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Lenovo sees surge in sales during lockdown

LENOVO Philippines reported a surge in sales for its devices after lockdown measures were put in place in Metro Manila and other locations in the country.

“The demand actually surged in the last couple of months, even before the announcement of the flexible learning by the Department of Education. We’ve actually seen the inquiries and the sales rising and I think the trend will continue,” Michael Ngan, Lenovo Philippines president and general manager, said during a digital conference on June 25.

Mr. Ngan declined to give exact figures and which product lines saw much of the surge as he said the company hasn’t gotten the data for the quarter yet.

“I think it’s part of the new normal. Everybody, whether you’re studying or working from home, all of our activities are now online [the majority of it],” he explained.

In the same briefing, Lenovo Philippines, in partnership with Microsoft, launched their EdVision program where they will be partnering with select schools in the country where students and their teachers will be given free access to online resources “that will help them through their education transformation journey, as well as complimentary or subsidized access to the latest solutions in education [technology],” a press release said.

Some of the partner schools will also be invited to join the EdVision Summit and receive a classroom makeover and subsidy for “smart classroom deployment and support in faculty education,” the statement said.

A Lenovo smart classroom will have “a combination of Lenovo devices, hardware, and software from industry-leading partners” said to provide enough customization to match the needs of partner schools.

“We really don’t select schools. The EdVision program is open to all schools who are willing to partner with Lenovo,” Mr. Ngan said, adding interested schools can get in touch with Lenovo so the company can see what “support we can actually extend.”

The same program will also be introduced in Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia.

Lenovo is also holding a Travelling Storybook contest where students can share how they envision the future of education and the classrooms of the world through words and images.

Shortlisted contestants will have their artworks shown in public and up for voting. The winning entry will receive a smart transformation package from Lenovo. The full mechanics of the contest will be announced soon.

Schools who want to join the EdVision program can register their interest via https://www.lenovo.com/ph/en/edvision. — Zsarlene B. Chua

Swedish drinkers to go the distance with new pub app

STOCKHOLM — Pub drinkers and restaurant-goers are set to get digital help from Swedish-based developers whose new app aims to make social distancing rules work as the hospitality industry cautiously reopens amid ongoing coronavirus concerns.

Sweden has kept bars and restaurants open for table-only service during the pandemic, but authorities have still fretted about overcrowding.

With other countries now cautiously opening up — the United Kingdom is set to re-open pubs and restaurants on July 4 — Stockholm-based developer Chris Mortimer hopes to help diners and tipplers keep their distance and minimise the risk of spreading the virus.

With Mortimer’s app BYEVID, drinkers can either book their pub visit online, ahead of time, or scan a QR code once in the bar, allowing punters and owners to see if the venue has reached its safe capacity.

“So the information we’re looking at is — on the map where the place is, how many people are at the place right now and what the maximum is,” Mortimer told Reuters.

Owners can vary the maximum number of customers, depending on the rules in their country.

“We also see… information on what they do to keep the place clean in coronavirus times,” Mortimer added.

Sweden’s state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell — the public face of Sweden’s much-discussed strategy to slow the spread of the virus — is not convinced such apps will have a big effect.

But he welcomed any attempt to provide more data that authorities can use to control the spread.

“How much (apps) add to non-digital contact tracing still remains to be proven… most virus spread is done through people you’re already aware of… in your workplace, your family,” Tegnell told Reuters.

For Stockholm-based bartender Mawhinna Howell it’s a welcome help in the art of managing social distancing rules.

“It’s nice to know how many people we can expect, it helps us to prepare for the day,” she said. — Reuters

RCBC launches app offering basic deposit accounts

Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) has launched an app which offers digital basic deposit accounts to attract working class Filipinos.

The Diskartech app will allow users to create a basic deposit account which will not require an initial deposit amount and a maintaining balance, said RCBC Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation and Inclusion Officer Angelito “Lito” M. Villanueva.

He said the app is RCBC’s first initiative with a cloud-based core-banking functionality and will soon be integrated into a rural bank they want to establish.

“Once we have that approval from the BSP [to establish a rural bank], then Diskartech will now be part of rural banks with digital banking operations or business model. And we’re looking at hopefully, that one will take place within the year,” he said during the app’s virtual launch on Wednesday.

