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Villar keeps rank as richest Philippine senator

SENATOR Cynthia A. Villar kept her rank as the country’s wealthiest senator last year with a net worth of P3.814 billion, beating international boxing legend Senator Emmanuel “Manny” D. Pacquiao by more than half-a-billion pesos.

The end-December net worth of Ms. Villar, wife of tycoon Manuel Villar, Jr., rose from P3.534 billion in June last year, according to a summary of lawmakers’ net worth posted on the Senate website.

Mr. Pacquiao’s net worth rose to P3.172 billion from P3.005 billion a year earlier.

Among the richest senators were Senator Ralph G. Recto (P567 million), Senator Juan Miguel F. Zubiri (P203 million) and Ramon B. Revilla, Jr. (P176 million).

Also in the top 10 were Senators Juan Edgardo M. Angara (P142 million), Franklin M. Drilon (P102 million), Grace S. Poe-Llamanzares (P97 million), Sherwin T. Gatchalian (P95 million) and Pia S. Cayetano (P82 million).

Jailed Senator Leila M. de Lima, whom the government of President Rodrigo R. Duterte had accused of amassing wealth from the illegal drug trade, had the least with P8.3 million, followed by Senator Risa N. Hontiveros-Baraquel with P16 million and Christopher Lawrence T. Go with P18 million.

Completing the list were Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III (P77 million), Richard J. Gordon (P71.207 million), Manuel L. Lapid (P70.9 million), Francis N. Tolentino (P61 million), Maria Lourdes Nancy S. Binay (P60 million), Panfilo M. Lacson (P48.9 million), Aquilino L. Pimentel III (P36 million), Imee R. Marcos (P34 million), Ronald M. dela Rosa (P33 million), Emmanuel Joel J. Villanueva (P30 million) and Francis N. Pangilinan (P19.9 million).

All the senators’ net worth rose except for Mr. Gatchalian and Mr. Gordon, whose net worth fell from P96 million and P71.285 million in December 2018, respectively, and Mr. Tolentino, from P62 million in June 2019.

Under a memo issued by the Ombudsman in September, an official’s net worth report can only be released to his authorized representative or upon a court order related to a case. Ombudsman field investigators may also request copies of the statements.

The Ombudsman order also excludes journalists from obtaining copies of the statements.

Ombudsman Samuel R. Martires earlier told a House budget hearing he had stopped conducting lifestyle checks given vague standards in the country’s Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.

Critics have faulted President Rodrigo R. Duterte for failing to disclose his net worth despite his vow of transparency.

He has broken a long tradition of presidents making their annual wealth disclosures public year after year, often even without a formal request from the press or the public to do so, the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) said in a report this month.

When Mr. Duterte took office in 2016, he promised a more transparent government, but that has not happened, it said.

PCIJ said its requests for the President’s wealth records had been tossed back and forth between the Office of the Ombudsman and Office of the President.

Since the law requiring public officials to disclose their net worth was enacted in 1989, all five presidents before Mr. Duterte had disclosed their worth year on year without fail, PCIJ said.

Government officials were supposed to have filed their statement of assets, liabilities and net worth for last year on April 30. The deadline was extended to June 30 amid a coronavirus pandemic.

Mr. Martires is a two-time appointee of Mr. Duterte. He was first appointed Supreme Court Justice in 2017 and as Ombudsman in 2018.

Meanwhile, a bloc of opposition congressmen disclosed their net worth despite the Ombudsman memo.

Party-list Rep. Ferdinand R. Gaite had a net worth of P3.7 million, while Party-list Rep. Carlos Isagani T. Zarate had P1.8 million. Partylist Rep. France L. Castro had a net worth of P1.2 million.

