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Denmark plans to cull its mink population after coronavirus mutation spreads to humans

COPENHAGEN — Denmark will cull its mink population of up to 17 million after a mutation of the coronavirus found in the animals spread to humans, the prime minister said on Wednesday.

Health authorities found virus strains in humans and in mink which showed decreased sensitivity against antibodies, potentially lowering the efficacy of future vaccines, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said.

“We have a great responsibility towards our own population, but with the mutation that has now been found, we have an even greater responsibility for the rest of the world as well,” Mr. Frederiksen told a news conference.

The findings, which have been shared with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, were based on laboratory tests by the State Serum Institute, the Danish authority dealing with infectious diseases.

The head of the WHO’s emergencies programme, Mike Ryan, called on Friday for full-scale scientific investigations of the complex issue of humans — outside China — infecting mink which in turn transmitted the virus back to humans.

“We have been informed by Denmark of a number of persons infected with coronavirus from mink, with some genetic changes in the virus,” WHO said in a statement emailed to Reuters in Geneva. “The Danish authorities are investigating the epidemiological and virological significance of these findings.”

Authorities in Denmark said five cases of the new virus strain had been recorded on mink farms and 12 cases in humans, and that there were between 15 million and 17 million mink in the country.

Outbreaks at mink farms have persisted in the Nordic country, the world’s largest producer of mink furs, despite repeated efforts to cull infected animals since June.

Denmark’s police, army and home guard will be deployed to speed up the culling process, Mr. Frederiksen said.

Christian Sonne, professor of Veterinary and Wildlife Medicine at Aarhus University, said in an email he believed culling the herd now as a precautionary measure was a sound decision and could prevent a future outbreak that would be more difficult to control. Mr. Sonne co-authored a letter published in the journal Science last week calling for the cull.

“China, Denmark, and Poland should support and extend the immediate and complete ban of mink production,” Mr. Sonne and his co-authors wrote last week.

Tougher lockdown restrictions and intensified tracing efforts will be implemented to contain the virus in some areas of Northern Denmark, home to a large number of mink farms, authorities said.

“The worst case scenario is a new pandemic, starting all over again out of Denmark,” said Kare Molbak, director at the State Serum Institute.

Minks have also been culled in the Netherlands and Spain after infections were discovered. — Reuters

Economic scars, once again: Reading the fine prints of pandemic mitigation

 

We all aspire for a strong economic recovery. But it is prudent to ensure we tie the loose ends in our fight against the virus. There are many challenges to growth after the lockdowns are eased; a near-normal path will not be an easy walk in the park when labor gets back to work. As Dr. Edsel Salvana warned, the virus doesn’t play by the rules. It continues to rewrite the rulebook.

Even in chess, anything can happen during an adjournment.

One good insight comes from the IMF’s World Economic Outlook issued just last month. The Fund should know whereof it speaks because it has formidable access to data on all of its 190 member countries.

Reopening of the economy is not linear. The Fund shows that different countries that tried to do some gradual reopening from the Great Lockdown and ascent from the depths of the recession in the second quarter were frustrated by successive waves of re-infection and deaths. Even more serious is that while lockdowns lead to economic contraction, the Fund also found that “voluntary social distancing” out of fear of the virus contributed a great deal to the shrinkage of business and employment. If at all, economic recovery could only be partial, subdued for the most part.

This is the economic scar, the traumatic aftermath, of the global pandemic. Output losses are real, and healing will take time.

Of course, one does not quickly see that in the Fund’s latest growth projections. World output is projected to recover from a decline of 4.4% in 2020 to 5.2% in 2021. So much is expected of the biggest economy of the US, a resumption of growth of 3.9% from a deep dive in 2020 of 4.3%.

Advanced economies consisting of the US itself, the Euro area, Japan, the United Kingdom, Canada and others are expected to decline by 5.8% this year and recover by a positive 3.9% next year. No one is spared from the Great Descent of 2020. For emerging markets, the forecast is a decline of 3.3% but a recovery of nearly twice at 6%. Only China is expected to sustain growth this year but India’s performance is exceptional, if it comes to pass: from a 10.3%recession to a recovery of 8.8%, the highest for next year. ASEAN-5 will join the strong performers as it is expected to bounce back from a recession of 3.4% to a 6.2% economic expansion in 2021.

But first, how did we handle the pandemic relative to the other neighbors in the Asia Pacific?

From the Fund’s Regional Economic Outlook: Navigating the Pandemic for Asia, also issued in October 2020, an interesting boxed article shows us the narrative of Asia’s lockdown and reopening experiences captured by four charts. Data for these charts should be recognized to be true as of September 2020.

The first chart groups the Philippines with Malaysia and New Zealand which imposed near-complete lockdowns for over one month. Others were very stringent but the duration was shorter. Still others were more selective on what to lock down.

But the effectiveness of the lockdown was challenged by the initial public health conditions and the density of the population. For these reasons, the lockdown did not seem to be effective in the Philippines as well as in India and Indonesia. While some countries went big on testing and tracing, the Philippines and Indonesia were considered to be laggards.