Mr. Villanueva said the app will introduce financial products depending on clients’ established credit profile.

“It creates a credit profile…now that helps a person to build his credit history and be able to access affordable financial services like loans which we will introduce to Diskartech soon,” Mr. Villanueva said.

Diskartech also features cardless ATM withdrawals, deposits and cash out from agent partners, as well as fund transfers.

Users can also do bill payments, access telemedicine, make purchases of airtime load and gaming pins and do quick response (QR) code transfers, among others. The app will also let customers avail microinsurance in the future, the official said.

Mr. Villanueva said they hope to attract Filipinos in the C-2 market that are either underbanked or unbanked through their on-boarding process that does not require a visit to a branch, noting the app offers an annual savings interest rate of 3.25% for their basic deposit account.

He said this differentiates the app from e-wallets which do not allow clients to earn interest.

“At the same time, it is insured with the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation,” he added.

Mr. Villanueva said they are hopeful the app’s Tagalog-English interface will ease transactions.

RCBC’s net earnings surged 77% year on year to P2.3 billion in the first quarter.

The Yuchengo-led lender’s shares closed unchanged at P16.96 apiece on Wednesday.

Phoenix launches asphalt facility in Batangas

A UNIT of Phoenix Petroleum Philippines, Inc. said it completed the first phase of construction of its asphalt plant in Batangas which is now supplying products to contractors in the country.

The storage facility owned by Phoenix Asphalt Philippines, Inc. features two vertical tanks that can store 6,200 metric tons of hot mix asphalt, or bitumen, with grade 60/70 which is used for road constructions.

The plant located in Calaca also has a loading gantry with a weighbridge capacity of 80 metric tons that is equipped with two loading bays, as well as a 2.5 million kilocalorie-capacity hot oil unit and a back-up generator set with 350 kilovolt-ampere capacity.

“Phoenix Asphalt aims to help build better roads and better runaways. We are on track with this goal and are now ready to provide high-quality asphalt products that will help support the various infrastructure developments in the country,” Phoenix President and Chief Operating Officer Henry R. Fadullon was quoted as saying in a statement on Wednesday.

The company imports most of its naphthenic asphalt from its partner asphalt refinery in Malaysia.

Among other features of the asphalt plant are a central fire station, a material recovery facility, a technology showroom, and an asphalt laboratory.

Phoenix Asphalt will pursue the second phase of the plant’s construction early next year. It will be building polymer-modified bitumen and emulsion facilities around the site.

The Calaca asphalt plant, which construction started in February 2019, is part of the Phoenix’s deal with Thailand-based TIPCO Asphalt Public Co. Ltd. and PhilAsphalt Development Corp. in 2018. The consortium is meant to operate, market, and distribute bitumen and bitumen-related products in the Philippines. — Adam J. Ang

Japan’s fussy food shoppers finally go online amid pandemic

TOKYO — The coronavirus has forced Japan’s notoriously fussy food shoppers to abandon doubts about online grocery stores, sending retailers such as Aeon Co. scrambling to meet a surge in delivery demand.

Although Japanese shoppers aren’t alone in going online during the outbreak, the shift is remarkable for a country that had been expected to take years to embrace online food shopping because of a zeal for fresh and perfectly presented produce.

“I think that this pandemic has triggered an inflection point in the adoption of grocery e-commerce,” said Luke Jensen, executive director of Ocado Group, hired to build a grocery e-commerce business for Japanese retail giant Aeon.

Most companies won’t disclose numbers, but retail executives and analysts estimate internet sales now account for about 5% or more of Japan’s total grocery sales, compared with 2.5% before the pandemic.

Although that is still lower than some pre-crisis estimates of 15% in China and even 7% in broadband laggard Britain, it challenges a long-held belief that Japanese shoppers will always be shopping daily and in person, checking the goods first-hand.

Yuri Ohtaka, a graphic designer living in Tokyo’s western suburbs, began ordering from multiple online supermarkets in March after seeing shoppers emptying shelves at a nearby store.

Although fears of shortages have subsided, online deliveries have made it easier as she works from home, making three meals a day for her family, including her 3-year-old son. She’s also happy to avoid stores amid fears of infections.

