in 2021 and beyond,” Acting Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua said.

Particularly, the Senate’s passage of the Financial Institutions Strategic Transfer (FIST) Act, and the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) Act are making headway.

The FIST Act was among the priority measures that President Rodrigo R. Duterte urged the Congress during his 5th state-of-the-nation address last year to act on quickly as part of the government’s economic recovery program. Under the new legislation, banks are allowed to outsource the management of their non-performing assets to asset management companies, enabling them to focus on the primary task of lending to sectors in need of credit.

“By keeping non-performing assets contained and managed, FIST will expand the amount of risk banks can take. This benefit cannot be understated in a crisis, when lending to businesses is riskier but also more urgently needed,” Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III had said. 

FIST will also encourage the private sector, government financial institutions, and government-owned or -controlled corporations to help rehabilitate distressed businesses, he added. 

The measure provides tax incentives to defray the transaction and transfer costs of non-performing assets to asset management companies. This would entail foregone revenues of between P3.3 billion to P13 billion every year for the next five years to clear the books of banks of bad debts and keep the economy going. 

Meanwhile, the CREATE Act seeks to lower corporate income tax rates and to rationalize fiscal incentives, stimulate micro, small, and medium enterprises, promote more performance-based and targeted tax incentives, and help attract more investments in the country.

To boost trade recovery further, Mr. Chua said that structural reforms to encourage investments in the country, such as the amendments to the Public Service Act, Foreign Investment Act and the Retail Trade Liberalization Act, need to be aggressively pursued to create an inclusive and transformative economy. 

“As economies resume normal operations, we must also work towards getting ahead of the competition and breaking down barriers to trade to ensure availability of raw materials to producers and spur the innovative and productive capacity of the sector,” the NEDA chief said.

On the domestic front, Mr. Chua recognized that the country also needs to undertake a review of the non-tariff measures in place that effectively limit access to critical raw materials resulting in higher costs to manufacturers and producers.

The NEDA chief added that online platforms such as TradeNet would be integral in enabling the Philippines to be at the forefront of digital solutions designed to reduce cost and facilitate trade.

“Placing this system as a backbone of trade transactions will not only ensure continuity of business activities, but will also help the government in its campaign to lessen face-to-face transactions, thereby reducing opportunities for corruption,” Mr. Chua said.

Finding the key to recovery

On the ground level, significant effort should also be made to address the impact of COVID-19 to working Filipinos. For most of 2020, the country had been under a series of strict government-implemented community quarantines to help contain the virus, effectively shutting down around 75% of the economy, resulting in massive losses in jobs and income.

In fact, the International Labor Organization, about 10.9 million Filipino workers suffered complete job loss or pay cuts due to reduced work hours during the COVID-19 pandemic. The effects have been severe. In September, according to the Social Weather Stations (SWS) Survey, the hunger rate rose to a record-high of 30.7%, before falling to 15.7% in November.

“In 2021, the key to our recovery is to continue managing risks, not to avoid them completely. This way, we can bring back jobs and income sources to enable the far majority of people to also address their non-COVID-19 sicknesses and hunger. All economic indicators reveal that with the safe relaxation of community quarantines, incomes and jobs come back,” Mr. Chua said.

“The losses have been huge and a reversal to stricter community quarantines in 2021 is not an option. Everyone needs to cooperate and help each other practice the minimum health standards like wearing a mask, washing hands, and keeping a safe distance. Businesses also need to make sure that there is proper ventilation in their business spaces. The public and private health sector needs to continue improving the health systems to include a vaccine roll-out. Finally, the government needs to facilitate the transition to the new, but better, normal.”

“Our challenge is to make sure that our hard-fought gains in 2020 will not be reversed and the economic cost of 2020 will not repeat in 2021,” Mr. Chua added.

China to donate 500,000 coronavirus vaccine doses to Philippines

China will donate 500,000 coronavirus vaccine doses to the Philippines and vowed to accelerate infrastructure investment in the Southeast Asian nation as ties between the two improve.

The pledge was made by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Saturday during meetings with Filipino counterpart Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr., and President Rodrigo R. Duterte in Manila, according to statements from Duterte’s office and the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs.

“The recovery of nations sits on the back of stronger economies,” Mr. Duterte said. “China plays a very key role in reviving our region’s economy. Let us do all we can to revive economic activities between the Philippines and China.”

Mr. Wang, who arrived in Manila on Friday, was on a week-long Southeast Asia trip that included stops in Indonesia and Myanmar. The Chinese foreign minister’s visit came amid lingering tensions in the South China Sea and ahead of the leadership change in the US.

