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LeBron seeks to have closure, hopes for season’s resumption

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

HAVING SURPASSED their collective expectations and were in the groove before the National Basketball Association called for a suspension of the season last month over the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is hoping for league action to resume if conditions permit and finish what they have started.

Forced to stop play on March 11 after one of its players tested positive for the highly contagious respiratory disease, the NBA is in a wait-and-see position, awaiting how the episode with COVID-19 develops before deciding on whether to continue with the season or not.

The Association said it is looking at the month of May where it can make concrete decisions moving forward.

For James, considering the position they were in at the time of the suspension of league action, he would love to see the season continue this year, believing that they were on to something and had a good chance of winning a title in just his second year with the purple and gold.

Overcoming the early challenges put in front of them, James said it is but fitting to have a closure to it all.

“I don’t know if I will have any closure. I will have some satisfaction over what we were able to achieve but closure I don’t think so [if the season does not resume],” said James in a media call, the audio file of which was shared to BusinessWorld by the league.

The three-time NBA champion said as a group they have accomplished a lot up to the point of the suspension.

“We have a first-year coach (Frank Voegl), first-year system, a whole new coaching system, bringing in so many new faces into our team this year. We did things that honestly I did not think we will be able to do as fast as we did. But I was wrong,” James said.

The Lakers were rolling when NBA play was halted, sporting a Western Conference-leading 49-14 record, second in all of the league behind the Milwaukee Bucks (53-12), and having won eight of their last 10 games.

“We are in a position to go for a championship and we are looking to resuming if conditions permit,” said the 16-time NBA All-star, who joined the Lakers in 2018 after playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat where he won league titles.

But James recognizes that for the season to resume it all depends on how things would work out in the battle with COVID-19, underscoring that the safety of everyone is primary above all things.

“Obviously we know what is more important is the safety of the Americans the other people in the world, the need to control this and be in a place where we can resume and that’s the thing for me,” said James.

He, however, remains optimistic, as with other things in life, that things will work out for the better.

“Mentally I’m pretty much optimistic of everything. It’s a roadblock for us, not only for us Americans but for the world. It’s a test for us. A test for our spirit. We have gone comfortable with our daily life and now it’s time to take a pause. I’m optimistic not only of basketball but sports in general; not only the NBA, the Lakers but every sport. We play this and we have relatives who play sports. You guys (media) cover them and we miss that. But there is a greener side on everything and I’m staying positive,” he said.

While on a forced break, James said he is keeping himself busy, both body and mind, to be in the best shape possible if they are called up to play once again.

He said collective rhythm will be a challenge for every team when things resume and how fast they recover would determine how far they go.

“Getting back into a rhythm will be a challenge. Teams play at such a high level and you are prone to slippage with teams not being able to practice and train. So it’s going to be a challenge,” James said.

UFC girds for ‘packed’ comeback in Florida after coronavirus hiatus

STOCKHOLM — After several recent cancellations due to the spread of the coronavirus, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has announced its comeback with three fight cards in the space of a week at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.

The first event will be the postponed UFC 249 card which was originally scheduled to take place in Brooklyn, New York, on April 18. The main event will feature a much-anticipated interim lightweight title fight between Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje, and there will also be a matchup between current holder Henry Cejudo and former champ Dominick Cruz for the bantamweight belt.

“I can’t wait to deliver some great fights for the fans,” UFC President Dana White said in a statement on Friday.

UFC 249 will be followed with two more cards on May 13 and May 16, the statement said, although details of those cards were not released.

The UFC said the events will be closed to the public and will take place with only essential personnel in attendance.

“Health and safety protocols will be in place to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all individuals who are helping to make these events possible,” the Florida State Boxing Commission’s executive director, Patrick Cunningham, said in a statement. “With this triple date feature of UFC events coming in May, Florida is continuing to build a strong collaboration with UFC that sets the foundation for more opportunities that we hope UFC will choose to host in our state in the months to come.”

The mixed martial arts organization has not staged a card since a March 14 event in Brazil, and a previous effort to hold the UFC 249 card was abandoned after the organization came under pressure from Walt Disney Co., owners of broadcast partner ESPN, to postpone the event as the COVID-19 pandemic swept around the world. — Reuters

Marcial, ABAP agree to continue discussions on future plans

LEST RISKING making snap decisions that could be detrimental to his career moving forward, Tokyo Olympics-bound boxer Eumir Felix Marcial is said to have agreed to continue discussions with the Association of Boxing Alliances of the Philippines (ABAP) about his future plans, the national sports association for the sport said.