“There’s no need for face-to-face, dealing with registers, or standing in line,” she said, adding that she’s also persuaded her parents to go online. “They were shopping every day in the supermarket, and I really didn’t want them to.”

As more households have two people working, analysts say, people want to spend less time shopping. But they still have exacting standards for service and produce quality, which have perplexed previous foreign entrants such as Carrefour and Tesco.

Such changes are closely watched as Japan is one of the world’s most valuable grocery markets, worth over 50 trillion yen ($466.42 billion) a year. Per capita, only countries such as Switzerland, Norway and Israel spend more on food.

SUDDEN DEMAND
Major Japanese supermarkets, despite talking about online services for years, have only recently begun large-scale spending on e-commerce infrastructure.

Most have struggled to meet the spike in demand, and would-be-shoppers on Twitter have complained of difficulty securing delivery slots throughout the crisis.

Aeon hired British online grocery pioneer Ocado in November to build state-of-the-art robotic warehouses, aiming to fend off rivals such as Amazon, Seven & i Holdings’ Ito-Yokado and a venture between Walmart-owned Seiyu and e-commerce giant Rakuten, Inc.

But the first of those warehouses won’t start operating until 2023. In the meantime, Aeon said it is hiring more staff to help pack online grocery orders, although it is having difficulty hiring more delivery drivers.

Despite such constraints, Aeon expects online grocery sales to grow 50% and account for about 10% of sales by the end of its financial year ending next February, according to company executives.

That is not an official target unveiled to investors, but the company confirmed President Akio Yoshida, who was appointed to the top job in March, set it as a goal.

Executives expect the shift to last.

“When people increase their use of online, they stay with it rather than going back. In Japan we’d expect there to be a step up in the growth of e-commerce,” said Ocado’s Jensen, who is also chief executive of the group’s Ocado Solutions technology business.

SMART WAREHOUSES VS MOM AND POP
Analysts say the shift is also likely to favor bigger retailers who can invest in high-tech warehouses capable of handling large volumes rather than just having store staff pick items from retail shelves and package them for delivery.

That could put smaller supermarkets and mom-and-pop stores, already struggling to match the likes of Aeon and Ito-Yokado in pricing, at a further disadvantage.

But Violetta Volovich, who has researched global grocery industry trends for e-commerce consultancy Edge by Ascential, said remote and costly high-tech fulfilment centers were not the answer for all retailers.

Instead, she envisions many retailers adopting automating more jobs in existing brick-and-mortar stores and embracing features such as “click and collect,” in which shoppers pick up online purchases at the stores.

She also said the rise in food e-commerce didn’t mean an end to traditional grocery shopping.

“Just because people get pizza delivery doesn’t mean they will stop going to pizza restaurants,” she said. — Reuters

Jollibee Foods Corporation announces schedule of Annual Stockholders’ Meeting

 

NOTICE OF ANNUAL STOCKHOLDERS’ MEETING

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the annual meeting of the stockholders of Jollibee Foods Corporation (the “Corporation”) shall be held on Friday, July 24, 2020 at 2:00 in the afternoon.

The agenda for the meeting shall be as follows:

  1. Call to Order;
  2. Certification by the Corporate Secretary on Notice and Quorum;
  3. Reading and approval of the minutes of the last Annual Stockholders’ Meeting;
  4. Management’s Report;
  5. Approval of the 2019 Audited Financial Statements and Annual Report;
  6. Ratification of Actions by the Board of Directors and Officers of the Corporation;
  7. Election of Directors;
  8. Appointment of External Auditors;
  9. Other matters; and
  10. Adjournment.

Only stockholders of record as of June 24, 2020 are entitled to notice of, and to vote at, this meeting.

In the interest of public health and safety, there will be no physical meeting. The Corporation shall conduct the meeting virtually and the stockholders may attend and participate via remote communication and by voting in absentia or by appointing the Chairman of the meeting as their proxy.

The procedures for participating in the meeting through remote communication and for voting in absentia are set forth in the Information Statement and shall also be published in the Corporation’s website at https://www.jollibee.com.ph/shareholders. The deadline for registration to vote in absentia shall be until 5:00 p.m. of July 14, 2020.