China also agreed to provide a 500 million yuan ($77 million) grant to finance infrastructure projects among other things, according to the statements.

Mr. Wang committed to completing China-funded infrastructure projects, saying agreements have been finalized on a $400 million bridge plan that will connect Samal Island to Mr. Duterte’s home city Davao, and a $940 million cargo railway project linking Subic Bay freeport zone and Clark airport.

“With our two nations’ abiding interest in regional stability and the security of our maritime commons, it behooves us to show our ability to rise to the challenge of managing differences peacefully and in accordance with law,” Mr. Locsin said. — Bloomberg

Philippines’ dollar reserves hit new record

The Philippines’ dollar reserves reached a new all-time high as of end-2020, the central bank said on Friday.

GROSS international reserves (GIR) — which shield the country from liquidity shocks — stood at $109.8 billion as of end-December, up 4.8% from $104.8-billion level as of end-November and 25% higher than the $87.839 billion a year earlier.

“This buffer is equivalent to 11.7 months’ worth of imports of goods and payments of services and primary income, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said in a statement on Friday.

“It is also about 9.6 times the country’s short-term external debt based on original maturity and 5.5 times based on residual maturity,” it added.

The BSP said the increase was supported by inflows from the central bank’s foreign exchange operation, revaluation gains from its gold holdings, and proceeds from the national government’s global bonds.

These gains were partially offset by foreign currency debt payments by the national government.

“The BSP has more than enough GIR to weather most short term spikes in demand for foreign currency in the future with reserves hitting yet another historical high and accounting for a good number of months worth of imports,” ING Bank-NV Manila Senior Economist Nicholas Antonio T. Mapa said in an email.

Broken down, gold reserves stood at $11.605 billion as of end-November, climbing 45% against its $8.015-billion level a year ago.

Gains from investment abroad stood at $93.428 billion, making up the bulk of the reserves. It rose 24% from last year’s $75.304 billion.

Buffers in the form of reserves in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) increased 37.7% to $812.9 million from $590.4 million.

Special drawing rights – or the money the Philippines can tap from the IMF – went up 3.6% to $1.224 billion from $1.182 billion in the year prior.

Meanwhile, foreign currency deposits decreased 0.8% to $2.726 billion from $2.747 billion.

BSP Governor Benjamin E. Diokno has said they expect to continue beefing up the dollar reserves with the crisis yet to be resolved.

During the BusinessWorld One on One online interview on Wednesday, Mr. Diokno that GIR could possibly reach “$110 billion this year and even $120 billion by next year”.

“The BSP will continue to be opportunistic in investing to maximize value to the bank, choosing between gold, dollars and Treasuries [securities] when market conditions warrant it,” ING Bank-NV Manila’s Mr. Mapa said. — Luz Wendy T. Noble

Private sector pushes for urgent passage of CREATE

More than 50 private sector groups are urging lawmakers to immediately enact a bill that would cut corporate income tax and streamline fiscal incentives.

Legislators are set to convene the bicameral conference committee to reconcile clashing provisions in the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) Act passed by the Senate in November and the House version passed a year earlier. Versions of the tax reform measure have been under deliberations over the past three years.

The 51 private sector groups represent the banking, real estate, insurance, and outsourcing sectors, along with foreign chambers representing Spain, France, and Nordic countries. The Management Association of the Philippines, Makati Business Club, university groups, and other business councils are also represented.

“We join the multisectoral call for the passage of this important legislative measure with urgency,” the groups said in a statement on Friday.

“After three years of deliberation, every day of delay comes at the risk of losing more jobs and hemorrhaging more investments.”

The groups said that the law would improve market confidence and help businesses affected by the pandemic.

CREATE streamlines the tax incentives system to make it more time-bound and performance-based.

It would also reduce corporate income tax to 25% from 30% starting July 2020, and then by one percentage point each year from 2023 to 2027. The rate falls to 20% for local smaller companies with net taxable income of P5 million or lower and total assets less than P100 million.

“These would instantly bring the country’s CIT (corporate income tax) rate closer to the ASEAN average of 21.65% and give us more resources to retain our employees and to keep up with financial difficulties,” the groups said, adding that the reduced tax would help attract investments.

Industry group Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Inc. (SEIPI) is asking lawmakers to raise the potential cap on investments reviewed by investment promotions agencies (IPA) under the law.

Under CREATE, IPAs like the Philippine Economic Zone Authority will review investment projects valued at P1 billion or lower, while the Fiscal Incentives Review Board (FIRB) approves larger projects. SEIPI wants to raise this threshold for quicker approval under IPAs.