The experience of this region with reopening was diverse. Some countries reopened only when evidence of viral suppression was strong. There were re-infections, some nationwide but others were small outbreaks. In the case of the Philippines and Indonesia, reopening was done even before a decisive fall in infection cases because of the perceived economic cost. New cases stabilized but the virus was yet to be suppressed. The Fund observed: “These early openers have continued to experience a high number of new infections, reflecting a pickup in mobility after reopening, less scope for voluntary social distancing, and other factors…”

The next chart shows that with bad experience with early opening, the subsequent reopenings were rather slow for the Philippines, together with India and Indonesia. Here, schools remain closed and other sectors remain partially closed. Some countries that waited for the infection to subside succeeded in opening up more sectors and activities.

The Fund further commented that economic recovery was rather sluggish in the early birds. The next chart clearly shows the consequences of recklessness in terms of economic slack. Business activities proxied by purchasing managers’ indices across countries were lower than pre-COVID-19 levels in both the Philippines and India, suggesting that mobility remains low because of fear of getting the virus. This is also exacerbated in the Philippines by what the Fund calls “limited or insufficiently implemented fiscal stimulus.”

We notice that it was only fairly recently that some local governments have started to strengthen their testing and tracing capabilities. We have started to learn that “an effective testing, tracing, and quarantining system has helped some countries detect and contain infection clusters before they led to widespread community transmission.” In our previous columns, we wrote that Vietnam has used an impressive tracing system to quarantine all close contacts of positive cases as early as during the second quarter. China and Korea leveraged on technology and big data to improve the efficiency of contact tracing.

The composite equivalence of these charts for the Philippines is the so-called “voluntary social distancing.” Business and entertainment activities remain weak because people continue to be afraid of the virus and what it can inflict on them. Aside from possible prolonged quarantine, death and prohibitive cost that could wipe out the family’s finances, it seems wise to avoid shopping malls and eating places. For businessmen, it seems wise to cut losses by stopping operations and laying off workers. As a result, output is lost and the loss could be large and protracted.

Today, modern business cycle theories caution careful and conservative forecasting of economic growth after a recession as deep as this one. There is very little basis for believing that the output blip below trend will turn around to resume normal growth after a few quarters. Public policy intervention will have to weigh in big and be sustained. To leave a rare legacy, the President and the economic managers will have to continue strengthening their partnership with Congress to maximize the use of the national budget in managing what Oscar Jorda, Sanjay R. Singh and Alan M. Taylor, all from the University of California Davis, called “long economic hangover” of the pandemic (IMF, Finance and Development, June 2020).

“If the historical trends we have highlighted play out similarly in the wake of COVID-19, then secular stagnation (Lawrence Summers, 2014) would be a concern for monetary and fiscal stabilization policy for the next two decades or more.”

The good news is that monetary policy’s prolonged low interest rate regime can now be useful in helping provide fiscal space for mitigating the root cause of all these troubles.

 

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

At cross-purposes with itself

 

In 2016, then candidate Rodrigo Duterte promised to end corruption. That promise echoed that of his predecessor’s, Benigno Aquino III, whose 2010 campaign catchphrase was “Kung walang corrupt walang mahirap” (Without corruption, there would be no poverty).

Corruption is not the only cause of poverty, and neither is it the sole barrier to the making of a prosperous society. But it does contribute to it and diminishes the capacity of governments to better the lives of their constituencies. It can mean fewer classrooms being built, and clinics and hospitals under-equipped because the funds for them have been diverted into some crooked official’s cache of ill-gotten wealth.

But corruption is even more significantly among the primary causes of underdevelopment. Corrupt lawmakers could be bribed to pass laws favoring this or that private interest, or to reject others that would reform the archaic land tenancy system to end the landlessness that has fed social unrest and rebellions in the Philippines for centuries, or to promote the industrialization that would boost employment and worker wages. Both were essential to the progress of this country’s neighbors (Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and China among others), but have not been seriously adopted as policy by any administration.

To address the poverty that the government’s own National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) says afflicts some 20% of the populace, what is needed is reducing corruption enough to allow the introduction of political, economic and social reforms.

But not only has that evil metastasized throughout government. Its cost has also grown into the tens of billions. The PhilHealth anomaly alone cost the taxpayers P14 billion in misspent funds. The Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) claims that only 50% of the funds the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) allots for infrastructure projects is spent on the roads, bridges, etc., that are constructed, hence their often substandard quality.

If Mr. Aquino III’s promise to end corruption came to nought, so has Mr. Duterte’s. His four-and-a-half years in office have been riddled with one corruption scandal after another in many agencies of government — from those in health to education to immigration to public works.

Mr. Duterte only last week again admitted that corruption has not only endured during his watch; it has even grown despite his claimed commitment to ending it. As if to validate his earlier statement that he is useless in stopping it, he declared in the same breath the secretaries of health and of public works free of corruption despite allegations of wrongdoing against officials of the health insurance system and the DPWH. But he then contradicted himself: he directed the Department of Justice (DoJ) to investigate every department in government, despite the existence of the Office of the Ombudsman, into whose Constitutional mandate the DoJ would now intrude.