Stockholders who will join by proxy shall download and complete the proxy form found in the Corporation’s website at www.jollibee.com.ph and submit the duly accomplished proxy forms to the Office of the Corporate Secretary at 10/F Jollibee Plaza Building, 10 F. Ortigas Jr. Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig City or by email to corporatesecretary@jollibee.com.ph no later than 5:00 p.m. on or before July 14, 2020. Proxies received thereafter shall not be recognized for the meeting. We are not soliciting your proxy.

WILLIAM TAN UNTIONG
Corporate Secretary

Dining Out/In (07/02/20)

Enderun Events hosts intimate gatherings

ENDERUN Events, the professional event venue and catering services of Enderun Colleges, has started offering intimate gatherings wedding packages for 10 persons post-ECQ. Since the implementation of the General Community Quarantine, Enderun Events is back on business to cater their customers who have postponed weddings and celebrations due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Intimate Wedding Package for 10 offers two options. The catering only or outside catering service package starts at P22,000 while those who are interested to avail of the venue with a catering package starts at P27,000. Couples can choose from The Resto 101, The Garden, or The Atrium as their venue of choice. They can also decide whether they want to avail of a four-course or up to a seven-course Prix Fixe plated menu accompanied with a rustic table arrangement. Among the offerings are savory dishes such as grilled red snapper fillet, oven roasted beef tenderloin, and Seafood Thermidor to name a few. Enderun Events strictly adhere to government guidelines on health measures and social distancing. For more information, visit https://events.enderuncolleges.com/.

Century Park Hotel restaurants now open

WITH the COVID-19 pandemic, everything ground down to a standstill including restaurants — dining options were limited to home cooking, takeout, and delivery. With the government’s recent approval for restaurants to open for dining in, Century Park Hotel said it was reopening the Atrium Lounge on July 1. It will be serving favorite dishes from the hotel’s other restaurants: Café in the Park and Tsukiji Restaurant. The menu includes such items as grilled prawns, pan-fried salmon fillet and blue marlin Supreme, grilled lamb chops, sirloin steak Café de Paris, and Country Crispy Chicken. There are also Japanese classics from the Tsukiji Restaurant. Make your own bento from a menu of appetizers, rice meals, grilled and fried dishes. There are also special maki and other sushi selections. The Atrium Lounge will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. During the months of lockdown, every corner of the property was thoroughly disinfected, based on the World Health Organization’s standards. Health and safety protocols such as contact tracing, social distancing and wearing of masks will also be enforced. To know more about Century Park Hotel, visit www.centurypark.com or contact information@centurypark.com.ph or call 528-8888.

Crowne Plaza reopens Seven Corners

Crowne Plaza hotel has reopened its Seven Corners restaurant. Best known as a buffet restaurant, it is now offering an a la carte menu. It is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. For reservations, call 8633-7222 or email fandb.reservations@ihg.com.

Popeyes dine-in opens with a Sweet Offer

After several months in quarantine, Popeyes is reopening, serving its signature Popeyes fried chicken and biscuits and other favorites. In compliance with government regulations, health measures are in place such as the wearing of masks, observance of social distancing, checking of temperature and placement of alcohol dispensers inside the restaurants. Popeyes employees are also required to wash their hands and change gloves frequently. To make the comeback even sweeter, Popeyes is offering a special promo: for every purchase of Popeyes Sundae, diners get another Sundae for free. Choose to drizzle this creamy vanilla soft serve with either a rich chocolate syrup or caramel sauce. This special promo will be available for dine-in and take-out until July 12 and customers can avail of multiple orders in one transaction. Multiple transactions are also allowed. This offer is available at the following Popeyes restaurants which are now open for dine-in: Popeyes ArcoVia City, Alabang Town Center, SM San Lazaro, NU Mall of Asia, Eastwood, SM Southmall, Ali Mall, Kroma Makati, and Robinsons Place Manila.

Landers Central brings a taste of New York

Landers Central now delivers some of New York’s all-time favorites dishes to your doorsteps. Located within membership shopping center Landers Superstore, Landers Central has NY-style pizzas (Cheese Deluxe, Manhattan Supreme, Bronx Pepperoni, and Brooklyn Bomber), hotdogs (Famous Beef Hotdog and US Beef Jalapeno Cheese Hotdog), fried chicken (solo meals or in an eight-piece bucket, and U.S. Angus Beef Burger you can pair with some fries and soda. Now available for delivery via Central Delivery. Visit www.centraldelivery.com to place an order.