Party-list Rep. Eufemia C. Cullamat had a net worth of P35,000, making her the poorest among the six members of the House Makabayan bloc, replacing the position once kept by Party-list Rep. Sarah Jane I. Elago, who now had a net worth of P104,400. Party-list Rep.  Arlene Brosas, who is also part of the bloc, had yet to disclose her net worth. — Charmaine A. Tadalan and Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

Metro mayors seek general lockdown until end-December

By Vann Marlo M. Villegas
and Charmaine A. Tadalan

METRO Manila’s 17 mayors want the government to keep the region under a general lockdown until year-end to prevent a fresh surge in coronavirus infections.

“There’s a need to contain the virus,” Parañaque City Mayor Edwin L. Olivarez, who heads the Metro Manila Council, told an online news briefing on Thursday.

He said the mayors agreed at their last meeting to keep the existing quarantine and prevent rising cases in the capital region.

Mr. Olivarez told ABS-CBN Teleradyo the council made the recommendation to an inter-agency task force made up of Cabinet secretaries before new lockdown levels were announced for November.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte on Tuesday said Metro Manila would remain under a general lockdown next month, along with Batangas, Iloilo City, Bacolod City, Tacloban City and Iligan City. Lanao del Sur in southern Philippines was also placed under a general lockdown from a strict quarantine.

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

The lockdown in most parts of the country has since been eased even if public transportation remains limited.

There were 184,275 coronavirus cases in Metro Manila as of Oct. 28. The death toll was at 3,301, while 168,947 patients have recovered, according to the Health department’s COVID-19 tracker website. The capital region had 12,027 active cases.

The Department of Health (DoH) reported 1,761 coronavirus infections on Thursday, bringing the total to 376,935.

The death toll rose by 33 to 7,147, while recoveries increased by 740 to 329,848, it said in a bulletin.

There were 39,940 active cases, 83.3% of which were mild, 10.9% did not show symptoms, 3.7% were critical and 2.1% severe.

Quezon City reported the highest number of new cases at 85, followed by Rizal at 74, Caloocan City at 73, Davao City at 70 and Laguna at 69. DoH said nine out of 140 laboratories had failed to submit their case data.

More than 4.4 million people have been tested for the coronavirus as of Oct. 27, according to the agency’s COVID-19 tracker website.

The coronavirus has infected 44.8 million and killed over 1.2 million people worldwide, according to the Worldometers website, citing various sources including data from the World Health Organization (WHO).

PATENTS
Also on Thursday, Senator Risa N. Hontiveros-Baraquel filed a resolution asking the Executive branch to order the Department of Foreign Affairs to support the proposal to suspend implementation of certain provisions on intellectual property rights. This would ensure access to coronavirus vaccines once they become available, she said.

“There is a valid concern that intellectual property rights, especially patents, make current medicines and medical devices out of reach for most people and will eventually also put vaccines out of reach, especially of poor people,” according to a copy of the resolution.

This comes as India and South Africa asked the World Trade Organization to waive provisions under the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

Ms. Hontiveros-Baraquel said the vaccine for COVID-19 should be considered a “global public good” and should be exempted from patents and copyrights.

“The COVID-19 vaccine should not be treated as a product to be sold to the highest bidder,” she said in a separate statement. “Billions of lives are at stake here.”

“Only universal access to COVID-19 vaccine will save the global community from illness and economic paralysis. Only a global solution will allow us to collectively come out of the darkness,” she added.

WTO-member states this month discussed a proposal to waive provisions on copyright, patents and protection of undisclosed information, according to an Oct. 20 article published on its website.

The TRIPS Council had yet to finish discussions on the proposal and would reconvene before Dec. 31. “Given this range of positions, the Council chair, Ambassador Xolelwa Mlumbi-Peter of South Africa, said that the item would remain suspended as members continue to consider the proposal,” the WTO said.

Meanwhile, a Social Weather Stations Poll (SWS) found that Filipinos have mixed opinions about the accuracy of the government’s COVID-19 tally.

In a statement, SWS said 39% of Filipinos think the reported infections were probably overreported, 31% said the cases were underreported and 23% said the cases were probably right.