The main issue at the center of it is whether to turn professional now, especially since a lot of boxing promotions are reportedly interested in signing him up to lucrative deals.

Other quarters have also highlighted that doing so now would not necessarily affect the standing of Mr. Marcial in the Olympics as the Games already allows pros to compete in the boxing events, and, hence, are urging him to make the jump.

Zamboanga native Marcial, 24, has made it known that turning pro is definitely part of his plans albeit he is also focused on his Olympic quest which has been pushed back after organizers of the Tokyo Games moved to postpone the quadrennial sporting event next year because of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

For ABAP, the national association for boxing, it said that it fully supports the plans of Mr. Marcial to turn pro but wants the latter to carefully assess his next moves, especially in light of the current situation where COVID-19 has rendered different affairs with much uncertainty.

“We made it clear to him (Marcial) that ABAP will never stand in the way of opportunities for his personal financial stability. On the contrary, we have always been helpful in that regard for the past nine years that he has been with us,” said ABAP president Ricky Vargas in statement released last week.

Mr. Vargas shared that they had a videoconference with Mr. Marcial, along with ABAP secretary-general Ed Picson and sports psychologist Marcus Manalo.

“We discussed many other things and the conversation was light and cordial. We agreed that we would sit down and talk things over face-to-face as soon as the current situation clears,” said Mr. Vargas.

Adding, “It was decided that with the present uncertainty in everyone’s lives, it would be foolhardy to make snap decisions that could impact long-range plans.”

The ABAP went on to say that the boxer gave his word that he would defer any decision until said meeting has occurred.

Mr. Marcial booked a spot in the Tokyo Games after barging into the semifinals of the 2020 Asia and Oceania Olympic boxing qualifiers in Amman, Jordan, in March.

He did not stop there, eventually winning the gold medal in the middleweight division by defeating Abilkhan Amankhul of Kazakhstan in their gold medal match, making it a double celebration for Mr. Marcial in the qualifiers.

Mr. Marcial became the third Filipino athlete who booked a spot in the Olympics, joining pole-vaulter EJ Obiena and gymnast Carlos Yulo, who both qualified for the Games last year.

He was later joined by teammate Irish Magno to earn a ticket after winning her box-off in the flyweight division of the qualifiers. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Premier League: Arsenal to reopen London Colney training ground to players

LONDON — Arsenal will reopen its London Colney training ground to its players this week for individual training but the Premier League club will continue to observe social distancing rules amid the coronavirus pandemic, it said on Saturday.

Soccer in England was suspended indefinitely last month due to the virus and no clubs have been in training.

“Players will be permitted access to the Colney grounds [this] week,” Arsenal said in a statement.

“Access will be limited, carefully managed and social distancing will be maintained at all times. All Colney buildings remain closed.

“Players will travel alone, do their individual workout and return home,” the club added.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was diagnosed with the coronavirus disease 2019 on March 12, which led to the Premier League postponing the next round of matches and none has been played since.

Arsenal spoke to all its players after Alexandre Lacazette, David Luiz, Nicolas Pepe and Granit Xhaka were pictured allegedly breaking social distancing guidelines.

Premier League clubs have been working on the basis that the earliest they may be allowed to resume training would be in early May. The British government is expected to review current lockdown restrictions on May 7.

Should teams be allowed to train, it is expected they would need two to three weeks to get prepared to play competitive matches, making the earliest possible return in June.

But with the ban on mass public gatherings likely to be one of the last restrictions to be lifted, rescheduled games will almost certainly be held behind closed doors.

The Department of Culture, Media and Sport has been liaising with a number of sports bodies, led by the England and Wales Cricket Board on how things might work should the green light be given by the medical experts for sport to resume safely. — Reuters

Getting started

Assuming everything goes according to plan, the United States Professional Golfers Association Tour will be holding the Charles Schwab Challenge in June, the country’s first full-field sporting event since the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic shut down organized tournaments in March. The catch, of course, is that “everything” falling into place seems farfetched at best under these circumstances. For all the inherent advantages golf offers in terms of implementing social-distancing measures, there remain significant logistical hurdles before the first of the circuit’s 28 planned events through 25 weeks from resumption of play can take place. Foremost is the need for federal, state, and local officials to sign off on it.