But policy think tank Action for Economic Reforms last year said that increasing the threshold would weaken tax reform by removing investments from scrutiny.

Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez, in a recent meeting with the new chairman of the House committee on trade and industry asked to include CREATE among priority measures this year.

He also asked Navotas Representative John Reynald M. Tiangco to prioritize the passage of a revised Consumer Act of the Philippines, as well as an expanded Price Act. — Jenina P. Ibañez

Gov’t secures $13.3B for pandemic response from foreign sources

After securing $13.36 billion in loans and grants from foreign sources to finance its pandemic response last year, the government is now seeking to raise $1.46 billion (P70 billion) from multilateral agencies to fund the country’s coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination programs.

The Asian Development Bank has approved $3.93 billion worth of loans and $8 million in grants for the government’s pandemic response as of Dec. 15, according to the Department of Finance (DOF) .

Meanwhile, the World Bank granted $2.27 billion in loans, while the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank provided another $750 million.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency also extended credit worth $458.95 million with the DOF, as part of the second phase of the Post-Disaster Standby Loan to the Philippines. Another $458.95 million worth of financing was provided to support the country’s COVID-19 Crisis Response Emergency Support program in the third quarter of 2020.

Separately, Japan disbursed an $18.36-million grant aid meant to boost the Department of Health’s medical equipment.

The Philippines secured financing worth $276.2 million from the L’Agence Française de Développement (APD) of France, and $100 million from the Korean Export-Import Bank–Economic Development Cooperation Fund (KEXIM-EDCF).

The national government has raised $5.1 billion via the issuance of dollar-denominated global bonds in April and December last year.

The DOF is now working to secure $1.8 billion or P70 billion from various sources such as multilateral lenders, bilateral partners, and the domestic market for the procurement of vaccines to inoculate at least 50 million Filipinos.

“We will fully recover from this crisis once a safe and effective vaccine becomes available to us, on the strength of our enduring macroeconomic fundamentals,” Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said in a statement on Friday.

The government has set aside P82.5 billion for the COVID-19 vaccination program, of which P12.5 billion will be sourced through the P10 billion allocated for vaccine procurement under the Republic Act (RA) No. 11494 or the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act and P2.5 billion will come from the Health department’s 2021 budget.

Mr. Dominguez said the P4.5-trillion 2021 national budget is the “most important and largest stimulus for the country’s road to recovery and will be crucial to attain the government’s 6.5% to 7.5% growth target for the year.

“Our strong macroeconomic fundamentals—the products of President [Rodrigo R.] Duterte’s hard-won policy battles—make us hopeful that the pain brought about by this coronavirus crisis will be short and our recovery will be strong,” Mr. Dominguez said.

The country’s economy shrank 10% in the first nine months of 2020 due to the impact of the pandemic, with the full-year economic contraction seen at 8.5-9.5%. — Luz Wendy T. Noble

30,000 vaccinators needed to handle 24 million Filipinos – Duque

Over 30,000 personnel will be needed in the government’s rollout of mass vaccinations against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

If the initial rollout of the vaccination program will have to vaccinate over 24 million Filipinos, “we will need about 35,240 vaccinators and an additional 176,200 personnel,” Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III said at a senate inquiry on Friday. 

“We have 4,504 vaccination sites with three vaccination teams per site and 100 people can be vaccinated per team,” he said.

In terms of how long the program would be, he said it would depend on the vaccines available. If the vaccines are from Pfizer Inc., it will take 25 days if the vaccination program is done simultaneously. For non-Pfizer vaccines, it will take 45 days.

A master list for the human resource requirement is also being finalized. Personal protective equipment and peripherals are also being prepared for the vaccination program.

The government plans to vaccinate around 60% to 70% of the population in the next three years in order to reach “herd immunity” against the COVID-19. 

According to vaccine czar Carlito G. Galvez, Jr. at the same senate hearing, the Pfizer vaccine might be the first COVID-19 vaccine to reach Philippine shores, with agreements scheduled to be finalized as early as next week.

Senator Richard J. Gordon said at the same hearing that he plans to file a bill to allow the training on how to use vaccines so more manpower can be added to boost the vaccination coverage of the government. “Even without a  medical background… we can train millions and millions of vaccinators,” he said in Filipino.

Meanwhile, vaccine storage and facility preparations are underway as the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines might arrive in the first quarter of the year, the health secretary said.

Mr. Duque said in Filipino, “Four companies have already confirmed they have storage that can accommodate the vaccines.”

He did not say which four companies confirmed, but he mentioned that among the companies they approached were ORCA Cold Chain Solution, Zuellig Pharma Corp., Royal Cargo Inc., LBC, and other storage and logistic companies.