Araneta City resumes mall food courts

Araneta City in Quezon City has opened its mall food courts. It has placed measures to ensure proper physical distancing at the Food Express (Gateway Mall), Food Gallery (Ali Mall), and Food Plaza (Farmers Plaza). Markings are placed on tables to ensure limited seating capacity. Tables are arranged to ensure the proper distance from each other. Floor markings are provided to guide customers in queues, and safety reminders are installed in key areas of the food courts. Each stall also has alcohol dispensers ready for the customers.

Chooks-to-Go is New Normal-ready

With the country’s food industry starting to make a comeback, Chooks-to-Go is making sure that all of its stores will comply with the new standards set by the government. “In Bounty [Agro Ventures Inc.], we take health seriously. And we can do this by not just producing the healthiest chicken with no antibiotics ever, but also keeping our people and customers safe,” said Chooks-to-Go president Ronald Mascariñas. “I could proudly say that all of our stores will be what they say ‘New Normal-ready’ in the coming months.” To start things off, Chooks-to-Go is strictly implementing social distancing in its queuing system, putting stickers on the sidewalk that is exactly a full meter apart for its customers. All customers are advised to go to the hand-sanitizing stations before ordering. Acrylic panels are also installed in each counter to ensure that no contact will be made between customers and store crew. This also includes a metal sliding tray for transactions. Every member of the station will have to go through a mandatory temperature check before and after their shifts. The results are logged daily in Chooks-to-Go’s system. All staff members are also required to wear face shields and face masks, besides their standard hairnets and gloves. Chooks-to-Go is operated by Bounty Agro Ventures, Inc., the largest rotisserie chicken company in the Philippines and the country’s second largest poultry integrator, together with sister company Bounty Fresh Foods, Inc.

How PSEi member stocks performed — July 1, 2020

Here’s a quick glance at how PSEi stocks fared on Wednesday, July 1, 2020.

Stocks close flat on foreigners’ window dressing

THE MAIN INDEX closed flat at the start of the third quarter amid a 142% jump in value turnover and month-end window dressing by foreign investors.

The 30-member Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) picked up 1.99 points or 0.03% to end at 6,209.71 on Wednesday, while the broader all shares index gained 5.58 points or 0.15 to close at 3,650.75.

Philstocks Financial, Inc. Research Associate Piper Chaucer E. Tan said in a text message that “the significant amount in value turnover came from the First Gen tender offer,” referring to the P9.6-billion tender offer of Lopez-led First Gen Corp.

Valorous Asia Holdings Pte. Ltd., a company under global investment firm KKR & Co., Inc., completed buying 11.9% of First Gen’s outstanding common shares through a tender offer on Monday. Shares in First Gen increased 2.04% at the end of Wednesday’s session.

Value turnover at the PSE jumped to P15.66 billion from P6.47 billion the previous day. Some 1.45 billion issues switched hands.

Mr. Tan said the net foreign buying of P6.24 billion seen on Wednesday, which was a turnaround from the net selling of P833 million seen the previous day, also helped push the PSEi up.

“We think that this is brought by the month-end window dressing,” he said.

For Regina Capital Development Corp. Head of Sales Luis A. Limlingan, the rally of Philippine shares is due to a good start for the third quarter, citing investor optimism over “positive trends in the virus, reopening of economies and a hope of a vaccine.”

Despite the continued rise in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases across the world, governments continue to allow the resumption of business activities in favor of an economic rebound.

Mr. Tan said this might also be spurring optimism in the Philippines, as the government decided Wednesday night to extend the relaxed lockdown in Metro Manila.

“I think that investors are somehow optimistic that the National Capital Region is not reverted back to (a strict lockdown),… and we think that investors are somehow positive about the COVID-19 cases,” he said.

Most sectoral indices at the PSE closed in green territory on Wednesday. Industrials rose 111.75 points or 1.45% to 7,814.16; property increased 21.79 points or 0.71% to 3,072.24; mining and oil improved 9.10 points or 0.17% to 5,219.37; and financials climbed 1.90 point or 0.15% to 1,235.86.

On the other hand, holding firms erased 39.79 points or 0.61% to 6,413.55; and services shed 6.31 points or 0.45% to 1,397.37.