In this regard, “The March: Champions for Charity” — an exhibition the management teams of crossover stars Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have cooked up for next month — should serve as a good test case. At the least, it provides a snapshot of the Tour’s To Dos: from getting the players (Hall of Fame-bound quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Tom Brady complete the foursome), caddies, officials, and members of the media to the as-yet/unnamed site to ensuring their fitness throughout. The latter compels testing for the virus, before travel and then upon arrival, thus presupposing that kits are readily available and won’t be used at the expense of others in greater need.

The Tour is cognizant of the uphill climb, but remains focused on its intent. As senior vice-president and chief of operations Tyler Dennis noted during a virtual conference call with scribes late last week, “our barometer is simply the health and safety of everyone involved.” To this end, the Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, will stay closed to spectators throughout the tournament. And, for the next three weeks, so, too, will the Harbour Town Golf Links for the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head, South Carolina; the TPC at River Highlands for the Travelers Championship at Cromwell, Connecticut; and the Rocket Mortgage Classic at the Detroit Golf Club in Detroit, Michigan.

Parenthetically, the players’ status as independent contractors works. Above all else, it means they get to decide whether or not they want to tee off for any or all of the planned events. Some may well have no choice on the matter; for instance those currently outside the US could be subject to restrictions on travel, and thus subject to force majeure. In any case, the situation calls for nuanced assessments moving forward on rankings, points systems, and even purses — which can be, and have been, used to determine eligibility for participation in marquee stops, not to mention membership to the Tour itself.

At this point, though, the principal objective is clear: The Tour wants to get something — anything, really — started, just as much to stop the hemorrhaging of its finances as to give all and sundry cause for hope. At a time of great uncertainty, the familiar becomes a pleasant sight from which a brighter tomorrow comes.

 

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

alcuaycong@bworldonline.com

Conservationists urge UN to make ‘healthy natural environments’ a human right amid COVID-19 crisis

As part of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, global conservation partnership BirdLife International issued an open letter to the United Nations, calling on the organization to take the ‘bold and unprecedented step’ of declaring healthy natural environments a human right.

The letter, which was addressed to the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, urged the UN to amend the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to add an ‘Article 31’ as part of the organization’s coronavirus pandemic response– enshrining a universal right to a healthy natural environment, guaranteed by public policies, governed by sustainability and by scientific and traditional indigenous knowledge.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was instituted as a response to the horrors of World War II, was a landmark document in human history, mapping out for the first time the fundamental human rights that must be protected globally.

It consists of 30 articles that cover subjects such as torture, slavery and education, but nothing about preserving the environment – on which all life depends. If successful, this amendment would be the first addition since the milestone document was proclaimed in 1948.

“COVID-19 is the biggest global crisis since World War II. But whilst the pandemic is devastating, it also gives world leaders a chance, indeed an obligation, to transform society – to further protect our welfare and future generations”, Patricia Zurita, CEO, BirdLife International, wrote in the letter.

“Our planet’s health is our health. We humans rely on nature for our survival and sanity, but our actions have upset Earth’s natural balance.”

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the news all over the world was dominated by twin climate and biodiversity crises, which have put over a million species at risk of extinction, and has negatively impact human health. In February of this year, unprecedented wildfires raged across Australia, killing an estimated one billion animals and putting millions of lives at risk. Meanwhile, natural calamities such as flash floods and supertyphoons have become more common as climate change continued unabated.

The current pandemic, BirdLife International noted, has its roots in habitat loss and illegal wildlife trade, highlighting another instance of the need for bold, decisive action towards preserving the environment.

“There have been efforts to include a right to a healthy environment in the past”, Melanie Heath, Director of Science and Policy, BirdLife International, wrote.

“Today, we hope that the gravity of the pandemic is a strong enough wake-up call for the UN and world citizens to come together to restore nature and protect us from similar crises in the future.”

“Article 31 would be a gift to the world and future generations. And what more appropriate time to launch a manifesto for it than on Earth Day”, Asunción Ruiz, CEO, SEO/BirdLife (BirdLife’s Partner in Spain), added.