Charged with investigating and exposing corruption, that Office has made next to impossible access to the Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) of the President, the Vice-President and the heads of Constitutional commissions by imposing a number of conditions on whoever in the media as well as the rest of the public requests for copies.

By making the DoJ the lead agency in making good his often repeated pledge to end corruption by the end of his term, was Mr. Duterte indirectly chiding the Office of the Ombudsman?

Probably not. Mr. Duterte has not released his 2018 and 2019 SALNs despite requests for them from the media — and despite his own Executive Order No. 2 acknowledging the people’s right to information, establishing a Freedom of Information Program (FOIP), and requiring all agencies of the Executive Branch to make publicly accessible the SALNs of their officials and other information on matters of public interest in their possession.

That executive order has been more honored in the breach than the observance. The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) complains that either its requests for government-held information are denied, or its reporters given the run-around by some agencies of the Executive Branch. Meanwhile, the decades-long demand for a law that would make all information held by all three branches of government accessible to the public has foundered on the shoals of Congressional indifference since 1987, when the first of several such bills was filed.

And yet what is most crucial to the success of any campaign against corruption is citizen access to information, among them, but not limited to, the SALNs of government officials, which the law mandates they should file every year. The assumption is that it is among the documents that could provide the public some inkling of whether the assets of the  people in government are ill-gotten or not, and if their financial transactions with private entities were aboveboard.

More than the SALN, however, are other sources of information, among them reports in the media. Investigative reporting, for example, is a journalistic enterprise that in countries that claim to be democracies is necessarily focused on holding the powerful to account by looking into what they have been doing, including their possible involvement in corrupt practices, and reporting it to the public.

But few will deny that media access to information has been severely limited by such administration ploys as the Ombudsman’s restrictions on SALN access; journalists’ being banned from covering certain events; critical and even just truth-telling media organizations’ being vilified and shut down; and some practitioners’ being unjustly labeled mercenaries, political partisans, purveyors of “fake news,” and even terrorists and/or members of the New People’s Army (NPA).

The information provided by those ethical and professional journalists who have been so harassed and even threatened includes reports on the grievances of marginalized sectors such as indigenous peoples, workers, and poor farmers. Some also report the human rights violations and other illegal acts in both city and countryside committed by the police and military — and yes, the corrupt practices of both local and national officials.

As incoherent as the ruling clique may be, antipathy to a knowledgeable and critical citizenry is instinctive to it. One can only conclude that it is deliberately preventing independent media practitioners from providing both the public as well as government itself information on the breadth and depth of the suffering among the poor and the marginalized that has historically driven the rebellions and uprisings that still persist today. Recognizing the distress of the needy and disempowered millions for which corruption has been at least partly responsible is indispensable to the making of honest governance and ending the conflicts and social unrest that have haunted this country for centuries.

Any serious campaign to stop or reduce corruption simply cannot do without a well-informed public capable of monitoring government. But neither can it succeed without government awareness of the plight of its citizens and of the link between corruption, poverty, and — for want of a better phrase — rebellion and insurgency.

The very same journalists and media organizations the Duterte regime has been trying to silence have been providing the nation an indispensable service, and it is very well aware of it.

It explains why it is abridging the people’s right to information: it is to prevent the citizenry from demanding that government truly address the roots of poverty by, among other means, curbing the dishonesty in public office that contributes to the hopelessness, hunger and despair that has led many Filipinos to take up the gun. His own regime is in that sense at cross-purposes with Mr. Duterte’s oft repeated promise to end corruption.

 

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

www.luisteodoro.com

Originalism: A review

For more than a decade now this column has been advocating for the recognition of “originalism” in our legal education and legal system. It is gratifying to see that such efforts are bearing fruit.

On second thought, “recognition” may be a tad inaccurate. “Re-recognition” is perhaps the better term.

For originalism/textualism was the norm, particularly for the first 150 or so years of the US Constitutional experience (from which the Philippines’ own system is derived). The “living constitution” is a 20th century creation by progressives to ram through their preferred policy agendas.

And it’s a testament to the miseducation of law students, particularly from the so-called prestigious law schools, that many consider today the “living constitution” as the exclusive paragon, the only manner of constitutional interpretation. Which is simply not true.

Our own Supreme Court has not actually been silent regarding textualism and originalism: “The words used in the Constitution must be given their ordinary meaning except where technical terms are employed. As the Constitution is not primarily a lawyer’s document, it being essential for the rule of law to obtain that it should ever be present in the people’s consciousness, its language as much as possible should be understood in the sense they have a common use.”

Furthermore, if “the plain meaning of the word is not found to be clear, resort to other aids is available.” But “while it is permissible to consult the debates and proceedings of the constitutional convention in order to arrive at the reason and purpose of the resulting Constitution, resort thereto may be had only when other guides fail as said proceedings are powerless to vary the terms of the Constitution when the meaning is clear.” Hence, “the proper interpretation, therefore, depends more on how it was understood by the people adopting it.” (Justice Antonio Nachura, Outline Reviewer in Political Law; citing Francisco, GR 160261; and Civil Liberties Union, 194 SCRA 317).