Decliners beat advancers by three, 98 against 95, while 47 names ended unchanged.

Meanwhile, on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 217.08 points or 0.85% to 25,812.88; the S&P 500 gained 47.05 points or 1.54% to 3,100.29; and the Nasdaq Composite added 184.61 points or 1.87% to 10,058.77. — Denise A. Valdez with Reuters

Peso inches up on stronger manufacturing data

THE PESO closed sideways against the greenback on Wednesday after the release of stronger June manufacturing data as well as a weaker dollar on concerns over higher infections in the US.

The local unit finished trading at P49.82 per dollar yesterday, inching up by a centavo from its P49.83 close on Tuesday, data from the Bankers Association of the Philippines showed.

The peso opened the session at P49.76 per dollar, which was also its intraday best. Meanwhile, its weakest was at P49.87. Dollars traded rose to $681.45 million from the $642.73 million seen on Tuesday.

The stronger peso came on better manufacturing data, said Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. Chief Economist Michael L. Ricafort.

“The peso closed slightly stronger after stronger manufacturing data almost back to expansion mode and the highest in four months or since February,” he said in a text message.

According to IHS Markit, the country’s Purchasing Managers’ Index rose to 49.7 in June, still in contractionary territory but better than the 40.1 seen in May.

The increase in the June index signals “further movement toward stabilization in the Filipino goods-producing sector” as the country’s movement restrictions are starting to be relaxed, IHS Markit said.

Meanwhile, a trader attributed the peso’s gain to weaker sentiment for the greenback as infections continue to surge in the US.

“The peso appreciated slightly as the dollar continues to weaken amid a spike in US coronavirus cases and dimming hopes of economic resumptions,” the trader said.

For today, Mr. Ricafort gave a forecast range of P49.70 to P49.95 while the trader expects the local unit to move within the P49.75 to P49.95 band. — L.W.T. Noble

Metro Manila will remain under general lockdown, Duterte says

MANILA and nearby cities will remain under a general lockdown until July 15, while a strict lockdown in Cebu City, where there has been a surge in coronavirus infections will be kept, President Rodrigo R. Duterte said late Tuesday.

Aside from Metro Manila, the provinces of Benguet, Cavite, Rizal, Leyte and Southern Leyte, and the cities of Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue and Ormoc will continue to be under a general community quarantine.

Meanwhile, the lockdown in Talisay City in Cebu province was relaxed to a general community quarantine along with Minglanilla and Consolacion towns. The rest of the province has been placed under a modified general community quarantine.

“Cebu is now the hotspot for COVID-19,” Mr. Duterte said in a televised speech. “Why? Because many of you chose not to obey.”

The President also criticized Talisay City, which he said appeared like a marketplace everyday. “You’ve been on a drinking spree, drinking, gambling and almost nonchalant of the dangers that are lurking around,” he said in mixed English and Filipino.

Mr. Duterte earlier ordered Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu, a former military chief, to supervise the lockdown of Cebu City’s almost a million people.

Abra, Baguio City, Ifugao, Kalinga, Ilocos Norte, La Union, Pangasinan, Cagayan, Isabela, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Angeles City, Batangas, Laguna, Quezon, Lucena City, Palawan, Puerto Princesa City, Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur and Naga City will be kept under an easier modified general lockdown.

The same is true for Capiz. Iloilo, Iloilo City, Negros Occidental, Bacolod City, Bohol, Negros Oriental, Tacloban City, Western Samar, Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Sur, Bukidnon, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental, Cagayan de Oro, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao City, Davao de Oro, Cotabato, South Cotabato, Agusan del Norte, Butuan City, Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao.

Mr. Duterte locked down the entire Luzon island in mid-March, suspending work, classes and public transportation to contain a coronavirus pandemic. People should stay home except to buy food and other basic goods, he said.

He extended the strict lockdown on the island twice and thrice for Metro Manila, where infections have been mostly concentrated. But Health authorities have cited a spike in cases in Cebu City in central Philippines.

Almost all industries except for leisure have reopened under a general lockdown but with limited capacity.

The Department of Health reported 999 new coronavirus infections on Wednesday, bringing the total to 38,511.