“There is also no consensus on the accuracy of the number of COVID-19 deaths being reported by the government,” it added.

About 34% said the deaths were probably underreported, another 34% said these were overreported and 27% said the reports were probably right.

Only 14% of Filipinos in Metro Manila thought the reported cases were accurate, compared with 31% in Mindanao, 24% in the Visayas and 23% in the rest of Luzon, SWS said.

Meanwhile, only a fifth of Filipinos in the capital region thought the reported deaths were accurate, compared with 29% in both Mindanao and the Visayas, and 26% for the rest of Luzon.

Educated groups saw the reported cases as less accurate, with only 18% of college graduates saying the positive cases were probably right, compared with 22% among junior high school graduates, 26% among non-elementary graduates and 31% among elementary graduates.

Opinions were also mixed across education groups about the death toll.

SWS interviewed 1,249 adults from Sept. 17 to 20 via mobile and computer-assisted phone for the poll, which had an error margin of ±3%.

Duterte gives green light for probe of ambassador to Brazil

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte has given the Foreign Affairs department the go-signal to investigate the Philippines’ top envoy in Brazil for mistreating her Filipina domestic helper, according to the presidential palace.

“The President allowed the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to investigate former Philippine Ambassador to Brazil Marichu Mauro,” his spokesman Harry L. Roque told an online news briefing in Filipino on Thursday.

He said the agency needs presidential consent for the probe.

A compilation video has circulated showing Ms. Mauro repeatedly berating, slapping and pulling the ear of a female member of her household staff. The worker had since come home to the Philippines and was being taken care of by the DFA.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. recalled the diplomat for questioning over the incident. There was no announcement yet whether she would be sacked.

Mr. Roque said Mr. Duterte wanted justice for the worker as part of his campaign to protect migrant Filipino workers.

“It’s clear that the administration of President Duterte is doing everything to protect all Filipino workers abroad,” he said. “That includes the housemaid of Ambassador Mauro.”

Mr. Roque said the DFA could recommend administrative and criminal charges against Ms. Mauro depending on the results of its probe. — Gillian M. Cortez

Nationwide round-up (10/29/20)

Private sector-led Project ARK to cover COVID-19 testing for returning overseas workers

PROJECT ARK, a private sector-led program intended to assist in the government’s coronavirus testing operations, has offered to cover returning overseas Filipino workers to minimize backlogs after the Philippine Red Cross halted services due to payment collection issues with the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth). “Handa raw sila i-subject sa PCR testing ang mga bumabalik na OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) at overseas Filipinos natin sa kanilang (They are ready to subject returning OFWs and overseas Filipinos to PCR testing in their) 11 laboratories,” Palace Spokesperson Harry L. Roque said in a briefing on Thursday. Philippine Red Cross has resumed services for tests charged to the state-run PhilHealth after half of the over P1 billion in dues was paid earlier this week. However, Red Cross Chairman and Senator Richard J. Gordon warned of another debt accumulation that restricts their own operations and ability to purchase test kits. The Philippine Red Cross offers one of the lowest rates at P3,500 for an RT-PCR test, which could cost as much as P20,000 in some private laboratories. Mr. Roque said President Rodrigo R. Duterte will soon issue an order setting a cap on coronavirus testing fees. — Gillian M. Cortez 