Progressives tend to adhere to the “living constitution” for tactical reasons: what they cannot push democratically in the legislature they try doing so surreptitiously through the judiciary, unhampered by what the Constitution actually says, as the words therein (they argue) should be interpreted as the times require.

Thus, for social issues like entitlement welfare, gay marriage, divorce, sexual orientation/gender identity rights, abortion, contraceptives — all of which are not mentioned either in the US or Philippine constitutions (except for the latter, which prohibits abortions), a democratically elected legislature has the discretion to reject such measures. By interpreting the Constitution in a manner unanchored on what’s actually written there, progressives try to get around the legislature by resorting to judicial legislation.

The late great US Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia fought back against this nonsense. Blessed with clarity of intellect, eloquence, and a pen of magnificent wit, Scalia reintroduced constitutional interpretation of original intent and meaning of text which he called “originalism.”

“Originalism,” simply put, seeks to interpret a constitution in accordance with the understanding of those who drafted it or that of reasonable persons alive at the time of the constitution’s adoption as to the text’s ordinary meaning.

The difference, by the way, between textualism and originalism, is more apparent than real. In practice, textualism is used when referring to interpretation of legislative statutes, originalism when interpreting a constitution.

Speaking before the University of Virginia, Scalia said he adheres to originalism as “it beats the other alternatives, and that, believe me, is not difficult.”

One of those alternatives is the aforementioned “living constitution” theory. Of that, Scalia was scathing: “The Constitution is not an organism; it’s a legal text, for Pete’s sake!”

The problem with the “living constitution” theory is that it upends the crucial tripartite, checks and balances, government of limited powers structure. It effectively allows unelected judges to legislate from the bench and impose their will beyond the Constitution, effectively establishing a “judicial oligarchy.”

Thus, as Scalia explains in an NPR interview, the “living constitution” theory “places no restraints on judges,” and that if the Constitution means “whatever the people would want it to say, you’ve eliminated the whole purpose of a constitution.”

One calumny placed on “originalism” is that it is merely a cover to advance conservative policies. Again, another lie. The point is to let the words of the Constitution, as understood and adopted by the Filipino People (the actual authors of the Constitution) to be upheld. Should the Constitution be silent, then it is not up to the unelected judges but rather the People’s duly elected representatives (members of Congress) to legislate on the matter.

And if the Constitution is in need of changing, then again that is not the job of the unelected judges: that’s up for the Filipino people to do by amending or changing the Constitution.

Originalism is essentially allowing democratic principles and the rule of law to work, where the voice of the People prevails rather than the mere interests of a few.

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

 

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

jemygatdula@yahoo.com

www.jemygatdula.blogspot.com

facebook.com/jemy.gatdula

Twitter @jemygatdula

Notes on the Ako Para Sa Bata Conference

This year, the pandemic has drastically disrupted and changed the lives of millions of children all over the world. It has threatened their well-being, health, safety, education. Family life and income, school closures, quarantine measures, and child protection systems have been severely affected. Children now face the long-term socio-economic and mental health impact brought by COVID-19.

The Child Protection Network Foundation (CPN) and UNICEF Philippines are now holding the 12th Ako Para Sa Bata (APSB) Conference. To focus on these major issues, it has been reorganized as a series of 23 bi-weekly webinars for three months. It started on Sept. 8 and it will run until Nov. 24.

“With UNICEF’s support, we are able to continue organizing the annual APSB conference that provides continuing education for individuals and professionals in the frontline of child protection work ensuring that every abused child is treated with compassion and competence they truly deserve,” commented Katrina Legarda, director, National Network of Women and Child Protection Units of the CPN. “The webinars are free of charge. See you online,” she exclaimed.

“Addressing violence against children is a united effort. Ako, Tayo Para Sa Bata. This year, the Child Protection Network Foundation (CPN) has chosen the Philippines Obstetrical and Gynecological Society (POGS) to receive the Most Valuable Partner Award 2020,” said Dr. Bernadette J. Madrid, CPN executive director and Conference president. “CPN recognizes the professional and medical milestone that POGS has achieved through the integration of women and child protection in the OB-GYN residency training curriculum.”

“The APSB continues to grow and reach more child protection professionals and individuals from all parts of the Philippines and even outside the country,” APSB Chair Dr. Rica C. Lorenzana added. Dr. Sandra S. Hernandez, Scientific Committee chair APSB said, “The APSB 2020 webinars gather the APSB community online. We discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the risks for violence against children, how it has affected child protection services and parents on caring for children during this health crisis.”

Among the topics discussed by distinguished experts in the field are the following: Impact of COVID-19 on VAC and the child protection system; Beyond community quarantine in the Philippines; Responding to gender-based violence in the time of COVID-19 pandemic; Online sexual abuse and exploitation of children; and, Child protection in education enforcement Issues.

On Nov. 3, the timely topic was “Healthy Internet Use in the Time of Pandemic.” The panelists were Queenie Lee-Chua, PhD, Victoria Nolasco, MD, and Sylvianna G. Manalo. Larah Ellen Galvante-Landazabal, MD, was moderator with chair Ana Katherina Rodriguez-Go, MD.