The death toll rose to 1,270 after four more patients died, while recoveries increased by 205 to 10,438, it said in a bulletin.

Of the new cases, 595 were reported in the past three days, while 404 were reported late.

Also yesterday, Food and Drug Administration chief Rolando Enrique Domingo said the drug Remdesivir, which is used to treat Ebola, has been shown to shorten a patient’s illness by four days to 11 days.

He said the drug may be given to patients who are not enrolled in the clinical trials based on a “compassionate special permit. Nine people have been issued the permit so far, he said.

Meanwhile, Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III cited the need to monitor the COVID-19 situation in Metro Manila and the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) region, which account for as much as 67% of the economy. Calabarzon is under a modified general lockdown except for Cavite and Rizal.

Localized lockdowns at the village, municipal, and even within companies could be enforced so the economy won’t get hit in case a spike in infections happens in some areas, he said at the event of Mr. Duterte’s Tuesday address. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas and GMC

Manila says it’s ready to protest Hong Kong sinking of fishing boat

THE PHILIPPINES would file a diplomatic protest if investigations show that a Hong Kong vessel had deliberately sunk a Filipino fishing boat in its territorial waters, its top diplomat said on Wednesday.

But the incident should not be politicized because it involved a commercial boat, Foreign Affairs Secretary told an online news briefing.

“Whether there’s negligence on their part is what we’re going to determine,” he said. “If there is a diplomatic note that’s required, it will be sent.”

Twelve Filipino fishermen and two passengers aboard the FV Liberty went missing after it collided with Hong Kong-registered vessel MV Vienna Wood in Occidental Mindoro province on Sunday July 28.

Some critics have compared the incident to the sinking of a Filipino fishing boat by a Chinese-owned ship while it was anchored at Reed Bank off Palawan province in June last year, when 22 Filipino fishermen were abandoned at sea.

“This is already being investigated by our Philippine Ports Authority, Maritime Industry Authority and our Department of Transportation,” Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Brigido D. Dulay said at the same briefing.

The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines has also asked parties not to politicize the incident. “Pending the investigation, we hope all parties refrain from politicizing the issue,” it said in a statement on Tuesday.

It also said China was coordinating with the Philippine government to resolve last year’s case. “The concerned Chinese fishing association has already offered a compensation proposal to the Philippine side and has been waiting for formal feedback from the latter.”

The presidential palace said Manila has exclusive jurisdiction over the case.

“We will not allow foreigners to exercise criminal and civil jurisdiction over the matter,” Presidential Spokesman Harry L. Roque told the ABS-CBN News.

He earlier said the incident fell under the country’s maritime laws and local courts should determine criminal and civil liability.

He also said the issue was unlikely to cause tensions with China because it happened in local waters.

The Philippine Coast Guard earlier said it had received a call from the captain of the Hong Kong-registered vessel about the incident that happened 14.57 nautical miles west-southwest off Mamburao in the province of Occidental Mindoro in the early hours of Sunday.

The Philippine boat was bound for Navotas City and had stopped for supplies in Tawi-Tawi in the nation’s south. The Hong Kong bulk carrier with 20 crew members had come from Subic Bay in Zambales province and was on its way to Australia.

The Coast Guard said it immediately activated search and rescue operations for the 12 missing fishermen, including its captain, and two passengers.

It sent a light utility aircraft and helicopter to support the operations, it said. They have not found any survivors.

Mr. Duterte had called last year’s sinking by the Chinese boat “maritime incident,” putting his policy on the South China Sea in the spotlight.

Mr. Duterte has sought closer trade and investment ties with China since he became president in 2016, unlike his predecessor Benigno S.C. Aquino, who sued Beijing at an international tribunal for its island-building activities and won.

China claims sovereignty over more than 80% of the South China Sea based on its so-called nine-dash line drawn on a 1940s map. It has been building artificial islands in the disputed Spratly Islands and setting up installations including several runways.

The Philippines this month protested China’s creation of two new districts — Nansha and Xisha — in the South China Sea because these are supposedly part of Philippine territory and sea zones.

Rival Southeast Asian claimant nations and the United States have criticized China’s recent assertive moves in the disputed waterway as the world battles the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

Aside from China and the Philippines, other claimants to the main waterway are Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam. — Charmaine A. Tadalan and Gillian M. Cortez

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