“Instead of learning from the corona crisis, some leaders are cynically using it as an excuse to roll back environmental protection. Enshrining a healthy natural environment as a sacred human right will be an accomplishment that will benefit humanity for centuries to come, and is the only way to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals.”

The letter urgently calls for Article 31’s right to a healthy natural environment to be included on the Agenda of the UN General Assembly’s Summit on Biodiversity in September 2020, with the ultimate goal of its approval in December 2023, to mark the 75th anniversary of the adoption by the General Assembly of the Universal Declaration.

“COVID-19 marks the persistence of an old enemy. We believe that human-caused ecosystem disturbances is one of the urgent environmental issues that should be addressed today in order to prevent pandemics,” said Alejandro T. Flores, Jr., Haribon Foundation Board of Trustees Chair.

“The future of human health lies on the crucial decisions we make today. As the BirdLife partner in the Philippines, we support the call of BirdLife International to the UN Secretary General on the need to recognize the right of people to a healthy environment,” said Mr. Flores.

This letter forms part of a wider push to improve climate and nature policy at the end of the UN
Decade on Biodiversity, and is an open call to the rest of the planet’s civil society for support; the inclusion of the right to a healthy natural environment is a task we should all be behind if we are to protect our welfare, survival and save our planet. — B.M. BELTRAN

COVID-19 deaths now at 477; two more detainees test positive

THE Department of Health (DoH) reported on Friday that an additional 211 persons tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)y, bringing the total to 7,192. Fifteen patients have died, raising the death toll due to the disease to 477.

Meanwhile, 40 patients were able to recover, bringing the total of those who have gotten well to 762, it added.

DoH Undersecretary Maria Rosario S. Vergeire said during a virtual press conference on Friday that the country can now conduct 4,500 tests per day from the initial 300. The DoH earlier said that its goal is to conduct 8,000 tests per day by the end of April.

Ms. Vergeire said that the DoH will ensure that the country will be able to meet minimum health standards to avoid “wasting” the “achievements” obtained since the start of the lockdown. The minimum health standards include decreased vulnerability or increased resilience, decreased transmission, decreased contact, and decreased infectiousness.

The Health Undersecretary also reported that the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) was recently accredited to test for COVID-19, bringing the accredited number of testing laboratories in the country to 18.

Ms. Vergeire said that 26 provinces have not yet recorded any COVID-19 cases.

“Mapapansin po natin na marami sa kanila ay geographically isolated dahil sila ay nasa isang isla o pulo (we note that many of them are geographically isolated because they are in islands or islets),” she said.

During the Malacañang press briefing on Friday, Ms. Vergeire said the country’s critical care utilization rate is nearing its full capacity, which pushed the Inter-Agency Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to extend the lockdown in the National Capital Region (NCR).

“Makikita natin na yung sa use of intensive care units dito sa NCR, nandun na siya near nung maximum. Ibig-sabihin gamit na gamit na talaga. That’s why ang ating risk assessment dito sa atin sa NCR, base sa ating case doubling time at saka base dun sa ating critical care utilization rate, ay talagang nandun tayo sa red na part dahil dun pa lang, makikita natin yung capacity ay medyo nearing na baka ma-overwhelm tayo (We see that the use of intensive care units here in the NCR is near maximum. It means that they are fully utilized. That’s why our risk assessment here in the NCR, based on our case doubling time and on our critical care utilization rate, we are in the red zone because we can see that the capacity is nearing the point of our being overwhelmed),” she said.

To address this, Ms. Vergeire said that they are currently “arranging” how patients are admitted to each hospital in the country.

“We are trying to arrange… our processes whereby patients can have their pathways para hindi napupuno ang isang ospital. So inaayos po natin lahat ‘yan, hindi po tayo magpapatayo ng bagong ospital. Ang gagawin natin mag aayos tayo ng proseso, maglalagay tayo ng dedicated rooms, dedicated wards para sa ating COVID (patients). And of course, importante rin mag dededicate tayo para sa non-COVID (patients) (We are trying to arrange… our processes whereby patients can have their pathways so the hospitals are not filled. So we are arranging all of that, we will not build new hospitals. What we will do is fix the processes, we will have dedicated rooms, dedicated wards for our COVID patients. And, of course, it is important that we will dedicate ourselves to our non-COVID patients too),” she said.