Here are some practical notes and quotes from the webinar.

When thinking of how to raise “wired children,” parents should recognize the threats of screen time on their children’s health. Children tend to spend too much time online, partly on schoolwork and on social media. It is not true that there is too much online schoolwork.

Prof. Lee-Chua emphasized: “Make motivation a habit.” Structure is essential for learning. Real learning requires willpower. Children are distracted; there is a lack of external structure. Discuss a doable routine for ALL: study, work, and meals. Structure is needed so that the home environment can make motivation a habit.

Practice self-regulation. There should be space for each person, private or semi-private. Earphones are important because they allow the students to be in the same room and share the internet at home.

Parents should schedule and insist on physical exercise. There should be time for each: sleep, meals, exercise, and walks under the sun and fresh air. The environment may not be ideal but it should be workable for all.

Most distractions are self-inflicted: surfing, gaming. She suggested the use of external reminders. There are “screen time” apps for Apple, and other productivity apps for android. Parents should limit gadget use. FB and YouTube, in particular.

For complex study, “Print is better than online.” One should print the material and switch off the computer to solve math problems. It is necessary to limit reading online to the following: “Problems with mental resources, navigating tests, focus and retention. Many experts work hard to make reading on tablets as close to reading on paper as possible.” Studies say that it is better to print out the assignments and work offline. Our eyes get tired reading online. Most learning is done offline. There should be a balance between online and offline. “We are not homo-computerists,” Dr. Lee-Chua said. “Reserve accessible time and preserve the eyesight for live classes, videos and tests.”

She advised that parents should reserve non-academic activities (Twitter, for example) for weekends. Children should learn how to discipline themselves. Little children should not have FB accounts. Open communication is essential. Parents should seek to inspire teens with words, actions, demeanor.

On online learning she said parents should have “Gratitude. Count your blessings, not your burdens.

Prof. Lee-Chua tells her students: “Study hard and Study Smart.”

“Smart goals: Make resolutions realistic and positive. Make them as concrete as possible so you can plan accordingly.” She advised that one should begin with subjects that they have difficulty with. Focus on what one does not know. In major exams, practically all topics are given weight. In order to pass, one needs to know the basics of all of them.

“When you multitask, you are trying to save time. But you will likely fail. You end up consuming more time doing the same things.” Single, sequential tasking is better. Complex tasks cannot be done at the same time.

“Calm your children and calm yourselves,” she said. “Keep things in perspective.”

“Fact-check chain messages on Viber.” Ninety-nine percent of forwarded messages are not true, according to Dr. Lee-Chua.” She cited internet safety and how social media is dangerous to one’s mental health and the loss of privacy. “With great power comes great responsibility.” The internet provides everyone power for good or ill.

The brain changes with gadget addiction. There is the impaired mesocorticolimbic dopamine system “high.” This is similar to drug abuse. There is cue-induced craving in substance dependence. There is gray matter decrease in the prefrontal cortex. There is also decreased functional connectivity in cortex/subcortical areas (like heroin/cocaine). There is net-addiction such as repetitive finger movements.

She mentioned that some people have found a sense of purpose in the pandemic. There was a clinically depressed student who found meaning in the pandemic.

“Focus on what you can do. (Brainstorming on space and routine honing skills, helping frontliners, caring for each other).

“Seek professional help, if necessary.” Manage anxiety through mindfulness, seek nature. And then there is sleep. “Sleep. Quality, deep sleep.” Quantity is good but some people can sleep 10 hours and still wake up groggy. Notifications on the phone are bad because they disturb sleep. Blue light interferes with melatonin production.

“Make the most of what you have… For mental health, medicines, therapy help. In the end, the only thing that will distract them from self-pity would be reaching out to others.”

“Healing yourself is connected with healing others.” — Yoko Ono

Father Ben Nebres S.J., former Ateneo president, told of a student who was self-harming and self-destructive, “Come with me and we will visit Gawad Kalinga.” He made her help. She did not like it but she continued working there. And it worked. She is still alive and is now productive.

“Social media promotes self-obsession. It wreaks havoc on mental health. We should be helping others. There are people who have much less but they are more content.”

“We should expose children to what is positive,” said Dr. Lee-Chua.

Congratulations to the innovative organizers, CPN and UNICEF!

(Follow the Ako Para sa Bata Facebook page @AkoParaSaBataConference. The webinars are held every Tuesday and Thursday from 10 to 11:30 a.m. The recordings are available.)

 

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

mavrufino@gmail.com

China blocks travelers from virus-hit Philippines 

Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA)
On Tuesday, China Southern Airlines 600029.SS, the country’s biggest carrier by passenger load, said it would suspend transit services for passengers embarking from 21 countries, including the Philippines. Image via Philstar

BEIJING — Mainland China has barred entry to non-Chinese visitors from Britain, Belgium, and the Philippines and demanded travelers from the United States, France, and Germany present results of additional health tests, as coronavirus cases rise around the world. 

In some of the most stringent border restrictions imposed by any country in response to the pandemic, China has temporarily suspended entry of non-Chinese nationals traveling from the United Kingdom even if they hold valid visas and residence permits, the Chinese embassy in Britain said. 