Speaker Velasco adds voice to OFW department push

HOUSE SPEAKER Lord Allan Q. Velasco on Thursday joined calls to immediately pass the proposed law that will create a Department of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), citing its urgency amid the coronavirus pandemic that has affected the global labor force. “The onslaught of the pandemic on the economy and the people’s livelihood, particularly on our Filipino workers abroad, has once again highlighted the urgency of creating a department solely for the needs of our overseas Filipino workers,” Mr. Velasco said in a statement. President Rodrigo R. Duterte on Tuesday asked Congress to fast-track the bill, which he intends to certify as urgent. The House of Representatives in March approved on third and final reading its version of the measure, House Bill No. 5832, or the Department of Filipino Overseas Act. “Once the Senate passes its own version, we assure President Duterte that the House will act on it in swift fashion so this can be signed into law,” Mr. Velasco said. Meanwhile, Albay 2nd District Jose Maria Clemente S. Salceda, chair of the ways and means committee, has filed another bill that will mandate the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) to provide investment counselling services for OFWs. House Bill No. 7932, the OFW Investor Protection Act, seeks to establish an Office of the OFW Investor Advocacy under the OWWA, whose administrator will be nominated by the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Under the proposed OFW department, OWWA will become its attached agency. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

Ex-gov’t lawyer asks court to stop COVID-19 fund distribution under Bayanihan II

A FORMER government corporate counsel asked the Supreme Court to stop the implementation of Republic Act No. 11494, or Bayanihan II, claiming that the law has already expired. In a 51-page petition, lawyer Rudolf Philip B. Jurado asked the court to issue a temporary restraining order or writ of preliminary injunction to stop the disbursement of public funds under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act as it already lapsed on Oct. 12. The Bayanihan II law provides P165.5 billion for the government’s response program on the crisis prompted by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). He also sought to stop the emergency powers granted under the law. Mr. Jurado said the law ceased to be effective on Oct. 12 when Congress’ regular session adjourned for the special session from Oct. 13 to 16. He also said that the respondents committed grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack of jurisdiction when they continued to process and/or disburse funds after Oct. 12. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Zarate casts doubt on Duterte’s anti-corruption drive

“LITTLE OR nothing” will come out of the government-wide corruption probe ordered by the President, a progressive lawmaker said Thursday. House Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani T. Zarate said not much could be expected from President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s call to investigate corruption allegations in the entire bureaucracy as the country’s leader himself has been perpetuating patronage politics. “Little or nothing will come out of this especially since President Duterte himself has a penchant for absolving his people even before an investigation has started like what he did to DOH (Health) Secretary Francisco Duque, DPWH (Public Works) Secretary (Mark) Villar, (police) Gen. Debold Sinas and many others before them,” Mr. Zarate said. He also questioned the need to create a separate body under the Executive branch to go after alleged corrupt officials. Meanwhile, ACT-CIS Party-list Rep. Eric G. Yap blasted Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission Commissioner (PACC) Greco Antonious Beda B. Belgica for saying that corrupt lawmakers get as much as a 15% cut for every infrastructure project. Mr. Yap said it is a disrespect to Congress to accuse lawmakers of corruption without identifying them and showing evidence. “He should have shown their names. What he is doing is unfair,” Mr. Yap said in a press conference Thursday. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

Regional Updates (10/29/20)

2 typhoons moving into PHL

SEVERE TROPICAL storm Rolly (international name: Goni) continued to head towards the eastern side of Luzon on Thursday while another tropical depression east of Mindanao, to be named Siony, is expected to enter the Philippine area by Monday or Tuesday. As of Thursday morning, weather bureau PAGASA reported Rolly’s location at 1,545 kilometers (km) east of central Luzon and moving west-northwest towards the provinces of Quezon and Aurora with winds of up to 95 km per hour. PAGASA Weather Specialist Raymond Ordinario said it is expected to intensify into typhoon category within the next 24 hours and make landfall by Sunday evening or early Monday morning. “Tropical cyclone wind signal #1 may be raised over some provinces in Bicol Region and Northern Samar by Friday evening,” he said. The tropical depression, meanwhile, is expected to strengthen as it moves in a west-northwest direction with winds of up to 55 km/h. “We are going to have back-to-back typhoons in the coming week,” Mr. Ordinario said in Filipino, “we are advising the public to be on high alert, especially those in the eastern side of the country.”