Ms. Vergeire said that the DoH was able to hire 857 health workers through its emergency hiring program. They will be assigned to different hospitals in the NCR.

“With regard to their shifting, isa yan sa rekomendasyon sa atin nung mga Chinese experts na dumating dito nung isang linggo at sinasabi nila na para raw mas maging maingat tayo sa ating mga health care workers, we should be able to shorten their shifts para ma-lessen ang exposure, mas maraming pahinga ang ating mga health care workers (With regard to their shifts, a recommendation of the Chinese experts who were here last week was that we should take care of our health care workers by shortening their shifts so they will be less exposed and will rest more),” she said.

TWO MORE PRISONERS TEST POSITIVE FOR COVID-19
Meanwhile, the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) reported Friday that two more persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) in the Correctional Institute for Women tested positive for COVID-19.

“While BuCor medical staff are providing focused medical care to all suspect PDLs and to those found positive, we have received a report today that two more CIW PDL patients earlier tested for COVID-19 turned out positive,” it said in a Facebook post.

This brings the total number of infected CIW prisoners to 20. It was earlier reported that one CIW staff member was also reported COVID-19 positive.

“These two PDLs were part of the same batch that were tested at the same time but the results for the two was only released yesterday. They will join their colleagues at the NBP quarantine area (Site Harry) following strict transport protocols,” BuCor said.

No COVID-19 cases have been reporter at other prisons and penal farms.

“They are implementing strict security measures and Disease Prevention Measures while also preparing their teams in case of COVID-19 infection occurs in their respective areas,” BuCor said. — Genshen L. Espedido

Non-leisure businesses can operate under GCQ

NON-LEISURE businesses such as laundry services and hardware stores will be allowed to operate under the general community quarantine (GCQ), trade secretary Ramon M. Lopez said.

General community quarantine is a less strict quarantine level than the enhanced community quarantine which is currently being imposed over Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon.

Mr. Lopez in a message to reporters on Friday said that leisure stores such as entertainment centers are still not allowed to operate.“Barbers and salons still in question due to difficulty in social distancing,” he said.

Several regions deemed to be of moderate and low-risk for developing COVID-19 outbeaks were placed under a more relaxed quarantine, or the GCQ, on Friday.

Moderate risk areas include Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental, Lanao del Sur, Sultan Kudarat, Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental, and Siquijor.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry L. Roque on Friday said businesses that may fully operate under the GCQ include agriculture, fisheries, forestry, food manufacturing and its supply chain, food retail, supermarket, restaurants (for take-out and delivery), hospitals, logistics, water, energy, internet, telecommunications, and media.

Operations between 50% to 100% are allowed for manufacturing including electronics and exports, ecommerce and delivery for essential and non-essential items, repair and maintenance services, housing, and offices services.

Business operations allowed to operate with 50% on-site work and 50% work-from-home employees include financial services, business process outsourcing, other non-leisure wholesale and retail trade, and other non-leisure services.

Schools, leisure, amusement, gaming, fitness, tourism, and religious gatherings and conferences are not allowed to operate.

Malls and priority construction work may have limited operations.

Operations under the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon are limited to essential products and services, outsourcing, export-oriented businesses, and the companies supporting their operations.

All industries allowed to operate, Mr. Lopez said, will implement the necessary health protocols. — Jenina P. Ibañez

Gov’t go give incentives for businesses to move to provinces

TRADE and Industry Secretary Ramon M. Lopez said Friday that the government would provide incentives for businesses that will open in the provinces to support the “Balik Probinsya” (return to the province) effort to ease congestion in Metro Manila.

“We can give more incentives papuntang probinsya, kaysa sa (for those going to the provinces, than) incentives sa maglolocate sa (for those that will locate in) Metro Manila. Ibig sabihin (in other words), more attraction to looking outside,” he said during the pre-recorded briefing given by President Rodrigo R. Duterte and selected cabinet members on Friday morning.

In a mobile message sent to reporters, Mr. Lopez said that incentives include additional years of income tax holidays (ITH) for companies relocating outside Metro Manila. He said domestic sales will be credited as export sales to enable companies to avail of incentives.

In a statement he read during the briefing, Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” T. Go said that the lack of long-term urban planning, rural development, and livelihood opportunities forced people from the provinces to move to Metro Manila. “As soon as the enhanced community quarantine is lifted and travel is gradually normalized, the government must encourage families to move out of Manila and other metropolitan areas. Government must provide them the means and incentives to go back to provinces for good,” he said.