The Chinese embassies in Belgium and the Philippines released similar statements announcing restrictions on travelers from the two countries. 

The rejection of non-Chinese travelers from Britain came as England entered a month-long lockdown starting Thursday. Britain’s death toll is the highest in Europe and it is grappling with more than 20,000 new coronavirus cases a day. 

Belgium has Europe’s highest per capita number of new confirmed cases, while the Philippines has the second-highest number of infections and deaths in Southeast Asia after Indonesia. 

The suspension was a partial reversal of an easing on Sept. 28, when China allowed all foreigners with valid residence permits to enter. In March, China had banned entry of foreigners in response to the epidemic. 

Starting Nov. 6, all passengers from the United States, France, Germany, and Thailand bound for mainland China must take both a nucleic acid test and a blood test for antibodies against the coronavirus. The tests must be done no more than 48 hours before boarding. 

If the passenger needs to make a transit stop en route to China, the same tests must be done in the transit country or region. 

Linyi Li, a Chinese national, had planned to fly from Seattle to China in mid-November but switched to her flight to Nov. 6 to circumvent the rule, even though fares had tripled.

“The tickets were sold out in seconds, as people were all scrambling to beat the deadline,” said Li, 30. “I’ve been rushing to sell many of my family belongings in the past days in case I can’t get back to the States.”

Similar requirements were imposed on travelers from countries such as Australia, Singapore, and Japan, from Nov. 8. 

The dual-testing requirement was not unprecedented. Passengers arriving on specially arranged flights from countries such as India can undergo several rounds of those tests.

The European Union Chamber of Commerce in China said it saw no reason to change the current system. 

“Unfortunately, while technically leaving the door open, these changes imply a de facto ban on anyone trying to get back to their lives, work, and families in China,” it said. 

The chamber also said the antibody test was not widely available in many countries. 

On Tuesday, China Southern Airlines 600029.SS, the country’s biggest carrier by passenger load, said it would suspend transit services for passengers embarking from 21 countries, mostly African and Asian countries such as India and the Philippines. 

The number of weekly international passenger flights serving mainland China from late October through March is set to slump 96.8% from a year earlier to 592, the latest schedules show. — Reuters

Filipino Gonzales out to swing back to winning at ONE Championship

ONE Championship stages the second iteration of its “Inside The Matrix” event in Singapore today with Filipino flyweight Ramon Gonzales taking part and looking to make his way back to the winning track.

Bicol native Gonzales, 33, is currently sporting a 3-3 record at ONE since being part of the promotion in 2015 and is vying to improve his record above the .500 mark in his fight against Indonesia’s Eko Roni Saputra.

Mr. Gonzales saw his winning streak stopped at three in November last year when he lost by unanimous decision to China’s Hexigetu.

While the ongoing coronavirus pandemic made it tougher to train, admitted Mr. Gonzales, he did not allow it to get in the way of putting in as much as he can in preparing for the fight with a grappler like Mr. Saputra.

“During the lockdown, I was able to train every day, together with my students, which are the Uchi-deshi. We used the time we couldn’t go out to stay in the gym, focus on our skills, and train,” said the three-time Kyokushin Karate Champion.

He went on to say that he is expecting an exciting fight and vowed to give fans what they want.

“I haven’t met Mr. Saputra personally, but I already watched his fights, and I think he is a great fighter. I’ll make sure that when it’s time to enter the Circle, I am ready. I promise my fans that I will show them the best of me this time.”

ONE: Inside The Matrix II is headlined by the world welterweight title clash between champion Kiamrian Abbasov of Kyrgyzstan and challenger James Nakashima of the United States. It also features the lightweight battle of title contenders Timofey Nastyukhin of Russia and Pieter Buist of The Netherlands.

It will be shown live here over One Sports at 8:30 p.m. with an encore telecast at 11 p.m. on TV5 on Nov. 7. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

United City FC looks to solidify hold of top spot

UNITED City Football Club (FC) takes on Stallion-Laguna FC on Friday looking to solidify its hold of the top spot in the ongoing Philippines Football League (PFL) tournament.

League-leading with nine points from an unblemished 3-0-0 record, United City (formerly Ceres-Negros FC) tries to make it four wins in as many matches in its 8 p.m. collision with the Stallions (0-1-1) at the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) National Training Center in Cavite, and move closer to another league crown.  

It was dominant in its last game on Tuesday, lording it over Maharlika Manila FC, 10-0.

OJ Porteria and Robert Lopez Mendy each had a hat-trick with Mike Ott adding a brace in their latest win.

Bienvenido Marañon and United City skipper Stephan Schrock accounted for the two other goals in their victory, which pushed them two points clear of second-running Kaya FC-Iloilo (2-1-0).

 Mr. Ott opened the scoring spree for United City in their last match, finding the bottom of the net in the 16th minute.

The team doubled its lead at 2-0 a few minutes later, care of Mr. Maranon (19’).

Mr. Schrock joined the scoring parade in the 33rd minute, followed by Mr. Porteria in the 39th minute to make it a 4-0 lead for United City at the break.