QUINTA’S AGRI DAMAGE UP TO P1.7B
These two typhoons come in the heels of typhoon Quinta (international name: Molave), which left 16 people dead, 22 injured, and four missing as of the October 29 report from the national disaster management council. A total of 27,213 houses were totally destroyed while over 2,300 were partially damaged. The Mimaropa Region — composed of the provinces of Occidental and Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan — suffered the most infrastructure damage. More than 16,800 families composed of almost 65,600 people were still staying in 916 evacuation centers across the affected areas. In agriculture, damage has reached P1.70 billion, more than double the previous day’s P705.87 million as more assessment reports are received by the Department of Agriculture (DA) from field offices. In its Thursday bulletin, DA said lost crops stood at 103,520 metric tons, with 30,438 farmers and fishers affected across the country. Aside from rice, corn, and high-value crops, the fisheries, livestock and poultry sectors also suffered losses. The DA said it has allocated P795 million as a quick response fund for rehabilitation. The government on Thursday assured there are enough funds to assist those affected by the calamities. “We do have enough funds given that it’s already October. We have about P800 million worth of standby funds and family food packs ready for deployment,” Palace Spokesperson Harry L. Roque said in his daily briefing. — with reports from Revin Mikhael D. Ochave and Gillian M. Cortez

Honda opens new dealership in Tagum City

HONDA CARS Philippines, Inc. (HCPI) has launched its newest dealership, located in Tagum City, its 35th in the country and fifth in Mindanao. Operating under dealer conglomerate ANC+ Group of Companies, the 3,200 square meter full-service dealership can display up to eight vehicles, Honda said in a press release on Wednesday. “As part of Honda’s 30th year celebration in the Philippines, we are delighted to welcome Honda Cars Tagum in Honda’s dealership roster. This dealer will surely impart a significant contribution in providing excellent customer satisfaction for Honda customers,” HCPI President Masahiko Nakamura said. Automotive sales in the country fell by over 22% in September compared to the same month last year, the slowest pace of decline since the lockdown began in March. HCPI sales declined by 38.4% in September, with 4.42% market share. Honda earlier this month said that it expects its overall sales to decline to match the rest of the industry this year, but sees some sales opportunities through its hatchback models. — Jenina P. Ibañez

ERC extends no-disconnection policy for poorer power users

THE Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) said Thursday that it ordered all power distributors to delay any disconnections of poor consumers until the end of the year.

“Distribution utilities are directed not to implement any disconnection on account of non-payment of bills until Dec. 31, 2020 for consumers with monthly consumption not higher than twice the ERC-approved maximum lifeline consumption level,” the commission said in its advisory.

The order effectively raises the no-disconnection “lifeline” threshold for Manila Electric Co., the country’s largest power utility with more than seven million customers, to users consuming 200 kilowatt-hours (kWh). The normal lifeline level is 100 kWh, according to ERC Commissioner Floresinda G. Baldo-Digal.

The regulator also ordered all power providers to implement at least a 30-day grace period on payments which fell due within the period of enhanced community quarantine and modified enhanced community quarantine “without incurring interest, penalties, and other charges.”

Unpaid balances after the extension lapses will be paid in three monthly installments, also without incurring other charges.

Public offices and other government agencies are not covered by grace periods and installment arrangements, the commission noted.

The ERC encouraged customers who have the ability to pay to settle their electric bills within their due date “to help manage the cash flow in the energy supply chain and ensure the continuous supply of electricity.”

Distribution utilities may offer “less onerous” payment terms to encourage early payment, it said.

Power utilities were also directed to submit each month to the ERC their power supply contract utilization reports, records of customer payments, and records of their payments to suppliers.

The ERC advisory was issued on orders of the Department of Energy under the authority of Republic Act No. 11494, or the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (Bayanihan II). — Adam J. Ang

Inflation in Dec. and Jan. could fall below target range due to strong year-earlier base — BSP

HEADLINE INFLATION in the next few months could momentarily fall below the official 2% to 4% target range set by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) due to the strength of the year-earlier price comparison, BSP Deputy Governor Francisco G. Dakila, Jr. said.