Meanwhile, Albay Rep. and House ways and means committee chair Jose Maria Clemente S. Salceda said that the reforms they have been pushing in Congress, especially the Corporate Income Tax and Incentives Rationalization Act (CITIRA), are “structurally biased towards incentivizing countryside development.”

“While NCR (National Capital Region) projects get three years of ITH (income tax holiday) and two years enhanced deductions, adjacent provinces get four years of ITH and three years of enhanced deductions. Even better, areas outside these regions get six years of ITH and four years of enhanced deductions,” he noted.

Mr. Salceda added that companies which invest in agribusiness or which relocate to areas recovering from armed conflict or a major disaster also get an additional two years of ITH and one year of enhanced deductions for each of those criteria.

“We must, however, invest in the fundamentals of our provinces: meaning, investments in technical skills and improvements in public education, increased and easier access to capital, and agricultural modernization. We need an economic ecosystem that will support growth in the countryside,” the lawmaker said.

Mr. Salceda also pushed for stronger urban-rural linkages by strengthening the country’s physical and information infrastructure.

“We need faster internet in the provinces, and an improved transport network between urban centers and the countryside. In other words, we need to sustain our investment in Build, Build, Build and make our telecommunications sector more geographically inclusive,” he said.

DoubleDragon Properties Corp, a real estate development company, voiced its support for the Balik Probinsya program of the government.

“We commend and fully support the Balik Probinsya Program of the Philippine Government. We are one with the belief that the second and third tier provincial areas of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao need to be further incentivized to become more vibrant significantly in terms of their economy,” DoubleDragon Chair Edgar J. Sia III said in a statement Friday.

DoubleDragon’s CityMalls are located in the provincial areas all over the country which mainly provide “basic essential needs of the provincial community it serves.”

The firm said it continues to expand its Industrial Warehouse Complex chain CentraHub, Hotel 101 and Jinjiang Inn Phils chain in various provinces.

“For several years, DoubleDragon has been active in deploying capital to the countryside and will continue its vision further in parallel with the strategic Balik Probinsya Program of the government,” it said. — Genshen L. Espedido

Despite extended ECQ, Congress will resume on May 4

CONGRESS will resume its session on May 4 even though President Rodrigo R. Duterte has extended the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in the National Capital Region.

Asked if senators will be physically present in the Session Hall, Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III told reporters via Viber: “Yes and I don’t have to ask. It’s a mandate of our legislative calendar.”

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel F. Zubiri said that he “fully supports” some legislators’ call to conduct sessions via teleconference facilities.

“A draft Resolution is being prepared and should (be) routed to all our members by tomorrow for further comments and amendments. We may still need to attend the opening on May 4 to tackle this resolution,” he told reporters via mobile message on Friday.

“Once we reach a consensus on video sessions, we can then tweak our video equipment at the senate and set up Zoom-like conferences with our members and Secretariat officers to conduct our business for the day. Everything would be strictly recorded and would be considered as part of our senate data and archives. While we await a vaccine for this deadly virus and the spread of this disease continues, this may be the new normal for the meantime,” he added.

Meanwhile, Speaker Alan Peter S. Cayetano said that the House of Representatives may conduct its regular sessions through teleconferencing apps, similar to the special session it held on March 23.

“Well I have to consult the leaders of the House, but most probably kung paano kami nag convene nung March 23. Totoo po na may risk, totoo po na may danger, pero ang katotohanan kailangan makita ng tao na may gobyerno, na yung gobyerno nagtatrabaho para sa kanila. So we will take all the precautions,” he said during an ambush interview which was streamed on Facebook on Friday. (Well I have to consult the leaders of the House, but most probably it will be done the way we convened on March 23. It is true there is a risk, it is true that there may be danger, but the truth is that people have to see that there is a government, that the government is working for them. So we will take all the precautions.)

In response to the President’s statement that the government is “running low on funds,” Mr. Sotto said that the Senate is “ready to do its part” on May 4.

“At this point, everything is in the hands of the [executive department]. We have not received any request for a supplementary budget. We will be ready to do our part on the 4th of May,” he said.