The United City juggernaut continued in the second half with Mr. Lopez Mendy connecting three consecutive times in the 49th, 57th, and 63rd minute to make it a commanding 7-0 lead. Messrs. Porteria (71’ and 75’) and Ott (73’) completed the double-digit rout thereafter.

“The best way to show respect to the opponent is giving it our all from 1 to 90, and that’s what we did,” said Mr. Schrock post-match as he talked about the mindset they have as a team in the tournament.

Meanwhile, out to crash United City’s party is Stallion-Laguna, which is coming off a 1-1 draw against Kaya in its last game.

The Stallions turned things around in the second half against Kaya on Tuesday, making up for the goal they gave up early on in the contest through an equalizer by Jhan-Jhan Melliza in the 80th minute.

The team was happy with its improved performance, something it hopes to extend against United City.

Also taking the field on Friday are Kaya versus Mendiola FC 1991 at 9 a.m. and Maharlika against the Azkals Development Team at 4:30 p.m.

The ongoing season of the PFL is being done in a bubble setup for two weeks.

The team on top in the end will be crowned as champion.

The PFF National Training Center is the official game venue while Seda Nuvali in Santa Rosa, Laguna, houses the teams and the league for the duration of the tournament.

During the tournament, all clubs are asked to strictly adhere to health and safety protocols prescribed for the league.

PFL matches can be viewed over the PFL Facebook page. PFL YouTube Channel, 1Play Sports, EXPTV Channel and www.PFLTV.ph. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Barcelona gets third win in a row but fails to convince against Dynamo

BARCELONA — Barcelona earned a far from convincing 2-1 win at home to a depleted Dynamo Kyiv on Wednesday as Lionel Messi scored a penalty for the third Champions League game in a row with the Spaniards maintaining their winning start to the group stage.

The Argentine, who had also scored spot-kicks in wins over Group G opponents Ferencvaros and Juventus, tucked away a penalty in the fifth minute while Gerard Pique netted in the second half, glancing in a fine cross from Ansu Fati.

Dynamo — who were missing six players due to COVID-19 positives, which also afflicted five members of staff — gave a decent account of themselves and spurned a couple of chances to equalise as well as having a goal from a corner ruled out due to the ball going out of play.

They deservedly pulled a late goal back in the 75th minute when Viktor Tsygankov slid the ball into the net, pouncing on a rebound after Barca keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen could only parry a shot from Benjamin Verbic.

The victory put Barca on the verge of a place in the knockout stages, leaving them top on nine points after three games, with Juventus second on six and Dynamo and Ferencvaros with a point each.

Barca coach Ronald Koeman was visibly anxious on the sidelines and did not attempt to gloss over the sloppy performance. — Reuters

NBA close to Dec. 22 start date for 2020-21

THE National Basketball Players Association is close to a deal that would start the 2020-21 National Basktetball Association (NBA) season on Dec. 22 with a reduced schedule of 72 games per team, according to ESPN.

The Athletic previously reported the possibility of a 72-game season that would start just before Christmas. According to ESPN, the NBA’s board of governors and the NBPA were holding separate meetings on the matter Thursday with the expectation that the start date would be approved.

The upcoming regular season, if agreed upon, would be 10 games shy of a typical NBA regular-season schedule.

The players association is expected to take a vote among team player representatives at some point Thursday, according to the ESPN report. A salary escrow in the vicinity of 18% was expected to be agreed upon for the next two years.

The NBA draft is scheduled for Nov. 18, with training camps likely to open Dec. 1.

The projected start date would leave the possibility that the regular season would finish before the start of the 2021 Summer Olympics, which are set to begin on July 23 in Tokyo.

There is no indication when or if games in the 2020-21 season would be played in front of fans. The NBA lost $800 million in ticket sales during the just-concluded season because of the ongoing pandemic, ESPN reported on Oct. 28.

The league also reportedly lost $400 million in sponsorship and merchandise plus $200 million in “net negative impact” from China due to fallout from then-Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey expressing support for Hong Kong protestors against the Beijing government.

If agreed upon, the Dec. 22 start date would leave just seven weeks before the opening of the new season. The deal being decided upon would override the original promise from the league to give players an eight-week notice before the start of the season.

The NBA became the first pro league to suspend play amid the COVID-19 pandemic, doing so on March 11. The league moved into a bubble in late July at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando to finished out an abbreviated regular season.

The Los Angeles Lakers won the title during the most peculiar of seasons, defeating the Miami Heat in a six-game NBA Finals that was played only in front of the players’ family and close friends.

The Lakers earned their deciding 106-93 victory over the Heat on Oct. 11, just 11 days shy of making it a full year from when they started their regular-season schedule with a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. — Reuters

More than TDs on line for Brady’s Bucs, Brees’ Saints

TOM Brady and Drew Brees could change places yet again as the top two touchdown (TD) passers in NFL history.

The host Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New Orleans Saints could change places atop the NFC South standings.

Much will be at stake when the two most prolific active quarterbacks in the NFL lead their respective teams against each other Sunday night in Tampa.

Brady and the Buccaneers (6-2) lead the South by a half-game over Brees and the Saints (5-2), who prevailed 34-23 when these teams met in the season opener.