“It is possible that during the end part of 2020, as well as in early 2021, there could be some months — actually we’re looking at December and January — when inflation will go below the target range, that is below 2%. It can be emphasized, however, that this is purely due to base effects,” Mr. Dakila said.

Inflation in December 2019 and January 2020 were at 2.5% and 2.9%, respectively.

Mr. Dakila said the temporary decline will not be a factor in setting monetary policy.

“This is something that is very temporary, this is not something that should be a major basis for setting monetary policy,” he said.

“What’s more important is for 2021, the baseline projection now stands at 2.8%. And this is very much within the inflation target range. The 2022 forecast is actually at 3% which is exactly at the mid-point of the target,” Mr. Dakila added.

In September, the consumer price index rose 2.3%. This brought inflation to 2.5% year to date, higher than the BSP’s revised forecast of 2.3% for this year but still well within the range.

The BSP said the benign inflation environment as well as the manageable inflation outlook gives it ample room to effect monetary easing measures with which to support the economy during the pandemic.

This year, the central bank has slashed rates by 175 basis points, reducing the overnight reverse repurchase, lending, and deposit rates to record lows of 2.25%, 2.75%, and 1.75%, respectively.

“The negative real interest rate is a reflection of the policy stance of the BSP. The accommodative policy stance is supportive of economic activity as a whole. It will at least temper the impact of restrictions during the pandemic,” Mr. Dakila said.

“The additional liquidity should allow (businesses to boost funding and to raise their balance sheets at a time of low interest rates. This is true for both property developers and for the rest of the economy,” he added. — Luz Wendy T. Noble

NGCP seeking to collect network charge to pay for 2019 calamity damage

THE National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) has submitted to the Energy Regulatory Commission an application to collect Force Majeure Pass-Through charges to compensate it for damage caused by typhoons and earthquakes in 2019.

In a disclosure Thursday, the NGCP said that the proposed charges will be used to recover costs incurred in rehabilitating its transmission assets and facilities damaged by Typhoons “Tisoy” (International name: Kammuri) and “Ursula” (International name: Phanfone), and various earthquakes in Mindanao in 2019.

The proposed charge will be reflected as additional network charges for end-users “from January 2021 up to December 2025, or until such time that the amounts incurred are fully recovered.”

The prospective charge will start at P0.35 kilowatt per month (kW-mo), or P0.00067 kilowatt per hour (kWh) in 2021 for Luzon consumers.

Meanwhile, the corresponding amounts for Visayas and Mindanao consumers will start at P0.8742 kW-mo or P0.00181 kWh, and P0.2178 kW-mo or P0.00045 kWh respectively next year.

In a statement published in a national newspaper Thursday, the NGCP said that it has not recovered the cost incurred in repairing and restoring its transmission assets and facilities from its Industrial All-Risk insurance policy taken out with the Government Service Insurance System.

“Regardless of the distance of the damaged assets and facilities from the nearest substation perimeter fence, the total repair and rehabilitation cost is still within the policy’s deductible amount of One (1) Million US Dollars ($1,000,000.000) for each of the Force Majeure Events (FME),” the NGCP said.

The company added that it would have “normally recovered the return of capital on the affected assets, if they were not damaged or destroyed by FME.”

The NGCP sought to immediately recover the actual expenses for the repair, restoration and rehabilitation of its assets and facilities to “avoid any financial strain in its operations and to allow the continuous provision of transmission services to the grid customers.”

Privately-owned NGCP is in charge of operating, maintaining, and developing the power grid. It is structured as a consortium led by Monte Oro Grid Resources Corp., Calaca High Power Corp., and the State Grid Corp. of China, which holds a 40% interest.