Senate committee on finance chair Juan Edgardo M. Angara said that if a supplemental budget is needed, both houses of Congress will conduct a hearing on it.

“If a supplemental budget is needed, I’m sure both houses of Congress will hear and pass that to authorize the President and the Executive branch to spend more or to realign from existing budgetary items. This is to meet the challenges posed by the virus which were unknown when we passed the 2020 budget and we acknowledge that the President may need some flexibility to react to future contingencies,” he said.

Meanwhile, the House Speaker said that Congress will also be looking into the 2019 and 2020 budget to “see if the government and the DBM (Department of Budget and Management) is cancelling the right project… o meron silang logic sa pagkukunan ng pera (or if there is a logic in getting the money).”

“Remember there’s life after COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) or life after ECQ. And life after ECQ siguro may COVID pa rin but it still means na dapat may development sa bawat sulok ng ating bansa (there will probably still be COVID but it still means that there should be development in each corner of our country),” he said.

Mr. Cayetano said he disagrees with Budget and Management Secretary Wendel E. Avisado that the budget under “general relief” cannot be tampered with.

“Ang sinasabi niya hindi pwedeng galawin yung (what he said that we cannot touch the) general relief which is actually about a little bit over P4 trillion of the P4.2 trillion. So yung natitira sa P2 trillion marami dun infra and parating sinasabi ng economic team hindi dapat magalaw yung infra unless useless yung project or hindi kayang i-implement yung project (so the remaining P2 trillion, it has a lot of infra and the economic team keeps saying that we should not touch infra unless the project is useless or cannot be implemented),” he said.

“So I disagree po with Secretary Avisado that hindi pwedeng kanselin o kunan yung mga may general relief na. Eh kung ganun yung attitude bakit pa kami nagpasa ng Bayanihan We Heal as One (Republic Act 11469) (So I disagree with Secretary Avisado that we cannot cancel or get something from general relief. If that was their attitude, why did we even pass the Bayanihan We Heal as One Act). So those are things that we will have to discuss with them through the committees and through plenary actions,” Mr. Cayetano added.

Under the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, Congress gave President Duterte the authority to realign or reallocate funds in the 2019 and 2020 General Appropriations Acts to address COVID-19 in the country. — Genshen L. Espedido

President Duterte threatens martial law if communist rebels disrupt aid

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte threatened to declare martial law if communist rebels disrupt the flow of relief goods for people affected by the coronavirus lockdown restrictions, and asked the military to be ready.

“I am now warning everybody, I am putting notice to the armed forces and police. I might declare martial law and there will be no turning back,” he said at the beginning of the meeting on the extension of coronavirus containment measures, which was screened on television on Friday morning.

Mr. Duterte blasted the Communist Party of the Philippines and New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) for the attack on Wednesday at the Paquibato district in Davao City which wounded two soldiers. He added if such incidents continue, he will ultimately declare martial law.

Mr. Duterte has long been at odds with the CPP-NPA, worsened by repeated breakdowns in a peace process he launched at the beginning of his presidency.

The President first announced a unilateral ceasefire a day after the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Luzon was imposed on March 17, in order for the government to be able to focus on addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. However, rebels initially doubted the sincerity of this ceasefire.

Since the declaration of the ceasefire, two other rebel attacks have been reported during the ECQ period, one in Barangay Magroyong, Surigao del Sur and the other in Rodriguez, Rizal.

CPP founder Jose Maria C. Sison announced a ceasefire last month, days after the United Nations called for a global armistice in order to focus on the COVID-19 issue. The government’s ceasefire lapsed on April 15, while the communist rebels extended their declaration until April 30, the last day of the ECQ’s extension in Luzon.

Solons on Friday backed the President’s declaration. “If NPA attacks persist and therefore rebellion continues in the midst of the pandemic, the President is obligated to declare ML (martial law),” said Senate President Vicente C. “Tito” Sotto III in reply to a question posed to him on Viber.

Senator Aquilino L. “Koko” Pimentel III, concurred, quoting the Constitution’s Section 13 which spells out the President’s powers to declare martial law, saying in a Viber message that the “Declaration of ML is the president’s decision subject to substantive requirements of the Constitution…” But he did point out that “the congress reviews it also pursuant to the constitution. That (ML declaration) is part of Presidential powers. The review is part of Congressional powers.” He went on to point out that “ML declaration can be location specific.”