Meanwhile, Mr. Galvez said that they will start inspecting facilities for vaccines in Metro Manila next week. Vaccination simulations will also be conducted in Pasig around the same time. — Gillian M. Cortez

SC pushes anti-terrorism law oral arguments to Feb. as Calida’s staff gets COVID-19

The Supreme Court (SC) on Friday announced that oral arguments on petitions against the Anti-Terror Law that were to be held next week have been reset for February as some members of the Solicitor General’s staff have tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

In a social media post on Friday, the High Court said, “Oral Arguments on the consolidated cases in G.R. No. 252578, et al. questioning The Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 (R.A. 11479) is reset to February 2, 2021 at 2:30 p.m.”

The SC granted the “meritorious” request of Solicitor General Jose Calida to cancel the hearing, which was originally scheduled for Jan. 19, after he informed the high court that the Assistant Solicitor General and some of his staff had tested positive for COVID-19.

No further postponement will be permitted, the SC added.

Earlier this week, the SC issued the rules for the conduct of the Oral Argument.

The Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 was signed by President Rodrigo R. Duterte and stands as one of the most challenged laws locally due to critics pointing at some provisions that they consider unconstitutional.

Thirty-seven petitions have been filed before the High Court since the law was passed last year. — Gillian M. Cortez

 

Pass pending economic bills instead of Cha-Cha urges DTI Chief

Deputy Speaker calls for early approval of economic amendments to Constitution

It would be better to pass pending economic reform measures instead of pushing for Charter Change (Cha-Cha), the Trade and Industry Secretary said on Friday, citing the limited time available to amend the 1987 Constitution.

The House of Representatives is currently conducting preliminary hearings on Resolution of Both Houses No. 2, which seeks to insert the phrase “unless otherwise provided by law” in the “restrictive” economic provisions of the Constitution. House Deputy Speaker Rufus B. Rodrigez, in a statement released Friday,  said that lawmakers need to swiftly approve the amendments to the 1987 Constitution to ease foreign equity restrictions.

The 33-year-old Charter bars foreign investors from owning more than 40% of certain industries.

“We have nothing against that especially if the amendments are on economic restrictions only,” Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon M. Lopez said during a televised press briefing.

Mr. Lopez, however, said there may not be enough time for both chambers of Congress to amend the Charter. The upcoming 2022 national elections may distract lawmakers from passing the proposed measure, he said.

“It would be easy if we can (liberalize the economy) by amending some laws and not necessarily constitutional amendment,” the Trade chief said, adding that the “talks” about charter change would only generate controversy. 

He urged lawmakers to focus on legislating measures reforming the country’s economic policies “in the last few months of the current administration.”

Cha-Cha moves

Meanwhile, House Deputy Speaker Rufus B. Rodrigez said lawmakers have to act quickly to amend the 1987 Constitution. “Considering the tight timeline, I call for an early approval of the amendments to these economic provisions by the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments… so that this can be sent to the plenary of the House of Representatives,” he said.

Members of the lower house first convened a “Constituent Assembly” during a committee hearing on Wednesday to discuss the proposed changes on the Constitution, which will lift current restrictions on foreign ownership. Mr. Rodriguez said deliberations made by the congressmen are only “preparatory and recommendatory” to prepare for the plenary of the lower house. The House of Representatives reopens sessions next week.

“The Constituent Assembly is solely lodged with the plenary session of all members of the House of Representatives acting as a Constituent Assembly,” he said.

Congressmen assured that only economic provisions will be revised and not the political provisions, attempting to allay fears that this might signal a push for President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s longtime campaign to change the form of government to Federalism.

Opposition lawmakers earlier said their colleagues might also use Cha-Cha to extend the terms of politicians.  

House Speaker Lord Allan Jay Q. Velasco earlier this week emphasized the need for revisions to the charter’s economic provisions to improve the investment climate of the Philippines, whose economy fell significantly due to a strict lockdown imposed earlier last year. The country has gradually reopened its economy since the strict lockdowns of early 2020 which were done in reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza and Gillian M. Cortez

2,048 more COVID-19 cases reported as PHL faces post-holiday surge

The Department of Health (DoH) on Friday reported 2,048 additional positive cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as the country faces a post-holiday surge of the virus.

This brings the total number of COVID-19 cases in the country to 496,646, the DoH said in its daily case bulletin.

Only 5.4% of the nearly half a million reported positive cases are active cases. This corresponds to 27,033 cases.

The health department said 137 deaths were added to the country’s COVID-19 death toll, with the total reaching 9,876.