According to the Rules for Setting Transmission Wheeling Rates, the NGCP is permitted to recover costs incurred in repairing, restoring and rehabilitating its transmission assets and other related facilities that were damaged by FME. — Angelica Y. Yang

Luzon most improved in mobile internet service — Opensignal

UK-BASED OPENSIGNAL Ltd. said mobile network users in Luzon reported the highest levels of improvement during the third quarter in terms of perceived video quality, download speed, and 4G availability since 2018.

“The largest improvement in overall percentage terms in video experience was seen by our users in North & Central Luzon — an increase of 28.6%,” Opensignal said in an analysis.

Opensignal’s video experience metric measures the average video experience of mobile network users on 3G and 4G networks for each operator.

The wireless coverage mapping company said mobile network users in all Philippine regions saw their video experience scores increase by more than 19% between the last quarter of 2018 and the third quarter of 2020.

Opensignal also saw “the most impressive gains” in terms of download speeds in the National Capital Region, where “our users saw their download speed experience increase by 28.9% to 13.4 Mbps, over double the speeds seen in Mindanao and the Visayas.”

The download speed experience metric measures the average download speed experienced by the users across mobile operators’ 3G and 4G networks.

Users in the National Capital Region, according to Opensignal, also saw the “largest improvement” in terms of latency experience between the last quarter of 2018 and this year’s third quarter.

“Their scores improved by 14.5-14.7%. In contrast, our users in the Visayas and Mindanao saw theirs improve by only 3.5% and 9.2%, respectively,” the report said.

Opensignal said latency, which is measured in milliseconds, refers to the “delay users experience as data makes a round trip through the network.” It said a lower score in this metric is “a sign of a more responsive network.”

4G availability, or the time users spend being connected to 4G networks, also grew over 80% in North & Central Luzon and South Luzon and rose more than 90% in the National Capital Region. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Mall vacancy rates approaching AFC levels

MALL OPERATORS are expected to end the year with the highest vacancy rates in retail leasing since the Asian Financial Crisis (AFC), with rents expected to continue declining until 2021.

In a virtual briefing Thursday, Colliers International Philippines said the retail segment has been struggling to pick up despite the easing of coronavirus-related quarantine rules.

Vacancies in Metro Manila retail grew to 12.5% in the third quarter, after a 30-50% drop in mall foot traffic. Colliers said it expects this vacancy rate to hit 14% by the end of 2020.

This would mark the highest vacancy levels in Metro Manila retail leasing since the 14% posted in 1999 during the Asian Financial Crisis, which eventually rose to 19% in 2001 as the impact of the crisis dragged on.

“A lot of retailers are going online, and we don’t expect them to expand their bricks and mortar space in the near term,” said Joey Roi H. Bondoc, Colliers Philippines head of research.

“Consumer confidence is at a low point, and as a result, we are likely to see a correction in lease rates,” he added.

Colliers expects retail rents to fall 10% by the end of 2020, continuing until next year, until a possible recovery in 2022.

“We are not likely to see a recovery in mall lease rates for the remainder of 2020, or over the next 12 or 15 months. In fact, that recovery will likely happen in 2022,” Mr. Bondoc said.

Citing data from the central bank, Mr. Bondoc said consumer confidence has hit a record low in the third quarter, pushing tenants to close shop either temporarily or for good.

The most affected retail segments are cinemas, fitness centers, food courts, luxury footwear and clothing and family entertainment centers. The moderately affected ones are hardware stores, cosmetics, coffee shops and pet supplies.

Somewhat more resilient among the tenants are pharmacies, supermarkets, fast food outlets, banks, remittance centers and in-mall clinics.

To adapt to the challenges that concessionnaires are experiencing, mall operators have rolled out accommodative strategies such as grace periods and rent discounts.

New trends in retail are also emerging, such as virtual mall tours, selling through Facebook Live, door-to-door shopping and rolling stores.