Meanwhile, Ako Bicol Party-list Representative and vice-chairman of the House committee on justice Alfredo A. Garbin, Jr., released a statement saying that there was no need for the president to declare martial law “as the effect of Luzon Wide Total lockdown has the force and effect of a de facto Martial Law,” He pointed out that the police and AFP are already manning checkpoints and enforcing the enhanced community quarantine, and that there are already 24-hour curfews. “Liberty of travel and abode is suppress[ed] and the right to peaceably assemble is wanting. In fact the President is also authorized to take over private property of which he deems proper and necessary in order to meet the needs of this public health emergency,” he noted.

“Declaring martial law is too cumbersome,” he said. “When the President judges that it is necessary to impose martial law or suspend the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus, his judgment is subject to review by the Supreme Court and subject to concurrence by Congress. But when he exercises this lesser power of calling on the Armed Forces, when he says it is necessary, his judgment cannot be reviewed by anybody.”

On Thursday, Davao City Mayor Sara Z. Duterte, the president’s daughter, condemned an attack by the NPA on a village in the city’s Paquibato District the previous day, according to a report by the Philippine News Agency. Two soldiers sustained slight wounds during what the army said was an attack meant to disrupt the distribution of financial aid by the Department of Social Welfare and Development. — Reuters, Genshen L. Espedido, Gillian M. Cortez

Areas outside ECQ should still close schools, prohibit mass gatherings

SCHOOLS should remain closed and mass gathering prohibited even in areas considered to be at low and moderate risk for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) said government. These areas will be placed under general community quarantine or GCQ, a more limited form of quarantine than the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) which has been imposed on the NCR and the rest of Luzon since March 15.

On Friday, Palace Spokesperson Harry L. Roque said that based on recommendations of the Inter-Agency task force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), areas that will not be covered by the ECQ after April 30 should still consider closing schools and other areas that attract large crowds.

These regions and areas should consider completely closing the following: schools, leisure places, amusement parks, gaming businesses, fitness gyms, “kid” industries, and tourism establishments. Mass gatherings such as conferences and religious events, should also be prohibited.

The opening of malls and construction will be limited under GCQ. Only stores that deliver basic goods and services will be opened, and only people between the ages of 21 to 59 will be allowed to enter. Social distancing will also be observed.

The task force also recommended that schools should open later in September, although Socioeconomic Chief Karl Kendrick T. Chua said that the education department will still have to issue its own recommendations as the law dictates the start of the school year should begin in June.

“Ang napresent ay for consideration lamang. Ang gusto iparating ng DepEd ay magprepresent sila sa IATF ng kanilang recommendation (What is presented is for consideration. The Department of Education will still present their recommendations),” Mr. Chua said.

Earlier this week, Education Secretary Leonor M. Briones said they are eyeing to open schools this August after they have conducted consultations with stakeholders.

Meanwhile, selected projects under the Build, Build, Build program will be allowed to continue even during the COVID-19 crisis. Mr. Roque said this is important because infrastructure will help stimulate the economy. Those allowed to operate will be required to observe health standards and physical distancing, and provide barracks for construction workers.

A number of industries will be allowed to open in areas covered under the GCQ. Workers from Category 1, 2, and 3 will be allowed to go to work.

Category 1 are industries permitted for 100% opening during the GCQ. These are agriculture, fishery, forestry; food manufacturing and its entire supply chain (including ink, packaging, raw materials, etc.); food retail (supermarket, market, restaurants for takeout and delivery only); healthcare (hospitals, clinics, drugstores); logistics; water; energy; internet and telecoms; and media.

Category 2 are industries that are allowed to open 50% to 100% during the GCQ. These are electronics and exports manufacturing; e-commerce and delivery for essential and non-essential items; repair and maintenance services; and housing and office services.

Category 3 are those subject to 50% on site and 50% work from home which are financial services; BP; other non-leisure wholesale and retail trade; and other non-leisure services.

Workers from Category 4, which include schools, leisure, and tourism businesses, will not be allowed to work during the GCQ.

On Friday, the government announced that COVID-19 high risk areas such as the National Capital Region, Region III (Central Luzon), and Region IV-A (CALABARZON covering Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, and Quezon), and other identified provinces will remain under ECQ until May 15. — Gillian M. Cortez

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