The DoH also reported an additional 551 recoveries, bringing the total recovery number to 459,737. 

Eighty-four percent of COVID-19 cases are mild while 7.4% are asymptomatic, 4.9% are critical cases, while severe and moderate cases are 2.8% and 0.42%, respectively. — Gillian M. Cortez

Gov’t includes UAE, Hungary in PH travel ban

The government’s task force on pandemic response has included the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Hungary in the list of countries with travel restrictions in a bid to prevent the spread of a more contagious variant of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Malacanang said on Friday night.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry L. Roque said the imposition of the travel ban on the UAE and Hungary will take effect starting 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 17 until Jan. 31.

He said foreign travelers from these two countries arriving before Jan. 17 can come to the Philippines but are required to undergo a strict facility-based 14-day quarantine even if they have a negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test result.

“Filipino and foreign passengers merely transiting through these two countries shall be covered by the rules, as provided in the Memorandum from the Executive Secretary dated Dec. 31, 2020,” Mr. Roque said in a Viber message to reporters.

Also on Friday, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) extended the travel restrictions on foreign travellers coming from 33 countries confirmed to have cases of the new COVID-19 variants until Jan. 31.

Included in the ban are the United Kingdom, the United States, Singapore, Sweden, South Korea, South Africa, Canada, Spain, Austria, Portugal, India, Finland, Norway, Jordan, Brazil, Denmark, Ireland, Japan, China, Pakistan, Jamaica, Luxembourg, and Oman.

Australia, Israel, The Netherlands, Hong Kong, Switzerland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, and Lebanon are also covered by the temporary travel ban.

Mr. Roque said contact tracing protocols shall be strengthened “by expanding to third-generation contacts for known new variant cases,” adding that all identified close contacts are required to undergo a strict facility-based 14-day quarantine, while remaining contacts from the flight shall be advised of the appropriate quarantine protocols.

He said the Department of Transportation has been directed to strictly implement issuances against airlines that allow the boarding of passengers who are prohibited from entering the Philippines.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has also been mandated to issue the necessary advisories to local government units for the preparation, strengthening, and maintenance of their quarantine facilities and contact tracing efforts to avoid a possible surge of COVID-19 cases, he added. “The DILG is also directed to ensure the proper enforcement of the StaySafe.ph system used by LGUs for ease of contact tracing.”

The IATF already approved the continuation of weekly genomic biosurveillance activities of the Department of Health, the Philippine Genome Center, and the UP National Institutes of Health among incoming passengers and local cases, “prioritizing hospitalized patients, re-infected patients, and those in clusters,” Mr. Roque said. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

DOLE beefs up campaign vs firms violating health protocols; hotline for workers’ complaint launched

The Department of Labor on Employment (DOLE) is beefing up its campaign against business establishments that do not observe health protocols against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

DOLE Undersecretary Benjo Santos M. Benavidez on Friday said the agency will strictly impose penalties on erring companies, citing Republic Act (RA) No. 11058 or the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Act which was implemented in 2018. 

“We will not hesitate in imposing penalties if they insist on not following health protocols,” he said in Filipino during a televised press briefing.

RA No. 11058 requires private sector employers to inform workers about all types of hazards in workplaces. The law also mandates them to provide their workers with the necessary personal protective equipment, including face masks and protective shields. 

According to the Interim Guidelines on Workplace Prevention and Control of COVID-19 which was issued by Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez and Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III in mid-2020, workers and employers are required to follow precautionary measures for the containment of the lethal virus, including the use of face masks, physical distancing of at least one meter, recording of body temperature, disinfection and sanitation of routine practices, among others. 

Mr. Benavidez said only 77% of the 72,000 establishments inspected last year were found compliant with occupational health and safety standards, which means that about 23% are “non-compliant.”

He, however, said that the compliance rate later increased to 92% after DOLE extended “technical assistance and advice” to various enterprises, which was mostly done online. 

Meanwhile, a labor group on Friday launched a campaign which aims to monitor the employment status in the country amid the prolonged pandemic. 

Defend Job Philippines said the campaign, dubbed as “Trabahotline,” empowers local and foreign-based Filipino workers to report issues of termination, retrenchment, floating status and other work-related concerns amid the pandemic. 

“The alarming state of jobs, livelihood, security of tenure, unemployment and other labor-related issues in the country have worsened due to the absence of concrete and comprehensive employment program and massive jobs creation scheme of the government for Filipino workers here and abroad,” Christian Lloyd Magsoy, the group’s spokesperson, said in a statement. 

The group assured complainants that their identity and their issues will be kept strictly confidential in order to protect their privacy. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

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