Mr. Bondoc said mall operators can expect the profile of upcoming tenants to be heavy on medical-related stores, specialty shops, home furnishing stores and groceries. — Denise A. Valdez

Privacy regulator issues security guidelines for online data collection

ELECTRONIC DATA collection for contact tracing must have adequate security safeguards, with devices using updated operating systems and security patches, the National Privacy Commission (NPC) said.

The commission on Thursday released advisory 2020-03 as additional guidance for workplaces processing data for pandemic response. The advisory details NPC rules on collecting and sharing data, including the use of digital forms.

For electronic-based data collection, NPC said that data storage and transmission must be encrypted, while the devices used must be regularly scanned for viruses and malware.

Users filling out forms must also be required to complete each field so that information is complete, and the autocomplete feature must be disabled.

Access to the data, the commission said, should also be limited to authorized personnel.

“The electronic devices deployed must be enabled with an automatic lock feature, encrypted with a password or protected with biometrics for login and equipped with a remote wipe functionality, whenever practical, so that data are securely deleted should the device be reported lost or stolen.”

When using QR (Quick Response) codes to log health declarations, a privacy notice with the contact number of the establishment’s data protection officer must be displayed beside the code.

“Where QR codes are used, establishments should assign a unique QR code to each employee,” NPC said. When scanned on entry to the premises, the code will automatically log each employee health declaration to their system.

“For Clients/Visitors, QR codes posted in the entrance of the establishment may be used. Such codes, when scanned by a mobile phone camera, shall link to an electronic web form to be filled out by clients visiting the premises.”

The commission reminded establishments that data collected should only be used for contact tracing, and should not be used for direct marketing and profiling. NPC had received reports that businesses have been misusing contact tracing information, such as customer names, ages, addresses, and contact details.

“Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, we are seeing an unprecedented manner of data collection and processing, which proportionally also increased its associated privacy risks. Data privacy is crucial to the survival of businesses and therefore must be embedded into processes or policies that involve the personal data of employees and customers,” Privacy Commissioner Raymund E. Liboro said.

Personal data should only be disclosed to the Health department and its partner agencies, local government units, and other authorized entities. — Jenina P. Ibañez

Bill requiring relocation of informal settlers within or near same city clears House panel

A MEASURE requiring informal settlers to be relocated within or near the same city or municipality has passed out of committee at the House of Representatives.

The House Committee on Housing and Urban Development approved Wednesday House Bill No. (HB) 4869, or the proposed Local Government Unit-led On-site, In-City or Near-City Resettlement Act, which seeks to amend Republic Act. No. 7279 or the Urban Development and House Act of 1992.

HB 4896 authorizes local government-based resettlement programs to implement on-site, in-city, near-city, or off-city resettlement strategies for informal settlers.

The bill also requires consultation and hearings with affected families and civil society organizations before a relocation or demolition takes place.

The measure requires the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, in collaboration with LGUs, to provide basic services and livelihood for the relocated families.

Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus B. Rodriquez, the bill’s author, said the Constitution requires the government to “undertake, in cooperation with the private sector, a continuing program of urban land reform and housing which will make available at affordable cost decent housing and basic services to underprivileged and homeless citizens in urban centers and resettlement areas.”

Citing a study by the University of Asia and the Pacific, Mr. Rodriguez said the country is projected to have a “housing need of 12.3 million by 2030.

“The housing and resettlement policy is primarily offsite relocation. The government builds houses for informal settler families in areas outside Metro Manila or in rural areas in Cagayan de Oro, where there is lack of employment, sustainable livelihood and social services,” he said in a statement.

Mr. Rodriguez noted that many of those who had agreed to be relocated often returned to the capital region and other urban centers for jobs, healthcare and other services.

“Thus the need for onsite, in-city or near-city resettlement, which upholds the urban poor’s right to the city in order to comply with our Constitution’s mandate,” he said. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

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