Both quarterbacks had two touchdown passes last week, leaving Brady with 561 for his career, one more than Brees. The Saints quarterback had leapfrogged Brady on the all-time list last Sunday with a pair of scoring passes at Chicago.

The two future Hall of Famers could trade places multiple times Sunday night and beyond.

“I’d say it’s pretty cool,” Brees said. “I’m just laser-focused on the job that is right in front of me and the opportunity that we have this week. Winning the football game is the most important thing, and however we can get that done.

“We both play on very good teams for very good organizations, with great coaches and great systems, great players around us. (I’m) just grateful for the opportunity to compete, grateful that we’re in the situation where we’re battling to win the division.”

The Saints intercepted Brady twice and sacked him three times in the opener.

“I think we did some things well, we got the turnovers,” New Orleans coach Sean Payton said. “I didn’t think we played very well in some other areas when you watch the tape. They’re playing with confidence.”

New Orleans has won four consecutive games and Tampa Bay has won three in a row. The Saints have won their last four meetings against the Buccaneers.

Since the opener, Brady has completed 67 percent of his passes for 1,950 yards and 18 touchdowns with two interceptions. He has rushed for one touchdown in that span.

The Buccaneers activated wide receiver Antonio Brown from the suspended list earlier in the week. They signed the former Steeler, Raider and Patriot on Oct. 27.

“He’ll have his role,” Bucs coach Bruce Arians said. “It could be 10 plays, it could be 35 plays. I wouldn’t anticipate 60 plays, for sure, but we’ll just see how it goes.”

Arians said Brown was “full speed” in his first workout with his new team.

“Everybody else was walking, but he was going full speed—that’s him anyway,” Arians said. “Guys were helping him (and) he’s got a really good handle on what we’re trying to get done ‘formationally’ and everything. It was great interaction with all the guys and it was a good start to the week.”

Tampa Bay also has plenty of receivers with Pro Bowlers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, who was limited in practice Wednesday because of a finger injury, as well as tight end Rob Gronkowski.

“I’ve been taking care of myself off the field,” Brown said. “I pride myself on being the guy who is staying in high condition and being physically fit. I spend a year and a half working out in parks and not being able to get a lot of reward. Just grateful to be in the position where I can work out and get the opportunity to play in the game and get some rewards.”

Saints All-Pro receiver Michael Thomas hasn’t played since the first meeting with Tampa Bay because of ankle and hamstring injuries. He practiced on a limited basis Wednesday.

Running back Alvin Kamara was limited in practice because of a foot injury suffered in a win at Chicago last week, but he said he will play against the Buccaneers. — Reuters

NBA 2020-21 season

For a while there, it looked increasingly like the next season of the National Basketball Association (NBA) wouldn’t be taking off until after the new year. Considering that 22 teams, particularly those that went deep in the playoffs, endured a long, arduous stay inside a constricting bubble environment, the thought of extending the break beyond the holidays and close to Martin Luther King Day appeared both practical and symbolically significant. Once league officials and franchise owners took a closer look at the numbers, however, the prospect of moving the start prior to Christmas became not just more palatable, but necessary.

Needless to say, money has become the primary concern, and not without cause. The NBA is fresh off a singular campaign in which it lost, by The Athletic’s estimates, close to $700 million in revenues, and it figures to continue hemorrhaging earnings given the likelihood of empty arenas under the continuing threat of the novel coronavirus. Facing pressure to preserve income streams, no less than commissioner Adam Silver has impressed upon players the need to at least fulfill obligations to broadcast partners in this regard. Which, in a nutshell, an additional month’s worth of games, including the traditional quintuple-header on Christmas Day, is slated to provide.

Initially resistant to, and skeptical of, plans to begin the 2020-21 season on Dec. 22, the National Basketball Players Association has, of late, warmed to the prospect. They’ll be formalizing their agreement to the start date in a vote today, but with reluctance, and not merely because of the tight schedule. After the rookie draft, in two weeks will come a truncated training camp. Meanwhile, the free agency window will be small, constricting roster assessments and talent movement. And that’s not even taking into consideration the need for seven new head coaches to put their systems in place.

Put simply, the product that the NBA will be putting out early in its 2020-21 campaign will be far from ideal. Not counting marquee names sitting out due to load management, just about all the players will be working themselves to shape while in competition. They don’t want to do it, but they know they have no choice—not with approximately $500 million on the line, and not when half of the basketball-related income impacts directly on their salaries. The sacrifices remain in any case; they’ll be setting aside around a fifth of their take-home pay for the foreseeable future in order to survive the pandemic and its ill-effects.

There are, to be sure, pluses. Aside from the positive impact on the bottom line, the earlier start to the season will likewise bring about an earlier end. For some players, the development allows them to participate in the 2021 Olympics. For all, it reboots the yearly timetable to the traditionally accepted one. Of course, the assumption is that all will proceed as planned, which is, perhaps, optimistic considering the hurdles the National Football League has needed to overcome week after week. Nonetheless, the show must, and will, go on, and longtime habitués of the sport can’t wait.

 

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

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